Pacific Seminar 2
Course Descriptions
Spring 2013
8am
Plenty of Fish in the Sea?
In Pacific Seminar 1, you considered the relationships of humans to the natural world. In this course, you will continue that theme and take an in-depth look at fish, fishermen, managers, and how your actions can affect them all.
Seafood and fisheries play an integral role in societies world-wide. They provide the majority of protein for over a billion people and are central to economy and cultural identity alike. It was once thought that the vastness of the ocean held plenty of seafood for all. We now know that the sea does not yield an inexhaustible supply of seafood and that many populations are depleted. The causes of and solutions to this problem, however, are complex when the needs of both humans and fishes are considered. The goal of this course is to foster some understanding of the science, economics, culture, and politics of fishing and fisheries management.You will consider the issues from multiple view points to gain an appreciation for complexity and to become more informed seafood consumers and voters.
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Health and the Environment
One of the major themes in PACS 1 is the natural world and the environment. With an ever-increasing demand for resources, how we interact with our environments has increasingly important implications. Not least among these is the public health. According to the World Health Organization as much as one quarter of the world’s disease burden is attributable to environmental hazards and making our environments healthier would save annually as many as 13 million lives worldwide. This PACS 2 course will draw on some of the concepts of personal and societal responsibility explored in PACS 1 to show how individual and group actions can contribute to improved community health. By identifying environmental health hazards, becoming advocates for a healthier environment, communicating risks and ethics, and supporting appropriate legislation and regulation, we can all play a part in health promotion and disease prevention.
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And Justice For All
This course will explore the complex relationship between the rule of law and the good society. This course is designed to explain the law though the same case-briefing method used in all major law schools. By learning how to “think like a lawyer,” students will develop an understanding of how the law is organized, applied, and the particular moral and philosophical issues that are raised in the context of legal dispute. Class time will be spent analyzing relevant legal cases, applying legal theories, and practicing arguments. You should have ample opportunity to develop and demonstrate strong listening, thinking and speaking skills.
The course will be divided into an introductory overview and three sections. The first section will concern obligations which arise under civil law. The second section will cover obligations which arise under criminal law. The final section of the course will concern the obligations that society owes its citizens—constitutional law.
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War, Peace, and Religion
War and religion have a long and often confusing relationship. The current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan illustrate this: how does religious conviction factor into the way we describe these “wars”? Is religion (of any sort) inherently violent? Isn’t “peace” also a common religious concern? This course will examine the phenomena of war and peace and religion by surveying the basic teachings and practices of the world’s great religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism) as well as other, smaller and more local traditions. Picking up themes from Pacific Seminar 1 (citizenship, church and state, ethics), some of our work will be historical survey—what have religious traditions said and done in the past; some of our work will be contemporary analysis; and some of our work will be theoretical—what is it about religion as such that seems to pursue both war and peace? Students will read in original and secondary literature, visit some local houses of worship and local clergy persons, and present their finding in formal research papers and in class presentations.
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Who Gets What, and Why?
Income inequality in the United States has grown since the 1980’s—even among those who are college educated, work full-time, and consider themselves staunchly middle class. Downsizing, outsourcing, lower wages, and reduced benefits have led to continued, and growing, inequality. What has happened to create this environment? Who is really affected by our current state? What can be done to create meaningful change? This is a course in critical thinking and analysis where the subject of social stratification becomes a lens through which power, wealth, social position, opportunity, and life expectancy are explored. The influence of social stratification on subjects such as education, employment, wages, race, and government policy is examined, developing a deeper understanding of the forces in action, affecting the way American society works. This community-based learning class continues the focus developed in Pacific Seminar 1 by asking students to consider their role as citizens and future policy makers in the quest to create a “good” society.
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The Religious Footprint
Has religion contributed to, or detracted from, a good society? Organized religion has shaped Western culture by defining gender roles, ideas of marriage, sexuality and more. Is it all good? Religion impacts our political discourse and is an important component in international relations. How do we interact to create a good society in the midst of differing religions and competing definitions of right and wrong? Is the separation of church and state the right formula for building a good society or are other models better? Should “God” be more central in our nation? How do we decide and who decides? This course will investigate, discuss and work to increase our knowledge about organized religion and the influence it has on society.
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9:30
Mass Media and Popular Culture
From childhood, we consume media. From watching “Sesame Street” and “Barney the Dinosaur” as toddlers, to being obsessed as teens and young adults with “True Blood,” we spend a huge amount of time learning and sharing the same affinities for popular culture as do millions of others. Are we, as Neil Postman once pondered, “Amusing ourselves to death?” How do all the media we absorb each day shape our lives?
This course introduces students to media and its influence on culture. The course is designed to help students develop an ability to think critically about media messages. The focus of the course is the examination of the roles media play in society. Students will be introduced to media theories and media uses as they relate to pop culture. The class will trace the evolution of traditional media – print, radio, TV, and film, as well as the developments of new media – internet and smart phone technology. Through class projects, lectures, and examples, students will discover the complexities of communicating to large, unseen audiences through media. A final research project will challenge students to explore the methods and processes of media’s ability to captivate and inspire large groups simultaneously.
