Ajuste espacial iterativo (ISA)

The First-Year Seminars at Trinity date to the late 1960s, when they were among the first to be offered at any liberal arts college. Our first-year seminars are small, discussion-rich classes where students and their professor engage one another and wrestle intellectually with a topic. Driven by a faculty member’s passion for a subject, the seminars cultivate curiosity, introducing first-year students to academic habits of mind. Students practice critical reading and analysis, use writing as a mode of learning, and develop essential skills in research and documentation. Writing in a first-year seminar occurs regularly, takes various forms, and improves by means of revision and feedback. The intimacy of a first-year seminar prepares students for becoming active participants in their own learning, fostering the capacity to communicate effectively and collaboratively.

All first-year seminars carry the designation of being “Writing Intensive” courses. To graduate from Trinity College, a student must take at least two “Writing Intensive” courses, one of which must be a first-year seminar. For students enrolled in one of the Gateway Programs (Cities, Guided Studies, InterArts, or Interdisciplinary Science), their program’s core course counts as the first-year seminar.

The seminar professor also serves as the student’s academic adviser until a major is declared, no later than March 30 of the sophomore year. In addition to a first-year adviser, students enjoy the support of a peer academic mentor and a broad network of academic resources. The mentor is an academically successful upper-class student who attends each seminar meeting and is trained to help meet the needs of first-year students. Additionally, each seminar has a dedicated network of academic resources attached to it, including a writing associate, first-year librarian, and student technology assistant.

For first-year students who are excelling academically and not enrolled in a Gateway Program, we also offer a few honors seminars in the spring semester. These seminars provide students with the opportunity to acquire greater intellectual depth in an intensive, small-group setting.

CTYP-202-01. City as a Built Environment— This course examines the architectural and planning history of major European and American cities from ancient Greece to ca. 1900. Topics will include the nature of city centers and the role of public space, the formalization of town planning as a discipline, patterns of patronage and architectural education, the infrastructure of cities, and the influence of new technologies and industrialization on cities. A selection of examples—Athens, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Washington, DC, Berlin, Vienna, and New York—will serve as case studies. (FYR1) –Curran

FYSM-101-01. BFF or Strange Bedfellows? Cohorts, Compromise and Political Destiny— Is the enemy of your enemy your friend, or will you need to make friends with your enemies? Will you use rhetoric, reason, persuasion, or just plain violence to get what you want? Leave your twenty-first century American sensibilities behind as you assume the roles of a member of an Athenian assembly in 403 B.C. and a member of the 1945 conference in Simla, India, to explore the timeless question of how much one should give up to get his or her political way. Using the role playing/game playing teaching paradigm of “Reacting to the Past,” your character’s political successes, failures and compromises will shape the outcome of “history.” (FYR) –Spezialetti

FYSM-104-01. Food, Fitness, and the Journey toward Self-Discovery— We are constantly bombarded with advice about food and fitness, much of it confusing, contradictory, and often disturbing. How can something as simple as eating well and keeping fit be so difficult to understand and to do? In recent times moreover we have become increasingly concerned about food safety, the environmental impact of food production, and good health. More generally we seek to enhance our emotional well being through diet and exercise. In this course therefore we will examine food and fitness in a historical and cultural perspective with the aim of making sense of them in terms of our own lives. (FYR) –Del Puppo

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR PROGRAM

FYSM-105-01. Prohibitions— This seminar tackles two questions: Why do we outlaw some consensual behaviors by adults? And should we? We will examine “vices” (alcohol, drugs, and gambling), “repugnant markets” (commerce in sex, organs for transplantation, and adoption), and prohibitions against guns, advertising, and open international labor migration. Students will learn fundamentals of social science and will practice constructing perspicuous argu- ments. To punctuate the course, students will conduct policy debates during Trinity’s Common Hour. This is an experimental First-Year seminar that mixes traditional seminar meetings, public debates, multimedia instruction, and workshops in which students will learn to create polished virtual presentations of their final projects. (FYR) –Alcorn

