Spring 2000

HNR 094-001
Revise the Bill of Rights?
Richard H. Falk
MF 2:10 PM-4:00 PM - Olson 208
The first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States are known as the Bill of Rights. These ten amendments were adopted in 1791 after several states refused to ratify the new federal constitution unless it was amended to provide protection for fundamental individual rights. More than two hundred years have passed since their ratification. Some would say that these "rights" need to be amended to reflect contemporary societal needs. Do we continue to require the freedom to bear arms? Is the separation of Church and State best serving society as we presently view it? This class will examine the first ten amendments, reflect upon society as it was in 1791, as it is now,and propose modifications. The final product will be a compilation of their examination of the old, reflections upon their appropriateness today, proposed modifications, and the rationale for their proposed modifications. The compilation will be published to the Davis Honors Challenge web server.

HNR 094-002
What High-Tech is About to do for (to) us: Universal Identity Cards
Rick Freeman
TR 12:10 PM-2:00 PM - Olson 206
Advances in technology are leading to the probability that we no longer will have to worry about carrying around various documents to identify ourselves, or order things on credit, or have authorization to perform some function. It will all be contained in a single high-tech "smart" card. What we will examine in this seminar are the social consequences of this "advance" and ask ourselves just how far this idea could go. Indeed, this is the start of a brave new world: Think of the convenience of being able to simply present one card to perform any social action. No one could masquerade as you, and you would have unquestioned access to all forms of social intercourse. The problem comes when one thinks about the price for this convenience: Certainly the government, agents of commerce, and maybe even your neighbors are going to have unimaginable access to information about how you lead your life. So, how will this change behavior patterns: for example, would you buy different clothes, attend different movies, avoid certain foods, travel different roads, or even date different people if you knew that virtually everything you did was recorded in bits in some huge server somewhere? And what about the possibility that the card will likely contain a complete reading of your DNA that could link you to any other person or event? Is all this good, bad, or just another consequence of complexity in a modern world? One of the products of this seminar is to identify those pieces of information that most of us would agree should never be included in any such technology, as well as those that might lead to a major increase in the security of society in general.

HNR 094-003
Space, the Final Frontier
Susan M. Kauzlarich
MW 12:10 PM-2:00 PM - Olson 206
With the dismantling of the space station, MIR, and the completion of the Mars Mission, what is the future of Space? Are there possible payoffs for the research endeavors of the new international space station? Will the earth be congested with satellites for wireless service and private industries monopolize Space? The students in this class will represent a special presidential advisory group consisting of political, technological, ethical, and business lobbyists. This group is commissioned to provide a recommendation as to what ventures relating to Space have large potentials within the next 20 years. The goal is to develop a profile of up to five possible ventures to present to the President for consideration.

HNR 094-004
How Will E-Commerce Transform Society?
Harry Matthews
WF 10:00 AM-11:50 AM - Olson 206
How does buying and selling on-line differ from traditional commerce? On-line stores are losing money big-time. How can they stay in business? When you download an MP3 file instead of buying the CD, who gains and who loses? E-commerce will change the job market but in what ways? What skills will a UCD graduate need in 5 years' time to get a job and to live a full life?

HNR 094-005
Day Trading: Get Rich Quick or Lose Your Shirt?
Krishnan Nambiar
TR 10:00 AM-11:50 AM - Olson 206
Easy access to the Internet has made it possible for people to do electronic stock trading. What is day trading? Is it investment or gambling? Are we encouraging gambling? Should day trading be regulated? While there has been instances where young people have become instant millionaires, many are losing their shirt in the process. What are the impacts on the society? Sudden loss of one's entire savings could result in catastrophes such as the 'Atlanta Massacre'. Wall Street closes at 3PM. Is it fair to those on the west cost? Should trading be available 24 hours? The seminar will discuss these questions and develop a recommendation for the Securities Exchange Commission.

