Fall 2023 Strand Course Descriptions
Technology and Innovation (301)
Conflict (302)
Citizenship (303)
Wellness (304)
Sustainability (305)
Technology and Innovation (301)
English (ENGS 301)
“The Future Now: Reading Sci-Fi,” Professor M. Livingston
ENGS 301-01, MWF 0900-0950, CRN 50612
ENGS 301-02, MWF 1000-1050, CRN 50613
The future is coming. It always is. What will it bring? What does that mean for us today? This course investigates the ways in which science-fiction allows us to examine our present while preparing for what’s to come.
“Future Troubles:Techno-Paranoia”, Professor J. Leonard
ENGS 301-03, T/Th 1330-1445, CRN 51495
From Galileo to Neil Armstrong, our quest to map and later travel the cosmos has paralleled a story of humanity pushed to the limits of its understanding. Such advances in technology are often paraded as shining examples of a civilization’s achievements. But below these narratives of triumph and ingenuity lies the persistent fear that, one day, humanity’s reach will exceed its grasp, and some creation (think Frankenstein and Skynet) will unravel our control over the world and perhaps even our minds. In this course, we will explore the genre of Technoparanoia/Technophobia in order to think through ways in which this unique link between hope and terror, possibility and catastrophe, has been a driving force in art and popular culture since the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment. Course texts will include 1984 as well as select stories from Jorge Louis Borges, and our analysis will extend to films such as Event Horizon and the television series Black Mirror.
History (HISS 301)
“History of Mass Media”, Professor J. Neulander
HISS 301-02, T/Th 0930-1045, CRN 50646
Today it is hard to find an American from age 12 to age 85 who isn’t tied to some digital source of information. Smartphones, Kindles, laptops, PCs, gaming consoles, and tablets are everywhere, with downloaded software that connects us, teaches us, entertains us, and shapes our world. Language and computer literacy have become a necessity in our digital age. But how did we get here? This course will explore that question, looking at media technology, from the first printed books to the latest TikTok video craze, to analyze how, since 1500, media shaped how we think, defined our communities, and allowed us space to share ideas and images.
Natural Science (NTSS 301)
“How Planes Fly”, Professor J. Berlinghieri
NTSS 301-03, T/Th 0930-1045, CRN 51135
The flight of heavier than air vehicles is a wonder and a marvelous application of the principles of fluid mechanics. This course is an introduction to those principles and their application to the piloting of airplanes and helicopters. It provides a physical model for flight with a goal of acquiring an understanding of aircraft controls and control surfaces. Students who have a knowledge of algebra have the prerequisites for the level at which this course is taught. Class instruction is supplemented by use of a TD-2 Flight Simulator and wind tunnel. Flight phenomena, often counter-intuitive, and pilot practices, often misunderstood, are explained and experienced in simulated flight.
“Making Smart Tech,” Professor H. Yochum
NTSS 301-04, T/Th 1100-1215, CRN 51137
A number of innovative technologies use a mix of software and hardware to sense and respond to the surrounding world. Example devices include sensor-based toys, kinetic sculpture, low cost scientific instruments, interactive wearables, and Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices. This course is an accessible, project-based introduction to conceiving, designing, and developing interactive sensor-based prototypes. Students will pursue projects based on their interests. Practical hands-on exercises will introduce the fundamentals of circuits, microcontroller programming, sensors, and actuators. No experience needed.
Social Science (SCSS 301)
“Sociology of Mass Media”, Professor J. Navarro
SCSS 301-01, MWF 1300-1350, CRN 51596
The Sociology of Media course examines the role of mass media as an agent of socialization and an influencer of social change. As within the Sociology field broadly, this course will examine how constituents impact mass media at a macro-level and, in turn, how mass media impacts individuals. Students will explore these topics through major sociological frameworks like Conflict Theory, Structural Functionalism, and Symbolic Interaction, as well as several contemporary frameworks. Although crime will be discussed, many other avenues of social life are considered, such as communication and relationship development, community development and tensions, family creation and management, popular culture, and workplace issues. Ultimately, students should exit this course with a greater understanding of mass media’s impact on the structuring of their everyday lives and society broadly. The course is taught from an introductory level, and no prior sociological content is necessary to be successful.
