Spring 2009
Principles of Food and Resource Economics
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: S
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 0628 | Evan Drummond |
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AEB 3103 is a comprehensive, introductory economics course with emphasis on the economics of agriculture, the food industry and natural resources in a global context. The course includes both microeconomics and macroeconomics. The microeconomic portion of the course emphasizes production economics and the theory of the consumer. The macroeconomic portion of the course deals with the role of government in a domestic and global environment with particular emphasis on agricultural policy and trade. The honors section of this course entails a weekly enrichment session that meets on Fridays at the regularly scheduled time slot. This seminar deals with current events, supplements to course topics, and a case study of a major agribusiness firm. There are no extra tests or exams associated with the seminar. Some extra reading is required. The grade from the seminar is based on attendance and participation. It constitutes 20% of the final course grade. Students in the honors section are expected to complete all requirements of the regular section. Prerequisite: Calculus
Evan Drummond (a.k.a. The Food Dude) is Professor of Food and Resource Economics and Senior Associate Director of the University Honors Program. His areas of interest include food policy and international economic development. He teaches introductory agricultural economics and is co-author of a book for that course. In his second year at UF he was selected Teacher of the Year by the students of the College of Agriculture and in his first year of eligibility was chosen as the national Teacher of the Year (with more than ten years experience) by the American Agricultural Economics Association.
Critical Issues in Contemporary Africa
Writing or Math Req: W - 4000
Gen Ed: H
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 7079 | Todd Leedy |
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Africa in the 21st Century faces numerous challenges, many of which are inter-related. How these challenges are addressed by local citizens, African states, and the international community will shape the future of the continent. This interdisciplinary seminar is designed to familiarize students with a variety of perspectives on conflict resolution, economic development, environmental management, food security, governance, international assistance, public health, etc. In addition to providing a deep exposure to contemporary Africa, the course will further students' essential skills in written analysis, discussion, and debate.
Todd Leedy (Ph.D. History, University of Florida, 2000) is Associate Director and Undergraduate Coordinator in the Center for African Studies. He completed his B.A. (honors) and M.A. degrees at Michigan State University. During his undergraduate training, he spent an academic year at the University of Zimbabwe which provided the motivation for his subsequent research on the intersection of religion and politics with agricultural improvement schemes. Leedy received a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support his fieldwork in Zimbabwe. He presently coordinates the UF semester abroad programs in Botswana and Tanzania. In 2005, he developed the ongoing Lombardi Scholar summer enrichment program in South Africa with cooperation from the UF Honors Program.
Biology and Natural History of Fireflies
Writing or Math Req: W - 2000
Gen Ed: B
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 2262 | James E. Lloyd |
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NOTE: This class is located in the Entomology Building on Natural Area Drive near the Performing Arts Center. Please plan accordingly.
This course views the biology/natural history of an interesting family of beetles to present major aspects of organismic biology, including techniques and philosophy, and gives experience in field and lab with useful procedures in biology and natural history, and methods in biology instruction. Studies includes field identification, observation, and quantification of firefly signals; flash signal recording and analysis; basic electronics with circuit development and manufacture; collection and recognition of human and livestock parasites “whose” hosts firefly larvae prey upon; and museum practice including collecting and curating, and the use and development of identification keys.
The primary text is a firefly manual by the Prof, which is a collection of essays and field and lab-project texts and directions, and is distributed over the semester as required. Students purchase a "fireflyer's kit" as described on the first day of class. The kit includes an introductory field guide to insects, stop watch, thermometer, micro-pen, head lamp, and pen light. There will be afternoon and nocturnal field trips, an optional overnight weekend camping expedition, and other weekend trips, if appropriate. Attendance is required on about five evening field trips during the semester.
Final grade will take into account: attendance and punctuality; performance/industry/focus in the lab and on nocturnal and afternoon field trips to firefly habitats; several always announced and carefully described quizzes, both open and closed book as described beforehand; and two short term papers on subjects to be announced. Each student will have a portfolio in the Prof's lab, where quizzes, tests, term papers, and miscellaneous items are accumulated. At the end of the semester the Prof. will evaluate the portfolios for industry in and quality of scholarship, and will subjectively assign a grade. But, note, to quote from the student evaluation by one fireflyer, “Dr. Lloyd kicks ass.”
James E. Lloyd is a graduate of SUNY at Fredonia, University of Michigan, and Cornell University. He served four years in the US Navy as an electronic technician in a patrol squadron. He joined the UF faculty in 1966 and currently is Professor Emeritus of Entomology and Nematology. During his tenure at UF he has taught several undergraduate and graduate courses and served on the graduate committees of some 50 graduate students. He has studied fireflies in the field for 43 years in North America, Jamaica, southern Mexico, Thailand, Colombia, and New Guinea, and has published about 100 scientific papers and book chapters, and about 50 book reviews and editorials; has given 90 invited lectures at universities in the US and elsewhere; organized and edited several published symposia on behavioral ecology; identified about 15,000 preserved firefly research specimens for museums and other institutions and individuals; and his photographs of fireflies and other insects appear widely in text books and magazines. Prof. Lloyd has for several years been preparing a natural history/taxonomic monograph on fireflies, a study manual for firefly natural history/biology courses, and a field guide to North American fireflies.
History of the American Presidency
Writing or Math Req: W - 2000
Gen Ed: H
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 0146 | David Colburn |
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This is an advanced-level course even though it provides a historical introduction to the American Presidency. The readings and the research assignment have been selected on that basis. Special attention in the course is given to the debates surrounding the creation of the office by the Founding Fathers and the evolution of the office in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Along the way, we will examine certain presidents who held the office, the infrastructure that supports the office, events that have shaped it and been re-shaped by it, changing public expectations of the president including the president’s relationship with the press and congress, and presidential leadership in domestic and foreign affairs.
The course has been arranged topically, rather than chronologically, although we will proceed chronologically within the topics. I am assuming that you have a good understanding of American history. Please note that none of the required readings is a history of the American presidency. If you need such a book to assist you in understanding the chronological evolution of events and the presidency, I will be glad to make some suggestions.
The course will combine lectures and discussion in every class, so be sure to come and come prepared. We will begin each class with a general discussion of the presidency in 2009 and critical developments that are affecting the President and the office. So you should be reading The New York Times daily and you should be prepared to discuss current developments in the news.
Dr. David Colburn is professor of history, director of the Reubin Askew Institute on Politics and Society, and former provost and senior vice president. He is author or editor of thirteen books on politics, race and ethnicity in American society. He is currently a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians and has spoken widely in the United States and Europe. He has twice been named teacher of the year and also named outstanding graduate teacher in the history department. He is a former fellow in the United States Senate and contributes columns on a regular basis to the Orlando Sentinel on state and national politics.
American Intellectual History
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 4361 | John J Langdale |
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This course concerns the history of intellectual life in the United States since 1830. For our purposes, the term intellectual will be broadly defined to include artists, essayists, journalists, philosophers, social critics, novelists and other figures who have contributed to the nation’s intellectual life since the middle of the nineteenth century. After briefly considering the American founding and a sampling of antebellum figures, the course will turn to the Victorian context of Postbellum America and the challenges posed by Darwinism to the realms of science, theology and social thought. As we journey into the twentieth century, we will consider the influence of modernism on American art, literature and morals through the Second World War. Finally, we will consider the shape of American thought from the Cold War to the present with a focus on (among other things) Postmodernism, Feminism, the meaning of Civil Rights, Anti-Communism, the New Left, Neo-Conservatism and Libertarianism.
Throughout the semester, two main themes will remain central to our engagement with the history of American thought:
-American intellectual history is comprised of a series of ongoing debates about the nature of truth, knowledge, being and the American experience.
-Though these debates encompass a wide array of thinkers and movements, American intellectual history comprises an ongoing narrative of a perpetual, though continuously contested, march towards secularization.
Jay Langdale received his BA in 1993 from Mercer University, his MA in 1996 from the Southern Studies Program at the University of Mississippi and his PhD in 2006 from the University of Florida. His dissertation titled “Superfluous Southerners: Cultural Conservatism and the South” was awarded the 2006 M.E. Bradford Prize by the St. George Tucker Society and is presently being revised for publication. His areas of interest include the American South, American Intellectual History and the role of the “man of letters” in American culture. In addition to UF, Dr. Langdale has taught previously at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk.
Modern Masculinities: A Comparative Historical Approach
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 5846 | Louise Newman |
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Over the last twenty years, there has been an international burgeoning of scholarship on masculinity has raised important questions concerning how different nations have organized social relations pertaining to boyhood, men’s roles in the family and society, work, leisure, male sexuality and so forth.
This course selects three to four broad themes from this scholarship to be treated in separate units, including
• Family and Sexuality
• Work and Leisure
• Bodies and Sports
In each of these units, we will study an issue or them, using a comparative historical aproach. For example in the unit on “Family and Sexuality” we will explore how contact between Europe and Iran in the nineteenth century impacted both regions, shaping Iranian modernity and European imperialism. In the unit on “Work and Leisure” we will read about the Japanese notion of the sarariiman, comparing dominant forms of masculinity in postwar Japan to those in the United States. In “Bodies and Sports” we will examine how athletic pursuits have helped to foster specific ideals about men’s bodies in Japan, U.S. an Britain, as well as to create a citizenry who could and would take part in colonial conquests. All of these topics lend themselves to “mini research” projects that students will undertake as they complete each of the units.
Readings are taken from the disciplines of history, anthropology, film criticism and philosophy and include such works as:
Anne Allison, Nightwork: Sexuality, Pleasure and Corporate Maculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club;
Afsaneh Najmabadi, Women with Mustaches and Men Without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity; and Gail Bederman, Manliness and Civilization
Louise Newman (Ph.D, Brown University) is Associate Professor of U.S. History at the University of Florida, specializing in gender and women's history. She is author of White Women's Rights: The Racial Origins of Feminism in the United States and editor of a sourcebook on scientific writings about woman's nature, Men's Ideas/Women's Realities: Popular Science, 1870-1920. Currently, she is working on a book about Hollywood films that purport to relate the history of the 1960s.
Academic Activism
Writing or Math Req: W - 4000
Gen Ed: S, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 5370 | Ed Gonzalez-Tennant |
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Where do academics, educators, students, and other members of the scholarly elite fit into the complex landscape of social change? Do members of these groups have an ethical obligation to uncover perceived wrongs in the modern world? What is the difference between advocacy and activism? This course – where the students and instructor meet as equals – is designed to look at these questions and critically examine the scholar’s role as activist.
The course is divided roughly into three sections. The first third of the course centers on various theoretical foundations suggesting that scholars can (and often should) engage in the process of transformative social commentary and action. The second portion of the course will highlight the role of academics as educators in raising the public’s awareness of social wrongs. The final section is split between texts that demonstrate actions taken by scholars to address perceived wrongs; as well as time for each student to engage in their own forms of advocacy/activism. The final project centers on each student engaging with local (Alachua county) advocacy/activist groups. A global perspective drawing on international applied anthropology will be developed throughout the course as readings from around the world are examined. General topics explored include developing a critical awareness of society, engaged pedagogy, elite-minority relations, environmental mismanagement queer rights, immigration, human rights, (inter)national war, and others.
