First-Year Seminar Descriptions


fall 2013

View the list of available Fall 2013 seminars and descriptions below.  What if I'm in Honors?

FYS for First Generation Students

CRN 10019
Dr. Janice Fuller

NOTE:  This section of FYS is for students who are the first persons in their families to attend a four-year college.

Everyone can name the first President of the United States or the first person to walk on the Moon. However, what does it mean to be "first?"  What special pressures, challenges, and joys did these groundbreakers face?  What made them decide to try to do something no one had ever done before?  While it is a bit different from leading the free world or going into space, you might also be a "first" if you are the first person in your family to go to college. This First Year Seminar class has been designed just for you as a first generation college student. In the course, we will explore the unique challenges and strengths associated with being a first generation college student, and we will work on developing the skills you will need to be successful in college. We will also discuss the concepts of social and cultural "capital" and explore how your experiences in college can help you acquire the kind of capital that will assist you throughout the rest of your life. Students enrolled in this section of first-year seminar will travel as a group to a destination not yet determined, with travel expenses covered by Catawba College.

Faculty: Dr. Janice Fuller, Professor and Writer-in-Residence, has taught in the English Department for 32 years. In that time, she has enjoyed teaching a wide range of courses, including literature courses, creative writing courses in poetry and playwriting, and special courses on Native American culture, island literature, animal-human relations, and Southern women writers. She has traveled with students to the Galápagos Islands, Jamaica, France, Estonia, and Ireland. She has published three poetry books, and her plays and libretti have been produced at Catawba's Hedrick Theatre, BareBones Theater's New Play Festival, the Minneapolis Fringe Festival, and France's Rendez-Vous Musique Nouvelle.  She earned her B.A. in music and English from Duke University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is proud that she—like U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, former secretary of state Colin Powell, and talk show host Jay Leno—is the first member of her family to graduate from college.

PHOTOS: First-Generation Students Make Pact, Bury Time Capsule

PHOTOS: First-Generation Students Travel to D.C.

BLOG: First-Gen Goes to D.C.

First-Generation Students

Race and Gender Issues in African American Literature, Music, and Film

CRN 10018
Professor Julia Hayes

In James Baldwin's short story "Sonny Blues," a mother tells her son about his uncle being run over by a carload of drunk white men. She adds that she isn't telling him the story to scare him, or to make him mad. Rather, she is telling him because "the world ain't changed."  What do you think?  HAS America changed?  Or, as my African American writers students claim, has racism just become more insidious, more hidden?  In a 21st – century America with a "mixed race" president, most college students accept interracial dating. Author Jean Toomer said, in the 1920's, that America's race problems will be solved as a result of interracial marriage, resulting in our skin shades becoming increasingly similar. Is Toomer's prediction on its way to becoming true?  In this course, we will read folk tales, slave narratives, short stories, poems, editorials, and a novel or memoir that depict race and gender issues throughout America's history. We'll watch a group of slaves fly away from the field in the folk tale "All God's Chillen' Had Wings."  We'll learn how Harriet Jacobs avoided rape by her "master" and ultimately gained freedom for herself and her children. We'll read Zora Neale Hurston's stories of domestic violence. We'll watch Bigger Thomas murder a white woman in Native Son, a film based on Richard Wright's novel. We'll watch a white seductress name Lula, taunt a black man named Clay in LeRoi Jones' play Dutchman. We'll listen to music-gospel, spirituals, blues, hip-hop, and rap – that reflects African Americans' experiences throughout history. And most importantly, we will attempt to understand the effects of that history on our relationships with each other. Regardless of your race or gender, I hope you'll consider joining us on this meaningful journey.

Faculty: Professor Hayes has taught at her alma mater for twenty-five years.  She enjoys teaching composition and is particularly delighted when she sees her former freshmen in her literature classes.  In addition to composition and introductory level literature courses, Professor Hayes has taught courses in American literature, including African American Literature. She was the first director of Catawba's writing center and is pleased that it continues to serve students at all levels of their writing process.  Professor Hayes enjoys writing poetry and attending Arrowhead readings, which showcases the talents of Catawba's student poets.

