» First-Year Focus Class List for 2024–25

Priority registration will be given to majors in Schmid College of Science and Technology, and in the Fowler School of Engineering. Some seats will be available to all other majors.

 Instructor names will be added in August 2024. Please direct your inquiries to grandchallenges@chapman.edu.

FFC 100B-01 (T TH, 8:30-9:45 a.m.)

FFC 100B-02 (T TH, 10:00-11:15 a.m.)

FFC 100B-03 (T TH,11:30-12:45 PM)

FFC 100B-04 (T TH.1-2:15 PM)

FFC 100B-05 (T TH. 1-2:15 p.m.)

FFC 100B-06 (T TH.2:30-3:45p.m.)

FFC 100B-07 (T TH, 4-5:15p.m.)

FFC 100B-08 (T TH, 4-5:15 p.m.)

FFC 100B-09 (M W, 1-2:15 p.m.)

FFC 100B-10 (T TH, 2:30-3:45 p.m.)

FFC 100B-11 (M W, 4-5:15 p.m.)

FFC 100B-12 (M W, 4-5:15 p.m.)

FFC 100B-13(M W, 5:30-6:45 p.m.)

Can we predict critical medical conditions before they occur? How do we stem the loss of biodiversity? What is the role of artificial intelligence in creating a safer future? Solving these “grand challenges” will require breakthroughs that leverage innovative thinking across disciplines. In this course, small teams of students work together to understand a current challenge facing society, propose a potential solution, and effectively communicate what they have learned.

Fiona Shen Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Department of Art

FFC 100D-12 (MW 11:30 – 12:45 p.m.)

This course invites students to a personal and in-depth exploration of Wilkinson College’s unique resource - the Escalette Permanent Art Collection. The Collection, its growth, and mission will be contextualized within the dynamic field of contemporary museum studies. Through first-hand experience of art objects, students will consider the role of collections as mediators and shapers of culture, and agents of representation and social justice. In Fall 2024, a special focus will be placed on artwork that supports the College’s initiative “Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on Gender and Sexuality.” Students will gain hands-on experience of work by artists whose practice is built on this subject and will have the chance to interact directly with some Escalette artists. As the destination of their experiential journey, students will curate an exhibition on this topic, as part of the College’s ground-breaking Engaging the World initiative.

 Julye Bidmead Associate Professor, Director, Center for Undergraduate Excellencesec 

FFC 100D-01 (MW 1PM – 2:15PM) 

Women play a variety of roles in the Bible. They are wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, heroines, virgins, harlots, victims, villains, warriors, queens, and prophets, but their narratives have been buried or marginalized under years of religious and patriarchal misinterpretations that diminish or erase their worth. Many of these women employed their sexuality, power, and wit for familial and societal survival. In this course, we examine selected biblical texts and other ancient literature through multiple methodologies (feminist and gender critique, ideological criticism, comparative studies, literary criticism, and historical analysis) to celebrate and uncover the stories and status of women in the ancient world. Analyzing the texts with these variant methods gives insight into how ancient notions of gender and sexuality have been cemented and engrained in contemporary society.

Micol Hebron Associate Professor, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Department of Art 

FFC100D-06 (TR 10:30 – 12:45 p.m.) 

This course will examine past and present conditions of gender bias and representations of gender in digital media (in social media, computer programming, video games), and the impact that these biases have in society. We will examine the ways in which gender expression are supported and expanded, as well as the ways in which it is suppressed and legislated, on social media. The course will examine case studies regarding chatbots, privacy laws, hacking, journalism, free speech, censorship, and artificial intelligence.

Samantha Dressel  Assistant Professor, Instructional Faculty, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Department of English

FFC100D-03 (MW 4 – 5:15 p.m.)

From coping with plagues, to developing flexible understandings of genders, to articulating the pain of mental illness, the modern world can build on premodern conceptions. This course delves into the historical, cultural, and literary frameworks that shaped perceptions of gender, illness, ability, sexuality, and race during the premodern era. Through an examination of texts ranging from accounts of Medieval women mystics to Shakespeare's Othello, this course will instill foundational critical thinking skills as students put premodern understandings of identity into conversation with contemporary concerns and approaches. This course will challenge student assumptions of both the premodern world and their own contexts, leading students to reevaluate the world around them and the assumptions undergirding it.

Stefan Ionescu Associate Professor Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Department of History

FFC100D-07 (TR 2:30-3:45 p.m.)