“Technology & Society”, Professor P. Roof
SCSS 301-02, T/Th 1330-1445, CRN 50804
SCSS 303-03, T/Th 0800-0915, CRN 50805
This course examines the basic concepts and principles of technology. A scientific approach to the analysis and explanation of the complex cultural and sociological debates that surround modern technology.
Elective (ELES) 301-01 Coming Soon
Conflict (302)
Elective (ELES 302)
“Human-Wildlife Conflict”, Professor A. Gramling
ELES 302-04, T/Th 0930-1045, CRN 51489
As the human population grows and the habitat for wildlife shrinks, conflicts between humans and wildlife increase in frequency. These conflicts can be deadly, costly, and frustrating. This course will discuss the biology of predators, pests, and plagues to better understand how and why they impact humans. We will also explore methods of wildlife damage management to answer the question: Can we balance the needs of humans with the needs of wildlife?
English (ENGS 302)
“Literature of War”, Professor J. Adair
ENGS 302-01, T/Th 0800-0915, CRN 50614
ENGS 302-02, T/Th 0930-1045, CRN 50615
This class provides a broad overview of the major themes of modern military life through a mixture of fictional and non-fictional accounts. Although the majority of the texts are from the GWOT, other classic selections have been woven in to provide a historical perspective and a more nuanced understanding of how we arrived at the current understanding. Subjects covered include training for combat, modern combat, military bureaucracy, PTSD and other post-combat experiences.
“Wrestling with Evil in Literature and Film”, Professor E. Frame
ENGS 302-03, MWF 1300-1415, CRN 50683
This course will examine representations of responsibility, courage, friendship, and humility in literature and film. What do we mean by these terms? What can we learn from literary and movie depictions of the human struggle to embody these ideals? What are the benefits to the individual and to society when the fight succeeds? What happens – as it does at least once in each book and film in this course — when it is lost? Students will read one novel and two short novellas and view two films (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Shawshank Redemption).
“Cities in Dust: Contested Urban Spaces”, Professor L. Hendriks
ENGS 302-04, T/Th 1100-1215, CRN 50683
Stark photographs and raw footage of ruined Ukrainian cities in the aftermath of Russian bombings convey the harsh reality of ruined human lives amid the rampant destruction and devastation of war. Natural disasters wreak similar havoc on landscapes, most recently on American soil with the wreckage left of the Gulf Coast of Florida caused by Hurricane Ian. This Conflict Strand class explores the narratives of the displaced and disenfranchised as society sorts out how to rebuild communities and serve the needs of refugees. The syllabus includes two classic literary works that depict the struggle to gain a foothold in hostile environments and live autonomously—Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, a gritty depiction of working-class life among immigrants in Chicago at the turn of the twentieth century, and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, a play that chronicles the mid-twentieth-century crisis of a family deciding the most beneficial way to make use of a $10,000 windfall. P. E. Moskowitz’ How to Kill a City, a modern-day investigation of the particular challenges facing four American cities: New Orleans, Detroit, San Francisco, and New York, will help us to think about contemporary issues of urban development, public policy, and the competing priorities that jeopardize lives and livelihoods, and their impacts on where people choose to make their homes as well as the communities from which they are excluded. Academic performance will be evaluated through midterm and final examinations and an assortment of writing assignments and recorded presentations, several of which will incorporate attention to scholarly publications, culminating in an essay of at least 2000 words.
History (HISS 302)
“Last of the Mohicans”, Professor D. Preston
HISS 302-01, T/Th 1330-1445, CRN 50640
This course uses James Fenimore Cooper’s classic 1826 novel, The Last of the Mohicans, to frame a broader investigation of the French and Indian War (1754-1763) in which it is set. It focuses on an epic moment in American history, the “massacre” at Fort William Henry in 1757, through history, archaeology, ethnohistory, literature, film, and memory. Students will comprehend the significance of the conflict for French Canadian, British American, and American Indian peoples in eighteenth-century North America.