Of Orcs, Elves, Dwarfs, Hobbits, Wizards and even Men

CRN 10017
Dr. Paul Baker

Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne …
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them …

Ours will be a quest to understand the creatures of Middle Earth in the Third Age created by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings. As we read, we may have to delve into the First and Second Ages. We'll look deeper than the movies at how fate and predestination are interwoven with choices for good and for ill. Did the Ring completely expel goodness from a Gollum's heart?  What is the source of wizards' magic?  Were Orcs clones of Sauron?  Join our search for truth, if your dare!

Faculty: Dr. Paul Baker has taught math and computer science at Catawba College for over thirty years. In addition to degrees from UNC Chapel Hill and the University of Delaware, he has a Master of Divinity from Hood Theological Seminary. During the Vietnam War he ran a spy network for the Navy. His diverse background enables him to bring fresh insight into the battles, perils and adventures of Frodo and his friends.

A Multimedia Look at the Vietnam War Era

CRN 10015
Prof. Robert Hayes

Did the Vietnam War seem like ancient history to you until you began hearing comparisons between Vietnam and Iraq?  Have you seen Vietnam movies and wondered if that was what war was really like?  Do you or your parents know a Vietnam veteran?  This course addresses numerous questions about the Vietnam War and seeks to answer them through an exploration of the memoirs, poetry, fiction, photographs, music, and movies of this time in American history. American culture, politics, and even the psyche of the American people were forever changed by this watershed event. We will learn how and why. Meet Sam, a girl your age who seeks out the answers to her questions about the war that took her father's life and damaged her Uncle Emmett. Hear about the actual experiences, thoughts, and feelings of young men called upon to serve their country during this tumultuous time. Learn about how one brave individual started as a young boy who worshipped his country and ended up as a fervent opponent of our involvement. All of this was happening against the backdrop of the social upheaval of the sixties.

Faculty: Robert Hayes has been teaching First Year Seminar at Catawba for the past five years. After serving in Vietnam, he returned to school at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, where he earned a BA in English and an MA in Human Development and Learning. Robert taught high school English, history, and philosophy for several years and then began a twenty-year career as a psychotherapist. He ultimately retired from the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, where he served as a manager in the work release program. His service in Vietnam and his life as a veteran of that war fuels his desire to make this pivotal time in our nation's history accessible to the college students of today.

Geographies of Home

CRN 10012
Prof. Sonia Alvarez

What does home mean to you?  For Iliana, a college freshman and the protagonist of the novel to which we owe the title of this course, it's complicated. Her Dominican family struggles to achieve the mythic American Dream. For Toni Morrison's Sula and Nel, home is friendship. This course views the meaning of home, the American Dream, and ultimately the idea of belonging through a multicultural lens. How do various cultures define what home is?  Through a variety of genres, we will consider the following guiding questions:

• What cultural factors influence one's concept of home?
• Does the idealized space of homeland allow for a sense of belonging in one's new home?  Are generational concerns key?
• What role do race and ethnicity play in our understanding of community?

This course encourages an exploration of the multitude of meanings of home from diverse points of view, principally portrayed through the novel but also from other sources as well, such as essays, film, and short stories.

Faculty: Sonia Alvarez Wilson earned her bachelor's degree in Spanish Literature from Mount Holyoke College and her master's degree in English Literature from Longwood College. She is currently completing a doctorate in American Literature at UNCG. Her areas of interest are post-1900 American, African American, and Latina literature. She has taught composition as well as Latino Literature classes at Catawba College.

Introduction to Law

CRN 10001
President Brien Lewis

Ever thought about going to law school or just wanted to explore basic legal concepts?  This course will help you understand the basics of key areas of the law and much more. What are the essential elements of a contract?  What are the different forms of liability under tort law?  What are the differences between civil and criminal procedure?  Through reading and debating actual cases, we will learn about the law and enhance skills including critical reading, analysis, speaking, and writing. We will gain an understanding of the legal processes and institutions shaping the legal and public environment and improve problem-solving skills in the application of legal theories to the analysis of - and solutions to - "real world" problems.