This course is a one-of-a-kind chance to find an academic foundation for transforming the world around us.
I consider myself an historical anthropologist who draws on ethnography, oral history, archaeology, and applied anthropology. I am especially interested in the trajectory of racism and how minority representation continues to disadvantage people. My research focuses on how researchers can find a voice in the struggle to transform our global society and create spaces for coalition-building between majority and minority groups. This is especially challenging in the Deep South where Black | White dichotomies continue to dominant historical narratives and modern discourse. I have strong faith in holistic approaches, and applaud students and researchers who step outside of their individual disciplines to engage the real world.
Cultures of Silk Road
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: S, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 1080 | Joseph Wilson |
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The Silk Road is an interconnected web of trade routes between the Mediterranean and China, traversing a vast expanse of Central Asia. Communities of nomadic shepherds and oasis townsfolk coexisted with merchants, missionaries, and warriors.
Students will become acquainted with the socio-cultural history of this cosmopolitan region from prehistory down to the present, including evidence from archaeology, history, ethnography, human genetics and linguistics. Beginning with debates about the first people of the region and its prehistoric economy, students will then study the rise of great empires in Late Antiquity; Chinese, Persians, and Greeks ruled the Silk Road prior to the ascendance of confederated horse nomads in the mid-First Millennium. The course will then address the Islamic world system after the eighth century, the rise of Turkish and Mongol power in the following centuries, and competition between overland trade and burgeoning maritime trade. The course will conclude with a discussion of the region???s contemporary geopolitical significance and the challenges for modern indigenous peoples of East Central Asia.
Joseph A.P. Wilson is a pre-doctoral Alumni Fellow in Cultural Anthropology at UF. His research interests include indigenous studies, religion, ethnohistory, and technology. For three years before coming to UF in 2007, Mr. Wilson was a Molecular Genetic Technologist in the Diagnostic Laboratory of the the Greenwood Genetic Center, in South Carolina, and concurrently an adjunct instructor in anthropology and humanities at Lander University, in South Carolina, where he also taught Cultures of the Silk Road.
Mr. Wilson holds advanced degrees in Oriental & African Religions (MA 2002, SOAS, University of London, England) and in Industrial Archaeology (MS 2004, Michigan Tech).
Resistance, Deviance and Social Change
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 1614 | Michael Lemons |
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Riot grrrls and rastas; labor strikes and peasant revolts; treesitting in Oregon and treehugging in India. This course takes a look at various social forms which counter prevailing cultural processes. Anthropology serves as the base for a multi-perspective, interdisciplinary look at crime, deviance, rebellions, protest, and critical theory. How (if at all) are these phenomena related? How (if at all) can they be contextualized in relation to power, ideology, norms, and social control? In what ways do (or don’t) such phenomena influence and inform processes and conceptions of progress, development, revolution, utopianism, and social change?
Michael Lemons is a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Florida. He has a master’s degree in Marine Studies from University of Miami and received his Bachelor’s in Natural Science from New College of South Florida. His current research is concerned with religious vs. secular dimensions of ecological worldview and how dichotomous conceptions of nature/culture affect the relationship between religious/secular beliefs and ecological behavior. His dissertation fieldwork looks at back-to-the-land movements in Hawaii and addresses how narratives of cultural resistance and “nature religion” reflect a moralized conception of nature/culture that in turn influences the degree to which communities are autonomous or environmentally sustainable.
Introduction to Forensic Science
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 2543 | Jason Byrd |
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This course addresses the various disciplines within the forensic sciences. Specifically, this course will focus on the application of the medical and natural sciences to forensics. The development of the medical examiner, coroner, and crime laboratory systems within the United States will be discussed as well as the scientific and non-scientific methods used to establish human identity, and the pathological conditions commonly found in forensic casework. This is a three-credit course designed to familiarize the student with the application of science to law and the courtroom.
Dr. Byrd is a Board-Certified Forensic Entomologist and is a past Chairman of the American Board of Forensic Entomology. He has conducted over 100 workshops specializing in the education of law enforcement officials, medical examiners, coroners, attorneys, and other death investigators on the use and applicability of arthropods in legal investigations. He has published numerous scientific articles on the subject of forensic entomology, and has also published two books dealing with the use of insects in legal investigations.
Exploration Universe
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: P
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 0589 | Stephen Gottesman |
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Cosmology is the study of everything, the science of matter
on its largest and smallest scales (the formation of fundamental particles). In AST2039, we will be concerned with questions about how the universe began, how it is evolving and how it will end. These are questions that have fascinated our ancient ancestors since they first looked at the starry firmament and recorded celestial phenomena. Great schools of philosophy and religion have incorporated cosmology in their speculations and explanations.
The modern era may be dated from Copernicus and set on a quantifiable course by Isaac Newton. However, scientific cosmology in its most contemporary form is only slightly more than a century old. Our questions have left the realm of mythology and spiritual allegory. Modern methods and techniques have brought cosmology into the mainstream of astronomy and astrophysics and may enable us to answer those basic 'how, when, where' concerns. Our explications encompass great distances and time scales incorporating the very small into the very large. Our frontiers have advanced so rapidly since the second world war, that this has been called the Golden Age of Cosmology. Some astrophysicists hope we can develop a theory of everything. This course is neatly divided into pre- and post-Netownian approaches.
We will follow a path that is an eclectic mix of physics, history and philosophy. We will see how our understanding has grown and how developing technologies have enabled new and often unexpected knowledge. Our main text will be 'Cosmology: The Science of the Universe,' 2nd edition. The author is the late Professor Edward Harrison, of the University of Massachusetts. I will make supplementary material available as needed. This book was written for the general student with little or no mathematics, which is con?ned mostly to special sections at the end of each chapter. It is a marvelous source for the history of ideas and epistemology. There are no prerequisites,just an enthusiastic interest in our physical environment. We will do a healthy amount of writing, and the course will earn you 6000 words of credit towards meeting your Gordon Rule Requirement.
Stephen Gottesman is a Professor of Astronomy. He trained as a radio astronomer at Jodrell Bank in Great Britain and earned the Ph.D degree from the University of Manchester in England. He has special interests in the properties of galaxies and their dynamics, structure and the extent and magnitude of their dark matter. He has also studied various aspects of the interstellar medium. He has published papers with his colleagues and students on these topics. His interests in observational cosmology are long standing, and he created this course (AST 2039) for the astronomy cirriculum. In addition, he is a past chairman of the Department of Astronomy. If students have any questions concerning the course or the instructor, they are encouraged to e-mail Dr. Gottesman (gott@astro.ufl.edu) or visit him in his office.
Beginning Chinese 2
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3873 | Cynthia H. Shen |
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Prerequisite: CHI 1130 (grade of C or better, or S), or the equivalent
This is the continuation of Beginning Chinese 1. It teaches Chinese speaking, listening, reading and writing abilities with an emphasis on everyday spoken language. By the end of this semester students will have been introduced to most of the important grammatical structures of spoken Chinese. Aspects of Chinese culture will also be introduced in relation to the language taught in the class. The class will be conducted with a communicative approach with many interactions between students and the instructor. The instructor will create different situations guiding students to use the target language in conversation and role plays. The training is vigorous and provocative. There will be daily assignment, weekly quizzes and tests. Students will also be expected to present two Chinese skits in groups after the mid-term and final examinations, in which they will demonstrate their acquired Chinese competence in combination of interesting performance. Active and substantial participation is expected.
Cynthia Hsien Shen is a native Chinese speaker. She grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. She was awarded a B.A. degree from National Taiwan University. She pursued her graduate studies in the U.S. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Cornell University. She taught and served in various positions at the Gainesville Chinese School before she joined the Department of African & Asian Languages and Literatures as a lecturer.
Honors General Chemistry
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: P
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 7201 | Gardiner Myers |
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Corequisite: CHM 2046L. CHM 2051 is an Honors alternate to CHM 2046.
This course is available to any student who has an "A" midterm or final grade in CHM 2045 at UF. Many of the students in the course will be Honors Program students, but this is not a requirement. The course is open to any student who has demonstrated a high level of potential in chemistry, as indicated by performance in CHM 2045. The instructor for CHM 2051 will be Dr. Gardiner Myers, who has extensive experience teaching in the CHM 2045-2046 sequence. Questions concerning the course may be directed to him at gmyers@chem.ufl.edu. CHM 2051 will cover the same basic topics that are studied in CHM 2046, indeed using many of the same course handouts Dr. Myers uses in the regular course. The principal difference will be the smaller class size and a level of discussion appropriate to the audience. We will also complete several computer spreadsheet exercises which are designed to teach some of the data analysis skills that one needs to use in a life of science. In the latter few weeks of CHM 2051 we will replace some of the usual descriptive inorganic chemistry with several special topics: atmospheric chemistry, polymers, and proteins. Students who are qualified and wish to enroll for CHM 2051 may simply register for this as for any other course, using section number 7201. If the system gives you any difficulty contact the Honors Office (Honors Program students) or Dr. Myers (other students). Students in CHM 2051 should also register for any regular section of CHM 2046L.
Bioorganic Chemistry
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3523 | Staff |
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Prereq: CHM 3217 or CHM 2211, or permission of instructor.
An introduction to the basic concepts of biochemistry and molecular biology from the structural and mechanistic perspective of organic chemistry.
Fiction Writing
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: C
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 2269 | Staff |
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Prerequisite: CRW 1101 or completion of 60 credits
This course will continue instruction in basic techniques of voice, plot and character, while also introducing advanced ones. Students read a lot of good stories and write a few themselves. Samuel Johnson said, "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money." Juniors or seniors who have not taken CRW1101 or 1301 must have strong composition skills.
Honors Poetry Workshop
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: C
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 1644 | Michael Hoffman |
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No Prerequisite except a willingness to write poetry and knowledge of what a complete sentence is
“I suppose you want me to go to night school and read poems.”
—James Cagney, “The Public Enemy”
The University of Florida has one of the strongest creative writing programs in the country, and graduate faculty sometimes offer a beginning workshop for honors students. The best students will afterwards be eligible for upper-division workshops, always taught by graduate faculty. Poetry demands close attention to the meaning and music of language, to emotion and the structures of emotion, and to the burdens of the past. The best poetry has an understanding of psychology, botany, religion, philosophy, and how much French fries cost at the mall. No one can be a poet without reading. The beginning workshop is in part a course in poetic literature.
Poets will write one poem a week, which will form the basis of workshop discussion, along with poems of the past and present. No workshop can succeed without an inclination toward laughter and wry jokes. Field trips may be possible—no year in Gainesville is complete without a visit to the alligators. Students are not expected to have written poetry before, but must have strong language skills (you can't manipulate the language effectively without grammar and spelling). Please do not take this course if you don’t know the difference between an adjective and an adverb, or the correct usage of it’s and its, lay and lie, and who and whom. Student who don’t know what complete sentences are will be asked to drop the class.
