Course Information - Spring 2010

KHP courses are for KHP students only and do not appear in the regular listings of CU courses because
registration must be done through KHP.

All KHP courses fulfill core requirements for students in the College of Arts and Sciences.
C&GD = Culture and Gender Diversity
CT = Critical Thinking
CS = Contemporary Societies
H C = Historical Context
I&V = Ideals and Values
L&A = Literature and Arts
NS = Natural Science
US C = U.S. Context
WC-LD = Written Communication - Lower Division
WC-UD = Written Communication - Upper Division

CAMW 2001-888
The American West
Dr. Ellen Aiken
MWF 10:00 - 10:50

Core:  U.S. Context 

Course Description: This interdisciplinary course uses literature, history, and current events to explore the West as a unique region made up of distinctive subregions. As we study the West, we will place particular emphasis on the origins and development of key issues westerners face today. We will also explore the ways in which specific western landscapes have fostered distinct cultural identities and diverse points of view. Topics include cross-cultural conflict and cooperation, land use and public lands policy, water management, tribal sovereignty, and migration/immigration. Invited speakers and West-centered events on campus will enhance our in-class study of these topics.

Field trips will link classroom study to learning experiences outside of the classroom and foster first-hand knowledge of western landscapes and culture. Field trips include ranger-guided hikes on Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks lands, a behind-the-scenes look at the CU Museum’s Ancestral Puebloan collections, and a trip to the Denver Art Museum. (Some Friday classes will be cancelled to provide students with “comp” time for attending 2 Saturday field trips.) I believe that connecting classroom learning to the society/world in which we find ourselves is key to developing the intellectual enthusiasms that lead us all to think more deeply. Knowledge that we learn from experience, or that we can somehow connect to our own experience, is knowledge that has meaning and purpose, that sticks with us, and that generates great ideas.

This course serves as the foundation course for the Western American Studies Certificate program offered by CU's nationally recognized Center of the American West. It is always my great pleasure to invite interested students to Center of the American West events, including dinner with the Center’s director, Patricia Limerick.

This course is designed for students who are curious, engaged, and motivated to learn about the American West through first-hand experience. Welcome to this exploration of the West!

Instructor Biography:
When I was nine years old, my family migrated from Minnesota to Colorado. I have been fascinated with the West ever since. During my undergraduate years at CU, I hiked, camped, and climbed 
all over Colorado. I spent one summer in a cabin near the site of the old mining town of Caribou, cooking on a wood-burning stove and reading by the light of a 
kerosene lamp. Once married with children, I switched to car-camping and traded high peaks for canyon country. When my children reached school age, I entered graduate school at CU to study western history with Patricia Limerick. I completed my doctorate in 2002. My research interests revolve around the distinctive, transformative relationships that different cultures in the West have developed with the land and with each other.

In 2003 I became a core faculty member in the Sewall Academic Program, where I teach courses on the American West, the History of Colorado, and Gender and Culture. I also serve on the Faculty Council of the Center of the American West and on the steering committee of CU’s Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement. I am co-director of the IECE’s newest Model Project, Dialogues on Immigrant Integration at CU.

HIST   2629-888
China in World History
Dr. William Wei
MWF 11:00 - 11:50

Core: Historical Context

Course Description:
Chindia compares the Chinese and Indian developmental experience. It reviews China and India's past failure to modernize, examines the reasons for their current success, and considers the socioeconomic and political implications for the two countries as well as for the rest of the world.

Instructor Biography:  William Wei (Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Professor).  Professor Wei’s primary research interests center on modern China, especially the themes of revolution and counterrevolution. His secondary ones are on Asian America, focusing on Chinese Americans within the context of the overseas Chinese Diaspora. Reflecting these intellectual pursuits are his major works: Counterrevolution in China: The Nationalists in Jiangxi during the Soviet Period (University of Michigan Press, 1985) and The Asian American Movement (Temple University Press, 1993). He has held a Rockefeller Fellowship, Mellon Fellowship, and Fulbright-Hays Fellowship. He is frequently invited to lecture on Asian history and culture, and the Asian American experience. In the summer of 1997, he worked as a journalist covering the historic handover of Hong Kong to China. In the summer of 2006, he served as the academic dean of the Semester at Sea program aboard the MS Explorer, visiting various countries around the Pacific Rim. In the summer of 2007, he participated in an international faculty development seminar at the University of Hyderabad, India.