Faculty: Brien Lewis is the President of Catawba College. He earned his undergraduate degree in political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his law degree at the University of Toronto. Before embarking on a career in higher education, he was a practicing attorney and a Certified Superior Court Mediator in North Carolina.

It's a Small World After All...

CRN 10003
Dr. Carmony Hartwig

In this course we will delve into the hidden "small" world of microbes – microscopic organisms and viruses, agents easily capable of providing benefits such as antibiotics and wine, or causing horrific diseases that have wiped out entire civilizations. To this end we will explore the societal and cultural aspects of human history that have been shaped directly by microbes. Specifically, we will discuss how humans have perpetuated disease and expound the ways that microbial diseases have altered cultures, behaviors, and stigmas. We will then shift our focus to the current and historical ways microbes serve as an integral part of our medicinal and scientific technologies, as well as our food, culture and industry. Finally we will explore the projected future of microbial – human interactions and discuss fictional and scientifically based accounts of "the coming plague".

Faculty: Dr. Carmony Hartwig, or Dr. H, joined the Catawba Biology Department in August of 2012.  She holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Old Dominion University following completion of her B.S. at the College of William and Mary, and has experience in both academic and industrial research.  Dr. H loves the opportunity Catawba provides to work closely with her students both in the classroom and in the field.  Her interests and expertise include aspects of molecular biology, parasitology, microbiology, biochemistry and disease vector ecology – and basically, she loves to talk about ‘bugs' – the ones we can see and especially the ones we can't!

When the Buffalo Roamed the Carolinas

CRN 10006
Dr. Jay Bolin

It's hard to believe that when European colonists first explored the central piedmont of the Carolinas it was considered open prairie country; the typical dense forests you zip by on I-85 were restricted to wetlands and riverbanks.  Elk and buffalo grazed in those grassland communities while Native Americans groups built complex societies with sophisticated memorials to their dead. Where did those ecological communities go?  We will examine the changing land use practices (e.g. farming, burning, forestry) of the first Americans to modern times and the impact of those practices on the ecology and assembly of plant and animal communities.  We will read accounts of the historical landscape by pre-independence colonial writers and explorers that documented early American landscape.  Some themes we will discuss in class are: What is a natural landscape?  Is there a balance of nature?  What was the prehistoric landscape of the Carolinas and why has it changed?  Our exploration of the historical ecology of the Carolinas will integrate history, anthropology, and ecology to provide a framework for predicting how our landscape will change over the next 500 years.

Faculty: Dr. Jay F. Bolin joined the Biology faculty of Catawba College in 2011.  Dr. Bolin holds a Ph.D. in Ecological Sciences from Old Dominion University, a B.S. in Environmental Science from Virginia Tech, and completed his post-doctoral research in the Botany Department of the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Bolin was a Fulbright Scholar associated with the University of Namibia in southern Africa and currently conducts taxonomic and ecological field research on diverse plant groups in the southeastern US, southern Africa, and Borneo.

Culture and Angels and Demons, Oh My!

CRN 10013
Dr. Barry Sang

This course will explore the diverse origins and views of angels and demons in world literature and popular culture (especially cinema, television, and, to a limited extent, popular and religious sculpture, including those cute collectible angels). The subject matter will be examined from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including (but not limited to) religious studies, psychology, sociology, and the visual arts. We will consider questions like the following:  What similarities and differences exist among and within the world's major religions in their views of angels and demons?  Where do we find evidence of such belief?  Why do persons believe in angels and/or demons?  Are the psychological effects of such beliefs harmful?  Why does the mere mention of angels and/or demons increase the likelihood of a book's or movie's success?  What historical, cultural, and psychological factors might contribute to such beliefs?  How are angels and demons portrayed in popular media?  Are these "accurate" portrayals?  Is any harm done when authors become especially creative in their imaging of angels or demons?  In what ways might belief in angels and demons be compatible with or contradictory to a modern world view? 