Required reading:
Norton Anthology of Modern Poems
Four books of contemporary poetry
James McAuley, Versification
Urban Economics
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 7112 | David Denslow |
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Prerequisites: ECO and ES majors with ECO 2013 and ECO 2023, or B or better in ECO 2013 and ECO 2023
The course will consider the economics of various urban issues including housing, transportation, taxes, infrastructure, and schools. A standard text Arthur O'Sullivan, Urban Economics, will be used, and a paper will be required. Below is a link to a typical course in urban economics, the one at Brown, which will give you an idea of the topics covered. But we’ll rely more on the text and less on articles.
http://www.econ.brown.edu/faculty/henderson/courses/ec241.pdf
Dr. David Denslow, Jr., Economic Analysis Program Director in the Bureau of Economic and Business Research and Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Economics, is best known at the University of Florida as the effective and popular professor of the televised course Basic Macroeconomics.
Intro to Education
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 1139 | Jeff Hurt |
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Dr. Jeff Hurt has been teaching for 35 years. He has been on the College of Education faculty at the University of Florida since 1985. He has experience in teaching and/or supervision at the elementary, middle school and high school levels. He has degrees in English Education, Social Science Education, Library and Information Science, and Educational Technology and Communication.
Speaking and Writing for Engineers
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: C
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 8340 | Dianne Cothran |
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Note: This course will substitute for ENC 2210, Technical Writing.
This course has been expressly designed for engineering students to equip them for speaking and writing assignments associated with undergraduate coursework and careers in the field of engineering. Students will learn valuable techniques and tools that will help them become effective communicators of technical material, capable of organizing and expressing ideas to satisfy the demands of both general and specialist audiences. Writing and speaking assignments will mirror actual tasks in school and in the field. In the process, students will learn how to become critical evaluators of their own communication skills by commenting on and evaluating the spoken and written work of peers in class. The primary writing assignments include a résumé and a cover letter, a procedural manual, and a final team design proposal. Oral assignments include an interview supporting the cover letter and résumé, a presentation of the team proposal, and role-playing as peer reviewers of other team projects.
Dianne Cothran is a Senior Lecturer in the Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication where she has taught for 10 years. She holds a Ph. D. in English from Florida State University. Dr. Cothran has also worked as an editor at CH2MHill, a national engineering firm, where she wrote and edited proposals, textbooks, and reports.
Speaking and Writing for Premed Students
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: C
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 0633 | Kellie Roberts |
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Medical professionals have a special obligation to communicate without ambiguity, either in the written or spoken word; they depend on their communication skills to interact productively with other medical experts, their colleagues, clients and their families, and the public at large. This team-taught course will provide students with the opportunity to participate in a range of activities: researching, processing, and sharing medical information with others. Students will learn to do research using medical databases and other research tools, as well as discovering how best to organize and present their findings to other medical professionals or patients. The physician must often act as intermediary between the specialized world of scientific research and the more pragmatic world of the general public; consequently, we will also investigate how best to present technical medical information to the layperson. This course is predicated on the idea that the ability to write and speak clearly are learned skills, not innate talents, which means that better communication can be learned by practice. Students will experiment with a range of communication strategies in class: lectures will be followed by focused written and oral activities that allow students to put theory and strategies into practice. We will read and dissect examples of both good and bad writing in order to learn from them, in addition to examining several types of medical writings: written patient instructions, technical/research papers, case reports, and patient records. Students will also participate in a variety of speaking assignments in class, ranging from impromptu to prepared presentations. We will discuss techniques for improving public speaking, interviewing and listening skills, and patient-doctor communication.
Kellie Roberts is an advisor for the Honors Program and Associate Director for the Center for Written and Oral Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She also coaches the nationally competitive UF Speech & Debate Team.
Writing for Prelaw Students
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: C
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 1414 | Robert Uttaro |
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| 2530 | Creed Greer |
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In courts of law people's lives depend on the character of words, and the livelihood of lawyers depends on their ability to put language to its most productive ends. It is with these ideas that we take up the subject of writing and law. Lawyers are notorious for producing impenetrable documents. On the other hand, some of the most eloquent writing about our society has been set down by attorneys and judges. Our job will be to learn what we can from those well-stated arguments and opinions and to avoid what makes legal writing so notoriously difficult to read. This course is designed to be, in large part, a practical workshop on the most common forms of legal writing. It is also a consideration of the character of legal communication in general. To these ends, we will write three documents: a legal brief, a legal memorandum, and an analytical essay. In writing the first two, we will become familiar with legal research and law library resources. In the analytical essay we will examine how common perceptions of legal institutions are played out in popular venues, such as film or theater, as well as in the media. In all of the writing we will develop the rhetorical skills of argument and persuasion while mastering the basic elements of style. Several field trips, including at least one to the county court and one to the law school's moot court, will show how speaking is integral to this discipline. Hence, our course also has an oral communications component wherein students will learn the basic skills of legal debate.
Creed Greer is Associate Program Director and Senior Lecturer in the Humanities for the Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 1989. Dr. Greer's specialties include professional and technical communication, composition, and recent literary theory. Since joining the Dial Center in 1995, he has conducted research in and developed disciplinary writing courses for undergraduate and graduate-level work in law, engineering, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and business administration.
Advanced Exposition
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: C
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 9202 | Marie Nelson |
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Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and two 1000- or 2000-level English courses, or their equivalents.
ENC 3310 carries Gordon Rule writing credit.
As its sub-title, Writing about Language, indicates, this section of ENC 3310 is intended to provide you not just with opportunities to further develop your writing skills but also to learn more than you may already know about how language works. Writing about Language, the single required text for the course (it will be available at University Copy and More and I plan to bring copies of Chapter 1, “Naming and Un-naming,” to class the first day we are scheduled to meet), presents topics that range from the acquisition of writing and language itself to the sounds of language, the ways words and sentences get put together, questions about what we actually do with words, and the use of language in varying social contexts. Selections now included (and I welcome additions) are taken from sources as diverse as Steven Pinker’s The Language Instinct, Jane Goodall’s In the Shadow of Man and Dian Fossey’s Gorillas in the Mist, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring and William Gibson’s Neuromancer, William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s Metaphors We Live By, Gerald Graff’s Clueless in Academe, Newsweek “My Turn” essays, and Bob Thaves’ “Malaprop Man” series.
This is the plan: Each of the twelve WL chapters ends with a series of Writing Possibilities. You will be writing short responses to one of these or to a related possibility that you wish to add. Your responses will be carefully read and promptly returned to you with comments intended to be helpful, and, along with additional exercises to be written in class, will serve as possible “starts” for three 3-5 page papers. The first paper will be a further development of a “start” written in response to a Writing Possibility from one of the first four Writing about Language chapters. The second will be a further development of a “start” from WL chapters 5-8, while the third will be a further development of a possibility from chapters 9-12. And a longer fourth paper, which can be an extension of one of the 3-5 page papers or a development from a different “start,” will also be required. There will be no tests or quizzes. Grades will be based on your short responses to the Writing Possibilities included in WL chapters, your participation in the work of the class, and the four required papers. Questions or suggestions? Please e-mail me at marienel@msn.com .
Dr. Nelson served as Director of the University of Florida Linguistics Program from 1995 to 2000. She has published two books on Old English poetry and a number of essays on Old, Middle, and Modern English language and literature. Her most recently published essays include “The Authority of the Spoken Word: Speech Acts in Mark Twain’s The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” (Oral Tradition, Fall 2008) and “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth, Beorhthelm’s Son”: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sequel to “The Battle of Maldon” (Mythlore, Spring/Summer 2008). “Time and J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Riddles in the Dark’” is scheduled for publication in the Fall/Winter 2008 Mythlore issue.
Artists Who Work in Several Media
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: H, C
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 4907 | Sidney Homan |
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Harold Pinter has written novels, poetry, and film scripts; Samuel Beckett, poems, novels, short stories, television films and radio plays, and aesthetic criticism; Tom Stoppard works both on stage and in the cinema. These artists involved in several media are the focus of the course.
We will study these artists by staging scenes from their plays, with each student in the course having an acting partner, the partners then responsible for performing five scenes during the semester. The emphasis here is on intent rather than finesse, and thus no previous acting experience is required. Students rehearse, perform, and then work with Mr. Homan as their director so that all of us can experience the theatre not as something "literary" but as a distinct art form, in a production which is both visual and verbal, where the playwright's text is sustained by sub-text (the dialogue and history of the character devised by the actor beneath the actual text on the page), movement, blocking, gesture, props, set, lighting, etc.
Students wil also attend two productions at the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre: An Evenign with Tom Stoppard and An Evening with Harold Pinter.
Plays to be thus studied are: Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and other shorter works by Beckett for the tage, television, and radio; Harold Pinter's The Lover, Old Times, No Man's Land and Betrayal; and Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Sidney Homan is Professor of English the University of Florida and Visiting Professor of Jilin University in the People’s Republic of China. An actor and director in professional and university theatres, he is the author of ten books on Shakespeare and the modern playwrights. His prize-winning Beckett’s Theatres: Interpretations for Performance emerged from a tour of Florida prisons with Waiting for Godot. Several times a Teacher of the Year, he published his first novel this spring, A Fish in the Moonlight: Growing Up in the Bone Marrow Unit.
Water, Env & Society
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3655 | Mark Brown |
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“If the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water.” –Ismail Serageldin, 1995
This course will use a local lens to explore global issues of water shortage, pollution, and conflict. We will investigate interactions among biological, physical, social, economic, and political drivers of change in watersheds. This interdisciplinary class will include field experiences, case studies, and expert lectures. Students are expected to complete weekly readings and prepare for discussion. Grading is based on active participation, presentations, and short writing assignments.
Mark T. Brown is Professor in Environmental Engineering Sciences and Director of UF’s Center for Environmental Policy. This course will be taught by Dr. Brown and a team of PhD students in the UF-IGERT Program in Adaptive Management (http://amw3igert.ufl.edu), building on their experiences over the past three years of travels in Africa and Central America and their diverse biophysical and social research interests and expertise.
French Grammar & Composition
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 1795 | Staff |
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FRE 3300 is the follow-up to FRE2201. The aim of "Grammaire et composition" is to enhance students' French grammatical knowledge, reading, writing and compositional skills.
Pop Music Culture Perspective
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3110 | Timothy Fik |
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Pop Music & Culture: A Geographic Perspective is a course that highlights the geographic origins and diffusion of “pop music”, focusing on the geo-historical underpinnings of American music in its various manifestations. The course will provide an overview of American roots music and survey various and important regional styles. Emphasis is placed on analyzing music innovation, trends, and movements in relation to location, culture, counter-culture, and the social/geo-political climate. Also examined is the theory that music innovation and artistic expression are linked to the dynamics of the counter-culture (in response to mainstream trends), with innovations occurring at locations, places, and/or economies that can best be described as “marginalized” or socio-spatial remote.