Ruben Espinoza Assistant Professor, Director, Latinx and Latin American Studies Minor
Instructional Faculty, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Department of Sociology

FFC100D-04 (MW 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.) 

This course will focus on gender, sexuality, and the Latinx community. Students will learn how social inequalities are produced and how they impact everyday life for Latinx people in the United States and Latin America. Through a theoretical lens that centers gendered experiences, the class will address contemporary topics such as labor and work, music, film, business, migration, sports, environmental justice, race, class, and transnationalism.

Ronald Steiner Professor, Director, University Pre-Law Advisor, Instructional Faculty, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Department of Political Science

FFC 100D-13 (TR 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.)

This course explores selected cases and controversies involving gender and sexuality as a way of illustrating the development of the U. S. constitutional and legal system. However, this exploration will look beyond the usual study of text of landmark cases, and consider also the larger political, social, and economic forces surrounding and influencing this development. The course aims to provide a rigorous intellectual introduction to university-level inquiry and will examine primary texts and secondary materials as we begin to study constitutional law as a manifestation of cultural and institutional factors which are vital to an understanding of U.S. history and politics. 3 credits. Prerequisite: First year student status.

Cristina Fuentes – Assistant Director, Department of World Languages and Cultures, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC100D-05 (TR, 1-2:15 p.m.)

In this course, we will examine the mechanisms that shape our perception of sexuality and gender relations in mass media. We will begin by exploring the foundational and historical movements that politicized gender and have contributed to our understanding of sexuality in the 21st century. Finally, we will develop a better understanding of how mental health is affected by mass media and how we can use this knowledge to transform and reshape current and future constructions of gender identity.

After becoming familiar with the intersectionality of health, gender, and mass media, students will be able to examine various forms of media and share their experiences through a series of written self-reflection and small group discussions. Students will be able to identify mass media’s portrayal of gender relations in the U.S. and acquire the tools to analyze media from a Health Humanities lens. Ultimately, the class provides an optimal learning environment where students can examine their personal experiences with health, gender, and mass media.

Joshua Liashenko, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC 100D-08 (TTH 10:00-11:15am.)

This course examines how stigma and inequality frame cultural perspectives of health and the community bonds that emerge from shared illness experience. It will use the history of HIV/AIDS activism as a starting point to facilitate students in developing of an interpretive lens for assessing how class, race, sexuality, and gender contribute to attitudes about what it means to “healthy” and how stigma is embedded within healthcare systems. Through centering narrative medicine and research on health movements, students will be introduced to social science and humanities literature centering HIV/AIDS, sexuality, and contemporary challenges in addressing health inequity.

Kyndra Rotunda -  Executive Director, Military and Veterans Law Institute

FFC 100D-11 (TR 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.)

This course will explore famous cases and trials throughout history. Topics include an exploration of women’s rights; pay equity; and the LGBTQ movement alongside other famous landmark decisions. This course is ideal for anyone contemplating law school or other topics related to law

Jim Brown Professor of Teaching, Attallah College of Educational Studies, and Department of Peace Studies, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC100D-02 (TR 10 – 11:15 a.m.)

“Who are you and what will you fight for?” Noble Peace Laureate Nadia Murad asks us to examine our humanity and then act to make the world more humane. Too often, some humans choose violence and commit atrocities and other forms of injustice, and in response, most people remain passive and complicit bystanders. But we also have the potential for courage and resilience if at crucible moments we carefully consider our beliefs and how they are linked to our readiness and willingness to act. In this FFC, we read accounts, view documentaries, and talk face-to-face with the people who have been survivors and rescuers and made courageous choices in response to atrocities. As students study the lessons of “difficult” histories, reflect on their identity, and consider postmodern perspectives and critical alternatives to the dominant narratives that perpetuate violence and inaction, they learn to make the essential connections between historical decisions and the moral choices they confront in their own lives.

Rand Boyd - Lecturer

FFC 100A-13 (M W, 5:30-6:45 p.m.)

This course offers a survey of the development and evolution of the book from the past to the present and beyond. The course will focus on books as artifacts and evolving technology, transmitters of literary creativity, and social change. Students will study the history of books, printing, and reading culture in the Western tradition and then turn to the exhilarating and humbling task of considering the future of the book by examining new formats and twentieth-century predictions of the book's demise.

Fred Smoller - Professor

FFC 100A-11 (T Thu 8:30am-9:45pm)

This course exposes students to some classic films which have shaped political discourse in the United States.  Students critically analyze and communicate complex issues and ideas about democracy, peace, human rights, and the environment. 