Faculty: Dr. Barry R. Sang, Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, and Professor of Religion, has taught at Catawba College since the fall of 1985. He is also responsible for coordinating institutional assessment at Catawba. His Ph.D. from Drew University is in Biblical Studies, with special emphases in New Testament, and Hebrew Bible prophecy. His career is dedicated to help students appreciate the important role that religion plays in human life. Dr. Sang is also crazy in love with the French horn, which he plays semi-professionally and every chance he can get. He has been married longer than you have been alive, and has an 18-year old daughter.

"Darwin Meets the Beatles"  A course based upon Daniel Levitin's "The World in Six Songs"

CRN 10002
Dr. Steve Etters

Levitin (author of the best-seller "This is Your Brain on Music") has written another book that traces the evolution of the development of man's brain "in concert" with human culture (primarily in regards to music).  He states, "Music has been with humans since we first became humans. It has shaped the world through six kinds of songs: friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion, and love." The book then devotes a chapter to each song type, blending neuroscience, evolutionary biology, social anthropology, and musicology. Interviews with artists such as Sting and Joni Mitchell are used to support his theory. The course will blend the listening of many musical genres with recent advancements in brain and cultural research.

Faculty: Dr. Steve Etters has served as Coordinator for Music Education and Director of Bands at Catawba College since the fall of 2000.  Instrumental ensembles at Catawba include the College Wind Ensemble, the Ceremonial Brass Ensemble, the College Percussion Ensemble, and the "NEW" Catawba PRIDE Marching Band, scheduled for its "grand debut" in Fall 2011. Dr. Etters also serves as Coordinator for Student Recruitment for the Department of Music. In addition to his duties at Catawba, Dr. Etters is very active as a performer, guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for concert and marching bands.

Hey, Can't You Read the Sign?

CRN 10008
Dr. Gordon Grant

There is a great song from the 60s (covered by Tesla in the 90s) about "long-haired freaky people" who complain about the oppressiveness of signs: "Signs, Signs, everywhere a sign / Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind / Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign!" And signs can certainly have this sort of impact on our lives; think of "STOP" signs or "Keep off the Grass" signs or "Private No Admittance" placards. Of course, to be fair, signs point us in helpful directions as well:  "Registrar's Office," "College Barbeque," or those little stick figures that get us into the right bathroom.

All of these texts are straightforward announcements and they pretty much mean what they say, even if we sometimes don't like the message. But there are other signs in our lives as well, signs that shape our behaviors, explain the world, and express our values and political perspectives, usually without us really being aware of the work they are doing. These "signs" are in our clothing, our homes, our popular culture, and in our music, literature, art, and tv/film. The study of these signs is called semiotics, and this class will introduce this method of reading the world around us by using everyday life and popular culture as the focus of our investigations. We will read essays about fashion, architecture, advertising, music, literature, politics, and other forms of everyday life as we learn to identify the "signifying practices" that fill our lives with meaning.

What Else But Home?  An American Journey from the Projects to the Penthouse

CRN 10007
Dr. Sheila Brownlow
NOTE:  This FYS is invitation-only

Michael Rosen and his wife lived well, in a penthouse overlooking Tompkins Square Park in New York City. When their children discovered a group of boys playing baseball in the park, they begged to join in and then invited the boys, all of whom were from the nearby public housing projects, to their home. Thus began a decade-long story of how the Rosens informally adopted several boys and young men, few of whom had intact families, and none of whom had plans for their lives beyond "to get by."  The Rosens felt responsible to be parents to Phil, Carlos, Juan, Kindu, Will, and others, and set out to mentor the boys out of poverty and into college.

Our seminar will use this interesting and provocative memoir to look at the problem of poverty, class, race, and social opportunities from a variety of academic perspectives. We will examine how ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, history, immigration, and finances all play a role in shaping the opportunities we as Americans actually have, as well as the perception of the opportunities available to us. Finally, we will consider whether differences among people can be transcended by compassion, money, second chances…and perhaps even baseball.

Faculty: Dr. Sheila Brownlow, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, earned her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts and her Ph.D. from Brandeis University. She joined the Catawba  faculty in 1990 in order to work with students in a personal environment where professors and students know each other and interact daily. She still enjoys teaching psychology, but loves multi-disciplinary courses (including Home from Nowhere, Consilience Seminar, and What Else But Home?) even more. In 2002, she was named winner of the Swink Award for Outstanding Classroom Teaching, and from 2006-2008 she held the Jefferson Pilot Professorship.  Additionally, she is the Director of the First-Year Experience. When not working, she is an avid reader who loves to travel.