Discussions and Power Point presentations will (a) trace the roots and lineage of various music styles or genres; (b) identify pioneering artists, trend-setting regions and cities; and (c) describe the diffusion of musical ideas across regions and geographic boundaries. The course will examine the importance of music and lyrics as modes of expression and the role of artists as agents of change. More importantly, the course will examine the broader social, economic, and cultural implications of the evolution of pop music and alternative counter-culture music scenes. Emphasis will also be placed on the evolution of popular music and the emergence and proliferation of various hybrid forms of music (e.g., the influence of folk, rockabilly, bluegrass, country and western swing, blues, boogie-woogie, and rhythm & blues/R&B in the creation of “rock ‘n roll”). The course will highlight the importance of the music of black Americans and the contribution of black artists (with emphasis on Delta and Chicago blues, Piedmont and country blues, R&B, gospel and soul, funk, jump blues, ska and reggae). Discussions will also focus on the punk and post-punk movements, cross-over artists, folk-rock, blues-rock, the corporate rock, new wave, goth and glam, shock-rock, rap and hip-hop, electronica/techno, etc.
This course will also examine the restructuring and organization of the music industry in spatial and economic terms. Discussions will include an analysis of the impact of technology, the effects of competition, the role of radio and television (and later video), Internet and digital music (file-sharing, MP3s), the rise of independent artists and “indie” labels, and the manufacturing and marketing of pop artists and music. Within this context the course will explore the influence of demographics, the growth of niche markets, the birth and evolution of the performing artist, the overt and covert commercialization of pop music, the ever-important impact of the counter-culture and underground music scenes, and the rise of artists to pop icon status. Artist profiles and music documentaries will be presented to supplement lecture material.
Timothy J. Fik is an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Florida (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences). He earned a Master of Arts in Geography from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Ph.D in Geography & Regional Development from the University of Arizona (College of Social and Behavioral Sciences). Author of several books and numerous articles in the field of economic geography, his research interests include regional development, globalization, spatial statistics and quantitative methods, price competition, real estate and market area analysis, interaction models, and pop music culture. Dr. Fik’s e-mail address is fik@geog.ufl.edu.
Intensive Beginning German 2
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 2343 | Christina Overstreet |
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Prerequisite: GER 1130 (grade of C or better, or S), or the equivalent
This is a technology-driven language course. Your materials, texts, exercises, homework, quizzes, and tests are provided in form of web pages. This not only saves you money, but it also creates an unlimited flexibility for your instructor to provide you with the most current materials by using the Internet as a source of information. However, you are by no means learning the language in isolation. You will meet with your instructor and your classmates five times per week in a computer lab. During class time, we will work together to discover both the German language and the culture of its native speakers. We will engage in meaningful activities on-line and off-line to facilitate the acquisition of both linguistic and pragmatic aspects. In other words, it is not enough to know what is grammatically correct to effectively communicate with a native speaker. You will also learn how to appropriately use language in specific situations. The teaching and learning resources are provided through e-learning.
Christina Overstreet, Ph.D. is a senior lecturer in the Department of Germanic and Slavic studies. She is a native speaker of German and trained in Foreign Language Pedagogy and Second Language Acquisition. Dr. Overstreet has directed the Summer Program at the University of Mannheim and has extensive experience in teaching German language and culture on the beginning and intermediate levels. She has been instrumental in developing and implementing web-based courses that present language in the context of culture. Her research interests include the effective integration of new technology into the foreign language classroom. In her free time, Dr. Overstreet enjoys running, gardening, traveling, and traveling.
Representations of Moses
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3848 | Eric Kligerman |
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Strangers in a Strange Land:
Refiguring Moses in German Literature and the American South
Writing about the flourishing of German poetry in the 18th century, The German philosopher Herder pondered, “In a land with such a rich poetic tradition why has there never been a poem about Moses?” But by the next century, the turn to Moses significantly expanded in Germany’s cultural imaginary. In this interdisciplinary seminar in German-Jewish studies, we will examine the literary, philosophical, visual and acoustic representations of Moses in 19th and 20th century German intellectual and aesthetic thought (Heine, Kafka, Freud, Wagner, Schönberg, Sebald). Why has Moses become such a versatile trope in exploring questions of aesthetics, ethics, identity, the body and exile for both Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers? Investigating how shifting texts provide insights into the historical and cultural position of the Jew in European society, our objective is to trace the question of Jewish assimilation, Diasporic identity, modernity and anti-Semitism in relation to the re-inscriptions of Moses in German culture. Our analysis of Moses will conclude by focusing on his configuration in Southern American literature. How is the figure used in slave spirituals and literature? At this comparative juncture in the seminar, similar to the works of German Jews of Europe, Moses becomes a signifier that helps such Southern writers as Twain, Hurston and Faulkner reflect on the social and historical implications of race in America. In effect, Moses functions not simply as a figure from religious history but also as a cultural metaphor used to shed light on distinct periods of political crises.
Eric Kligerman is an Assistant Professor of Germanic and Slavic Studies. His field of work focuses on 20th Century German literature and visual culture, Holocaust Studies and critical theory.
Planetary Geology
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: P
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 4482 | Kyle Min |
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GLY 2042 is an introductory course that focuses on various geologic aspects of planets and their moons in the solar system. Formation, evolution and nature of the solar system, and its large solid bodies, can be inferred directly from meteorites and indirectly from a wide range of data obtained from spacecrafts. To understand other planetary bodies, it is essential to understand “geologic processes” occurring in Earth and Earth’s moon, therefore a brief overview on these processes will be given during the beginning stage of the course. The course will also cover smaller planetary bodies such as asteroids and comets which are important components of the solar system.
Kyoungwon Kyle Min recently joined the geology department at UF as an Assistant Professor. He trained as a geochemist at the University of California at Berkeley (Ph.D), University of Wisconsin at Madison (Scientist) and Yale University (Scientist). His research interest is unraveling thermal histories of terrestrial and extraterrestrial materials using various radiogenic isotope systems. He works on constraining timing and rates of shallow-depth crustal processes which are critical in geomorphology and neotectonics. Kyle is also interested in understanding evolutions of meteorites to better explain diverse planetary processes, such as changes in internal structures and heat budgets, igneous activities and shock-induced impact metamorphism of asteroids or planets.
Western Humanities 1
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: H, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 9203 | James Hodges |
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This section of Honors Humanities is a survey of Western culture from ancient Greece through the Renaissance, with readings from literature, philosophy, and religion. In addition to selections from the Bible, the course includes The Iliad, plays from Sophocles and Euripides, Plato's Republic, The Aeneid, Dante's Inferno, Machiavelli's The Prince, and Shakespeare's King Lear. Readings about and viewings from classical, medieval, and renaissance architecture, sculpture, and painting are also part of the curriculum. There will be a series of reaction papers required on the assigned readings and a cultural event report.
James Hodges is a Professor Emeritus of English. In addition to his thirty-three years on the faculty at UF, Dr. Hodges has also taught at the Sewanee Military Academy (Tennessee), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and East Tennessee State University. He holds degrees from Vanderbilt University (B.A. and M.A.) and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Western Humanities 2
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: H, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 9204 | James Hodges |
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This section of Honors Humanities is a survey of Western culture from the Eighteenth Century to the present, with readings from literature, psychology, and philosophy. The course includes Voltaire’s Candide, Goethe’s Faust, Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, Dostoyevski’s Notes from Underground, Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and other plays, T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and other poems, Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, and Sartre’s No Exit and other plays; also included are Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents and Jung’s Man and His Symbols. Readings about and viewings from architecture, sculpture, and painting are also part of the curriculum. There will be a series of reaction papers required on the assigned readings and a cultural event report.
James Hodges is a Professor Emeritus of English. In addition to his thirty-three years on the faculty at UF, Dr. Hodges has also taught at the Sewanee Military Academy (Tennessee), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and East Tennessee State University. He holds degrees from Vanderbilt University (B.A. and M.A.) and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Magic and Witchcraft
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: H, D
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 6668 | Judy Ann Turner |
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"Magic and witchcraft, the fear of daemons and ghosts, the wish to manipulate invisible powers--all were very much a part of life in the ancient world." --Georg Luck, Arcana Mundi, p. xiii. The occult, folklore, mystery cults, oracles, and superstition--the 'darker side' of religious experience--impacted the lives of average Greeks and Romans much more than did the Olympian or 'civic' gods. Yet this significant feature of ancient religious practices receives little attention in scholarship. This course is an effort to lessen the void in topics of ancient religion available to students. Through the use of film, lecture, reading of ancient (in translation) and modern sources, the course will examine origins and practices of ancient magic, witchcraft, mystery cults, demonology, astrology, alchemy, religious 'possession'and other occult subjects. We will explore continuity or resurgence of some ancient occult practices, and if schedules permit, there will be some guest speaker talks on course topics.
Judy Ann Turner (Ph.D. in Ancient History, University of California) was the Andrew Mellon Research/Teaching Fellow at the University of Southern California '84- '85 and taught at Cal Poly State University '85-'89. In Florida, she taught at SFCC (Humanities, '90-'93) and at U.F. (Honors Program and Classics Dept.) since '93. She has been an officer in the Archaeological Institute of America, Gainesville Society for more than a decade. Her publications include articles on sacerdotal women in the Linear B tablets and and articles on Greek Priesthoods. She is writing a book on Greek priestesses and ancient cults.
African Archaeologies
Writing or Math Req: W - 4000
Gen Ed: H, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 2974 | Jonathan Walz |
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What do you know about Africa’s past? Scholars, including African scientists, continue to reassess interpretations of the continent’s fossil (paleoanthropological) & archaeological evidence. In this course, we explore recent developments in human evolution, the origin of tools, the emergence of language & cognition, early artistic expressions, the domestication of plants & animals (from coffee to cattle), state origins (e.g., Egypt, Jenne, Aksum, Great Zimbabwe), ceramic & unique iron technologies, food-ways & later African entanglements with the Atlantic, Mediterranean & Indian Ocean worlds. Employing cases from North & Sub-Saharan Africa, we further consider how pasts & material heritages come to be represented & used. My intent is to transform the way students think about Africa and Africans across space & through time.
Jonathan R. Walz is a Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology at UF. His current interests range from the archaeologies of Africa to the interface between ideologies and technologies and from ornithology to classical music. University studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, UF, and the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) inspired his passion for teaching and learning.
Age of the Blockbuster
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: H
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 7082 | Dana Peterson |
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This course examines American popular culture in the Age of the Blockbuster. Beginning in the mid-1970s--Steven Spielberg released Jaws on June 30, 1975; Stephen King published his first novel, Carrie, in 1974; George Lucas launched Star Wars in May 1977--the Age of the Blockbuster heralded America's current obsession with bigger, louder, and richer. This section of IDH 3931 will ask students to think critically about American popular culture in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Students, therefore, should be interested in learning more about who "we" are, and in turn, be willing to consume as much "culture"--i.e., movies, books, TV, music, sports, advertising--as they can. Students will also be expected to share these experiences in classroom discussions and presentations. Course requirements include a series of reading responses/journals and a group project.
Dana H. Peterson is on parole for a variety of offenses committed on his (unfortunately under-publicized) nationwide 1985 crime spree that ended just outside Dollyland in Tennessee. He currently teaches at the University of Florida under his mother's maiden name, Staff. Highly regarded for the level of expertise he brings to a variety of subjects, Dr. Staff also directs the AIM Program, the university's initiative to help disadvantaged students succeed at UF. Though Dr. Peterson died at the end of 2004, he still continues to teach this course as part of his penance for how he lived his life. He also continues to answer e-mail, so feel free to contact him at peterson@clas.ufl.edu.
