Open Class Day

Nostalgic for academia? Visit a class! All alumni are invited to visit selected College of Liberal Arts classes on Friday, October 15. A wide variety of departments and interests will be represented. A directory of open classes, locations, and professors will also be available at Reunion Central.

The following professors have opened their classes to CLA alumni on Friday, October 15. Please use the guide below to choose which classes you’d like to attend. A full directory will also be available at Reunion Central on October 15.

Please note: this information is current as of September 29, 2004. More classes may be added.

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Criminology
Maggie Jensen
Drew Science, Room 318

“This class addresses three basic questions. What is a crime? Why do people commit crime? Who commits crime? The goals are to acquire a theoretically- and empirically- based understanding of crime in American society.”

The topic for the class on Friday, October 15 is crime and the media.

Margaret Jensen, professor. Honors B.A. 1971, M.A. 1974, Ph.D. 1980, McMaster University. Crime and delinquency, family. Author of Love’s Sweet Return: The Harlequin Romance Story, an analysis of popular romantic fiction, and A Man for the Night, A Harlequin Romance.

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Calculus I
Nadine Myers
Drew Science, Room 6

“The goals of this class are to learn how to use the calculus of one variable and fundamental concepts of calculus. Content includes limits, continuity, derivatives and integrals of functions of one variable, sequences and series. Applications are taken mostly from the physical sciences, with some from business or economics.”

Nadine Myers, professor, chair. B.S. 1967, Bemidji State University; M.S. 1969, Ph.D. 1971, University of Iowa. Major interests: abstract algebra, graph theory, mathematics education.

9:10 – 10:10 a.m.
Immunology
Jodi Goldberg
Robbins Science Room 05

“The goals of this class are to learn about immune system development, function
and disorders. to explore how new biotechnology is used in immunological research and therapy, and to practice writing skills. Content includes history and theories of immunology, antibody structure and synthesis, humoral and cellular immune responses, discussion of laboratory techniques, host-parasite interactions, immuno-deficiency disease, allergies, histocompatibility and transplantation immunology.”

Jodi Goldberg, assistant professor. B.A.1989 Macalester Collge,
Ph.D. 1998 Stanford University. Teaching areas: cell biology, immunology. Research interests: human immunology, neuroimmunology, cell signaling, flow cytometry.

9:10 – 10:10 a.m.
Theories of Psychotherapy
Robin Parritz
Drew Science, Room 318

“The goals of this class are to provide an overview of the major approaches to psychotherapy; to compare and contrast models of psychotherapy; and to become familiar with contemporary trends in psychotherapy. Theories of psychotherapy are presented, including psychoanalysis, humanistic and existential models, behavioral models, cognitive models, feminist and multicultural approaches, and integrative models.”

Robin Hornik Parritz, professor. B.A. 1983, Brandeis University; Ph.D. 1989, University of Minnesota. Research/ clinical interests: stress and coping, emotional development and emotional competence, developmental psychopathology.

10:20 – 11:20 a.m.
FYSEM (First Year Seminar): Family Ties: Spousal, Parental, and Sibling Relationships
George Gaetano
Learning Center Room 102E

“Our primary relationships, those we have with our parents and our siblings, often set into motion patterns of interaction that impact most of the other relationships we form throughout our lives. In this course we will examine the communication patterns within families and will try to understand how and why some patterns are associated with more healthy and functional outcomes than others. We will study a variety of family forms, including stepfamilies, blended families, and single parent families.”

George M. Gaetano, assistant professor. B.A. 1977, M.A. 1979, Ph.D. 1995, University of Minnesota. Teaching and research interests: small-group communication, interpersonal communication, family communication, persuasion, public speaking, communication research methods, organizational communications, and humor research.

10:20 – 11:20 a.m.
FYSEM (First Year Seminar): Deciphering the DaVinci Code
Deanna Thompson
Klas Center Room 206

“For over half of 2003, Dan Brown’s novel The DaVinci Code sat atop the New York Times Bestseller List. This conspiracy thriller launched nation-wide discussions and debates over its dazzling display of fact and fiction. Where exactly in the novel does fantasy begin and fact end? How does one go about untangling the two? Why do so many people care so much about doing so?

In this seminar we will do our own detective work, testing Brown’s claims against the range of scholarly opinion, investigating a variety of topics. The task of deciphering Brown’s coded compilation of fact and fiction will also lead us to question the level of responsibility an author does or should bear when writing ‘historical fiction.’ ”

Deanna Thompson, associate professor and chair of the religion department. B.A. 1989, St. Olaf College; M.A.R. 1992, Yale University Divinity School; Ph.D. 1998, Vanderbilt University.

10:20 – 11:20 a.m.
FYSEM (First Year Seminar): Demographics, Politics, and Culture Wars
Melissa Embser-Herbert
Bush Library Room 306

“The phrase “culture wars” was coined in the early 1990s by sociologist James Davison Hunter as a way of describing a national schism over issues such as abortion, homosexuality, gun control, and the separation of church and state. More recently, polling revealed “a nation deeply divided by party, ideology, the presidency of George W. Bush, and values” (). This division is described by many as occurring largely along the lines of the “red states,” those that voted for George W. Bush in 2000, and the “blue states,” those that supported Al Gore.