Living with Joy and Sorrow

CRN 10010
Dr. Nan Zimmerman
NOTE:  This FYS is invitation-only

"Some of you say, ‘Joy is greater than sorrow,' and others say, ‘Nay, sorrow is the greater.' But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed."   - Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Why do we suffer?  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Throughout the history of humans, we have struggled to understand why we suffer. What advice have we been given down through time from those who have gone before us?  We will examine several pieces of literature that address this dilemma. What can we learn from poetry, prose, scripture, fiction, and nonfiction about suffering and healing? 

We will attempt to understand what our sorrows have meant in our lives. How do we cope with pain, disappointment, and fear?  We will take a look at what the medical and mental health fields tell us about how we are affected by stress and how we cope with it. Finally, we hope to learn ways to handle such stress (sorrow) in our lives so that it does not interfere with our life goals (joy)-such as our academic, personal, and social goals while we are students in college.

This seminar will also address building the most effective study skills for success in college, starting with:  why are you attending college, how should you manage your time, what are the best ways you learn, and what new strategies should you learn to succeed in college and in life.

Faculty: Dr. Nan Zimmerman, Director of Counseling and Disabilities Services, received her doctorate from North Carolina State University in counseling. She attended Davidson College as an undergraduate and majored in history and teacher education. After teaching high school for two years, she has worked in higher education for almost 25 years guiding students through the maze of stress we call "college."  She enjoys traveling, reading, and trips to the beach.

HONORS: Performing all our Lives: Gender, Culture, and the Construction of Identity.

CRN 10175
Dr. Beth Homan
NOTE:  This FYS is invitation-only

"You're born naked, and the rest is drag," suggests comedian/actor RuPaul. The ability to successfully construct and act out various roles, from "conscientious student" to "devoted son or daughter" to "class president," or "class clown" is part of what shapes how others see us, and ultimately how we see ourselves. Subconsciously we dress, behave, and adapt our standards to suit the various "identities" that we assume throughout our lives.

Perhaps the most prominent and culturally important of these "identity performances" is the performance of gender. From our clothing, to our pastimes, to the types of movies we are supposed to like, contemporary culture bombards us with gendered choices designed to help us to establish who we are. Whether you consider aspects of gender essential or constructed, the negotiation of this territory in the arts and media is constantly setting models for, as well as challenges to, normative gender behavior in both the individual and society.

Through an analysis of various performance media including theatre, film, television, and performance art, this course will consider how we, as a culture, both represent and help to invent gender through performance. Through weekly readings and class viewings, we will examine both the essential and the constructed elements of gender and how the media reinforce, reinvent, or refute these elements. As a result of this critical examination, you will not only gain a basic insight into the scholarship of gender, but also an expanded sensitivity toward gender issues and how they affect the world we live in.

Faculty: Since 2003, Dr. Homan has been lucky enough to teach everything from theatre history, dramatic literature, acting, and directing, to First Year Seminar, and honors courses. Though she is proud to be a true theatre generalist, she is most interested in collaborative approaches to the production process and the intersection of theory ("thinking about doing") and practice ("doing") in all areas. Dr. Homan also has a passion for directing. She is interested in (re)visioning the classics but particularly enjoys working on new works and devised pieces. Her favorite playwrights include Tennessee Williams, Harold Pinter, Christopher Durang, Tom Stoppard, and Sarah Ruhl. Past directing projects include The Pirates of Penzance, Playhouse Creatures, Songs for a New World, The Tempest, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In 2006, she premiered Machine Play, an original experimental opera by Catawba Writer-in-Residence Janice Moore Fuller, at the Polli Talu Arts Center in Estonia (Baltics). She recently finished her second collaboration with Dr. Fuller: a stage adaptation of William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying (Premiered Catawba College, Sept. 2011). Dr. Homan has presented papers and workshops at both regional and national theatre conferences and has published several articles and book chapters. Her scholarly interests include feminist pedagogy, gender studies, acting, directing, and movement pedagogy. She lives in Salisbury with her husband Sean (a free-lance photographer); her beautiful two-year old daughter, Emmaline; and a veritable menagerie of family pets.