FYSM-110-01. Religions of the Roman Empire— Jupiter, Zeus; Diana, Artemis; Juno, Hera: who hasn’t heard of the gods of the Greeks and Romans? But these Olympic deities formed only a part, and sometimes a very small part, of the religious life of the Greeks and Romans. Religion was a fundamental part of daily life, and displayed a bewildering variety. In this seminar we will look at the multiplicity of expressions of religious life in the world of the Roman empire, from the familiar to the obscure, including the complex emergence of Christianity. (FYR) –Reger

FYSM-111-01. Blurring the Boundaries in Studio Arts— One could argue that installation art is not a “new” visual art genre, but rather a recent manifestation of an old practice that dates back to prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux. In this old context as well as in a contemporary art installation, there is a connection to real experience and a blurring between art and life. A blurring of boundaries also takes place within different practices of studio arts. In this seminar, students will explore the visual language of art through two and three-dimensional media in the setting of Broad Street Gallery, a Trinity-owned gallery run by the Studio Arts Program. Students will be given both written and studio assignments that engage critical thinking skills and creative problem solving. (FYR) –Tillman

FYSM-114-01. Cloud Atlas: Genius & Genre— This course will use David Mitchell’s magisterial novel Cloud Atlas as a touchstone for the exploration of genre and fictional form. We’ll discuss literary experimentation and appropriation as well as the absorption of so-called fantasy into contemporary mainstream literature. Examining Mitchell’s source genres one by one, we’ll read Melville, Isherwood, Huxley, and Hoban, among others, and we’ll finish up the course with a comparison of the novel Cloud Atlas with the film adaptation. Two papers, group presentation, midterm and final. (FYR) –Ferriss

FYSM-115-01. Math Ideas and Changing Times— What is mathematics? There is no simple, timeless, or universal answer to this question. Over the years, mathematics has been shaped by, and has given shape to, many societal issues, including promoting the hegemony of nations, developing foreign trade, glorifying heroes through architecture, and understanding the nature of religion. We shall examine and discuss many aspects of this subject, both describing it and distinguishing it from others. Beginning with a comparative study of number systems, we trace the evolution of real numbers and observe surprising number patterns. Our journey will bring us to the threshold of infinity and to the consideration of transfinite numbers, as conceived by Cantor in the nineteenth century. (FYR6) –Georges

FYSM-117-01. The Big One! How Major Geologic Events Shape Earth’s History— Catastrophic geologic events have the potential to significantly alter life as we know it. From early mass extinctions in the oceans, to the obliteration of the dinosaurs, to modern devastating volcanic eruptions and crippling earthquakes, the creatures of Earth are regularly forced to adapt or perish. This seminar will explore both the science and societal implications of major geologic catastrophes throughout time using popular books, scientific articles and films. We will look at past events in detail but we will also extrapolate forward in time as the inhabitants of Earth face new threats of an increasingly warming planet, and far less predictable, yet inevitable, events such as large meteorite impacts, explosive volcanic eruptions and large magnitude earthquakes. (FYR) –Gourley

FYSM-119-01. Mind/Body and the Concept of Self— The study of mind/body interaction has been a topic of scientific, philosophical, and religious speculation for centuries, as theologians, scientists and philosophers have grappled with questions such as “Exactly where in the body does the mind reside?” In the mental health fields as well, questions about how the “mind” influences the body and vice versa have challenged many: Is depression physical or psychological? Can stress cause cancer? Just what is the “self?” Can we really rewire our brains? Can

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different brains communicate with one another without words? In this seminar, we will examine the current state of mind/body discussions as they relate to psychology, biology, neuroscience, philosophy, and even drama, and we will look at the concept of “self” through critical reading, writing and discussion. (FYR) –Lee