Jessica Sternfeld- Professor

FFC 100A-01 (M, W, F 10-10:50am)

Musicals, both on stage and on screen, have always been perceived as lighthearted fun. But they also tackle social and political issues – like war or prejudice – in ways that both reflect and shape their cultural context. What sorts of lessons do musicals contain? Can a musical shape culture, make people change their minds about an issue? How do musicals teach their lessons – through music, lyrics, plot, casting, advertising? In this course we’ll study recent musicals on stage and on film, focusing on works that have social or political issues as central themes, likely including Hamilton, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, and more we’ll choose together.   We’ll watch the musicals, read criticism and scholarship about them, write about them, and engage in discussions in class and online. Students will also have the opportunity to study a musical of their own choosing, sharing their insights in class or in writing.

Keith Hankins - Pholosophy Instructor

John Hoffman - Lecturer

FFC 100A-39 (M W F 10am-10:50am.)

This course explores how the insights of the winners of the Nobel Prizes in economics and literature have shaped our understanding of the world around us. The work of the economics laureates (not all of whom have been economists, but one of whom is a Chapman professor!) has played an outsized role in laying the foundations for modern social science. This course will introduce students to some of the groundbreaking ideas for which the Nobel Prize in economics has been awarded. We will then explore how these ideas have been reflected upon in different ways by some of the literature laureates. Special attention will also be paid to philosophical questions raised by the various laureates, and to how the work of the literature laureates challenges the perspectives of the economics laureates.

Jim Brown Professor of Teaching, Attallah College of Educational Studies, and Department of Peace Studies, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC100A- 22 (TR 1pm – 2:15pm.)

FFC100A- 23 (TR 2:30pm – 3:45pm.)

“Who are you and what will you fight for?” Noble Peace Laureate Nadia Murad asks us to examine our humanity and then act to make the world more humane. Too often, some humans choose violence and commit atrocities and other forms of injustice, and in response, most people remain passive and complicit bystanders. But we also have the potential for courage and resilience if at crucible moments we carefully consider our beliefs and how they are linked to our readiness and willingness to act. In this FFC, we read accounts, view documentaries, and talk face-to-face with the people who have been survivors and rescuers and made courageous choices in response to atrocities. As students study the lessons of “difficult” histories, reflect on their identity, and consider postmodern perspectives and critical alternatives to the dominant narratives that perpetuate violence and inaction, they learn to make the essential connections between historical decisions and the moral choices they confront in their own lives.

Brad Petitfils - Professor, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success

FFC 100A-33 (W 7pm-9:50pm)

In this course, we will engage in an examination of popular culture as pedagogy; namely, Charlie Brooker’s unsettling Netflix series, “Black Mirror.” Brooker himself notes the ubiquity of these “black mirrors”—we find them on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone. But, what is embedded in the hidden curriculum of these episodes? By utilizing the narratives of the series, mise-en-scène analyses, and through related course readings, students will be able to reflect on their own relationships to technologies and discuss the societal complications that can come along with our innovations.

Jody Brown - Lecturer, Attallah College of Educational Studies

FFC 100A-20 (T TH, 1pm-2:15pm)

This course explores some of the key concepts and questions involved in leading a compassionate life. Some of the issues addressed in this course include the following: What is kindness? What is compassion? What does it mean to be a compassionate person? What is the science of compassion and kindness? How does exploring profiles in compassion give rise to action? How does an examination of compassion lead us to become more compassionate in our daily lives? As students examine the ideas about how compassion is defined and developed, and analyze case studies of compassion and courage in the face of great need or atrocities, they learn to make the connections between awareness and action, and consider how they might exhibit compassion in their own lives.

Katharine Gillespie, Professor Literature and Humanities

Bart Wilson, Professor

FFC 100A-40 (M W 1-2:15pm)

FFC 100A-41 (M W 2:30pm-3:45pm.)

To be human is to choose. To be human is to face the consequences of our choices. To be human is to change as we choose and face the consequences of our choices. The course dialogically explores Neil Gaiman’s graphic novels, The Sandman, and the British economist Lionel Robbins’s An Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economic Science to ask what it means for economic science and the human condition that we are beings who choose and change. 