ENGL   3060-888
Modern and Contemporary Lit
Dr. George Moore
MWF 1:00 - 1:50

Core:  Literature & Arts

Course Description:  Modern and Contemporary Literature introduces students to 20th century literature in two areas, the Modern Period up until about 1920, and the contemporary period, through to the present day.  We will be reading some of the classics of 20th century literature, and some of the most important authors, like William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath.  Along with these, we will be reading contemporary works of fiction and poetry by authors such as Toni Morrison, Zadie Smith and Manuel Puig.  The course covers many of the key experimental novels and poems of the early 20th century, and how they influenced the literature of the later periods.  Students will learn how to analyze texts, and how to place their own ideas in a greater historical and literary context.  They will be given the chance to enhance both their abilities at critical discussion, and their interpretive writing skills. The course format is general and small group discussions, with periodic writings rather than midterm and final exams.

Instructor Biography:  I am a poet and educator, who has spent a good deal of time traveling in Europe, Asia and South America, particularly in my years just out of college.  As a writer, I believe literature is more than a subject to be taught at the university; literature is a way of understanding the world in all of its human complexity.  Writers often take on the larger questions of ethics, philosophy and human nature, and through different periods of history, in different cultures, they express the current thoughts and radical innovations that lead to future changes and new understandings. I received my undergraduate degree in Philosophy and English Literature from Lewis and Clark College, in Portland, Oregon.  The Northwest instilled in me a desire for a greater contact with nature, and, in returning to my home state of Colorado, I began to explore the Rocky Mountains on foot, on skis, by bike and motorcycle. I received my Master’s degree in Creative Writing in Poetry and Translation from the University of Colorado, and then went on to earn my Ph.D. in American Literature from the same institution.  My background in poetry has greatly influenced my way of seeing the art of teaching.  I believe that literature is first of all an experience of the senses and the mind, and that these are the greatest gateways to learning.  I now spend much of my time again traveling, and writing of the places and people I encounter.  The more I compare the cultures of the world, the more I am convinced that we learn best not simply by seeing others’ differences, but by realizing ourselves in light of the world’s great diversity.

ENGL   3000-888
Shakespeare for Non-Majors
Dr. Doug Burger
MW    3:30 - 4:45

Core:  Literature & Arts

Course Description:
As the course title suggests, the course presupposes no special or prior knowledge of Shakespeare's plays, though if you have studied some of them beforehand, looking at them again will richly repay your effort.  We will be exploring seven plays which convey Shakespeare's range and variety: comedies, tragedies, histories, romances. For the first half of the semester, we will be looking at the theme of jealousy--the source of it, its nature and implications, its manifestations in some of Shakespeare's most fascinating characters--and the way it appears in a comedy ("Much Ado about Nothing"), a tragedy ("Othello"), and a history ("Julius Caesar"). For the second half, I would like to tailor the plays to your particular interests.  So on the first period, on the basis of your backgrounds and expectations, we'll be discussing what plays to choose, what emphases, what organization, etc. The course assignments are designed to foster discussion and collaboration: student presentations, informal interpretations sent to me on e-mail, perhaps a formal debate.

Instructor Biography:

ARTH   1400-888
World Art II
Dr. Robert Nauman
TR 9:30 - 10:45

Core:  Literature & Arts

Course Description: This course is a general art survey covering art from approximately 1300 to the present. The course is approved for Arts and Sciences core curriculum: literature and the arts. 
The intent of this course is to investigate a wide spectrum of artistic expression as it enfolds cultural, social and political attitudes, including gender and diversity issues.  No previous art experience is necessary for this course.  Classes will be organized in seminar style, with class discussion and participation.  Visits to the Denver Art Museum and other museum and/or gallery exhibitions will be included.

Instructor Biography: Bob Nauman received dual Masters degrees in music and fine arts before completing his PhD in Art and Architectural History at the University of New Mexico.  He currently teaches in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where his research focuses on art and architectural history of the 19th and 20th centuries.  
He is the author of several books dealing with issues of contemporary art and architecture.  His book On the Wings of Modernism dealt with issues of American modernism and architecture during the Cold War, and was nominated for a national book award.  Bob has served on the Publications Committee for the Society for Photographic Education's Exposure magazine, serves as a consultant for several national architectural firms, and oversees the exam development and scoring of the Advanced Placement Art History exam, which is administered to over 20,000 high school students a year.  He has received teaching awards from the University of Denver and the University of Colorado, and currently serves on the CU Honors Council.

