Spring 2007 DHC Courses

Note: THIS LIST IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

American Studies (AMS) 30 (4 Units)
Images of America and Americans in Popular Culture
Ari Kelman
Lecture: TR 1:40-3:00 pm 206 Olson
Select Lecture/Discussion from Schedule/Directory
HNR 90X-5 (1 Unit) R 12:10-1:00 pm 111 Wellman
Lecture: 3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Investigation of verbal and visual discourses about American identity in various popular culture products, including film, television, radio, music, fiction, art, advertising, and commercial experiences; discourses about the United States in the popular culture of other societies. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: ArtHum or SocSci, Div, Wrt

Challenge Section: In this Challenge Section, we will expand and deepen our engagement with the notion of "images" in three ways. First, we will use the course texts to deepen our understanding of what constitutes an "image," and what makes an image "American." Second, we will supplement our conversations with outside texts drawn largely from the section's primary supplemental text: the long-running radio program "This American Life." Third, we will produce our own 5-7 minute podcast segments (modeled on "This American Life") that will challenge us to draw on our knowledge and understanding of American images while also making our own contributions to that phenomenon.

Biological Sciences (BIS) 1B (5 Units)
Introductory Biology
Susan Keen
Lecture: MWF 9:00-9:50 am 194 Chemistry
Select Lecture/Discussion/Lab from Sections A01, A02, A05-A15 ONLY!!!
HNR 90X-18 (1 Unit) T 2:10-3:00 pm 2346 Storer Hall
Lecture:3 hours; laboratory--3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Introduction to evolution and animal diversity, including transmission and population genetics, micro and macroevolution, systematics, classification, and a survey of major animal groups.

Challenge Section:In this DHC section we will read scientific papers on issues related to BIS 1B and discuss these issues in light of the perspective of the participants. Topics are: natural selection using a commercial fisheries stock example and a Darwinian medicine example (weeks 1-5); speciation (weeks 6-7); phylogeny via the Tree of Life (weeks 8-9); conclusions on perspective in science (week 10).

Biological Sciences (BIS) 1C (5 Units)
Introductory Biology
Deborah Canington
Lecture: MTWR 10:00-10:50 am 1344 Storer
Select BIS 1C Sections B01 & B02 ONLY!!!
HNR 90X-17 (1 Unit) T 5:10-6:00 pm 3088 SciLab
Lecture: 4 hours; laboratory--3 hours. Survey of diversity within the plant, protista, and fungi kingdoms, emphasizing flowering plant structure, function, evolution, and ecology. Ecological principles, including population dynamics, life history patterns, community interactions and composition, ecosystems, and world biomes. GE credit: SciEng, Wrt.

Chemistry (CHE) 118BC (4 Units)
Organic Chemistry
Krishnan Nambiar
Select any section of CHE 118B or CHE 118C from Schedule/Directory
HNR 90X-15 (1 Unit) R 3:10-4:00 pm 176 Kerr Hall
Lecture: See Catolog for description.

Challenge Section: During the Challenge Section we will explore how the structure of organic molecules influence their chemical and biological properties. This will be an in depth exploration of the material students learn in the regular course, and they will apply that information to new complex biologically active molecules. Each student will do research on one such molecule of his/her choice, write a short (2-3 page paper) and present their results during the class followed by an open discussion, at the end of the quarter.

Comparative Literature (COM) 2 (4 Units)
Great Books of Western Culture: From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment
Kevin Roddy
Lecture: TR 12:10-2:00 pm 205 Wellman
Select COM 2 Section 001 ONLY!! This course is a combined Lecture/DHC Challenge Section (DHC office will issue PTA numbers).
Lecture/discussion: 4 hours. Prerequisite: completion of Subject A requirement. An introduction, through class discussion and frequent written assignments, to some of the great books of western civilization from Dante's Inferno to Swift's Gulliver's Travels. GE credit: ArtHum, Wrt (cannot be used to satisfy a college or university composition requirement and GE writing experience simultaneously).

