ORIGINS & MIGRATIONS

Myth & Meaning | Everyday Ethics | "We Shall Overcome":  In Search of America's Civil Rights Movement | Deliberate Living:  America's Search for Simplicity and Self-Sufficiency

O&M Everyday Ethics

Bud Gerber
IDS 1103-104
TR 11-1:45, MW 2-3:15
LLA 205 and LLR 321

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O&M Myth & Meaning

Jay Wentworth
IDS 1103-105
TR 11-1:45, MW 2-3:15
LLA 205 and LLR 221

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O&M "We Shall Overcome": In Search of America's Civil Rights Movement

Joe Gonzalez
IDS 1103-106
TR 11-1:45, TR 2-3:15
LLA 205

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O&M Deliberate Living: The American Search for Simplicity and Self Sufficiency
David Huntley
IDS 1103-107
TR 11-1:45, TR 2-3:15
LLA 205 and LLR 221

TANGENTS

Tangents:  Addictions

Pete Reichle
IDS 2202-102 Call # 13475
TR 2-3:15 
LLR 326  
Social Science credit  

This course is an examination of the history and use of drugs and of addictions including legal and illegal substances, habits and behaviors which may be both healthy and unhealthy. Substance addiction will include stimulants, depressants, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, narcotics, nicotine, caffeine, hallucinogens, marijuana. Eating disorders, work addiction, sexual addiction, sport addiction, etc. will also be examined. This will be accomplished through a variety of teaching methods looking at the various dimensions of health: physical, social, mental, emotional, spiritual/intuitive. Students will design, implement and evaluate a basic drug and health use survey for campus distribution.

Texts:
Ray, Oakley & Ksir, Charles. Drugs, Society, And Human Behavior. 10th Ed. Paper. 2003. McGraw-Hill.
Weil, Andrew. The Natural Mind. 1986. Paper. Houghton Mifflin.
 Brochures from the American Statistical Association including:
“What is a Survey”, “How to Plan a Survey”, “How to Collect Survey Data”, “Judging the Quality of a Survey”, etc.  

Course Requirements: 
Attendance, participation, and timely preparation of assignments.

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Tangents:  Poetry Writing Workshop

Jay Wentworth
IDS 2202-103 Call# 13476
MW 3:30-4:45
LLR 365
Humanities/Literature credit

This is a workshop in which we focus on writing poetry. We do that in several ways: first, we write; second, we write; third, we read an array of (female as well as male) American poets from Whitman to contemporaries so that you will have the best teachers; fourth, we write; fifth, we study metric verse in order to understand the elements of poetry; sixth, we critique each other's work in a particular way; and finally, we write. You have a chance to improve both the ways you read and the ways you write poetry as well as the way you give helpful feedback on someone else's work. Most of the writing is about what you want to write about though, occasionally, I will give a prompt or assignment. Normally, the biggest problem is that we don't have enough time.

You can be a beginner or a person who writes every day; that doesn't matter. What matters is that you have a desire to write poetry and to improve. All welcome, and we do have fun most of the time.

Requirements
There's only one: Be willing to think and act like a poet for the semester. That will lead you to write a lot; read regularly; study until you understand the basics of poetry (rhythm, sound connections, the line, imagery, and structure); and attempt to glean from any good poem, a prompt for a poem of your own and/or a lesson that will help you improve your own work. In addition, I will ask you to turn in responses to your reading and poems to be critiqued by the class, and you will read at least once in public. Still, if you're a poet, you'll want to discuss poetry and to share and have responses to your work, so it all depends on switching your organism to "poet" mode. Deal?

Grading
The largest percent of the grade will be based on the portfolio of 12 completed poems that you will turn in at the end of the course; second, will be the grade on your responses. Attendance/participation, reading, and critiquing will also have bearing.

There will be one test on terms and analysis.

Books
Mary Oliver, Rules for the Dance. My favorite anthology has gone out of print, so if you can find a copy of No More Masks! Revised and Enlarged Edition (ed. Florence Howe) on Amazon or a used bookstore or even the ASU Bookstore, please buy it; you won't regret it. If everyone or most can get No More Masks!, we'll use it, but I'll find something else also before we begin.

I've been teaching poetry to Japanese students all spring, so I've learned a lot and am eager to share what I've learned. See you in the fall!