HNR 094-006
The "E-word": Evolution in American Education.
Dan Potter
TR 4:10 PM-6:00 PM - Olson 206
Is evolution a dirty word that doesn't belong in the classroom? Recently, the Kansas Board of Education voted to de-emphasize the teaching of evolution in public schools and the Kentucky Department of Education decided to replace the term "evolution" with "change over time" in its guidelines for public school curricula. Meanwhile, the New Mexico Board of Education voted to eliminate references to creationism in the state's curriculum standards. These actions raise a number of questions concerning the relationships among science, religion, and politics in American education. Should both evolution and creationism be taught in public schools, and, if so, should they both be addressed in science classes? How much leeway should be given to individual teachers in how they handle these controversial topics? Who should make the final decisions on these matters? Do most peoples' impressions of evolution match currently accepted scientific thinking? If not, what are the sources of misconceptions? How do people reconcile what they learn about evolution with what they learn about other explanations for the origins of humans and other species?

HNR 094-007
After 25 Years of Effort, Where Should the Funding Now Go in the "War on Cancer"?
Jerry Powell
TR 8:00 AM - 9:50 AM - Olson 206
In this seminar, the mission for you and your colleagues will be to define and defend a list of priorities for a California Senator specifying how the Federal government should spend 20 billion dollars on cancer from its budget surplus. Since President Nixon declared a "war on cancer" 25 years ago, much federal spending and large amounts of the nation's medical costs continue to go to various aspects of the research and care of people with cancer, and yet survival rates have changed very little, if at all. In 1998 cancer was the leading cause of suffering and mortality in America. Somewhat out of frustration, the Senator has directed your group to be wide-ranging and innovative in its approaches, with the instructions that the proposal should have maximum impact, i.e. "bang for the buck", for the people of California. Your group will consider the scientific, social, genetic, psychological, and financial aspects of cancer, as they decide where funding should be allocated. During the last week of class, your proposal will be presented orally and in writing to a member of the Senator's staff.

HNR 094-008
Suburbs: American Dream or Disaster?
Heath Schenker
TR 2:10 PM-4:00 PM - Olson 208
Is the well-loved American dream of a house in the suburbs loosing some of its luster? For the past ten years Hollywood has been producing a steady stream of television programming and feature films lampooning suburban lifestyles, from sitcoms like "The Simpsons" to box-office hits like "Pleasantville." Many contemporary cultural critics charge that the suburbs are dehumanizing, monotonous, socially isolating, and environmentally destructive. Yet, despite this onslaught of anti-suburban sentiment, American consumers continue to snap up new suburban homes at a voracious rate. What is it about the "burbs" that Americans love to hate?
In this seminar we will look at the suburbs critically, with the goal of producing a thought-provoking documentary film for viewing by agencies and citizens involved in the process of planning new suburbs. In addition to analyzing recent treatment of suburbs in the popular media, we will look at the origins of the suburban ideal in American culture and examine complex factors shaping suburban development. To gain a better understanding of suburbs today, we will conduct an up-close-and-personal study of a local suburb and look into some recent alternatives to traditional suburbs, proposed by visionary architects and planners.

HNR 094-009
Art and Controversy
Blake Stimson
MW 7:10 PM-9:00 PM - Art 210
What is the value of art? What is its function in society? Does it provide truth? beauty? cultural critique or commentary? a good (or bad) investment? elevated social status? decoration? Should it be funded by the government? Should it be funded by tax-deductible corporate donations? Should it be asked to survive in the marketplace on its own like any other commodity? This class will investigate these and related questions by examining specific instances of controversy that have developed around artworks and raised the question of art's social value. Each student team will choose one such controversy to investigate and evaluate. The goal of the class will be to use these studies to define, debate and refine clear positions about art's social function and value. The final product will be a compilation of the case studies into a web-based publication that will serve as a research resource for others interested in these issues. Also included will be an introduction that frames the problems under consideration and a concluding chapter that outlines the positions and recommendations developed over the course of the term.

