Freshman seminars

All freshman seminars at the U

Courses identified with an LE (Liberal Education Requirements) code fulfill a general graduation requirement.

Check One Stop for any changes to the schedule listed below.

On this page:

• Fall 2008 seminars in the college
• Spring 2009 seminars in the college

Fall 2008

Critical Issues and Controversies in Elementary Education

Peggy DeLapp, Department of Curriculum and Instruction (section 001)
Terry Johnson, Department of Curriculum and Instruction (section 002)
CI 1903-001 (57929) and -002 (57930)
3 credits
LE: Citizenship and Public Ethics Theme
Section 001: Thursday, 9:30 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Section 002: Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Peik Hall, room TBA, Minneapolis, East Bank

Through exploration of multiple viewpoints on issues and controversies related elementary education, this course will engage students in examining the knowledge, skills, and values needed by effective citizens in the 21^st century and the role of the elementary school in producing those citizens. The course includes visits to elementary schools.

Peggy DeLapp had 27 years of experience working in elementary schools before coming to the University. She enjoys working with University students who are interested in elementary teaching. Her research interests include literacy education, educational policy, and the politics of education.

Terry Johnson brings five years of grades 5-8 teaching experience and holds a doctorate in social studies education. Additionally, she has taught numerous education courses at the University of Minnesota, including a course titled Developing Civic Discourse in the Social Studies.

Cross-cultural Studies of Children

“I like having a voice in this class. It is small and all of us students are asked about our opinion a lot. We get a chance to talk and be heard.”—freshman seminar student

Michael Maratsos, Institute of Child Development
CPSY 1904, Section 001 (44372)
3 credits
LE: International Perspectives Theme
Tuesday, 10:10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
TBA, Minneapolis, East Bank

Most people feel that something central about human nature is shown by the ways that people raise and treat children. It seems natural to us that parents would be motivated largely by unselfish love and concern for their children. But the historical and anthropological literature shows a much wider range of what is natural. Indeed, historians and anthropologists often find themselves taken aback at the apparent cruelty or disregard for children’s welfare that parents and society seem to display in a great many human cultures, in contrast to the benevolence or warmth that is ordinary in others. In this seminar we will become better acquainted with this extraordinary variation, and how it arises from the interaction of human biological potential with the ever-changing environments that humans evolve for themselves.

Michael Maratsos is a professor of developmental psychology in the Institute of Child Development. He has been at the University since 1972, teaching courses on child development, the biological foundations of development and language development, and honors courses on nonrational thought and cross-cultural development. He has received awards for distinguished research contributions from the American Psychological Association (APA) and the developmental division of APA.

Chess and 21^st Century Skills

William Bart, Department of Educational Psychology
EPSY 1905, Section 001 (38552)
3 credits
Monday, 11:35 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.
325 Peik Hall, Minneapolis, East Bank

Examination of the basic components of chess, computer-based chess, how chess players think, including visual-spatial thinking and critical thinking, the psychology of critical thinking and other 21^st Century reasoning skills, and research on chess cognition.

William M. Bart studies critical thinking skills and visual-spatial thinking skills used in chess playing and other contexts. He is interested in helping students improve their reasoning skills.

The Experience of Aging in Literature and the Arts

Robert E. Yahnke, Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning
PSTL 1902, Section 001 (37460)
3 credits
LE: Cultural Diversity Theme
Monday 12:20 – 2:15 p.m. and Wednesday 1:25 – 2:15 p.m.
223 Appleby Hall, Minneapolis, East Bank

The course will present an overview of how the experience of aging is portrayed in literature and the arts (novels, short fiction, drama, nonfiction, poetry, art, and films). Research and study on this topic can enrich and inform our understanding of many universal aspects of aging (including theories of adult development, aging across the lifespan, ageism and gerontophobia, roles within families, and the mutual benefits of intergenerational relationships). Likewise, the course draws upon images and myths from literature and the arts that draw upon the wisdom, heroism, limits, and transcendence of old age. This course will emphasize the experience of aging as it is perceived from the older person's point of view.

Robert E. Yahnke has studied and written on films and gerontology since 1978, made numerous presentations on literature and film in the context of gerontology at national conferences, and has written numerous articles, reviews, and three books analyzing resources on film and/or literature on aging.

Exploring Diversity through a Popular Culture Lens

Jeanne Higbee, Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning
PSTL 1907W, Section 001 (53110)
3 credits
Monday, 1:25 – 3:50 p.m.
226 Appleby Hall, Minneapolis, East Bank

This course introduces topics related to diversity in the United States. The goal is to promote understanding and acceptance of cultural and individual differences. We will view diverse social identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, religion, gender, class, sexual orientation, language, disability) through the lens of popular culture and examine stereotypes that shape attitudes.

Jeanne Higbee has worked in higher education since 1974 and has received numerous awards for her teaching, research, and service. Her research focuses on access and success for students from historically marginalized populations, and includes publications co-authored by undergraduate students. She is an international leader in the implementation and dissemination of Universal Instructional Design and believes strongly in using multiple approaches to teaching, learning, and assessing knowledge.