Bible as Literature
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 7421 | Richard Brantley |
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"The Bible as Literature" (IDH3931) aims at close reading of biblical language in the light of its historical context. Although this course will take the New Testament into account (the student may choose to focus on the New Testament in his or her writing assignments), the Hebrew Scriptures (or Old Testament) will receive the emphasis. The course will add a scholarly perspective to however much the student already knows about the Bible; there are no prerequisites. The text to be used is the Oxford Annotated edition of the New Revised Standard Version (available at Goerings'). Units of the course are organized around the biblical concept of literary genre: narrative, prophecy, poetry, and wisdom literature (especially the Book of Job). Attendance is required. A combination of formal and informal writing assignments fulfills the Gordon Rule requirement (6,000 words). As part of this requirement, students may choose between exams (midterm, final) or sh! ort reaction papers as their means of demonstrating their knowledge of the reading assignments.
Professor Richard Brantley is a graduate of Wake Forest University and of Princeton University. He joined the UF English Department in 1969. He publishes in the field of nineteenth-century British and American literature. He has frequently taught "The Bible as Literature."
Biomedical Ethics
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: H
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 8905 | Gayle Brown |
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This course is designed to introduce students to some of the central issues of biomedical ethics. Ethics addresses questions such as:
How should I act?
How do I decide whether one way I could act is morally better than some other way?
Are different ethical systems equally acceptable, or are some people's values just wrong?
Biomedical ethics addresses these questions in the context of patient care and the distribution of medical attention, and seeks to determine which actions or options in medical practice are obligatory, which permissible, and which impermissible. By the end of the course students will be familiar with the major ethical theories relevant to medical practice, and be able to apply these theories to current issues in biomedical ethics. Specific topics include: abortion, physician-assisted suicide, genetic engineering, reproductive technology, patient confidentiality, HIV/AIDS, and race and gender issues in the allocation of scarce resources.
G.M. Brown has taught a wide variety of courses in philosophy in both the Honors Program and the Philosophy Department at UF, including ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of science. She also teaches the popular Tao of Star Trek course. In addition to philosophy, her academic interests include poetry, literature, archeology, theology, theoretical physics and evolutionary biology.
City Culture
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 6200 | Esther Romeyn |
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This course will focus on the culture of cities. How do cities--urban spaces--organize experience and meaning? How do we, as city dwellers, experience cities? How has that experience changed, from modernity to post-modernity?
We will approach these questions on the level of theory (from the perspective of various seminal thinkers on the city, such as Georg Simmel, Walter Benjamin, Karl Marx, Robert Parks, Roland Barthes, Guy Debord, Michel Foucault, and from the perspective of writers who have been influenced by these thinkers) as well as on the level of representation-- how urban spaces have been represented in literature, film, art. (Baudelaire, Dickens, Joyce, Metropolis, Blade Runner, for example)
Issues that we will be discussing include:
urban space in modernity and post-modernity
urban space and the organization of power
urban space and memory culture
the city in capitalism
the city, public space and citizenship
the city as "text" and as "spectacle"
the city and the "Other"
the city and immigration
the city as ruin
the metropolis and the avant-garde
Esther Romeyn received her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota. She taught in the Interdisciplinary Humanities Program at Arizona State University from 1998 until 2005. Her main interests lie in Ethnic Studies, Cultural Studies, Performance Studies, Jewish Studies, Urban Studies, and cross-cultural psychology. Her publications are concerned specifically with immigrant acculturation as a process of cultural “translation” (or “mistranslation”); the performance of ethnic identity (in daily life, festivals, parades, and theater); and the shifting boundaries of “race” in American culture.
Engineering and Astronomy of the Ancients
Writing or Math Req: W - 4000
Gen Ed: H, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 9462 | Jonathan Walz |
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Have you ever wondered how & why Egyptians constructed pyramids? Why the ancient Mayans and Chinese observed celestial events? Or, whether meaning or function empowers an Aboriginal boomerang? In this course we explore ancient technologies & ideologies through archaeology & other sources. Whether you’re interested in the Seven Ancient Wonders or the origins of tools 2.6 million years ago, this course seeks, quite explicitly, to challenge the technology/ideology dichotomy of our modern world. My intent is to force a reconsideration of the cultural roots of human technology, construction, travel, time-keeping & religion.
Jonathan R. Walz is a Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology at UF. His current interests range from the archaeologies of Africa to the interface between ideologies and technologies and from ornithology to classical music. University studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, UF, and the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) inspired his passion for teaching and learning.
Event Planning
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| DEP-X | Melissa Johnson |
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In this course, students will gain practical, hands-on experience planning events at the University of Florida. In addition to learning basic theories about conference and event planning, as well as networking with various campus and community event planners, we will apply this knowledge to coordinate the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on Saturday, February 28. Students each will play a major role in planning part of the symposium, and then will staff the actual event. You must be able to attend the entire Symposium on February 28 to enroll in this course. After the symposium, we will spend time assessing the program and wrapping up loose ends, and then the course will be finished for the semester at the end of March.
Students in this course will:
1. Learn about coordinating, facilitating, and managing large-scale events.
2. Focus specifically on group decision-making, logistical procedures, public relations, etc.
3. Learn about the value of small-group communication in conference planning.
4. Understand the relationship between this course and the UF/local community.
Students who are interested in registering for this course must e-mail Melissa Johnson at mjohnson@honors.ufl.edu . Include your resume and a brief statement about what you hope to gain from this course.
Melissa Johnson is an Assistant Director of the Honors Program. Melissa has a BA in Classical Studies and History and an MEd in Higher Education Administration from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and currently is working on a PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Florida. Her research interests include first-year students' motivation to pursue undergraduate research and the experiences of peer leaders who co-teach first-year experience courses.
Exploring the Virtual Library: Researching, Evaluating, and Building Online Content
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 1418 | Marilyn Ochoa |
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The advent of the Internet has inherently changed the landscape of academic research and communication by allowing for an instantaneous exchange of information and ideas between students, scholars and researchers. The information accessible via the Internet and World Wide Web is in constant flux, growing and expanding by the second. Given the divide between the new electronic library and the conventional bricks and mortar facility, students, scholars and researchers must be aware of changes in the way information has been traditionally stored and disseminated in an academic setting.
Through a combination of lectures, discussion and hands-on instruction, students will be introduced to the research tools of the virtual library and their correlation to traditional bibliographic resources. Topics include electronic indexing and abstracting services; full-text database resources; federated searching and OpenURL; subject guides, information portals, specialized digital collections, search engines and other Web-based resources. Students will acquire knowledge of effective search strategies, resource evaluation and current trends in Web 2.0 development. They will engage in electronic content development within wikis, weblogs and tagging. Students’ grades will be based on assignments and projects, some of which may be completed in class. The class will be presented in a format that takes into consideration that many of the students will be simultaneously working towards completing their senior honors thesis or other extensive writing and research projects.
Marilyn Ochoa (mnochoa@ufl.edu) is the Assistant Head of the Education Library at the University of Florida. Her committee activity within the American Library Association and her research interests focus on user access to services and information technologies in libraries.
Figures of the In-between
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 0983 | John Murchek |
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This course will examine literary and cinematic representations of figures of the “in-between:” ghosts and angels, vampires and virtual realities. Poised between life and death, substance and insubstantiality, the earthly and the otherworldly, and the natural and the technological, such “in-between” figures allow the texts in which they appear to explore these uneasy conceptual border territories. As they do so, they invite their readers to reflect on problems of memory, mourning, fantasy, desire, hallucination, imagination, and ideology. Moreover, at the same time that the “in-between” figures occupy liminal conceptual spaces, they frequently appear in imaginative works as devices for addressing fears and anxieties arising out of troubled social and political relations. We will try to engage as many of these issues as time permits through meticulously close readings of novels, plays, poems, essays, and films. We will assume throughout that fiction, drama, poetry and film are not only forms of entertainment (though they most certainly are that), but also forms of thinking that struggle tenaciously and rigorously to articulate conceptual impasses and cultural dilemmas they may be unable to resolve.
Texts and films to be studied will be drawn from the following:
Michael Cunningham, Specimen Days (Picador)
Carolyn Forché, The Angel of History (Harperperennial Library)
William Gibson, Neuromancer (Ace Books)
Henry James, The Turn of the Screw and The Aspern Papers, ed. Anthony Curtis (Penguin)
Neil Jordan (dir.), Interview with the Vampire
Tony Kushner, Angels in America (Theatre Communications Group)
Toni Morrison, Beloved (Vintage)
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, ed. A.R. Braunmuller (Pelican Shakespeare)
Wallace Stevens, The Collected Poems (Vintage)
Bram Stoker, Dracula (Bantam Classic)
Andy and Larry Wachowski (dirs.), The Matrix
Students will be evaluated on the basis of attendance and participation, exercises in textual annotation and in articulating interpretive problems, an experimental mid-term project in which the class will attempt to construct the epitome of the literary ghost, and a final essay.
John Murchek holds a B.A. from Trinity College in the University of Toronto, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English from Brown University. He is Coordinator of Student Affairs in the English Department at UF, where his duties include advising undergraduate English majors. As well as being interested in poetry as a genre, he is interested in English Renaissance literature and culture, critical theory, and cultural studies. Among the courses he has previously taught for the Honors Program are "Shakespeare and Metamorphosis," "What Can Words Do? Acts of Language in Philosophy, Literature and Public Life," and "Things to Do With Poems." If you have questions about "Figures of the In-between," you can reach him at murchek@ufl.edu.
Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: S
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 4505 | Jason Byrd |
|
|
Forensic anthropology, an applied subfield of biological anthropology, is a science that utilizes methods developed in skeletal biology, archaeology, and other forensic sciences to solve cases of medico-legal significance. This course is a three-credit class designed to present how forensic anthropologists help resolve modern and historic crimes both in the laboratory and the field. Students will be introduced to the techniques that forensic anthropologists use to recover and identify individuals who died as a suicide, homicide, accidents and mass disasters.
Dr. Byrd is a Board-Certified Forensic Entomologist and is a past Chairman of the American Board of Forensic Entomology. He has conducted over 100 workshops specializing in the education of law enforcement officials, medical examiners, coroners, attorneys, and other death investigators on the use and applicability of arthropods in legal investigations. He has published numerous scientific articles on the subject of forensic entomology, and has also published two books dealing with the use of insects in legal investigations.
Lepidoptera Biology
Writing or Math Req: W - 2000
Gen Ed: B
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 4508 | James Nation |
|
|
NOTE: This course meets in the far southwest corner of campus near 34th street. Please plan accordingly.