By identifying certain demographic characteristics (e.g., location, age, race, gender, occupation, education, religion) within a sample of the population can we predict what people think about an issue?

In this seminar we will consider these issues generally as well as in light of the race for the presidency. As the candidates seek to reel in the undecided voters, what will the media be saying about the rest of the electorate? Will we all be painted with a broad brush as belonging to one extreme or the other? Through the reading of newspapers, magazines, and scholarly research, we will examine what people across the U.S. think and how perceptions of what they think are used by politicians, the media, and those in the academic community.”

On Friday, October 15, the class will discuss Part III of Stanley Greenberg's "The Two Americas: Our Current Political Deadlock and How to Break It."  Part III is "The Loyalists," two sections: "The World of Republican Partisans" and "The World of Democratic Partisans."  Students will facilitate discussion.

Melissa S. Herbert, associate professor. B.A. 1978, George Washington University; M.A. 1990, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Ph.D. 1995, University of Arizona. Author of Camouflage Isn’t Only for Combat: Gender, Sexuality, and Women in the Military.

10:20 – 11:20 a.m.
Elements of Music
Kathy McLane
Drew Fine Arts Room 216

“The course is designed to help students increase their enjoyment of music, improve performance, and understand better how music is constructed, and will provide both the experience of making music and the intellectual understanding of the elements of rhythm, pitch and expression. Students will sing, play instruments, move, compose and improvise.
Content: Beats and subdivisions, rhythm patterns, simple and compound meters, pitch in treble and bass clefs, intervals, scales and key signatures, primary chords.”

Katherine McLane, associate professor. B.A. 1976, Hamline University; M.M. 1980, University of Michigan; D.M.A. 2000, University of Minnesota; Dalcroze License, Longy School of Music, 2003. Piano, accompanying, director of University Women’s Chorale.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
International Roundtable

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Introduction to Business and Economics
Fahima Aziz
Learning Center Room 245W

The goals of the course are to provides students with an overview of business, management, and economics. The purpose of this course is to help students develop the ability to use these concepts to make business and management decisions. The major emphasis will be on concepts and their applications in the workplace of organizations--both profit and non-profit. This course aims to help students understand the dynamic nature of today ’ s business environment and to equip them with skills to analyze business/economic problems.

Fahima Aziz, associate professor, chair. B.A. 1979, Mount Holyoke College; M.S. 1984, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Ph.D. 1994, University of Minnesota. Research interests: labor economics, development economics, microeconomic theory, and environmental economics

12:40 – 1:40 p.m.
Historical Methods
John Mazis
Learning Center Room 203E

The course will introduce students to basic historical skills in terms of archival research, oral history, census data, public records, etc. Course projects will utilize resources from

the Minnesota History Center, regional historical societies and organizations, Hamline University Archives, U.S. History of Immigration Research Center, and other local institutions. The course will focus on historical methodologies, analysis, argumentation, research and writing.

John A. Mazis, visiting assistant professor. B.A. 1988, M.A. 1993, Ph.D. 1998 University of Minnesota. Russia and modern Europe, world history.

12:40 – 1:40 p.m.
Introduction to African Philosophy
Samuel Imbo
Learning Center 108W

“The course includes definitions of African Philosophy, discussions of ethnophilosophy, problems of language in Africa, and connections with African American and feminist philosophies.”

Sam Imbo, associate professor in the department of philosophy and the director of the African American Studies Program. B.A. (Hons), 1985 University of Nairobi, Kenya. M.A. 1990, Ph.D. 1995, Purdue University. Comparative philosophy, Africana philosophy, and social and political philosophy.

 Please visit http://samuelimbo.efoliomn2.comfor more information.

1:50 – 2:50 p.m.
World Politics
Erika Alin
Learning Center 100E

“The goals of the course are to introduce students to major issues in contemporary international relations and varying approaches to studying them, including the role of the state and non-state actors and sources of conflict and cooperation in world politics.

Content includes the role of the nation-state, international organizations, and other non-state actors; determinants of state behavior; international conflict; global patterns of economic development and trade; ecological political challenges; and the role of the U.S. in a changing global environment.”

Erika G. Alin, associate professor. B.A. 1986, State University of New York at Stony Brook; Ph.D. 1990, American University, School of International Service. She is the author of a book and several articles on U.S.-Lebanon policy and Palestinian politics. Research interests: Middle Eastern politics and ethnic politics

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Old Testament Survey
Earl Schwartz
Learning Center 100W

The goals of the course are to survey the Jewish Scriptures/Christian Old Testament in historical context, exploring both the material’s literary characteristics - such as narrative plot and theme, poetic form and rhetoric - and its key theological emphases - such as the concept of God and the mission and destiny of Israel. Content includes samples from the three main portions of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, Prophets, and Writings (Psalms and wisdom literature).

Earl Schwartz, assistant professor. B.A. 1975, University of Minnesota, B.A. 1977, University of Minnesota.