Images of Youth

Michael Baizerman, School of Social Work
SW 1905, Section 001 (38612)
2 credits
Thursday, 4:05 – 5:45 p.m.
70 Peters Hall, St. Paul Campus

Youth are the subjects of a variety of popular media that treat them as a market and as consumers. Media are basic to the diffusion of youth culture and lifestyles; media are central players in the articulation and sustentation of youth moral panics, such as adolescent pregnancy and parenting, drug use, gangs, school shootings, school drop-out rates, and the like. The course critically explores the place of youth in present visual and aural media, and the place of these media in the everyday lives of teenagers, adolescents, and young people in the United States and internationally.

Michael Baizerman is director and professor of youth studies. He has been at the University since 1972, teaching courses in youth development and remaining active in youth civic engagement work in Northern Ireland and other divided and contested societies.

Spring 2009

Child Psychologists Confront the Real World

Herb Pick, Institute of Child Development
CPSY 1910W, Section 001 (91372)
3 credits
LE: Writing Intensive
Tuesday, 2 – 4:30 p.m.
TC East Bank, Minneapolis

Everyone thinks of child psychologists working their magic in clinics, schools, and family therapy sessions. What is less know or thought about is their role in real life settings where children spend their time. Like detectives, they gather clues about children through observations and test their hypotheses through research. The goal of this seminar is to examine their role in many applied settings and learn how research informs their work.

Herb Pick's interests have focused on the relation between perception and action. He received an Outstanding Faculty award in 1997-98 from the CLA Student Board in recognition of his undergraduate teaching.

The Science and Politics of Genetics and Reproduction

Murray Jensen, Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning
PSTL 1903, Section 001 (71396)
3 credits
LE: Citizenship and Public Ethics Theme
Wednesday, 12:20 – 2:50 p.m.
223 Appleby Hall, Minneapolis, East Bank

There are two components to this course: science and politics. The science of genetics and reproduction involves learning the basics of DNA, fertilization, embryos, developmental biology, etc., as well as new developments in the science of becoming pregnant, such as in vitro fertilization techniques, as well as new science to prevent pregnancy while still being sexually active, such as the morning after pill.

The political portion of the course will revolve around bioethics; the hard work involved in making decisions surrounding genetics, DNA, sex, and reproduction. Topics will range from personal decisions, e.g., using a condom, to federal law, e.g., Row vs. Wade, and even world politics, e.g., the one child rule in China. Cultural and religious traditions will be used as a framework for many topics and special consideration will be given to the lessons learned from our country’s history with eugenics.

Murray Jensen has taught freshman biology, human anatomy and physiology, several different freshman seminars, and graduate courses on the use of technology in education. His research interests include cooperative learning, technology enhanced learning, and evolution education. Murray is a member of the U of M’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers and in 2001 was awarded the Morse Alumni Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.

Unlike Terms: Charting Pathways to Global Development

Susan Staats, Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning
PSTL 1904, Section 001 (78874)
3 credits
LE: International Perspectives Theme
Tuesday and Thursday, 12:45 – 2:50 p.m.
226 Appleby Hall, Minneapolis, East Bank

Quality of human life—in terms of access to basic resources, health and economic living standard—varies dramatically across the globe. This interdisciplinary class uses social, ecological and quantitative perspectives to study the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals to reduce abject poverty and inequality across the world. International issues covered include deforestation, global warming, urbanization and women’s and children’s health. The Millennium Project charts pathways to global development that may provide a more equitable future for all of the world’s people. Students will be able to develop their own reaction to significant international issues. One of the interdisciplinary goals of this class is to provide students a means of improving their algebra skills in a meaningful, humanistic context. There is no math prerequisite.

Susan Staats is an assistant professor of mathematics in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning. She is also a cultural anthropologist with field experience in indigenous communities of Guyana, South America.

Water, Water, Everywhere: Investigating And Protecting Our Life Source

Linda Buturian, Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning
PSTL 1906W, Section 001 (78080)
3 credits
LE: Environment Theme and Writing Intensive
Thursday, 9:00 – 11:30 a.m.
223 Appleby Hall, Minneapolis, East Bank

“Water, Water, Everywhere: Investigating and Protecting our Life Source” is a writing intensive course with an environmental theme that will offer students an opportunity to learn about water from various disciplines including art, literature, and environmental science. Seminar will include films and guest lectures and students will write digital stories and create multimedia projects related to water.

Linda Buturian is a senior teaching specialist in writing and literature and has taught writing for over ten years. Buturian publishes in both fiction and non-fiction, and has received grants and awards for her writing as well as her teaching. Her essay collection, World Gone Beautiful: Life Along the Rum River, will be released May of 2008.

High School: Moments, Memories, and Meanings

Michael Baizerman, School of Social Work
SW 1905, Section 001 (75190)
2 credits
Thursday, 3:00 – 5:45 p.m.
70 Peters Hall, St. Paul

University freshman, having recently graduated from high school, are given the opportunity to critically reflect on those years in the context of their new University career. Using readings, visits, media, and discussion, they are invited back to high school to make sense out of that experience and of themselves as adolescent students, and also to critique the social organization, pedagogy, and personalities of their high school experience.

Michael Baizerman is director and professor of youth studies. He has been at the University since 1972, teaching courses in youth development and remaining active in youth civic engagement work in Northern Ireland and other divided and contested societies.

June 2008