IPHY   3420-888
Nutrition, Health & Human Performance
Dr. Mary Beth Lynch
TR 9:30 - 10:45

Core:  Natural Science

Course description: This course is designed to promote critical thinking related to topics of nutrition and health. The course aims to educate students about basic nutrition principles and how to implement these principles into an overall healthy lifestyle. Basic principles of nutrition and exercise physiology will be discussed along with the latest “hot topics” in the field. Discussions will include the following general topics: What is healthy nutrition? How does the human body utilize nutrients? What foods should I buy and eat? What is metabolism and energy balance? What are the special nutritional needs of athletes? How can I tell the fads from the true nutrition principles? What do consumers need to know about food safety? What personal choices do I have related to food selection?
Special emphasis will be placed on exploring the differences in ideology between the fast food industry and the newly-emerging slow food movement. Other popular topic will include: obesity in the U.S., fad diets, weight loss, nutritional quackery, functional foods, genetically-engineered foods, organic foods, body image and eating disorders.
There is no doubt about it, nutrition is an exciting topic of discussion these days. There is mention of health and nutrition everywhere – on television, in magazines, on the radio and on the internet. Through our class discussions and critical thinking exercises, students should become capable of determining their own, individual dietary needs. One primary goal of the course is to assist students in interpreting the almost constant bombardment of nutritional articles and advertisements, to help them become better-informed consumers.

Texts: (1) The Science of Nutrition by Janice Thompson, Melinda Manore and Linda Vaughan, First Edition, copyright 2007 (2) CD: My Diet Analysis – available at CU bookstore second week of classes

Instructor Biography: I am an exercise physiologist by degree and at heart. I received my Ph.D. degree in exercise physiology at Arizona State University in the late 90’s. My dissertation topic was related to nutrition, exercise, metabolism and obesity and was performed at the NIDDK Obesity Research Center in Phoenix, Arizona. I came to CU-Boulder in 1997 to do a post-doctoral fellowship in the IPHY department. I stayed on as an instructor and have been teaching the Nutrition course since 1999.
It was in 1999 that I had the opportunity to switch from teaching on the “main campus” to teaching exclusively in the RAP programs. I feel fortunate to be teaching in the unique RAP environment, as the small-class, discussion-based format is especially useful for a topic as personal as nutrition. With obesity and inactivity threatening to overcome our nation, my primary objective with teaching is to help students achieve a balance in their lives between academics, healthy eating and enjoyable recreational activities.
In the spirit of “leading by example,” I can be found recreating with my family near our mountain home. A big plus to our mountain location is that we can, literally, ski, mountain bike or snowshoe right out our back door onto neighboring trails.
Music in American Culture

WRTG   3020-888
Writing: Travel Writing*  (note prerequisite)
Dr. Christy MacDonald
TR 12:30 - 1:45

Core: Writing – Upper Division*

Course description: “Wherever you go, there you are.” This cliché implies that people cannot change themselves or their perspective by changing their location.  In this course we will explore the potential and limitations of travel as a means to facilitate different types of journeys:  physical, cultural and psychological.  We will study theories of “place,” and the interplay between the viewpoints of traveler, “native,” writer, and reader.  In addition to writing critical analyses of the readings, students will write their own travel narratives.  You need not have traveled extensively to take this course.  Readings may include works by Jon Krakauer, Herman Melville, Annie Dillard, Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux, and others.  
*Prereq. You MUST have WRTG 1150 or WRTG 1250 or AP score of 4 or 5 in English Language & Composition.

HONR   2500-888
TOPIC: Life at the Edge of Chaos:
A Study in Complexity
Dr. Kevin Peters
TR 2:00 - 3:15

Core: Elective

Course Description: Can Darwinian evolution explain the development of the eye?  What does the Cambrian explosion that produced over 100 phyla 600 million years ago have in common with the development of the bicycle?  Are avalanches in a sand pile a good metaphor for the extinction of dinosaurs?  Is sex a useful strategy for improving genomic fitness?  Can a computer have a mind?  These questions are being addressed within the recently developed framework of complexity, a dynamic regime that may exist at the edge of chaos.  Complex systems can display wonderful emerging structures through their ability to self-organize but this self-organization is also subject to catastrophic failure.  Are there fundamental laws that govern this creativity and behavior?  This course will examine these issues by tracing the development of field of complexity. 