Biology of the Lepidoptera will be taught in the conference room of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity in the Natural History Museum, across the street from the Southwest Recreation Center on Hull Road. Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies, will be used to illustrate broad biological principles, including evolution, the search for food, mates, suitable habitat, migration, and conservation. We will look at how insects find and interact with their food plants, and how plants fight back to avoid being eaten. We will see how natural enemies of moths and butterflies find them, and in turn how moths and butterflies try to avoid being victims of predation and parasitism. We will discuss how pheromones, chemicals produced by one or both sexes, are used to find mates, and how they can sometimes be used by humans in less toxic approaches to prevent economic crop losses from insects. Some butterflies are on the endangered species list, and losses of biodiversity and suitable habitat for butterflies are acute in our developing world, but can be minimized by butterfly gardens, butterfly farming, and education of the public. The class will make visits to the Butterfly Rainforest in the McGuire Center and will learn how museum collections of Lepidoptera are being used in research. Grades will be based upon completion of assigned readings, class attendance, short quizzes, and a term paper relating to the biology of Lepidoptera.
BRIEF AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Dr. James L. Nation is currently Professor Emeritus in the Entomology & Nematology Department, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Florida. Dr. Nation taught graduate courses in Entomology & Nematology, and also taught Global Environmental Issues in the Honors Program before retiring in June 2003 after 43 years teaching and research at the University of Florida. He holds a BS degree (1957) from Mississippi State University and a PhD (1960) from Cornell University. Dr. Nation was voted Teacher of the Year by the graduate students in the Entomology & Nematology Dept. in 1989-90, 1994-95, 1996-97, 1998-99, and 2000-2001. In 2001 he received the Distinguished Faculty Award from Florida Blue Key for outstanding service to the University of Florida. In 2006 he was presented with an award from the Florida Entomological Society in recognition of Achievement for Teaching in Higher Education. He edited the international Journal of Chemical Ecology from 1994-2000, and currently edits the Florida Entomologist, An International Journal for the Americas. He has authored or co-authored more than 85 scientific publications in refereed journals and in the Encyclopedia of Entomology, and authored Insect Physiology and Biochemistry (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2002), a textbook for graduate and undergraduate studies. The revised second edition of the book was published in April 2008. He taught a graduate course in Insect Physiology for entomology students at Florida A & M University in the fall term, 2006. The course was taught principally by interactive TV from Gainesville. A web page is maintained at http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/nation.htm. His e-mail address is jln@ufl.edu
Music and Health
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: H, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 0924 | Miriam Zach |
|
|
We will explore the relationship of music and medicine via readings, recordings, lectures, discussions, and musical experiences, investigating the history, theory, and practice of the creative power of sound and music in international health care settings. In addition to reviewing the work of musicians-physicians and music therapy research in the medical literature, we will study prevention of injury and maintenance of health of musicians, and medical challenges of performing artists and composers. Students are expected to listen to musical compositions of various styles and genres, be able to identify them by composer, historical context, and stylistic characteristics, and their potential use as treatment in clinical application. There will be two listening tests and a research paper/creative project presentation, and several brief essays on research experiences. The starting point for work in the course will be Kristine Forney and Joseph Machlis' The Enjoyment of Music, chronological version, 10th edition with 8 accompanying CD's; and Randall McClellan's The Healing Forces of Music.
Miriam Zach, Ph.D. (minerva@ufl.edu or http://www.womencomposerslibrary.org) is Assistant Professor in the Honors Program at the University of Florida. She holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. In addition to teaching courses on Music History, and Music and Health, she maintains her own studio in Gainesville giving lessons in piano, harpsichord, and pipe organ, and is a member of the Alachua Consort which specializes in Baroque chamber music. In 2003 she became co-principal with her husband Dr. Mikesch Muecke in the design/build architectural practice misumiwaDesign ( misumiwadesign.com), and in 2007 co-edited and published the book "Resonance" (http://www.cularchpress.com). In 2006 she published For the Birds: A Women Composers’ Music History Speller with Culicidae Press (http://www.culicidaepress.com). In 1998 she recorded the CD Hidden Treasures on the Princeton University Chapel organ, and plans to record future CDs of music by women composers on her new house organ, designed and built by A. David Moore in 2005.
NGOs and Grassroots Development: Case Studies from Nicaragua
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: S, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 2539 | Tim Fogarty |
|
|
One third of the world (including us) live in relative wealth, while two thirds of the world live in relative and even abject poverty. This course looks at one of the current social practices which attempts to address the glaring inequity in the control of the world’s resources. This course leads students through the latest social science research on non-governmental organizations as agents of culturally appropriate development while providing specificity by focusing on several NGOs actually doing transnational development work sited in Nicaragua. We will discuss in depth the theory of development and how that is operationalized by these small but vital organizations which serve as the conduit for 50% of the world’s international aid. The methodology of the course is group discussion of readings and audio/visual materials in class, written reflection sheets, and a final “case study” presentation to the class and other students who are going to Nicaragua during Summer A. This course complements and provides a theoretical framework for the honors Summer study abroad fieldwork experience (IDH 3931-0297) in Nicaragua, working with these organizations. Students of the social sciences, and those with non-profit or international humanitarian assistance minors may be particularly interested in this course.
About Tim Fogarty: I have a BA in philosophy, an MA in Religion, and Ph.D. in Anthropology (2005 University of Florida). My research is in development anthropology, a sub-field of socio-cultural anthropology. My research program is to understand how solidarity forms between North Americans and Central Americans across national, social class, ideology and life style differences.
I have participated in over 20 different short term small group tours to Nicaragua and other countries in Central America, accompanied by North Americans who travel there to do something helpful in the midst of the second worst poverty in the Western Hemisphere. These trips have been hosted by small non-governmental organizations and often go to remote and isolated rural communities as well as the typical tourist attractions. I am planning to take UF honors students to Nicaragua for a summer experience of cross-cultural communication. Multicultural communication would be a good preparatory course for such a journey.
The Sounds of Silence: Exploring the Theatrical World of Samuel Beckett
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 9361 | Sidney Homan |
|
|
The Sounds of Silence: Exploring the Theatrical Worlds of SAMUEL BECKETT
We will study the varied theatrical worlds of the modern theatre’s best-known and most influential playwright, Samuel Beckett. Along with works for the stage like Waiting for Godot and Endgame, we will also explore his scripts for radio, for television, his mimes, and shorter pieces for the theatre, and we will do this through performance. Each student will have an acting partner so that the “text” of class meetings will be actual performances of short scenes or passages from Beckett’s work. No previous stage experience is necessary, and, traditionally, Honors students majoring in Mechanical Engineer or French, for example, have done just as well as those in Theatre.
The principle of the course is that the theatre, Beckett’s theatres, is most productively approached as a medium meant to be enacted before an audience, that we learn about this medium by going through what the actor experiences—developing character through the delivery of his or her lines, playing sub-text, devising gesture and movement—in a phrase, becoming someone else.
The course meets on Wednesdays, periods 2-4. For more information, Professor Homan’s e-mail is: shakes@ufl.edu.
Sidney Homan is Professor of English the University of Florida and Visiting Professor of Jilin University in the People’s Republic of China. An actor and director in professional and university theatres, he is the author of ten books on Shakespeare and the modern playwrights. His prize-winning Beckett’s Theatres: Interpretations for Performance emerged from a tour of Florida prisons with Waiting for Godot. Several times a Teacher of the Year, he published his first novel this spring, A Fish in the Moonlight: Growing Up in the Bone Marrow Unit.
Visual Language
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: H
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 2312 | Daniel Stepp |
|
|
Visual imagery acts as a means of communication independent of spoken or written language. Through images, sequential relationships, signs and symbols humans express themselves creatively and profoundly with a language rooted in a primary response to the sense of sight.
Painters, sculptors, filmmakers, photographers, comic artists, and graphic designers have created works of art that speak visually and we will explore all of them throughout the course. Students will observe and write criticism on visual mediums as well as produce work of their own. Throughout the course we will go to museums, watch films, read comics and look at pictures to learn the vocabulary of visual literacy and attempt to understand the languages of human expression and it capacity to capture the human experience.
This class is not predicated on innate artistic ability but rather a desire to investigate and describe the world visually.
Students are encouraged to be inventive, curious, courageous, and prolific.
Daniel Stepp has taught painting and drawing at the University of Florida since 1998. He received his MFA from the New York Academy of Art and has exhibited in Florida, New York, and Canada. His current paintings have been described as American genre with a focus on tools and technology, sex roles in labor, corporate branding, initiation, ritual, the transference of myth and archetype onto genre activities, and the conflict created by contrived culture imprinted onto evolved, long-standing traditions.
Professional Development Strategies
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| DEP-X | Regan Garner |
|
|
Planning to apply for a Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Gates-Cambridge Scholarship? Local application deadlines for the next cycle are late summer 2008 (eligibility: you will be in your seventh semester next fall and likely to graduate in spring 2009).
If you are thinking about competing for these highly competitive scholarships, it is essential that you get a head start and take this one credit class in the spring. By the end of the semester you will have a draft application and some suggestions about summer reading and how to prepare for these highly competitive competitions. Winning one of these is a career-maker!
For information on the scholarships go to www.honors.ufl.edu and click on Scholarships. You can also come into 29 Tigert and look at past applications.
To enroll in the class please e-mail Dr. Dickison at doctord@ufl.edu
Regan has a BA in Classical Studies and a M.Ed. in Social Foundations from UF. Her research interests are desegregation and the socioeconomic and racial components of the American public school experience.
Individual Work
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| DEP-X | Your individual supervisor |
|
|
If you have found a faculty member who is willing to do an independent study with you, you may sign up for this course. For approval you will need to provide a cogent plan of study and a faculty signature indicating approval of your course of study. Your project cannot duplicate a regularly offered course in the UF curriculum. You may use this course for elective credit. You will receive credit for IDH 4905, "Honors Individual Work" on your transcript if you undertake an independent project but do not participate in any documented research. You can get the application form in the Honors Office, 118 Hume Hall, or on the Honors webpage (http://www.honors.ufl.edu/forms.html).
Note: For a list of UF faculty who have opportunities for undergraduates, please consult the Undergraduate Research Database (http://www.honors.ufl.edu/researchdatabase.html). Faculty are under no obligation to work with you or employ you under their grant. With perseverance you may find someone who is willing to have you get involved.
Introduction to Professional Development
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| DEP-X | Melissa Johnson |
|
|
Prerequisite: This course is restricted to students who entered UF during Summer B or Fall 2008.
In this course, students will work closely with an honors advisor and a current honors student leader to develop an action plan for university involvement. Students will learn how to find and apply for scholarships and awards, internships, study abroad programs, research opportunities, and leadership and service projects. Students will get to know the inner-workings of the university and discover available resources and opportunities, all while working with other highly motivated honors students. Finally, they will learn how to display the skills and experiences gained through these activities.
Students who have taken this course have successfully participated in many of the opportunities discussed in class. This course counts toward the Honors Program Certificate of Completion. For more information or to register for the course, contact Melissa Johnson at mjohnson@honors.ufl.edu
Melissa Johnson is an Assistant Director of the Honors Program. Melissa has a BA in Classical Studies and History and an MEd in Higher Education Administration from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and currently is working on a PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Florida. Her research interests include first-year students' motivation to pursue undergraduate research and the experiences of peer leaders who co-teach first-year experience courses.
Researching Internships
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| DEP-X | Regan Garner |
|
|
This course is designed to introduce freshmen and first-semester sophomores to the process of finding and securing an internship. The course will focus on campus involvement, leadership skills, communication skills, intermediate resume writing, and search strategies.