FYSM-121-01. Color and Money: Race and Social Class at Trinity and Beyond— Who gains—and who loses—in the admissions process at Trinity College and other elite institutions? Which racial diversity or financial aid policies might meet our desired goals? How do undergraduates experience racial and social class differences on campus? What can we learn from Trinity’s own history to recommend meaningful change? In this seminar, students will role-play a college admissions committee, conduct interviews for a campus research project, and enhance their research and writing skills. Given our controversial topic, participants should be prepared to listen to alternative viewpoints, challenge (and be challenged) on opinions and evidence, and get involved in making change. Learn more at http://commons.trincoll.edu/colorandmoney. (FYR) –Dougherty

FYSM-127-01. Understanding the 1960’s— This course considers the 1960s through an examination of the decade’s music, literature, film, and politics. We will discuss each year of the decade and explore, among other topics, the war in Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement, the social revolution of the counterculture, and the transformation from colonialism to independence of much of Africa. The decade’s extraordinary diversity of literature and arts will take center stage in our discussions, as we listen to, read, and view iconic works, including the music of Motown, the British invasion, and Woodstock; A Clockwork Orange, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Why We Can’t Wait; and films Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Strangelove, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. (FYR) –Woldu

FYSM-128-01. Slavery, Property, Piracy— This course explores the complex relationship between slavery, property, and piracy from the 18th century to the present. We start by reading foundational texts in economic the- ory, including John Locke and Adam Smith, before situating these thinkers within their historical context-including the enclosure of the commons, the transatlantic slave trade, the Haitian Revolution, and the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean. Then, drawing on contemporary scholarship and archival material in Trinity College’s Watkin- son Collection, we examine the historical ties between the Connecticut River valley and sugar plantations in the Caribbean. We conclude by examining contemporary examples of slavery and piracy (including human trafficking and Somali piracy) in order to revisit the question: How should we understand the relationship between slavery, property and piracy. (FYR) –Kamola

FYSM-134-01. Games of Strategy and Predictably Irrational Behavior— In this seminar we will learn about games and their predictions of rational human behavior. We will run a series of bargaining and social dilemma games to test whether these predictions are indeed true. Our goal will be to study how people actually behave in economic settings, not how we think they should behave. We will address the importance of monetary incentives in experimental economics and determine how to properly incentivize our own experiments. We will discuss the relevance and applicability of our experiments outside of economics. Finally, students will be required to design and conduct their own game experiments. No previous background in economics or game theory is required to take this course. (FYR) –Schneider

FYSM-139-01. The Aging of America: The Economic, Social, and Psychological Costs of Old Age— This seminar will explore the multifaceted issue of an increasing elderly population as Baby Boomers reach retirement age and live longer, and the Millennials move into the prime productive years of their lives. The students will learn the economic, social and psychological costs of an aging society and those who have to pay for it. They will learn the basic science behind the major medical issues facing an increasingly older population: Neurodegenerative Diseases, Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease, and Orthopedic Issues. Invited guests from the faculty, health care, senior services, state and local government, non-profits involved in elderly issues, etc. will present students with a broad perspective of the impending “White Tsunami.” (FYR) –Church

FYSM-144-01. Twentieth Century Latin American Revolutions and the Arts— Since the beginning of the twentieth century, Latin American countries have looked inward and attempted to make radical changes in their colonial and neocolonial institutions through revolutionary movements. From the political upheavals of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979, upheavals arise in the arts. This course will study the impact of revolution on muralism in Mexico (Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros), film in Cuba (Sols, Guti´errez Alea), and poetry in Nicaragua (Cardenal, Belli). (FYR) –Melendez

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR PROGRAM

FYSM-146-01. Inconvenient Truths: Controversies in Science, Religion, Policy, and Law— Recently Americans have engaged in vigorous debates about many important questions that require us to think clearly about the relationship between science, religion, law, and public policy. For example, did global warming cause Hurricane Katrina? Should the government require children to be vaccinated against measles and other diseases? Do individuals have the right to die? We will first seek to understand the role of science in the making of public policy. We will then explore the conflicts that arise when religious freedom claims collide with government policies rooted in scientific research. We will explore the following issues: climate change, evolution, abortion, contraceptive use, assisted suicide, sex education, and mandatory vaccinations. (FYR) –Fulco