In 1932, Lionel Robbins expressed a viewpoint that is now near universally accepted by economists, claiming that the significance of economics “is fundamentally distinct from ethics.”  The Sandman says to Shakespeare that “I am not a man. And I do not change … I am the Prince of stories, Will; but I have no story of my own. Nor shall I ever.” What if both statements are simply untrue and related to each other. What if economics and ethics are indeed two sides of the same coin? What if Morpheus does indeed choose and change? In this course we read The Sandman to inform our understanding of what economic science is, and we use our understanding of economic science to inform our reading of The Sandman.

Wally Zermeno - Lecturer

FFC 100A-32 (T 7pm-9:50pm.)

The course will exam the Clone Wars animated series as a by product of American society and history. Through the evaluation of themes, such as imperialism, masculinity, patriotism, gender, and the soldier’s experience.  Students will critically engage with the material to decipher the social commentary behind the content and gain greater insight, and depth towards war themed popular culture as a means of social learning and conditioning.

Nina LeNoir, Ph.D. - Professor of Theatre, College of Performing Arts

FFC 100A-45 (T TH, 8:30-9:45 a.m.)

Modern American drama reflects and celebrates diverse identities and cultures. We will be examining the plays that have emerged from various cultures and created by playwrights of many different identities, such as African American, Asian American, Native American, Latino/a, and others. Plays written by members of diverse identity groups provide insight to all of us and can enhance understanding and appreciation of the challenges to and accomplishments of these individuals and groups throughout American history and culture.  By critically analyzing the plays and the contexts in which they were written, a recognition of the political, cultural, and social forces at work on the art and artist becomes clear, and a recognition of the contribution of drama to the continuing conversation on diversity emerges.  We will be primarily reading plays, viewing one or two films, researching artists and events, and attending at least one theatre production.  No prior theatrical experience is needed!

Kevin O'Leary, Ph.D. - Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC 100A-12 (M W, 5:30-6:45 p.m.)

This FFC is a stimulating combination of history, politics and rhetoric.  The famous words of Winston Churchill and George Orwell played a critical role in the defense of democracy against the fascist and totalitarian challenge in the 20thcentury.  The British Prime Minister who rallied the English population in World War II and the author of Animal Farm and 1984 recognized the danger posed by Hitler and Stalin well before their peers and remain iconic defenders of democracy and freedom.  Turing to the comtemporary world, we will read speeches by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose words have inspired his nation and the world as Ukraine battles the Russian invasion, and selections of Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen.  A refugee of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Gessen has a unique perspective on how to understand the rhetoric of former President Donald Trump.  As a FFC course, we focus more on critical engagement, exploration and communication related to complex issues than on mastering a body of material.

Kyle Harp-Rushing - Lecturer

FFC 100A-29 (T TH, 4pm-5:15pm)

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, Americans are feeling lonelier and more isolated
than ever (Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, 2023). Tech companies like Meta have
seized on this idea of a “loneliness epidemic” to lure more fresh eyeballs to their social
networking sites (while denying their own complicity in making its users feel detached from
meaningful social life). This course will critically examine this moment through the lens of
the widely debated philosophical concept of alienation – i.e. how it is we come to feel
estranged from the world and from ourselves. “(Dis)alienated Bodies” will focus on a range
of material covering speculative and science fiction, the histories and miseries of
neoliberal capitalism, and radical ideas from queer, feminist, anti-racist, post-colonial and
Marxist theorists for growing friendship, intimacy, and solidarity in our social relations.

Jibreel Speight, LLM – Director of Muslim Life and University Chaplain, Fish Interfaith Center

FFC 100A-02 (M W F, 11-11:50 a.m.)

This course will provide students with a working knowledge of Islam. This will include a look at Islam as a religion, as well as aspects of the history, culture, civilization, intellectual and religious movements and institutions that resulted from the encounter between the religious message brought by Muhammad and the intellectual, cultural, spiritual and political expressions and aspirations of the various peoples that came under its influence.  In addition to identifying Islam’s core beliefs, sources, practices and sentiments, we will look at those issues that came to form the focal point of debate and disagreement, ultimately resulting in the “Classical Synthesis,” a contested battery of interpretations of Islam that would become the basis upon which Muslims would assess their communal success or failure, right down to modern times. This will include a survey of how subsequent Muslim communities sought to come to terms with, preserve or even challenge the classical synthesis and how this plays out in modern times, e.g., with activist, revivalist and reform movements in contemporary Islam.  Our holistic view begins in 7th century Arabia and moves through Muslim history all the way up through the encounter between Islam and Western modernity, including America and how Islam challenges and is challenged by the post-9/11 world.