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Tangents: Women, History & Food  

Maggie McFadden
IDS 2202-104  Call # 13477
TR 3:30-4:45
LLR 221
Social Science credit, CD

We will look at women's relation to food, both historically and in the present, in our own society and in other cultures. We will explore such contemporary issues as eating disorders in the industrialized world and famine in the developing world, the genetically-modified food controversy, and the globalization and monoculturing of traditional food supplies. We'll explore the history and culture of such well-known foods as potatoes, maize, tomatoes, sugar, chocolate, and coffee, as well as the historical and continuing gendered division of food labour, in which women are more often involved in food preparation and processing than men. Throughout, we will try to gender the questions often asked in the field of food studies. We'll also look at Slow Food and the new eco-feminism, as well as viewing and analyzing some classic feminist food films. Additionally, we will do some cooking and tasting in the class, especially of new and exotic ingredients, such as blue potatoes.

Recommended Co-Requisite: Kitchen Lab
David Huntley and BR Hoffman
IDS 2203-102, Call # 13481
TR 5:00-8:00 pm
One hour credit

Based on Nabham’s Eating Close to Home: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods and the principles of Slow Food*, the Kitchen Lab class will prepare three meals in the fall semester for up to 40 diners, using the LLR kitchens and the Great Hall serving and dining facilities.  Menus and food shopping will focus as much as possible on what is available locally (Watauga County Farmer’s Market, The Tomato Shack, Hubert’s Heritage Farm, and other local producers).

*Slow Food links pleasure and food with awareness and responsibility. The association’s activities seek to defend biodiversity in our food supply, spread the education of taste, and link producers of excellent foods to consumers through events and initiatives.

Required Texts
Nelson Foster and Linda S. Cordell, eds.  Chiles to Chocolate:  Food the Americas Gave the World.  Tucson, Ariz.:  University of Arizona Press, 1996.
Carole Counihan and Penny van Esterik, eds.  Food and Culture:  A Reader.  New York   and  London:  Routledge, 1997.  Rental Text.
Barbara Haber.  From Hardtack to Home Fries:  An Uncommon History of American Cooks  and Meals.  New York:  Penguin Books, 2002.
Vandana Shiva.  Stolen Harvest:  The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply.  Cambridge, Mass.:  South End Press, 2000.
Gary Paul Nabhan, Eating Close to Home: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods.
Reserve Readings

Food Films, such as:
Babette’s Feast (in Danish, with English subtitles)—1987
Chocolat (in English and French)—2000
Like Water for Chocolate (in Spanish, with English subtitles)—1993
Mostly Martha (in German, with English subtitles)—2002
Big Night
Tortilla Soup

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Tangents:  Marx for Beginners

Derek Stanovsky
IDS 2202-105 Call # 13478
TR 12:30-1:45
LLR 263
Humanities credit

In his youth, Karl Marx wrote that his aim was to accomplish "a ruthless criticism of everything existing." In this spirit, this course provides an introduction to Marx and Marxist criticism. We will begin with readings from Marx himself, covering topics on philosophy, economics, history, religion, revolution, and the family. This will be supplemented with readings from Rius' classic, Marx for Beginners. Along the way we will perform, both individually and collectively, our own ruthless Marxist criticisms of the culture and institutions surrounding us: local, national, and international politics; television; radio; film; music; the university; and this class itself will all be fair game.

Textbooks
Rius, Marx for Beginners, Pantheon.
Robert C. Tucker, ed., The Marx-Engels Reader, Norton.
Bamberger and Davidson, Closing: The Life & Death of an American Factory, Norton.

Course Requirements
The most important requirements for this course are regular class attendance, participation, and preparation. You should come prepared to ask and answer questions and to discuss the readings each day.

Evaluation
The formal grading requirements are as follows: Class Participation 20%, Exam 20%, Papers 20% each, Final Symposium 20%

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Tangents:  Portrait and Identity: Making Connections

Una Pett
IDS 2202-106 Call # 13479
M 4:00-7:00
LLR 263
Humanities/Fine Arts credit, CD

Description
Throughout history, portraiture traditionally has been considered a symbol of social status and achievement.  In this class, we will attempt to subvert this traditional definition and examine the potential of portraiture to serve as a vehicle for asserting the value of and offering visibility to more marginalized members of our societies and communities.   As we develop our drawing skills, working with live models to study line, measuring techniques, value, positive and negative shapes, proportion, and basic anatomy, we’ll learn about and examine the techniques and traditions of portraiture.  Later in the course, students will work one-on-one with a subject of their own choosing to experience the unique relationship between artist and sitter, combining a visual art and biographical component to conceive and design an extended portrait.

No previous drawing experience is required!

Readings & Text
We'll draw our readings from a variety of sources, including:
"Portraiture" by Shearer West, copyright 2004, Oxford University Press (required text)
Gary Faigin's Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression
various books on drawing the human head (artistic anatomy)
some documentary films, such as Born into Brothels
Brian Maguire's book (and suggestions)
work from photographers such as Diane Arbus, Alfred Stieglitz
the work of Taishan Schierenberg (video?)