MUEL   2752-888
Music in American Culture
Dr. Daniel Jones
TR 11:00 - 12:15

Core:  U.S. Context

Course Description:  This course is a survey of various folk and popular musics of the United States.  This is a non-majors class; no prior knowledge of music or cultural studies is expected.  Our main goal in the first 1/3 of the course is to get a real sense of what folk culture is and how it operates in people’s (including our own) lives.  We will also briefly survey some main strands of folk culture that form the basis of “American” culture.  In the remaining 2/3 of the course, we will first discuss the nature of popular culture and then undertake a chronologically-based survey of various United States popular music styles from roughly 1840 to the present.  Throughout the course, music is regarded to be one aspect of culture—part of a complex of outer activities and practices of “life” that expresses and reinforces inner concepts and beliefs.  To place musical examples in cultural context, we will combine multiple evaluative approaches—e.g., sociological and historical as well as purely musical—in attempt to explore the “meaning” of musical examples.  Class activities and assignments are designed to give students opportunities to go beyond fact gathering/reiteration, to explore and experience for themselves how American folk and popular musics operate as part of everyday cultural life.

IPHY   3660-888
Dynamics of Motor Learning
Dr. Dave Sherwood
TR 2:00 - 3:15

Core:  Natural Science

Course Description:  Focuses on information processing approaches and dynamical systems theory as explanations for human motor learning and the motor control. Motor learning, motor planning, sensory feedback, and movement disorders are investigated from an informational and dynamical approach. Counts for Arts & Science Core: Natural Science (non-sequence). The course is organized around a lecture/discussion/presentation format. During the first part of the semester we will discuss information processing and dynamical system approaches to motor control and motor learning. During the second part of the semester each student will investigate a topic area of their choice that relates motor control, motor learning or some other practical application. Students will research the topic, give periodic updates to the class and present to the class on their topic.

GEOL   1030-888
Geology Lab
Dr. Alan Lester
T 3:30 - 5:30

Core:  Natural Science Lab

Course Description:  This is an introduction to the materials, processes, and history of our planet.  Admittedly, that’s trying to cover a lot in one-credit course!  And, similarly, geologists really do have big task at hand when applying physics and chemistry and biology to the study of Earth.
Earth materials are minerals and rocks.  They come and go as a result of Earth processes that include things like volcanoes, earthquakes, moving continents, glaciers, rivers, streams, and oceans.  Geologists have come to view the earth as a kind of grand machine, powered by its own internal heat energy, and continuously re-fabricating itself.  Machines have a tendency to drone away in a monotonous fashion.  Although we might liken our planet’s workings to those of a machine, its four and one-half billion year history is anything but boring.  We will literally read the story of Earth history by way of examining rocks and fossils— and they tell a fascinating tale of change on a planetary scale.  Volcanic episodes come and go, glaciers wax and wane, oceans form and disappear as continents drift, and mountain ranges rise only to be worn down by the forces of erosion.  In the midst of all these physical changes is the compelling story of the emergence and evolution of life.  We have come to recognize that all life is interconnected with a common origin; in fact, this makes the entire scope of evolution a tale that we are very much a part of—it is, after all, our story.  Using a largely field- and lab-based approach, we will see firsthand some of the limitations imposed by working in a “natural” laboratory.   As scientists acquire new, and sometimes surprising, kinds of information they are forced to re-interpret their models.  If nothing else, we learn the lesson that scientific ideas are malleable and that a truly complete understanding of the world is something we strive for, but may never fully achieve.

PSCI   1101-888
American Political Systems
Dr. Vincent McGuire
TR 11:00 - 12:15 pm

Core: Contemporary Societies/U.S. Context

Course Description: The basic premise of this course is that most, if not all Americans do not think about the American National Government. Everyone has an opinion, and most people can argue their opinion when prompted. However, almost no one understands the theory of the American government. The theory of the way in which our republic works was given to us by James Madison in his Federalist Papers. The essence of the American Government is compromise. However, Madison’s view may have proven ‘inadequate’ to current political life. We then examine two alternative theories of representation, Pluralism and Responsible Party theory. I end the course with an examination of various governmental institutions with an eye to whether they are representative of the people whom theses institutions are intended to represent.

Biography: Vincent McGuire
Originally from the East Coast, I came to Colorado in 1976 and received by B.A. from CU in 1979.  I went back to New York and taught High School Social Studies.  I also took a Masters Degree in Political Science from New York University in 1984.  Returning to CU in 1989, I took the Ph.D. in Political Science in 1995.  I teach American Government and Political Theory in the Farrand Residential Academic Program, and the Kittredge Honors Program.
My interests are films as metaphor from American society and politics, bringing broader intellectual diversity to the university and debunking received academic wisdom.