Rafael Luévano, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC 100A-44 (W, 4-6:50 p.m.)

This course introduces the interconnecting philosophical, theological, and artistic principles of eros and Thanatos (love and death) as they occur in 20th and 21st century fiction and film and how they are ultimately understood as a spiritual experience.

Nirali Brahmbhatt – Lecturer

FFC 100A-45 (4pm-6:50pm)

This course features diverse aspects of human trafficking, with an emphasis on types of trafficking and treatment of victims. It introduces the phenomenon of modern slavery from a national and international perspective, discussing sex trafficking, forced labor, child slavery, and debt bondage.  It will discuss the legal, criminal, political, and psychological implications of trafficking.  The course discusses the role of the internet and social media to target victims. This FCC course is structured to create a knowledge base about human trafficking and to creatively  produce a prevention, intervention, or aftercare program in an attempt to disrupt trafficking.

It will be important to stay on top of the readings to be able to participate in classroom discussions.  The final will include a semester-long project that will result in an essay and a classroom presentation. 

Alejandro Echeverria - Lecturer

FFC 100A-21 (T Thu 1-2:15pm)

This course offers an ethnographic approach to the historical and contemporary experience of Indigeneity and Blackness within Mexico in order to expand out – What does it mean to be Mexican? We begin this course by unpacking how Mestizaje became the national cultural identity that represents Mexico in order to expand how Black and Indigenous peoples have historically reacted to this national ideology. By undestanding the diverse histories of colonialism, nation state building and enslavement, as social, political, and economic processes, this course explores the many ways of being and forms of resistance among the many Black and Indigenous communities that continue to define Mexico. Over the course we will theorize how race, gender, class and sexuality intersect in creating and recreating the national image of Mexico as a mestizo nation as well as the ways Mestizaje is reproduced in the United States and/or the Mexican Diaspora. Our central questions are, what lived experiences and life histories are erased or overlooked under the national identity of Mestizaje? How can we find ways of centering marginalized racial groups in Mexico? How is Mexicanness understood through a Black and/or Indigenous perspective?  

Walter Tschacher, Ph.D. - Professor of Languages, Department of World Languages and Cultures, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC 100A-28 (T TH, 8:30-9:45 a.m.)

In this course students will critically examine films in relation to their source material (both English and in translation) and the social, historical, and cultural contexts of both. Possible texts/films include Death in Venice (Thomas Mann/Visconti) and Room with a View (E. M. Forster/J. Ivory). We will consider not only the adaptation of literary works but also the inverse process, called novelization (i.e., the film serves as the basis for literature; for instance, some James Bond and Star War films underwent novelization). The course will take up such questions as: How does the change in medium produce a new text/meaning? When comparing and contrasting literature and film, what are their relative strengths and weaknesses? How is literary and visual art affected by commerce, and vice-versa—how, for example, is "popular" art coded as more or less authentic than "high" art?

Tessa Venizelos - Lecturer

FFC 100A-41 (M W, 4-5:15 p.m.)

We live in an age where everyone seems to be looking for truth. Has truth become more accessible with globalization, advancement in technology and emergence of social media? Or has the truth grown more distorted? We also live in a time where there is growing enlightenment and awareness to question the construction of truth. As we learn more about how truth is constructed, how it is framed and conveyed, we explore the boundaries and limitations of truth. But, in exploring its construction, do we find that we lose truth’s objectivity? Throughout this class, we will explore the realms and empiricism of truth as we apply it to storytelling through documentaries. We will constantly question the objective nature of truth as we explore its construction. And, conversely, as we look deeply into the construction and framing of truth, we will uncover objective truth. As we increasingly consume stories of truth, constructions of truth and different people or communities’ versions of truth, we will become more aware and critical of truth presented to us. Likely, as we are storytellers, we will learn to critique and strengthen the stories we tell in pursuit of their authenticity. 

Everyone has a story to tell, but whose truth is told?

Atalia Lopez, M.A. - Lecturer, Department of English, Wilkinson College of Arts,Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC 100A-26 (T TH, 4–5:15 p.m.)

FFC 100A-27 (T TH, 5:30-6:45 p.m.)

