Beyond the Lines of Sport
This class focuses on a range of topics including women in sports, marketing, facility management, event production, game scripting, and other game day production elements. We will use in-class assignments; guest speakers; films; and hands-on-learning to understand what goes on “behind the lines”; develop an understanding of professionalism in the sports management field; and work together to accomplish projects and initiatives that help build a sport brand and produce results for a sports team.
Climate Change
In this class, the students will learn how the Earth’s climate system works and the many factors affecting its change, including the scientific basis to analyze and critique policy issues related to global warming. The student will learn about the general atmosphere and ocean circulation patterns, illustrate components of the Earth’s carbon cycle and quantitatively describe how addition of CO2 to the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels will influence the climate. The student will gain the historical perspective necessary to assess our recent changes in climate (i.e. global warming over the last 100 years), and we will identify basic methods for determining past climates, such as in the Ice Ages and the last 1,000 years. We will identify causes for climate change and to classify causes based on these timescales.
Cryptozoology
Over the last 540 million years Earth has been home to a staggering diversity of complex life. All the species alive today represent less than 0.1% of the species that have ever existed, with the other 99.9% being extinct. Or so scientists say! Some people – self-proclaimed ‘cryptozoologists’ – claim that many of these creatures are still with us. Are there prehistoric reptiles in the lochs of Scotland? Is there a population of ancient apes living in the Pacific Northwest? Do primeval flying beasts haunt Papua New Guinea? SPOILERS: No, probably not. But in this class, you’ll learn how scientists came to that conclusion, and what it means for science, conservation, and the very future of humanity itself! Life on Earth has been, is, and will be, far more fantastical than any cryptozoologist could dream.
Energy to Power Our World
Students of engineering become adept at technical calculations through memorization and practice. It is also essential that these same students …develop the generalizable critical thinking skills and (intellectual) depositions necessary for effectively and professionally reasoning through complex engineering issues and questions they will face as engineers. (Steyn, 2006) In a 1988 work on critical thinking in higher education, Kurfiss defined critical thinking as …an investigation whose purpose is to explore a situation, phenomenon, question, or problem to arrive at a hypothesis or conclusion about it that integrates all available information and that can therefore be convincingly justified. Engineers are required to reason through descriptive and prescriptive issues. Descriptive issues are those requiring answers attempting to describe the way things were, are, or will be. Prescriptive issues require answers intimating the way things should be. Ethical and value judgments, then, must often be incorporated into the critical thinking process. The course will integrate learning the fundamentals of the petroleum industry with critical thinking and engineering reasoning.
Entrepreneurs
This class examines key concepts in entrepreneurship. By learning about both historic and contemporary entrepreneurs, the class will discuss what entrepreneurship is; the interplay between beliefs, identity, politics, and entrepreneurship; what challenges and barriers entrepreneurs have to overcome, and what lessons can be learned by looking at the successes of entrepreneurs.
Is YouTube Really You? An Examination of How We Present Ourselves in Today’s Mediated Society
Modern reality: We communicate in many ways, mostly mediated through devices, apps, social networks, and platforms like Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that offer the public a version of ourselves. But, there are plenty of examples that prove mediated communication can be risky business. If you’ve ever sent a text or posted to Facebook, you know that those who get your message don’t always get the message you intended. The result is that those receiving our messages develop opinions and form perceptions that can impact our friendships, our effectiveness in the workplace and our success as a human being. This class's critical examination of how people and organizations present themselves will improve our own mediated communication, so others perceive us in the manner we intend.
It’s a Bird, a Plane…it’s a Superhero?
But what is a superhero and why do folks go full gaga over caped crusaders today in the age of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? This course introduces students to comics, traces the origin of the superhero in the cheap comics designed for pre-pubescent boys, wrestles with why humans are attracted to these silly men and women in tights, discusses the cultural impact of such conflict-ridden stories, delves into the ethics and politics of super-heroism (that is, vigilantism in V for Vendetta), and ends with a discussion of how the superhero genre has been turned inside-out by comics such as Watchmen.
Musical Theatre in TV Storytelling
The influence of Musical Theatre is pervasive in contemporary television. From MT episodes of non-musical shows ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Riverdale," "Black-ish") to entire series built around the premise of musical numbers ("Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Galavant"), characters everywhere are breaking into song and dance. What does a musical episode contribute to an otherwise non-musical series? How can a series centered on musical numbers confront serious material? What does this add? In this course we will explore questions such as these and examine how the elements of musical theatre are used to enhance television storytelling.
Nature’s Fury
This class involves examination of natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornados, floods, landslides, climate change, tectonics etc. Most of the natural earth processes occur slowly, however, if they occur suddenly and quickly, they may cause enormous damage of life and property giving rise to a catastrophic event. In this course, students will learn several natural hazards and employ scientific methods to investigate the causes, effects, and mitigation options.
Other Side of the Desk
During twelve or more years as a student, you have accumulated a lot of knowledge about classroom and schools. This class will provide you with an opportunity to look at students, classrooms, and schools from the other side of the desk. We will take a behind the scenes look at how schools developed in the United States, how schools are organized, and policies and social forces that impact present day classrooms, teachers, and students. We will use readings, media, and firsthand observations to identify important trends and issues that impact the American education system. This course is recommended for students interested in pursuing an education major.
Rock ‘n Roll & American Culture
This class introduces students to the social, cultural, economic, and stylistic history of rock and roll music, starting with its roots and early development in the 1950s to the fragmented genre that it is today. In addition to in-depth studies of this genre, students will also learn about the artists who created it and the conditions that influenced its development. Although rock music is difficult to define due to its blurring of musical boundaries and continued evolution, this music changed the world and contributed to social change during the civil rights, anti-war, and women’s rights movements.
To Sleep or Not to Sleep
Do you sleep well? How many hours do you sleep a night? Are you a restless sleeper? Take this class to explore the impact of sleep on your sports, fitness, health, and well-being. This course can have an impact on your sleep and set you up for success for your academic year. Using the book Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker, this course will explore the effect sleep has on your life. Those interested in the medical field will benefit from this course!
Witch, Please! Representations of Witches in Pop Culture
In this class, we will explore representations of witches and witchcraft in popular culture such as: film, TV shows, comics, and novels. We will also dive into where our ideas about witches come from. Who were the “witches” of history and how has the label of “witch” been used to silence and marginalize certain groups of people? This class will consist of activities, screenings, and discussions centered on how our ideas of witches have evolved over time. We will hear from modern day practitioners who take the moniker as a form of rebellion and protest; and explore the intersectionality of witches and activism in modern culture. *This course will include screenings of materials (TV, film, video games) of an adult nature.