The students in this honors course will read and discuss major works in a variety of genres that address topics of central importance in medieval, renaissance, and later Western culture, such as representations of developing national identity and consciousness; spirituality and religious faith; humanism; ethnocentrism; colonial discourse; rationality and irrationality; and the relations between the individual and society. Great emphasis will be placed on interpreting the works in their historical, social, and cultural contexts.

Comparative Literature (COM) 5 (4 Units)
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Parables
John Boe
Lecture: TR 3:10-4:30 pm 100 Hunt
Select Lecture/Discussion from Schedule/Directory
HNR 90X-10 (1 Unit) R 10:00-10:50 am 144 Olson
Lecture: 3 hours; discussion--1 hour. An introduction to fairy tales, fables, and parables as recurrent forms in literature, with such readings as tales from Aesop and Grimm, Chaucer and Shakespeare, Kafka and Borges, Buddhist and Taoist parables, the Arabian Nights, and African American folklore. GE credit: ArtHum,Div,Wrt

Challenge Section: This Challenge Section focuses on storytelling (which supplements the material in the main course, Fairy Tales, Fables, and Parables). There will be instruction in how to perform folk stories; then each student will perform a story of his or her own choice for the class. At the midway point, students will get instruction on how to create and perform true life stories and be given writing exercises to help them develop their true life stories. Subsequent classes will be devoted to performance and critique of their true life stories.

Freshman Seminar (FRS) 1
Navigating the Research University
Fred Wood
FRS 01-21 (1 Unit) W 10:00-10:50 am Thompson Study Lounge
***This course is for 1st Year Students ONLY!!!*** This course is open to students who have NOT taken Navigating the Research University OR Understanding the Research University in a previous quarter. The goal of this course is to examine a number of issues that face first-year students as they begin their study at a research university. Topics to be examined include: (1) understanding the mission of the research university and the student's role within this mission, (2) understanding what it means to be part of an intellectual community of scholars, (3) understanding the educational impact of the confluence of diverse perspectives, (4) understanding the various campus cultures (i.e., faculty, staff and student) and their interactions, (5) determining the benefits of an undergraduate education at a research university in meeting the students' goals, and (6) determining the skills and knowledge that students need to be successful, both inside and outside the classroom, and recognizing the campus resources that assist in this endeavor.

First-year students may take this course in place of a challenge section.

Leadership in Engineering
Larry Lagerstrom
HNR 90X-13 (1 Unit) T 2:10-3:00 pm 1116 Hart
**This course is for 1st & 2nd year DHC Engineering Majors ONLY!!**
This course will explore the theory, practice, and challenges of leadership, both in general and from an engineering perspective. Leadership classics, case studies, fictional works and film will provide material for study and reflection. Participants will also examine various leadership styles and seek to identify which styles best fit their personality and gifts.

First- and Second-year students may take this course in place of a challenge section.

Mathematics (MAT) 16C (3 Units)
Short Calculus
Ali Dad-del
Lecture: MWF 8:00-8:50 am 1100 Social Sciences
Enroll in MAT 16C Section 001 (CRN 44596) ONLY!!!
HNR 90X-9 (1 Unit) M 10:00-10:50 am 111 Wellman
Lecture: 3 hours. Prerequisite: course 16B, 17B, or 21B. Differential equations; partial derivatives; double integrals; applications; series. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 21C. Only two units of credit to students who have completed course 17C. GE credit: SciEng.

Challenge Section: In the Challenge Section for Math 16C, we will learn about historic roots of development of elementary mathematical concepts. Learning about ancient civilizations including Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, and others is the most fun part of the course. We will have a few group project where students will enjoy solving real world problems and learning to work with others. Each student will have a chance to do a presentation on a historic/mathematical topic. Part of the class time will be used to work in groups to enhance topics covered in Math 16C. Active participation, presentation, projects, homework and a final exam will constitute a basis for evaluation and grading in the class.

Psychology (PSC) 1 (4 Units)
General Psychology
Rachel Nitzberg
Select PSC 1 Sections 001-003 ONLY!!!
HNR 90X-16 (1 Unit) W 2:10-3:00 pm 157 Young
Lecture: 4 hours. Introduction emphasizing empirical approaches. Focus on perception, cognition, personality and social psychology, and biological aspects of behavior. Only 2 units of credit allowed for students who have completed course 15 or 16. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 15 and 16. GE credit: SocSci.