FYSM-148-01. Science Olympiad— In this seminar we will design, plan and put on a Science Olympics for a group of local middle school students, the goal of which will be to get a younger generation of students excited about science. We will partner with a local class and their science teacher throughout the semester to tailor the event to their standardized science requirements. We will also investigate the diversity problem that the STEM fields have and how that might be changed by getting underrepresented students excited about science at an early age. To create the Science Olympiad we will explore a large range of fundamental science phenomena; and in groups, you will develop some of these into competitive and fun events for the Science Olympiad. This course has a community learning component. (FYR) –Barwick

FYSM-153-01. $cience: Intersections of Money and Discovery— Although scientific inquiry strives to be objective, financial and economic concerns inevitably influence human endeavors. This course will address key issues concerning how we pay for science, what science we fund, and who benefits when researchers’ results are successfully commercialized. What proportion of our funding dollars should go to basic scientific research versus practical applications and technology development? Should the government receive royalties when publicly funded research leads to commercialization by a successful start-up company? Should pharmaceutical companies price new drugs to make them accessible to those in need despite high initial investment costs? Through readings, case studies, interviews, and hands-on research, we will explore these and other questions in the context of current scientific research and on-going policy debates. (FYR) –Kovarik

FYSM-158-01. The Green Mind— It’s all about the brain - and your best brain! For example, Hippocrates said, “let food be your medicine.” Can what you eat affect your brain? What happens to your brain when you exercise? Why do we feel better after an experience in nature? What helps brains recover? Recent research has provided new insight into all of these questions. This course explores brain function and how it relates to your inner and outer environment. We will visit neuroscience research laboratories and participate in a community garden. Seminar content will interface with extracurricular activities surrounding the year-long celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Trinity’s Neuroscience Program. Activities will include readings, written assignments, group discussions and debates, field trips, community involvement and student presentations. (FYR) –Masino

FYSM-163-01. God and Sex— What does religion have to do with sex? How do different religious traditions codify how a person should behave, dress, speak, eat, etc., in ways that are distinctly related to the believer’s sex: male or female? How do religious groups impact American policy on issues of reproduction and the understanding of marriage? While religion generally functions conservatively in these contexts, we will also consider the ways that religious beliefs and practices also trouble static understandings of sexual identity, gender roles, and what counts as sanctioned sexual desire. (FYR) –Jones Farmer

FYSM-166-01. Inside Schools— Because we have spent most of our lives in school, we think we know it. The seminar will challenge that knowledge. Through the use of research on schooling in America, we will situate our own experience and evaluate others’ experiences through a sociological lens. What goes on inside schooling? To answer this simple question we must consider some complicated issues: segregation, classism, racism, sexism, and heteronormativity. We will also examine one of the great American myths: that education gives everyone an equal opportunity to experience the American Dream. We will grapple with these issues by reading participant observational research by social scientists and journalists, and by conducting our own research. (FYR) –Valocchi FYSM-174-01. Peoples and Cultures of the Himalayas— This seminar will introduce the peoples and cultures of the Himalayan rim. Due to the vast popularity in the West of works by amateur investigators, religious enthusiasts, or mountaineers, the Himalayan lands are usually equated with stirring landscapes, Buddhist or Hindu practices, or

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR PROGRAM

ascents of eight thousand meter peaks. However, such records capture just a fragment of the complex experience of this region; sometimes what is left out is more important than what is included. Focusing largely on Tibet and Nepal, this course will provide a multi-dimensional way of understanding the Third Pole’ or the Himalayas.

An optional trek to Nepal with an attached 0.5 credit independent study unit is likely to be offered during the intersession (December 2015 to January 2016). (FYR) –Lestz

FYSM-177-01. Minds Behind the Brain— This first-year seminar will study the great thinkers and scien- tists whose contributions of ideas, theories and scientific discoveries have led to our current understanding of the brain. Spanning ancient Egypt and Greece to the 20th century, these pioneers include Hippocrates, Galen, Vesalius,