Honors: Hare of Hyperbole, Tortoise of Truth

CRN 10174
Dr. Erin Wood
NOTE:  This FYS is invitation-only

An astute observer of the human condition, Mark Twain once wrote, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." What's up with that? Why do we lie, and what makes us do it? Am I a bad person if I lie, or are there situations in which such behavior is justified? What if I don't even know I'm lying? How is it that everyone seems to be doing it, but no one wants to admit it? How did we get to this point, and what is the truth about lying as a verb? These are a few of the questions we'll be investigating in this course that focuses on lying as a common interpersonal mechanism in humans, and even between non-human species! 

Someone somewhere decided it was right to tell the truth, and wrong to lie; yet bluffing, cheating, hoodwinking, and swindling are as alive today as they ever were. A lie may be a "good" thing: an essential component of natural, political, or personal evolution. Lying may also be a terrible, awful thing; immoral at its genesis regardless of intention or application. What if a lie is a completely amoral act, i.e. an event that exists merely as a process used as a means to an end? Do we define the noun "lie" as a function of its intention or its outcome?  In this course, we will evaluate a variety of media to supply ourselves the information necessary to determine how lying truly works, even if we don't recognize its central presence and role just yet. It is time to get real about the role of deception in our everyday lives, particularly in the most mysterious interplay, the conversations we hold with ourselves.

Faculty: Dr. Erin Wood is a member of the Psychology Department. She earned her PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010. Dr. Wood is focused on the biological and evolutionary basis of behavior. She teaches data analysis for the behavioral sciences, health psychology, and behavior modification, among a variety of other courses. Dr. Wood has begun investigating the relationships between health-seeking behaviors and self-efficacy, and emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs; e.g., smartphone applications) that allow for the recording and monitoring of day-to-day behaviors such as eating, exercising, mood tracking, and social interaction.

Bet On It!  The Mathematics of Gambling, Games and Sports

**FULL - PLEASE SELECT ANOTHER SEMINAR**

CRN 10004
Dr. Sharon Sullivan

In this seminar, we will explore the mathematics behind popular games and sports. We will calculate the probability of certain events happening in popular games such as card games, dice, roulette, and lottery. In addition, mathematical ideas are also found in many sports. We will talk about many questions related to sports such as how teams are ranked in national polls. As we are discovering the mathematics in gaming, we will be exploring other implications of games on society. Throughout the semester, the ideas behind gambling, games, and sports will be examined from different perspectives such as mathematical, historical, economical, and ethical viewpoints.

Faculty: Dr. Sharon Sullivan, associate professor of mathematics, received her doctorate from the University of Kentucky. She also graduated from Trinity College (Connecticut) and the University of Vermont. Her teaching interests involve showing the interdisciplinary aspects of mathematics. She teaches courses that look at the connections between math and art and also how nonwestern cultures use mathematical ideas in everyday situations.  She is the 2012-2013 Swink Professor for outstanding classroom teaching. In her free time, she enjoys watching her children play tennis and baseball.

Answers to Life's Really Big Questions

**FULL - PLEASE SELECT ANOTHER SEMINAR**

CRN 10016
Dr. Ken Clapp

NOTE:  Learning Community for residents and commuters. Students who choose this seminar will be expected to participate in a number of special activities such as a weekly meal together, being a part of a group service project and attending functions (theater, athletic events, presentations) in which fellow seminar students are involved.

Don't have a clue to where you are headed in life?  Maybe the clues you have suggest a direction other than the one you think you want to travel. Do you believe there are ways to find satisfaction and meaning and happiness in life…but what is necessary to find these things seems to have passed you by?  Perhaps you have concluded that there is a relationship between what you do, the friends you choose, the priorities you set in life and experiencing a really good life filled with joy and opportunity but how do you put it all together and make it work?  What is love and how does love fit into our lives?  What is necessary for us to experience really good relationships with others?  This seminar will introduce you to 12 gifts that can become the basis for answering these and other important questions. We will read and watch films about the experiences of others and reflect on how their experiences help us answer our questions and shape our lives in worthwhile ways that will make life something much more than you may have thought possible…and perhaps most importantly, help provide answers to the big questions. Students who choose this seminar need to be prepared to ask the hard questions and to find exciting answers that will change the way you proceed in life. No previous experience necessary.