When Joyce Carol Oates asks, “If the City is a text, how shall we read it?” she presents a question that connects a dynamic and physical space to something more abstract. If a city is a text, as she proposes, how can we engage with it as “readers”? In this course, students will explore representations of the city of Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on its portrayal in films and literary texts. Throughout the semester we will read and view texts that prominently feature the urban space of Los Angeles. Through study, discussion, and research we will examine how the city functions within these imagined worlds and tackle some central questions and many others: how is Los Angeles different from other major American cities? What is the function of Los Angeles as an urban environment? What are some central themes that we can see developing across the texts we read/view? Does its representation differ at all between the mediums of film and literature? Texts may include films such as Sunset Blvd., Blade Runner, Tangerine, Drive, and novels such as Joan Didion's Play It As It Lays, Tochi Onyebuchi's Riot Baby, and others.

Richard Ruppel, Ph.D. - Professor, Department of English, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC 100A-24 (T TH, 2-2:30 p.m.)

This course explores identity, narrative, memory and other concepts from both a literary and a neuroscientific perspective. Literature has always been centrally concerned with character-Odysseus: clever, loyal, very stubborn; Don Quixote: chivalrous, honorable, slightly crazy; Hamlet: noble, bitter, deeply conflicted; Satan: proud, rebellious, grandly wicked; Elizabeth Bennet: bright, witty, affectionate; Mrs. Dalloway: so changeable, so psychologically rich, she can barely be contained within the novel. As readers, we know the characters in stories and novels better than we know our friends and family, better, sometimes, than we know ourselves. A cognitive approach to literature attempts to account for this and other miracles of reading.

Robert Guyker - Lecturer

FFC 100A-04 (M W F 11am-11:50am)

In this FFC we will explore the playful (“ludic”) elements of culture, philosophy, religion, and social life—among others. We examine the cultural histories, artifacts, and materiality of playthings in antiquity, classical boardgames, children’s folkgames, toys as well as play afforded by digital gaming communities. Together we consider such questions as, what is the nature of Play? How can we critically engage the world through Play? What are the cognitive and social benefits of Play? How does Play augment human development, creativity, and learning? 

Lilia Monzo, Ph.D. - Professor, Attallah College of Educational Studies

FFC 100A-19 (T Thu 11:30am-12:45pm)

This course aims to have students see themselves as active agents in our world. Students will learn about and reflect on current social problems, their structural dimensions and their relationship to capitalism. The course surveys contemporary social movements and engages students in questions of leadership, collective action, and organizing for social change, as well as placing movements within historical contexts and analyzing gains and losses. Students are introduced to Marx’s philosophy of revolution, research humanist alternatives to capitalism, and learn about the revolutionary potential of humanizing education. Specific revolutionary movements discussed may include the Paris Commune, Civil Rights, The Zapatistas, The Cuban Revolution, and Black Lives Matter.

Heather Lenz - Lecturer

FFC 100A-35 (F, 1-3:45 p.m.)

FFC 100A-34 (TH, 4-6:50 p.m.)

“The Shero’s Journey: Documentaries By & About Women,” is an intersectional feminist film class that will include weekly screenings of documentaries by and about women. The films screened will include rare, early examples of films by and about female trailblazers as well as increasingly diverse, recent examples that highlight overlapping, concurrent forms of oppression. Screenings will be supplemented by reading assignments that explore the treatment of women in society at large. Conventionally overlooked in history books, the stories of compelling and inspiring women are beginning to be told with increasing frequency. Actress and feminist film activist Geena Davis has said, “If she can see it, she can be it.”  Documentary film has been used as a form of activism and this class will also include examples that cover social issues particularly relevant to women.

Michael Valdez Moses, Ph.D. - Professor, Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy

FFC 100A-25 (T Thu, 2:30-3:45 p.m.)

The 20th century was an era of bold utopian experimentation. Numerous extraordinary attempts were made to realize in practice radical and competing conceptions of freedom and equality, progress and order, personal happiness and social harmony. Even as many of these utopias became nightmares for those who lived under them, thinkers and artists remained fascinated with the role that technology could play in making possible different ways of living and forms of social control that went beyond what was deemed possible at the time. Focusing on major works of literature, film, and philosophic prose, we will look at some of the most prominent and thought-provoking visions of utopia/dystopia in the 20th and 21st centuries and reflect on what these (mostly) fictional portrayals of society can teach us about the limits of political thinking in reshaping our conceptions of morality, human nature, and social life. In this course, we will explore the tensions between individual freedom and communal solidarity, between economic prosperity and social equality, between natural limits and human aspirations for an ideal social order, between technological progress and human flourishing. In so doing, we will also examine utopian visions of racial harmony as well as dystopian visions of racial discord and eugenics.