HNR 094-010
Reclaim the Seed? Or Feed the Hungry?
S. Mani Tripathi
MW 2:10 PM-4:00 PM - Olson 260
Recent advances in genetically engineered foods, while highly acclaimed, have caused an outcry from some sections of society. The proponents believe that enhanced crops will greatly alleviate the problem of world hunger. The opponents are concerned that testing has been insufficient and accuse the scientists of "playing god" with the genetic code. In the fall of 1999, several attacks were made on UCD research facilities by an underground group called "Reclaim the Seed." In third-world countries, multinational companies that sell engineered seeds have also faced attacks and widespread opposition. Is this militancy warranted? In some sense, genetic "engineering" is as old as agriculture itself. Humans have governed the evolution of a variety of species simply by farming them and controlling the selection of traits. Present day techniques make it more efficient to carry out this selection process in the laboratory. Is this hard-earned efficiency to be deplored? Or, should we applaud the scientists and focus only on safety concerns? But there is more. The practice of adding new genes to a species goes beyond a selection process and could easily be construed as an effort to invent new life forms. This raises scientific as well as ethical concerns. In this seminar, we will attempt to define the problems, explore the extent to which they are practiced, and examine all the issues in context. The final product will be an advisory report to the public at large, to geneticists at UCD and to the militant groups around the world.

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Winter 2000

HNR 094-001
Controversy, Costs and Clean Air: Are Environmental Regulations Defensible?
Cort Anastasio
MW 2:10-4:00 PM - Kerr 176
The Federal Clean Air Act, passed in 1970, regulates emissions of air pollutants in order to protect human health and the environment. At the time when the Act was passed it was thought that every state would have clean air by 1975, but today, nearly thirty years after passage, we are still struggling to clean up our nation's air. At the same time air pollution regulations have affected our lives in many ways, from mandating car fuel efficiency standards to increasing the cost of gasoline. Are our environmental regulations working? Are they scientifically defensible? Are they economically justifiable? This seminar will explore these and other questions related to air pollution and the regulations designed to give us clean air.

HNR 094-002
The Sanity-Insanity Conundrum
Keith Barton
TR 12:10-2:00 PM - Kerr 176
In every era society endeavors to redefine insanity. Currently a definition is imperative since an insanity plea has many ramifications in our legal system. Are we really any closer to an adequate definition, and is there a clear line between sanity and insanity? The 'sane' behavior observed in one culture is labeled as 'insanity' in another. Behaviors looked upon as 'insane' in, for example, in Medieval times are now viewed as 'sane.' In the psychological and medical fields we observe changing definitions of sanity and insanity. Who is correct? This seminar will examine these issues and try to produce a synopsis that could be used in a practical way, legally and otherwise. The final 'product' of the seminar will depend on the desires, characteristics and talents of the specific seminar participants, but will probably be multimedia in nature.

HNR 094-003
(Not) Making the Grade: A Crisis in American Education?
Ann Cavallo
MW 2:10-4:00 PM - Academic Surge 2363
Are American schools "failing"? The National Assessment of Educational Progress, given periodically to elementary through high school-age students, consistently reveals poor performance among students educated in American schools, especially in science and mathematics. Additionally, business employers and higher education institutions, who are next to "receive" the high school graduates, criticize American public schools for mediocre to poor preparation of its students. This seminar will examine such findings and criticisms by revisiting and analyzing the nature of American education. In doing so, the seminar will address some or all of the following questions: What is the purpose of American (K-12) education? Are schools currently fulfilling this purpose? How do we know? Has education changed since the first American school was established? Why or why not? Using responses to these and related questions, the students will be challenged to propose and defend a realistic, new model of American education for the 21st century.