Challenge Section: In this section we will explore contemporary psychological issues, focusing specifically on issues presented in the general media. Students will choose topics (anything from the risk of suicide associated with antidepressants to Dr. Phil) and collaborate in small groups to research these topics and present an empirical perspective on pop-psychology. Information will then be presented to the class through an in-class presentation, website, movie, or other format. Students will also write brief responses to their own and other students' presentations.

Religious Studies (RST) 1 (4 Units)
Survey of Religion
Wendy Terry
Lecture: MW 10:00-11:50 am 207 Olson
Enroll in Section 001 (CRN 54183) ONLY!!!
HNR 90X-3 (1 Unit) T 5:10-6:00 pm 3 Wellman
Lecture: 3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Basic concepts introduced through readings of the primary religious literature. Discussion of central ideas (creation, history, law, prophecy, suffering, mysticism, asceticism, karma, reincarnation, moksha, etc.); readings from the Bible, Bhagavad Gita, the Koran, selections from Plato and early Buddhist writings. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.

Challenge Section: This Challenge Section will augment the lecture material by giving DHC students the opportunity to more fully engage the material and to choose topics not covered in lecture for discussion. Since RST 1 is a general survey of religion, we cannot cover everything in lecture. The DHC section will give students the chance to fill in any gaps by helping define the focus of our time together. On our first meeting, we will discuss the schedule and choose together the topics for the remainder of our meetings in light of the lecture schedule. The DHC section will challenge students to lead discussions, present material and work cooperatively for a presentation (there will not be an individual paper for the section).

Sociology (SOC) 1 (5 Units)
Introduction to Sociology
Lalia Kiburi
Lecture: MW 10:00-11:50 am 2 Wellman
Select SOC 1 Sections C02-C08 ONLY!!!
HNR 90X-1 (1 Unit) M 4:10-5:00 pm 163 Olson
Lecture:4 hours; discussion--1 hour. Principles and basic concepts of sociology. The study of groups, culture, collective behavior, classes and caste, community and ecology, role, status, and personality. GE credit: SocSci

Challenge Section:In this Challenge Section students are invited to explore general sociological concepts and theories by conducting a "close read" of the book The Sociologically Examined Life: Pieces of the Conversation by Michael Schwalbe. This exceptional text is a lively and concise analysis of everyday life designed to inspire students to think sociologically about society and themselves as social actors. Working in teams, students will examine Schwalbe's central concept of "sociological mindfulness" or not only paying attention to humans as social actors, but to appreciate them as unique and thinking beings. Required Reading The Sociologically Examined Life: Pieces of the Conversation (2005). 3rd Edition.

Sociology (SOC) 25 (4 Units)
Sociology of Popular Culture
Thomas Burr
Lecture: TR 3:10-4:30 pm 1322 Storer
Select Lecture/Discussion from Schedule/Directory
HNR 90X-12 (1 Unit) F 1:10-2:00 pm 123 Wellman
Lecture: 3 hours; discussion--1 hour. Social mechanisms that shape modern popular culture. High, folk, and mass culture: historical emergence of popular culture. Mass media, commercialization, ideology and cultural styles. Theories and methods for analyzing cultural expressions in pop music, street art, film, television, and advertising. GE credit: SocSci, Wrt

Challenge Section: Tattoos and body art, such as piercings, are increasingly popular on college campuses. That upper-middle-class students of both genders would adopt a practice previously associated with subordinate and/or "disreputable" classes and groups, especially male groups (e.g., bikers, truckers, and sailors) is an interesting change over the last two decades.Why has this happened? In this honors section we will look at tattoos and body art from four main perspectives: definitions and history of popular culture; the production of culture; the consumption of culture; and politics and popular culture. We will try to understand the use of tattoos and body art, and perhaps to explain this shift over time.

 

Registration Information

DHC Faculty Profiles

DHC Home

Helpful UC Davis Links