The most valuable factor in obtaining an internship is a strong understanding of the process and its many facets. Through this course, students will gain a greater understanding of the level of competitiveness involved in certain programs, the application process, and most importantly- what interviewers are looking for.
This course is available to honors students via invitation only. If you are interested in taking this course, please e-mail Dr. Dickison (doctord@ufl.edu).
Regan has a BA in Classical Studies and a M.Ed. in Social Foundations from UF. Her research interests are desegregation and the socioeconomic and racial components of the American public school experience.
Undergraduate Research
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| DEP-X | Your research supervisor |
|
|
If you have found a faculty member who is willing to do a research project with you, you may sign up for this course. For approval you will need to provide a cogent plan of study and a faculty signature indicating approval of your course of study. Your project cannot duplicate a regularly offered course in the UF curriculum. You may use this course for elective credit. You will receive credit for IDH 4917, "Honors Undergraduate Research" if your project involves research. You can get the application form in the Honors Office, 118 Hume Hall, or on the Honors webpage (www.honors.ufl.edu/forms.html).
Note: For a list of UF faculty who have opportunities for undergraduates, please consult the Undergraduate Research Database (http://www.honors.ufl.edu/researchdatabase.html). Faculty are under no obligation to work with you or employ you under their grant. With perseverance you may find someone who is willing to have you get involved.
Internship
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| DEP-X | Regan Garner |
|
| ||||||
| DEP-X | Robert Kwong |
|
| ||||||
| DEP-X | Regan Garner |
|
|
The Honors Program offers credit for internships through IDH 4940. Students from any department may submit an application for consideration, but please note that Journalism majors must present a letter from an academic advisor or department chair with their application. You need not be an honors student, but you must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be approved for Honors internship credit. Grading is S/U and based on the completion of a paper at the end of the internship and a letter of support from your supervisor. A course taken for S/U does not normally apply to major requirements, but you may use these hours for elective credit.
The application form is available online (http://www.honors.ufl.edu/forms/idh4940.pdf). For more information, please visit the Honors Program Internships website (http://www.honors.ufl.edu/internships.html). If you have any questions about a prospective internship, please e-mail our intership director, Ms. Regan Garner (rlgarner@ufl.edu).
Regan has a BA in Classical Studies and a M.Ed. in Social Foundations from UF. Her research interests are desegregation and the socioeconomic and racial components of the American public school experience.
Robert Kwong graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Biology and continued to get his M.S. in Biomedical Science at Barry University in Miami, FL. He has taught pre-health courses in the Biology departments at National-Louis University, North Park University and Loyola University of Chicago since 1995. While at Loyola University he was a Learning Assistance Counselor helping students learn the "right" study strategies for science coursework. Robert is now the Chief Pre-Health Professions Advisor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida.
Introduction to International Relations
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: S, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 5890 | Richard Nolan |
|
|
This course is designed to assist students in understanding global affairs by providing them the necessary tools and background to analyze world politics. Students will be expected to think critically about theories of world politics and about how they apply to historical and current international problems. Major historical events of the 20th century have shaped and reshaped the way scholars, decision makers and citizens think about global affairs. Students will be asked to apply the analytical tools they acquire to contemporary problems. Through classroom exchanges, critical essays and an Internet-based research assignment, students should demonstrate an appreciation for the complexity of international issues, including the inter-relationship of domestic and international events.
This course is presented in four parts. First, we will discuss the different theoretical approaches to studying world politics. Included in this will be a review of the different types of actors in world affairs, ranging from powerful traditional states to the increasingly important international organizations and multinational corporations. Next, we examine issues of security in the international system, emphasizing the coercive measures and motivations of different actors. In light of global changs in the behavior and interests of different actors, we also will look at challenges to conventional notions of safety and security. Third, we will discuss issues and problems of the global political economy. Issues of stability in monetary and trade patterns, the motivations and interdependencies of rich and poor in their economic relations, and the pressures of resource dependencies will be central to an understanding of politics in the global economy. Finally, the class examines problems of global commons, issues that by definition are shared and suggest collective action to address. A review of collective arrangements for security, prosperity and identity will complete the course. Student grades will be based on a combination of short reaction papers, periodic exams, participation and a short research project.
Religion and Politics US
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 8589 | Kenneth Wald |
|
|
Like it or hate it, religion now plays an important role in American public life. Religion matters in elections, in public policy, in political debates, in judicial controversies, and in about every other venue of our politics. The principal aim of the course is to understand how religion affects politics (and vice versa) rather than to explore the moral questions raised by the interaction of these two forces. Apart from the usual academic information, students will participate actively by visiting religious environments and examining political influences.
By the end of the semester, you should have a much greater understanding of the vitality and variability of religion as a factor in American public life.
Kenneth Wald specializes in the study of religion and politics, having published books, articles and chapters about this topic in the United States, Canada and Israel. Wald has been a visiting scholar at Harvard, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Strathclyde (Scotland), and the University of Haifa. He's currently working on a book about the American Jewish voter.
Calculus II
Writing or Math Req: M
Gen Ed: M
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3127 | Staff |
|
| ||||||
| 7846 | Staff |
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| ||||||
| 7848 | Staff |
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Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in MAC 3472 or MAC 2311
This is the second course in calculus and builds on the knowledge of the first course. Topics covered are the same as in the regular Calculus II course and include techniques of integration, infinite sequences and series, and polar coordinates. In this honors section some topics will be covered in greater depth, and some more challeging problems will be assigned. Honors Classes will be smaller in size than the regular class. (Credit will be awarded for MAC 2312 or MAC 3473, but not both.)
Calculus III
Writing or Math Req: M
Gen Ed: M
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3129 | Staff |
|
| ||||||
| 3130 | Staff |
|
| ||||||
| 6540 | Staff |
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| ||||||
| 7498 | Staff |
|
| ||||||
| 7850 | Staff |
|
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Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in MAC 2312, MAC 2512 or MAC 3473
This course is designed to cover the material in MAC 2313. This course will cover the fundamentals of calculus in several variables, including vector geometry and vector analysis. The aim will be not only to present methods appropriate to the subject matter but also to impart an understanding of the concepts involved. Honors Classes will be smaller in size than the regular class. (Credit will be awarded for MAC 2313 or MAC 3474, but not both)
Elementary Differential Equations
Writing or Math Req: M
Gen Ed: M
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3149 | Staff |
|
|
Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in MAC 2312, MAC 2512 or MAC 3473
This course covers first-order ordinary differential equations, theory of linear ordinary differential equations, solution of linear ordinary differential equations with constant coefficients, and the Laplace transform and its application to solving linear ordinary differential equations.
Masterworks of Music
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: H, N
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3370 | Miriam Zach |
|
|
This course is to be enjoyable and enlightening. Emphasis will be placed on the aesthetic elements within various international masterworks of music which give value to the work under study. In addition to readings, recordings, lectures and discussions, each student will attend four concerts during the course of the semester and submit brief written reports on each concert attended. There will be three listening tests to identify composer, historical context, and stylistic characteristics,a research paper/creative project presentation, and several brief essays on research experiences. The starting point for work in the course will be Kristine Forney and Joseph Machlis' The Enjoyment of Music, chronological version, 10th edition, with 8 accompanying CD's; and Leonard Meyer’s Music, The Arts and Ideas.
Miriam Zach, Ph.D. (minerva@ufl.edu or http://www.womencomposerslibrary.org) is Assistant Professor in the Honors Program at the University of Florida. She holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. In addition to teaching courses on Music History, and Music and Health, she maintains her own studio in Gainesville giving lessons in piano, harpsichord, and pipe organ, and is a member of the Alachua Consort which specializes in Baroque chamber music. In 2003 she became co-principal with her husband Dr. Mikesch Muecke in the design/build architectural practice misumiwaDesign ( misumiwadesign.com), and in 2007 co-edited and published the book "Resonance" (http://www.cularchpress.com). In 2006 she published For the Birds: A Women Composers’ Music History Speller with Culicidae Press (http://www.culicidaepress.com). In 1998 she recorded the CD Hidden Treasures on the Princeton University Chapel organ, and plans to record future CDs of music by women composers on her new house organ, designed and built by A. David Moore in 2005.
Intro to Philosophy
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: H, D
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 4820 | Gayle Brown |
|
|
Our general aim in this course is to explore various philosophical issues through the medium of science fiction. We will be spending the semester in the place where philosophy and science fiction intersect. Science fiction affords us an excellent venue for philosophical exploration. Some of the best philosophy is driven by thought-experiments-imaginary scenarios that are designed to illuminate some difficult philosophical questions. For example, we might imagine that you and I were to switch brains, or that a transporter mishap results in the fusion of two people into a single person, and then we might ask ourselves what our thoughts about such bizarre circumstances contribute to our understanding of who and what we are.
Philosophy is the exploration of the concepts we employ to understand ourselves and the world around us. We want to examine how we think. Sometimes, upon examination, our pre-theoretical notions turn out to be inadequate. How then shall we respond? What are we to say? Science fiction writers have always looked to philosophy as a fertile source of ideas. Many episodes of the various incarnations of Star Trek are inspired by issues in philosophy, while films such as A Clockwork Orange, The Matrix, 12 Monkeys and others borrow from philosophy in more ways than can easily be counted. Philosophy and science fiction are kindred spirits, for they are both animated by a sense of wonder and by the seemingly limitless possibilities that lie before us.
G.M. Brown has taught a wide variety of courses in philosophy in both the Honors Program and the Philosophy Department at UF, including ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of science. She also teaches the popular Tao of Star Trek course. In addition to philosophy, her academic interests include poetry, literature, archeology, theology, theoretical physics and evolutionary biology.
Contemporary Moral Issues
Writing or Math Req: W - 4000
Gen Ed: H
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 5664 | Gayle Brown |
|
|
The aim of this course is to help you reason more clearly and effectively about moral issues. The subject matter of the course can be divided roughly into two parts. First, we want to explore general issues about morality: what is morality? Is there a systematic way of understanding our moral judgments? What principles should we use to decide difficult moral issues? The second and main part of the course consists of an examination of difficult moral problems. Specific topics include as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, affirmative action, welfare reform and privacy.
Our focus shall be three-fold. First, we want to see how different moral theories may lead to different conclusions about what the right response is to these problems. Second, we shall aim to be as precise as we can about the arguments supporting these conclusions. Third, we want to critically evaluate these arguments--that is, we want to determine whether they are good arguments or bad arguments. It is important to realize that philosophy is not fundamentally about imparting information; it is about learning to reason more carefully and thoroughly. Thus, the main objective of the course is to improve students' skills in understanding and evaluating arguments.
G.M. Brown has taught a wide variety of courses in philosophy in both the Honors Program and the Philosophy Department at UF, including ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of science. She also teaches the popular Tao of Star Trek course. In addition to philosophy, her academic interests include poetry, literature, archeology, theology, theoretical physics and evolutionary biology.