HNR-094-004
Gene Therapy: When is the Cure Worse than the Disease?
Barbara Chapman
TR 2:10-4:00 PM - Robbins 140
Instructor's Web Page
Library Web Page
Student Web Page
We may soon have the technology to cure genetic diseases by fixing "defects" in our DNA.
Should I be allowed to ensure that my baby will be free of such problems as hemophilia, Huntington's disease, or Tay Sachs?
What if I want my baby to be free of genetic "defects" like shortness, ugliness, or stupidity?
Do I have the right to control what will be my baby's sexual orientation or skin color?
In this seminar we will try to answer these questions:
1) What are the medical and ethical problems of trying to make our children genetically "all they can be"?
2) Who should decide what (if any) gene therapy should be performed?
3) Who will pay for these procedures, and what societal consequences would result if gene therapy were only available to the rich?

HNR 094-005
The Human Genome Project: Science and Science Fiction
Jeannie Darby
TR 9:00-10:50 AM - Everson 135
Student Web Page
DNA was first isolated from blood in 1869 but it was not for another 50 years that we had an inkling of its significance. Now, thanks to the Human Genome Project, a multibillion-dollar international effort headed by the U.S. government, the entire genetic code of a human being is expected to be mapped out and posted on the Internet by 2003. Corporate competitors are racing to discover the code of human life even sooner. The Project is considered the most significant scientific effort attempted by humans. Your own entire genome will easily fit on the hard disk of a PC. What do we do with this information? Who should have access to your genetic code? Employers? Governments? Insurance companies? Your doctor? University researchers? Your parents? Yourself? How would having such information affect your life? What legislation is necessary to prevent genetic discrimination? Are there psychological costs of knowing too much about your genes? Should all newborns have their DNA fingerprinted so as to more readily convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent of crimes in the future? How does a society reap the rewards but avoid the abuse of such knowledge? This seminar group will act as a Presidential Commission charged with investigating such questions to make policy recommendations.

HNR 094-006
Domestic Violence - Can We Fix It?
Christiana Drake
TR 4:10-6:00 PM - Olson 141
Faculty Web Page
Domestic violence is a pervasive problem in society. It affects all of us in a variety of ways. First and foremost, there are the victims of domestic violence. There are the obvious victims, typically spouses who are being battered and the not so obvious, often children of couples engaged in domestic violence. Society in general is also affected. No group is exempt. We all agree that domestic violence cannot and will not be tolerated. So what can be done to fix it or can we even fix it? There are many different perspectives and subjects involved requiring help. Perpetrators need different programs than victims. Female and male victims of domestic violence are not the same and accordingly require distinct programs. Finally, it is known that children are often the innocent bystanders and suffer, if left untreated, from post-traumatic stress syndrome for years to come. In this seminar we will examine some of the issues surrounding domestic violence through the design of treatment programs. We will gain understanding of the issues through the news media, scientific literature, visits to domestic violence programs and presentations by workers involved with domestic violence programs. It should be noted that some of the issues are highly controversial and some of the material presented may be considered disturbing by some.

HNR 094-007
Bioterrorism/Biological Warfare
Rance LeFebvre
TR 10:00-11:50 AM - Haring 1132
Student Web Page
We live under the threat of nuclear holocaust. Now countries are trying to prepare for the possibility of an attack just as terrible and just as deadly. However, this threat is biological in nature instead of atomic. No less than 7 countries are now equipped with biological weapons. The reality of mishaps at biological weapons factories in Russia, the sarin nerve gas attack in Japan, and the unanswered question of the use of biologicals in the Gulf War are sobering reminders of the potential for mass extermination by means other than nuclear fission.
This class will discuss the tools of this trade in terms of what agents could be used in a bioterrorist attack and how might they be disseminated. We will also look at what steps are being taken at the local, state, federal, and armed services levels to avert such an event. The ramifications of dealing with an event of mass dispersal of a biological agent will also be discussed. What is the history of biological warfare? Who and by what criteria makes the political and moral decisions of resorting to this type of weaponry? What is the cost of protecting ourselves against such an attack? These and other questions will be addressed by the class and invited guest speakers who are 'experts' in this field.

