All entering Middlebury students take a First-Year Seminar during their first semester on campus. These seminars are writing intensive courses, limited to 15 students each, and they are taught by regular, full-time faculty members who also serve as students' academic advisers for their first three semesters at Middlebury. Seminar topics, which change from year to year, are selected by the individual professor and generally reflect that faculty member's research interests or an area of expertise not directly addressed in departmental courses. These are not survey courses. Rather they are designed to prick students' intellectual curiosity in a particular subject, and to encourage them to pursue a focused interest in depth. Many of the seminars offer interdisciplinary perspectives; most include activities outside the classroom; all seminars help students develop their reading, thinking, writing, and speaking skills.
take a First-Year Seminar during their first semester on campus. These seminars are writing intensive courses, limited to 15 students each, and they are taught by regular, full-time faculty members who also serve as students' academic advisers for their first three semesters at Middlebury. Seminar topics, which change from year to year, are selected by the individual professor and generally reflect that faculty member's research interests or an area of expertise not directly addressed in departmental courses. These are not survey courses. Rather they are designed to prick students' intellectual curiosity in a particular subject, and to encourage them to pursue a focused interest in depth. Many of the seminars offer interdisciplinary perspectives; most include activities outside the classroom; all seminars help students develop their reading, thinking, writing, and speaking skills.
Ross Commons-based Seminars, Fall 2007
This year, five first-year seminars are based in Ross Commons. Students enrolled in Commons-based seminars all live in the same dorm, sometimes on the same hall. Animated discussions from the classroom can continue on in the dorm, bringing the academic and residential worlds together naturally and productively.
Here is the list of our Commons-based seminars and their professors:
FYSE 1093 Body and Earth (Fall)
This course has been designed for students with an interest in the dialogue between the science of body and the science of place. Specifically we will study: 1) geological and evolutionary history to better understand the human form and the Vermont bioregion; 2) postural alignment and perception through the study of the skeletal and nervous systems; and 3) writing, speaking and moving skills to articulate and investigate our findings. Weekly yoga sessions and regional fieldtrips heighten awareness of body and place. Texts for the course include: Body and Earth (Olsen), Reading the Mountains of Home (Elder), and The Anatomy Coloring Book (Elson and Kapit). 3 hrs. sem. 1 hr. lab ART (A. Olsen)
FYSE 1198 Darwinian Medicine (Fall)
Is it better to fight a fever or let it run its course? Why do pregnant women get morning sickness? In this course, we will look at modern humans and their health from the perspective of evolutionary biology. Students will be introduced to the basics of evolution by natural selection and will learn to interpret morphological, biochemical and behavioral aspects of humans and their pathogens in this context (such as how and why the level of virulence of a disease changes when human habits change). Readings will include Why We Get Sick and numerous papers from the primary literature. 3 hrs. sem./disc. SCI (H. Young)
FYSE 1200 J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth (Fall)
In this course we will explore the philology, philosophy, ecology, and theology of J.R.R.Tolkien as expressed in his Middle-earth Legendarium. We will begin with close readings of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, looking at the literary aspects of the storytelling and exploring important sources and influences including Beowulf and Norse mythology. We will then turn to the specific tasks of exploring the four subjects mentioned above, making use of secondary scholarship such as: Shippey's J.R.R.Tolkien: Author of the Century and Kreeft's The Philosophy of J.R.R.Tolkien. Some emphasis will be given to Tolkien's environmental vision. 3 hrs. sem. LIT PHL (M. Dickerson)
FYSE 1222 Playing the Part: Text Analysis and the Revelation of Character (Fall) In this course we will apply the actor's techniques of text analysis and character development to the study of dramatic literature in the hopes that these tools can illuminate the texts in ways conventional approaches might not. This is not a performance class nor is acting experience a prerequisite. We will read six plays, and, using the technical tenets of Stanislavsky-based method acting, chart the characters' progress through the script. We will watch plays on film, and travel to see a professional production. 3 hrs. sem. LIT ART NOR (A. Draper)
FYSE 1211 Gödel, Escher, Bach (Fall)
At the turn of the 20th century, mathematics took an introspective turn when its practitioners attempted to organize reasoning itself into an axiomatic system of theorems and definitions. The results were provocative and ended in a kind of paradox when logician Kurt Gödel proved that all formalized logical systems would necessarily contain some unprovable truths. Reading Douglas Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach, we will discover the connections among seemingly disparate fields of mathematics, visual arts, and music. Our journey will pass through the philosophical worlds of Lewis Carroll, Artificial Intelligence, non-Euclidean geometry, Zen Buddhism, and crash head-on into questions about the nature of human consciousness and creativity. 3 hrs. sem. DED (S. Abbott)
FYSE 1145 Voices Along the Way (Fall)
This seminar, designed for international students, is an introduction to contemporary American culture via literature and film. Our exploration of the American landscape and mindscape will be organized around four topics: a sense of place, the changing family, and identity. We will respond to these topics by researching and writing essays, creating digital stories, and designing multi-media presentations. Books for the course will include Self-Reliance, The Scarlet Letter, Huckleberry Finn, Sula and Yo! We will read selections from Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. Films will include American History X, Malcolm X, and Syriana. 3 hrs. sem. SOC NOR (H. Vila)
FYSE 1209 Four American Artists (Fall)
In this course we will examine the art and lives of four masters of American modern art: Georgia O'Keeffe, Ansel Adams, Man Ray, and Joseph Cornell. While Adams and O'Keeffe projected nationalist and environmental themes in their work, Man Ray and Cornell offered a European-based Surrealist approach. Through examining these artists and their interconnections, we will consider photography, painting, sculpture, and film in the context of American modernism. Questions to be considered include: What makes art modern? What is the role of national identity in art? How do artists work in a variety of media? What makes these artists important? 3 hrs. sem. ART NOR (K. Hoving)