Mohammad Rafi, Ph.D. - Lecturer, Department of World Languages and Cultures, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

FFC 100A-31 (W, 4–6:50 p.m.)

“What does not kill me makes me stronger.” Did you know this motto originates from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche? German thinkers have helped shape the world that we live in, in several important ways. This course will explore what these great thinkers can do for you. As first-year students starting your journey at the University, we are going to explore the function of the modern university and its mission, while also considering the concept of a Bildung (Education) that teaches personal and cultural maturation. Through Freud’s Civilization and its Discontents, we will look at different approaches one can take when dealing with the anxiety and isolation of modern society. Nietzsche will help us understand the inconsistency of morality. By exposing students to a variety of German thinkers in a few disciplines, this course will critically assess essential themes of social anxiety, questions of morality, and the growing role of technology in our lives. A central idea of this class will be to gain a better understanding of how our existing conditions have developed through time to become our present truths. Issues of class, race, and gender will also be addressed. Readings, discussions, and coursework will all be in English; no German language skills are necessary.

Douglas Cooney - Lecturer, Department of English, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities,and Social Sciences

FFC 100A-17 (T TH, 10-11:15 a.m.)

How do writers do it? How did Toni Morrison or Ernest Hemingway find the words and deliver on deadline? Students will read a sampling of great authors and examine how these authors acquired their craft, what artistic principles drove their work, and what daily disciplines guided their progress. We will consider the wellspring of creativity in these writers' lives and investigate the practical procedures that shaped their imagination into published work. Students will analyze texts and engage individually and collectively in journals and writing assignments, modeled after exercises recommended by the same authors we study.

Erik Kimbrough Professor, Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy The George L. Argyros College of Business and Economics

Brenan McDavid Assistant Professor, Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy Schmid College of Science and Technology; Department of Philosophy

FFC 100A-42 (T TH, 10-11:15 a.m.)

In 399 BC, Socrates was sentenced to die by drinking hemlock because he dared to challenge the traditional beliefs of Athens. In 1859, John Stuart Mill summoned Socrates’ ghost by waging a vehement defense of free speech on the grounds that coercing silence “is robbing the human race.” Across history we see examples of dissenters, gadflies, heretics, and revolutionaries in figures as prominent and heralded as Martin Luther, Galileo, Karl Marx, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, and Salman Rushdie. Yet we so often reserve our approval of their dissidence only once the dust has cleared and we can see with distance and with clear eyes the moral superiority of victors. That is, we approve dissent only if we are already convinced that it is in the name of moral progress. In this course, we will force such patterns of thought to a halt. By engaging each week with a contentious and perhaps intractable—perhaps, in some cases, even unspeakable—issue that is salient and pressing in our society today, we will force ourselves to assess dissenting voices before the dust has settled. Our method of approach will be rigid and rigorous: we will reconstruct the arguments and assess the quality of evidence relied upon by parties wading into these debates with their dangerous ideas.

Ahmad Navid Mujaddedi-Lecture

FFC 100A-38 (F 1pm-3:50pm)

This first-year focus class is designed to increase the knowledge of students about Afghanistan and what impact could the international community and western powers have on people’s lives post 9/11 invasion and what factors led to success or failure as a result of their attempt to bring change. Despite being in the news for two decades, Afghanistan remained an unknown land for many people around the world due to years of isolation from the rest of the world, the lack of sufficient study, endless war and conflict, the failures of the central governments and international community, and its complex and diverse society. This course will introduce the Afghanistan’s culture, ethnicity, religion, gender divisions, history, geographical location, and natural resources, and the role of all these on war and peace, international relations and human rights protection throughout recent history. The students will be exposed to various dynamics which can lead a country toward failure or development.

Nicole Rangel Assistant Professor, Instructional Faculty, Musical Theatre, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Department of Peace Studies

FFC 100A-37 (T Thu 5:30pm-6:45pm)

This course focuses on the real life consequences, crises, and challenges surrounding the law, politics, and human toll arising out of mass atrocity situations. We will explore the meaning of war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and terrorism as well as modern day examples of each and query why their occurrence is so prevalent today. We will also discuss the policies and politics surrounding innovative tools to combatting their occurrence including open source investigations, agency of rights holders, social media reporting, and the ethics of information. We will examine films, news reports, NGO advocacy materials, and United Nations publications related to today’s most pressing and novel issues including climate change refugees, armed conflicts, non-state actors, and the enforcement of human rights. This course includes lectures, group discussions, presentations, first person accounts, debates, and videos that detail some of the darkest human made brutalities as well as the means for rising from the ashes of atrocity. 