Physics With Calc I
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: P
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 1243 | Peter Hirschfeld |
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| ||||||
| 3706 | Peter Hirschfeld |
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Prerequisites: high-school physics or PHY 2020, or equivalent and MAC 2311; Corequisite: MAC 2312. Note: Students enrolled in this class should also enroll in the corresponding lab, PHY2048L.
The first of two courses in calculus-based physics for science and engineering majors, featuring Newtonian Mechanics. Included are statics and kinematics, the concept of work, and conservation laws such as energy, momentum, and angular momentum. Interactions of particles, e.g. via gravity, is treated. Special attention is given to harmonic oscillators, waves, and elasticity. Thermal and mechanical properties of materials, fluids, and gases are also studied. This course is based on problem solving. Practical problems are assigned weekly to be submitted over the Internet. The exams, 6 per semester, are administered during class and are also problem-solving. The honors version of this course has the same lecture as the rest of the course, but has a separate discussion section for honors students.
Physics With Calc II
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: P
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3719 | Darin Acosta |
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| 3720 | Darin Acosta |
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Prerequisite: PHY 2048 and MAC 2312; Corequisite: MAC 2313. Note: Students enrolled in this class should also enroll in the corresponding lab, PHY2049L.
The second of a two-semester sequence of physics for science and engineering majors. Content includes Coulomb's law, electric fields and potentials, capacitance, currents and circuits, Ampere's law, Faraday's law, inductance, Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves, ray optics, interference and diffraction. One hour per week is devoted to problem solving and discussion. The honors version of this course has the same lecture as the rest of the course, but has a separate discussion section for honors students.
Enriched Physics 1
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: P
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 5183 | Khandker Muttalib |
|
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Corequisite: MAC 2312 or equivalent. Note: Students enrolled in this class may also enroll in the corresponding lab, PHY2048L.
Course description: This is the first in a four-course sequence for physics majors and others wishing a deeper understanding of the material covered in introductory physics. The topics are largely the same as those covered in PHY 2048, with the addition of the Special Theory of Relativity which is introduced early. Interested students are encouraged to contact the instructor or an undergraduate physics adviser to see if this course is the right one for them. PHY 2060 is the most challenging introductory course in the physics department. Students should have a firm understanding of elementary calculus, and most students will have had a strong physics course in high school.
Khandker Muttalib is currently a Professor of Physics at UF. He obtained his Ph.D from Princeton University in 1982. After post doctoral research positions at University of Chicago, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Yale University, he joined UF as an Assiatant Professor in 1987. His research interests are in the general area of theoretical condensed matter physics.
Physics 2
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: P
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 3691 | Staff |
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Prerequisite: PHY 2060 or consent of the instructor; Corequisite: MAC 2313 or equivalent. Note: Students enrolled in this class may also enroll in the corresponding lab, PHY2049L.
This is the second of the enriched physics with calculus course sequence for physics majors and others wishing a deeper understanding of the material. PHY2061 covers classical electricity & magnetism and some vector analysis and special relativity. The classes are a mixture of lecture and problem solving. There is a course website for PHY 2061 at
http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~fry2061/ which contains the course syllabus, external links, and the homework assignments.
General Physics 4: Enriched Modern Physics
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: P
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 0313 | Mark Meisel |
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Prerequisites: PHY 2061, or permission of instructor and MAP 2302, or equivalent
In the first part, the course will introduce students to the foundations of modern physics, namely relativity, quantum mechanics and statistical physics. In the second part, applications of the concepts will be presented in various areas of solid-state, nuclear, and particle physics, with additional extensions to astrophysics and biological physics. The Spring 2008 version of this course is described at http://www.phys.ufl.edu/%7Emeisel/PHY3063-2008.html and the Spring 2009 version will follow a similar format.
Note about required textbook: The only required text is "Modern Physics" (4th Edition) by Tipler and Llewellyn, and from online sites in Sept. 2008, one could purchase a used copy for under $20. Please note that local bookstores may only stock the new 5th Edition, which a student can use for this course, and the prices for Fall 2008 were $122 (new) and $92 (used).
Mark W. Meisel graduated from Burke High School in Omaha, Nebraska, and then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he received BA, MS, and PhD degrees in physics. As a NATO Postdoctoral Fellow and with additional support from the scientific funding agencies in France, he spent two years working in the low temperature laboratories at the Université de Paris-Sud in Orsay, just outside of Paris. In 1986, he came to UF as a Research Scientist working to design and equip the Microkelvin Laboratory, and in subsequent years, he was promoted through the ranks to the level of professor. Additional details about his research are available on his website at http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~meisel.
Religion & Politics US
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 8451 | Kenneth Wald |
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Like it or hate it, religion now plays an important role in American public life. Religion matters in elections, in public policy, in political debates, in judicial controversies, and in about every other venue of our politics. The principal aim of the course is to understand how religion affects politics (and vice versa) rather than to explore the moral questions raised by the interaction of these two forces. Apart from the usual academic information, students will participate actively by visiting religious environments and examining political influences.
By the end of the semester, you should have a much greater understanding of the vitality and variability of religion as a factor in American public life.
Kenneth Wald specializes in the study of religion and politics, having published books, articles and chapters about this topic in the United States, Canada and Israel. Wald has been a visiting scholar at Harvard, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Strathclyde (Scotland), and the University of Haifa. He's currently working on a book about the American Jewish voter.
Politics of Community
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 8535 | Leslie Thiele |
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This interdisciplinary honors course examines the role of community in our social, political and our personal lives. From time immemorial, human beings have congregated in groups of various sorts and sizes for purposes of survival, cultural and political development, and spiritual practice. This course will investigate the nature of our so-called tribal instincts and the changing role of community in an increasingly globalized world.
We will examine the historical and contemporary manifestations of community, its functions and effects, its dangers, benefits, and promise. Apart from critically reading the works of anthropologists, sociologists, philosophers, political scientists and psychologists, students will explore the nature and development of the classroom community, including its psycho-social dynamics and transformative possibilities.
Leslie Paul Thiele received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1989. His research focuses on continental political thought, environmental ethics and politics, and the intersection of political philosophy, psychology, and cultural studies.
Professor Thiele's books include Friedrich Nietzsche and the Politics of the Soul (Princeton 1990), Timely Meditations: Martin Heidegger and Postmodern Politics (Princeton 1995), Environmentalism for a New Millennium (Oxford 1999), Thinking Politics (2nd edition, CQ Press 2003) and The Heart of Judgment: Practical Wisdom, Narrative, and Neuroscience (Cambridge 2006). His articles have appeared in the American Political Science Review, Political Theory and a dozen other journals. He is currently working on an interdisciplinary project that addresses the challenge of translating environmental attitudes and values into ecologically, socially and economically sustainable practices. He is also engaged in work that integrates Jungian psychology with contemporary political and cultural studies. Professor Thiele is currently the Faculty Advisor for the new Minor in Sustainability Studies.
Chinese Religions
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 4932 | Mario Poceski |
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The course is a comprehensive historical survey of the main religious traditions in China, including Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and popular religion. Through lectures, discussions, and reading of select primary and secondary sources, we will explore the formulations and subsequent transformations of key beliefs, doctrines, practices, and institutions that characterized specific religious traditions. We will also examine the patterns of interaction among different traditions and the general character of religious life in traditional and modern China.
Prof. Mario Poceski teaches Buddhist studies and Chinese religions at the Religion Department, University of Florida. He received a PhD in East Asian Languages and Cultures, with specialization in Buddhist studies, from the University of California, Los Angeles; he also spent extended periods as a visiting researcher at Komazawa University, Japan, Stanford University, and the National University of Singapore. A specialist in the history of Chinese Buddhism and a recipient of several prestigious fellowships, his latest book is Ordinary Mind as the Way: The Hongzhou School and the Growth of Chan Buddhism (Oxford UP 2007). Poceski’s publications also include two other books and a number of articles and chapters on various aspects of Buddhist studies. Presently he is writing a book that surveys the history of Chinese religions (to be published by Routledge in 2009), editing a large volume on East and Inner Asian Buddhism (forthcoming from Blackwell), as well as working on several projects on Chinese Buddhist literature and history.
Intensive Beginning Russian 2
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 2365 | Galina Wladyka |
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Prerequisite: RUS 1130 (grade of C or better, or S), or its equivalent
Knowledge of the Russian language and culture has become increasingly critical in light of the historical transformations in the former Soviet Union over the past decade. Hundreds of millions of people speak Russian, the language of an ancient culture, a world-class literature and one of the fastest growing emerging economies. This course will continue the development of your foundation in speaking, writing and understanding spoken and written Russian, all with the aim of enabling you to interact directly with Russians and Russia, and acquire a deeper appreciation for the rich culture and the astounding contemporary transformations. As with RUS 1130, the prerequisite for this course, requirements include regular attendance, participation and interaction in Russian, extensive vocabulary and contextualized grammar training, regular oral and written quizzes and tests, and a comprehensive final examination.
Galina Wladyka - is a native speaker, graduated from Moscow State University. She has remarkable experience as a teacher of Russian both in Moscow and in US. She taught Russian language and literature at Pushkin Institute in Moscow. In 1994 she was invited by ACTR (American council of Teachers of Russian) to teach Russian at University of Maryland at College park. Since 2003 she is a Lecturer of the Department of World Languages and Literatures at UF. Galina Wladyka received "Teacher of the Year Award" for 2006-2007 academic year.
Introduction to Public Speaking
Writing or Math Req: W - 6000
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 1023 | Christa Arnold |
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Theory and practice in presenting public speeches; determination of communication purpose(s) and adaptation of organization, evidence, language and other message characteristics for designated audiences.
Christa L. Arnold, Ph. D. is currently lecturing in the Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She has taught over ten different communication courses on the collegiate level but specializes in public address courses.
Students needing more information about this course can e-mail questions to carnold@cwoc.ufl.edu.
Intermediate Spanish 2
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 4157 | Staff |
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Prerequisite: SPN 2200, or the equivalent placement score. Not open to bilingual speakers of Spanish.
Objective: SPN 2201 Honors course is the follow-up to SPN 2200. The course is designed to improve oral and written production of Spanish while giving student the opportunity to become familiar with the diversity of cultures in Spanish-speaking countries. The regular SPN 2201 text will be supplemented by additional activities that will expose students to Hispanic cultures through newspapers, articles, web sites, and interactive communication. The emphasis will be on developing communicative skills through class discussion. The small class size will provide a friendly, relaxed atmosphere in which more individual attention will be given to each student. In addition to regular class time, students will be offered further out-of-class opportunities to converse with native speakers of Spanish or to gain exposure to other cultural events.
Spanish Composition
Writing or Math Req: None
Gen Ed: None
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 4809 | Staff |
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Prerequisite: SPN 2240. Can be taken concurrently with SPN 2240 or SPN 3301. Not open to bilingual speakers of Spanish.
This is an intensive language course designed to develop students' mastery of grammatical principles, increase their vocabulary and enhance their writing and compositional skills. This course (or SPN 3350 for bilingual speaker) is a prerequisite for most 3000 and 4000 level courses in Spanish.
Introduction to Statistics
Writing or Math Req: M
Gen Ed: M
| Section | Instructor | Times | Locations | ||||||
| 0153 | John Doss |
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