“Islamic Conquest,” Professor C. Wright
HISS 302-02, MWF 0900-0950, CRN 50651
HISS 302-03, MWF 1000-1050, CRN 50813
HISS 302-04, MWF 1300-1350, CRN 50814
This course examines the era of the Islamic Conquests from the 7th through the 8th centuries. Attention is given to the historical, political and religious contexts of the conquests, motivations for the conquests, the makeup of Islamic armies and those of their adversaries, and how these armies changed over time. Includes a detailed look at the conquests of Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, Iran, North Africa, India, Central Asia, Spain and the invasion of France. Finally, the course discusses Arab migration and settlement into conquered territory, the treatment of conquered peoples and the impact of the conquests.
Natural Science (NTSS 302)
“Chemistry in War & Peace”, Professor B. Adair-Hudson
NTSS 302-01, T/Th 1330-1445, CRN 51153
Humans have used chemicals and chemical properties to create weapons for centuries, but the conflict associated with the use of chemicals is not just related to war. Both negative and positive impacts on people, animals, and the environment (natural and fabricated) frequently occur with the use of chemicals. For example, food waste and cost can be reduced when lightweight plastics are used for shipping and storing. However, recycling of many plastics can be cost-prohibitive due to the same chemical properties that make them useful. Students will learn some common chemical structures and properties to better understand their uses. Students will research and discuss many quantitative factors that produce conflict from chemical use during times of war and peace.
“Forensic Science”, Professor L. Zuraw
NTSS 302-04, MWF 1100-1150, CRN 51519
Forensic Science is designed to familiarize the non-science major with various aspects of crime scene investigation, specifically focusing on the scientific aspects of evidence such as DNA, serology, documents, hair, and fiber analysis. Discussion of historic and recent crimes will be used to illustrate the importance of the scientific techniques in forensics.
“Bioterrorism,” Professor K. Johnson
NTSS 302-05, T/Th 1100-1215, CRN 51117
The basis of conflict is differing ideas, which, when taken to the extreme, can manifest as acts of terrorism. Historically, biological agents have been used as weapons in an array of political and ideological conflicts. This course will examine diverse aspects of the creation, use, and response to the weaponization of biological agents. An understanding of the science underlying biological agents is critical to preventing the escalation of biological outbreaks. A detailed study of the biological characteristics of these organisms will be the focus for this course.
Social Science (SCSS 302)
“National Guard in Conflict,” Professor P. Moring
SCSS 302-01, T/Th 0800-0915, CRN 50873
SCSS 302-02, T/Th 1100-1215, CRN 50874
The use of the militia to quell domestic and international conflicts and establish order in time of need has a contentious history in the United States. The imposition of limitations on the National Guard in domestic disturbances is fraught with constitutional, legal, and political issues. The deployment of the National Guard overseas implicates both federalism and separation of powers concerns. This course will examine the sources of conflict that prompted National Guard involvement with an emphasis on the interplay between the exercise of individual constitutional rights and the governmental responsibility to maintain law and order. LTC Moring, Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Defense in the Trump Administration, will explore how the role of the citizen-soldier in conflict has evolved from the Revolutionary War to the Global War on Terrorism.
“Political Ideology and Conflict”, Professor S. Segrest
SCSS 302-03, T/Th 0930-1045, CRN 51597
This course involves comparative analysis of modern political ideologies and related movements pursuant to a deeper understanding of modern political conflict. We will consider the nature of political ideology and ideological movements in general and compare specific modern iterations, including liberalism, conservatism, socialism and communism, anarchism, fascism, identity politics, ecologism, and Islamism.
Citizenship (303)
Elective (ELES 303)
“Mexican Film Culture”, Professor H. Urroz
ELES 303-01, MWF 1300-1350, CRN 51164
ELES 303-02, MWF 1400-1450, CRN 51201
Description coming soon!