Course Requirements

DRAWINGS: Drawings are the fundamental component of this course, both in- and out-of-class. We'll draw from the model in class and have regular drawing assignments outside of class, leading up to the second half of the semester when students will shift their focus to their independent research/interview/portrait projects. Students are expected to keep all work: we'll have a full review of work to date at the midterm, to assess progress and strengths and devise strategies for improvement, and a final portfolio review at the end of the semester.

WRITTEN WORK & READINGS: Students will often be asked to write brief artist statements or reflections on the work they submit and the processes they experience. Written work may also include responses to assigned readings or gallery visits. The final projects will involve a written component as well, wherein students will both present their subjects and discuss their experiences and approaches.

SKETCHBOOK: One of an artist's most important tools, the sketchbook is a personal place to explore ideas, analyze works, practice drawing and seeing, and jot notes. Students are expected to keep a sketchbook exclusive to and for the duration of this course, as a means of regular practice, record-keeping (particularly in conjunction with their extended projects) and experimentation. Guidelines for specific entries will be given on occasion; the sketchbook will be collected twice during the semester as well as at the final review.

CRITIQUES: We will often discuss student work as a group at the conclusion of assignments. Critiques, focused opportunities to share insights, verbalize intentions and assist students in their artistic development, are designed to help students understand their individual strengths and weaknesses in their work and can be great forums for exploring ideas together and developing a language for talking about art. Particularly as students gauge the progress of their individual projects, critiques will be an important element of this course.

FINAL PROJECT & EXHIBITION: Students will spend the bulk of their out-of-class time in the second half of the semester developing and executing their final projects, profiling a living member of the community. We will discuss in depth how and whom to choose for their subject, and will track one another's progress and provide group feedback during in-class critiques.

INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS
Dr. Sarah Greenwald
MAT 1010-115  Call # 13582
TR 2:00-3:15  Walker 314
M 4:00-5:50  Walker 205
ND, C, CD Designators

This section of MAT 1010 is designed for Watauga College students. You'll receive full general education math credit while developing a liberal arts appreciation of mathematics.  While parts of the class are similar to other Mat 1010s, it differs from other sections via an interdisciplinary and thematically linked format.

OBJECTIVES:
Develop mathematical common sense, problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, research techniques, and communication skills.

FORMAT:
We will begin the course with a style of doing mathematics familiar to many students, by working with formulas from a textbook and then applying these formulas to interesting real life financial problems (for example, when buying a new car, should you take the rebate or the low interest rate option?).

In the next segment we'll analyze a number of statistical techniques to develop statistical common sense, using this in the context of real life problems (ex., how should we interpret opinion polls?).

In the third segment we'll examine the way mathematicians do research and the kinds of problems they work on, like Fermat's Last Theorem.  You'll see that many mathematicians struggle with math in ways that you might, and that there are many diverse styles among successful mathematicians.

In the final segment you'll become a mathematician with the geometry of the earth and universe as your field of study.

REQUIRED RESOURCES:
Heart of Mathematics:  An Invitation to Effective Thinking (rental text)
How Do You Know?  Using Math to Make Decisions (purchased text)
Scientific calculator that can do powers (y^x or x^y or ^ symbol)
3-Ring Binder to store handouts (from class, lab, or on the Web)
Access to a web-browser and to campus pipeline twice a week

GRADING:
Participation (20%)
Weekly lab projects (35%)
Major topic exams, presentations, and/or papers (20%)
Final exam (25%)

THIS SECTION OF MAT 1010 WILL COUNT TOWARD YOUR TOTAL HOURS IN WATAUGA

KITCHEN LAB: EATING CLOSE TO HOME

David Huntley & BR Hoffman
IDS 2203-102
R 5:00-8:00
LLR 221, LLR Kitchens & LLA 205

Three times during the fall semester this class will prepare a meal for up to 40 people, basing the menu primarily on locally-grown and produced food.  We will visit and shop at such local markets as the Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Jerry Cheek’s Tomato Shack, Hubert’s Heritage Farm, Meadow Creek Dairy, Ashe County Cheese, High Haven Farm, Stick Boy Bread Company, and other local sites.

Philosophically the class will be based on the principles of Slow Food International:
Slow Food links pleasure and food with awareness and responsibility. The association’s activities seek to defend biodiversity in our food supply, spread the education of taste, and link producers of excellent foods to consumers through events and initiatives.
Key words: pleasure, awareness, responsibility, taste, and excellent.

Enrollment is by instructors’ permission.  Priority given to students enrolled in IDS 2202-104, “Women, History, and Food.”

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