HNR 094-008
The Politics of Global Warming
Isabel Montañez
MW 10:00-11:50 AM - Robbins 140
Student Web Page
Perhaps since you can remember, we have witnessed changes in weather patterns across the United States that seem awesome, 'unnatural' and at times frightening. Just in 1999 alone, unprecedented ice storms blanketed the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, while a few months later these regions suffered a heat wave that sent temperatures soaring into the triple digits and brought on an accompanying drought. Furthermore, the southern US appears to be experiencing increased 'storminess' characterized by a higher frequency of hurricanes and tornadoes over the past decade. Notably, 1998 was the warmest year in historical records! Many of us are asking, along with policy makers and scientists, are these changes in climatic conditions our introduction into a unique era in which weather is driven by global warming in response to human-induced increases in greenhouse gases to the atmosphere (CO2)? Or is this apparent rollicking climate ride simply a media-influenced perception of what is actually business as usual for Mother?
The US's position on the Kyoto treaty, which presumes that global warming and attendant climate change is occurring in response to increased levels of human-induced atmospheric CO2, is to be determined by Congress in 2000. In this seminar we will address the politics of global warming by evaluating the social, economic and environmental impacts of ratifying the Kyoto treaty. To that end, this seminar group will serve as a subcommittee of corporate executives, investment bankers, academicians and nonprofit environmentalists commissioned by Congress to explore and develop alternative positions that the US could take on the Kyoto treaty. We will prepare a report which will delineate the impact of each of these potential positions on the world economy, quality of life, people's health and our natural environments and resources.

HNR 094-009
The Revenge of the Germs: Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Kate M. Scow
MW 3:10-5:00 PM - Art 204
Library Web Page
There has been an alarming increase in strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria over the last few decades. Some bacteria that were previously just annoying are no longer responsive to ordinary medical treatment, and, in some cases, are out of control (e.g., "flesh-eating" bacteria). The vulnerability of the general public to pathogenic bacteria is illustrated by recent incidences of food poisoning at restaurant chains such as Sizzler and Jack in the Box. Widespread fear of bacteria has led to an explosion of anti-microbial products in the marketplace. Bacterial resistance clearly originates from our overuse and misuse of antibiotics in medical treatment and food production. Ironically, the more we use antibiotics, the more resistance develops among bacterial populations. This epidemic of resistance has raised many questions about medical practices, hospital cleanliness, meat production, global travel, ecological imbalances, and even the wisdom of putting anti-microbials in so many consumer products. How serious is this problem? Should you be scared or is this simply hysteria? We will explore this topic by conducting case studies of some of the most notorious bacteria (no, you don't have to handle any of them). The class will generate, as a report to the World Health Organization, recommendations for dealing with this serious problem

HNR 094-010
Children and the Global Community: Human Rights in the Millennium
Barbara Sellers-Young
MW 5:10-7:00 PM - Wellman 212
Children around the world are sold into slavery (Sudan), forced to serve as child soldiers (Mozambique, Liberia and El Salvador) and beaten and arbitrarily detained by police or allowed to die of neglect (Brazil, Bulgaria, Kenya). This treatment of children occurs despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights passed by the United Nations in 1948 to protect the lives and rights of current and future generations. This seminar takes a critical look at the 1948 document to ask: What are the rights of children as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Are the rights as stated adequate in a global community that is continually being transformed by new technologies in all areas of human experience from reproduction to communication? Is it adequate for a world in which new communities based on cyber space and notions of identity groups or diaspora are challenging older systems of identification related to family, ethnicity, and nation? The goal of this seminar is to examine both the document and related case studies to come to some conclusion concerning the adequacy of the current document and, if necessary, some potential recommendations for its amendment.

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