Faculty: The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Clapp, '70 sees his first and foremost role at the college to be that of chaplain. In this position he works with students in planning and leading worship services and retreats and religious life activities and in counseling students. He also serves as Senior Vice-President of the College and is Director of the Lilly Center for Vocation and Values and serves as the advisor to the Student Government Association and the Retreat Leadership Corps and two male societies. Dr. Clapp is a graduate of Catawba, Yale University and Lancaster Theological Seminary, and has done post-graduate study at Harvard University. He teaches religion courses and in the Ketner School of Business. In addition to running and swimming and handball, he enjoys restoring antique automobiles and preparing meals for students.

The Food, People, and Art of the American South

**FULL - PLEASE SELECT ANOTHER SEMINAR**

CRN 10014
Dr. Forrest Anderson

The goal of our class is to use writing and reading about place — the American South — as a way of understanding personal and cultural identity. We will learn to turn lived experience and family history into interesting essays, conduct interviews and write magazine-style profiles, and critique music, movies, literature, and art. In addition, at the end of the semester, we will have the opportunity to create our own artistic representation of the South. Assignments you will encounter include, "Y'all Ain't Leaving ‘Til You Eat This Thing: Writing about Food," "Fishing from Highway Overpasses: Writing about People & Place," "(Re) Defining a Region: Cooking Southern Food, Filming Southern Movies, and Making Southern Music."

Faculty: Dr. Forrest Anderson joined the English faculty at Catawba in 2010. He earned his Ph.D. from Florida State University, where he worked for two years as an archivist and assistant for Robert Olen Butler.  He is a creative writer specializing in prose fiction and his writing has appeared in BULL: Men's Fiction, Blackbird, The Louisville Review, The South Carolina Review, and the North Carolina Literary Review, and his essays have appeared in Fiction Writers Review, The Southeast Review, and Pembroke Magazine.  

How Sports Have Shaped American Society, Both Past and Present

**FULL - PLEASE SELECT ANOTHER SEMINAR**

CRN 10009
Dean Ben Smith

NOTE:  This section is a Living/Learning Community (LLC). Students who select this section must live on campus on the same residence hall floor.

Professional sports are woven tightly into the fabric of today's American society, and historically have been so popular that they are a key piece of American culture. Today, the professional sports franchise is an icon for some people, approaching deity status. This class will focus on the major impacts that sports have had on economics, racism, culture, media, medical advances, tourism, and social norming. Part of the class will also be dedicated to current events/issues in sports and analysis of the components that contribute to the creation of a successful professional athlete/coach.

This First Year Seminar (FYS) course is specifically designed for resident freshmen who want an integrated academic, co-curricular, and social experience. Students taking this section will live on the same residence hall floor, participate in regular hall programs specific to the class, study together, and be enrolled together in the FYS section. There will be a Resident Assistant of the community who will also serve as a student teaching aid for the FYS class. The Living/Learning Community component will help build unity among the group and further academic initiatives outside the classroom, including community service and additional programming in the residence hall.  

Faculty: Dean Ben Smith is entering his ninth year at Catawba College and serves as the Dean of Students. A native of western South Carolina, he earned his B.S. in Exercise Science from the University of South Carolina at Aiken, and his M.Ed. in Higher Education from the University of South Carolina. He works closely with students through the Student Affairs Office, overseeing many of the student life functions at the college.

Dean Smith's course will include Emily Schneider, who is the Assistant Director of Residence Life. Emily is a native of southwest Ohio who earned her B.S in Exercise Science from Urbana University (Ohio) and an M.Ed. in Higher Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Emily also oversees the Wellness Center and Intramurals, and works with students in many capacities through the Student Affairs Office.