Amy Hurley Hanson Professor, The George L. Argyros College of Business and Economics

FFC 100A-07 ( M W 1pm-2:15pm)

FFC 100A-08 ( M W 2:30-3:45pm)

The sport of surfing is currently practiced by about 35 million people worldwide. The United States surf industry boasts sales of over $8 billion a year, the global industry $22 billion, and surfing has again become a touchstone of popular culture. This course will explore how surfing developed over the course of the 20th century, from a benign pastime pursued on a handful of Polynesian islands to a global commercial and cultural force. Students will examine the history of surfing informed by current historical scholarship and by perspectives from history, economics, physics, marketing, and leadership. Additional topics will cover geography, surf tourism, gender, race, disabilities, surf films, surf music, surf art, social responsibility, and sustainability. The focus of the course is your ability to apply an analytical, critical approach to our topics in increasingly complex way. 

Doug Aiken – Associate Director of Athletics, Donald P. Kennedy Department of Intercollegiate Athletics

FFC 100A-09 (M W, 2:30-3:45 p.m.)

Professional athletes have used their amplified media platforms to become activists in social discourse at increasing levels in recent years. Whether it’s Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the National Anthem, U.S. Women’s Soccer players fighting for equal pay, or Simone Biles withdrawing from Olympic competition due to mental health concerns, sports have a profound influence over how we view societal norms and the need for change. In this course, students will explore social activism through the lenses of professional and amateur athletics, throughout history and in current events.

Najia Munira Akhhunzada, Lecturer

FFC 100A-36 (M W 5:30pm to 6:45pm) 

This first-year focus class is designed to increase the knowledge of students about Afghanistan and what impact could the international community and western powers have on people’s lives post 9/11 invasion and what factors led to success or failure as a result of their attempt to bring change. Despite being in the news for two decades, Afghanistan remained an unknown land for many people around the world due to years of isolation from the rest of the world, the lack of sufficient study, endless war and conflict, the failures of the central governments and international community, and its complex and diverse society. This course will introduce the Afghanistan’s culture, ethnicity, religion, gender divisions, history, geographical location, and natural resources, and the role of all these on war and peace, international relations and human rights protection throughout recent history. The students will be exposed to various dynamics which can lead a country toward failure or development.

Ronald Steiner Professor, Director, University Pre-Law Advisor, Instructional Faculty, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Department of Political Science

FFC 100A-28 (T Th 4- 5:15PM)

This course explores selected cases and controversies involving civil rights as a way of illustrating the development of the U. S. constitutional and legal system. However, this exploration will look beyond the usual study of text of landmark cases, and consider also the larger political, social, and economic forces surrounding and influencing this development. The course aims to provide a rigorous intellectual introduction to university-level inquiry, and will examine primary texts and secondary materials as we begin to study civil rights law as a manifestation of cultural and institutional factors which are vital to an understanding of U.S. history and politics

Andrew Chappell: Assistant Professor, Instructional Faculty, Theatre Studies, College of Performing Arts; Department of Theatre

FFC 100A-26 ( T TH 10AM- 11:15)

The course aims to give students a strong foundation in analyzing narratives using the prism of fiction and non-fiction. Students will examine all forms of art (folk-tales, plays, fiction, movies, fine art, songs, political ads, video games) to look at how creativity or autobiography or a blend of both inform the art. The study of varied storytelling models such as non-linear storytelling and non-Western story structure will also be explored.

Jennifer Akana Sturla:Lectureer

FFC 100A-05 (M W 1pm-2:25pm)

FFC 100A-06 (M W 2:30pm-3:45pm)

The course aims to give students a strong foundation in analyzing narratives through both fiction and non-fiction. Students will examine their own stories as well as hard-boiled crime fiction, films noirs, and documentary films, considering The Hero’s Journey and visual elements. Students’ projects will exercise their understanding of story both narrative and visual.

This course engages students in interdisciplinary, university-level critical inquiry and reflection. The FFC course focuses more on critical engagement, exploration, and communication related to complex issues than on mastering a body of material. Students in this FFC will engage critically, analytically, creatively, and emotionally with one of humanity’s most fundamental forms of communication and social bonding: Story.