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Conducting and Leadership
Using words, gestures and inspiration, an orchestral conductor helps musicians bring music to life. She/he also leads an organization – the symphony orchestra – which is responsible for presenting great music to a wide audience. Studying the everyday work of a professional conductor, and the orchestra as a corporation, students will derive some general and practical insights into the art of leadership. They will be involved in practical exercises: organize small groups, set clear goals for those groups, organize tasks within the group, etc. Students will run meetings and strive to express their ideas eloquently and convincingly. They will be encouraged to think pragmatically, and to recognize social situations in which they will have to take initiative if they want to see positive results. Students will incorporate these principles into a project of their own, dedicated to the betterment of society. Examples will be drawn from everyday life, from non-profit organizations, and from business. No prior musical knowledge is necessary.
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You Are What You Eat
“What should I eat?” is a perpetual question for many of us. However, this nagging question is infinitely more complicated than most of us imagine. The foods available to us reflect a complex array of circumstances. The foods we eat have broad and significant implications. These implications can be cultural (e.g., the food preferences of family and friends), political (e.g., Farm Bill, Monsanto), environmental (e.g., waste, chemical fertilizers and pesticides), and industrial (e.g., energy and material resources needed for food production). For this reason, our everyday decisions regarding what to eat have an immediate impact on both our own lives and the future of our planet. How and what we choose to eat has a direct effect on personal, societal, and environmental health at local and global scales. Has modern food helped us build a society of which we can be proud? Given our current course, what does the future hold for our country? Our species? How can we ensure that we will continue to lead healthy lives in a healthy world?
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Chocolate, Coffee, and Corn
This course provides a unique way of exploring the history of U.S.–Mexico relations, beginning with an historical study of the production, uses and cultural meanings of chocolate, coffee, and corn in Mexico and ending with the bi-national effects of NAFTA and fair trade organizations. Students will gain a better understanding of the histories of chocolate, coffee, and corn and their uses by Mexicans and Mexican Americans. In addition, we will examine the adaptation of "Mexican Food," considered the U.S.’s most popular ethnic food, and its impact on U.S. culture and economic development. Finally, we will analyze the influence of U.S. food products and companies in contemporary Mexican society and food culture. Through this course we will engage in historical analysis as well as discussions of the social, political, and economic impact of chocolate, coffee, and corn on the U.S. and Mexico. Moreover, through a focus on these three food products we will delve into topics such as human rights, labor, immigration, and environmentalism.
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Math and Society
In today’s data driven society, government officials and companies are increasingly using (and misusing) math to “prove” their point. Citizens need to be aware of the underlying principles behind such arguments to properly interpret data and avoid falling prey to fallacious arguments. In this course, we will demonstrate how math can be properly applied to tackle important problems facing our society. Is the death penalty linked to race? What is the most equitable way to allocate seats in Congress? Can you really trust the results of election polls? Will spending more money fix our educational problems? We will discuss such issues from a “mathy” viewpoint, thereby exploring the question, “What is a good society?” in a different way.
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Myth Conceptions: Old & New
Myths are for ancient or superstitious folk not modern, scientific-types like us, right? Actually, every society has myths—authoritative stories, ideas, and attitudes that “go without saying.” This course doesn’t determine which myths make a good society; rather, it shows that “mythologically-aware” citizens are a necessary ingredient for one. Learning to see our own myths is like a fish becoming aware of the water around it. So this course starts by reading several narratives from ancient Mesopotamia, including Enuma Elish and the Gilgamesh Epic. We learn from these texts that myths were used to construct and support social identity, cultural prestige, and various politico-religious programs. That is, myth reflects but also shapes human society. The issues and themes we investigate in the ancient setting are then used to understand modern mythmaking, especially in America, but also in a couple of other groups, including Al Qaeda terrorists and the Maori people as depicted in Whale Rider. The research paper in this course focusses on how a pop culture character or narrative reflects, shapes, or in some way connects to an American myth. To exemplify this, we examine American race relations as depicted in the Planet of the Apes (1968).
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Leadership: Is It In You?
This class on leadership is designed to familiarize you with principles and theories of leadership, historical and contemporary leadership literature, and with the leadership frameworks of leadership identity development and intercultural capacity, in particular. The design of the course also provides you with opportunities to apply your learning to key community projects with immediate outcomes and the potential for community benefits. This course utilizes a blend of didactic, experiential, and self-directed learning to facilitate the achievement of course objectives. Benefits of taking this course include, realizing the opportunity to understand and apply your leadership strengths, formulating your own personal vision statement, and developing plans to reach your objectives and become a more effective campus and community leader. This section of Pacific Seminar 2 is designated as a community-based learning section.
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Divided By Faith
When Alexis de Tocqueville toured the United States in 1830 he described the unique American tension of religion and democracy as a “harmonization of heaven and earth.” One might suspect that if Tocqueville returned today and witnessed the searing inferno of rhetoric regarding church and state he might invoke a different metaphor. This course relates to the overarching theme, “What is a Good Society?” Although church and state are kept separate by the US Constitution, religion and politics are often connected in a number of ways and mutually influence each other. A glance at the major news stories in recent years (Supreme Court nominees, justification of war, stem cell research etc.) reveals that the American society continues to live in the tension of the first amendment. This course connects most closely to the chapters in PACS 1 on the family and interpersonal relationships, civil society and the proper role of the state, as we will discuss the hotly contested role of religion in these three aspects of American life. This course will examine contributions from Native American traditions, religious thinkers and activists, constitutional framers and theorists, and the implications of significant court decisions. Historical and contemporary church/state dilemmas will be examined and critiqued as we seek to form a more civil society.