English (ENGS 303)
“Plague & Penance: Atonement“, Professor L. Hendriks
ENGS 303-01, T/Th 0800-0915, CRN 50616
ENGS 303-02, MW 1430-1545, CRN 51497
In this Citizenship Strand course of the General Education curriculum sequence, we will perform close readings of four celebrated tragic plays (Oedipus Rex, Antigone, Medea, and Electra) that form the foundation of the Western artistic and cultural tradition in order to interrogate our notions of heroism, moral courage, and principled leadership; the significance of defiance against authority (both sacred and secular), personal conscience, and what is commonly accepted as socially appropriate behavior in order to achieve one’s desired ends; and what is required to bring members of a social order into compliance with established power structures and the standards of civilizations. When characters live in community, there is an implicit expectation that they will adhere to the written and unwritten rules governing that society. When they fall out of compliance—whether the inciting incident is rooted in personal choice, immutable circumstance, or some combination thereof—the attendant friction takes on a life of its own, impacting the perspective, judgment, and limits of autonomy of the parties involved. In Plague & Penance we will use this material not only to challenge our own preconceived notions of the basis of how to redress wrongdoing, but also to analyze the premises upon which the works of fiction we read/view are based—what are the embedded values that provide a barometer for character and contextual assessment, and do we share those values today? How do characters seek to justify their own choices and actions? How do characters endeavor to make up for their transgressions? Is it fair to hold entire communities accountable for the transgressions of individuals? Does ideological dissent release people from obligatory adherence to particular cultural codes and standards? What are the repercussions of rejection of an imposed social script? To what extent do works of literature or their performative interpretations appear to endorse or condemn the fictional situations contained within them? How do texts serve to reflect or shape the cultures within which they are situated? How do unorthodox representations impact lived experience? Academic performance will be evaluated through midterm and final examinations and an assortment of writing assignments and presentations, a number of which will incorporate attention to scholarly publications, culminating in an essay of at least 2000 words.
“Forbidding Cities: Reimagining Urban Spaces” Professor L. Hendriks
ENGS 303-02, MW 1300-1415, CRN 50718
This Citizenship Strand English course will engage with the question of the reciprocal responsibilities of city and citizen: what should communities do to care for the people who live within them, and what should residents do to care for the communities in which they live? The syllabus includes two classic novellas that depict municipalities akin to characters in their own right—Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893) and Nella Larsen’s Quicksand (1928). We will also read P. E. Moskowitz’ How to Kill a City (2017) to help us think about contemporary issues of urban development, beautification, and preservation, and their impacts on where people choose to live and the communities from which they are excluded.
History (HISS 303)
“Wartime Citizenship: The British Homefront in the World Wars”, Professor K. Grenier
HISS 303-01, MWF 0900-0950, CRN 50637
HISS 303-02, MWF 1000-1050, CRN 51400
This class will examine how the experience of World War I and II influenced understandings of the duties, obligations, and benefits of citizenship in Great Britain and the British Empire, with a focus on the home front. We will consider the consequences of recruitment campaigns, rationing, military service, attacks on civilian populations, and the loss of loved ones, both in Britain and in the empire, and will explore the variety of ways these experiences changed expectations of what it means to be part of a nation.
Natural Science (NTSS 303)
“Biology, Environment and Law,” Professor J. Berry
NTSS 303-07, MWF 1000-1050, CRN 51503
NTSS 303-08, MWF 1100-1150, CRN 51118
This course will explore the ways that the legal system protects and regulates biological systems in the environment. We will examine the profound influence that environmental laws have on species, ecosystems, and landscapes, and the effects of the regulation of air, water, and land in maintaining biodiversity, sustainability, and ecosystem health.
Social Science (SCSS 303)
“Democracy and Dictatorship”, Professor Boersner-Herrera
SCSS 303-01, MWF 1300-1350, CRN 51598
This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of democracy and dictatorship, their origins, characteristics, and implications for the governance of nations, including the United States. The course will cover the historical and contemporary examples of democratic and dictatorial regimes and the political, social, and economic factors that influence the emergence, consolidation, and stability of these forms of government.
Wellness (304)
English (ENGS 304)
“Writing about Identity in Young Adult Literature”, Professor T. Thompson
ENGS 304-01, MWF 1300-1415, CRN 50611
ENGS 304-02, MWF 1430- 1545, CRN 50683
ENGS 304-04, T/Th 1500-1615, CRN 51554
To “live a good life, one that is sound in mind and body,” we need to come to grips with who we are. Questions such as “Who am I?” and “What is my role in society?” frequently arise during adolescence and young adulthood; not surprisingly, they are frequently explored in young adult novels. Using these novels as our main texts, and using writing as our main medium for thinking, we will consider these questions as we explore the issue of “identity” as presented in young adult literature.
History (HISS 304)
“History of Pre-Modern Medicine”, Profesor K. Boughan
HISS 304-01, MWF 0900-0950, CRN 50684
HISS 304-02, MWF 1000-1050, CRN 50815
Notions of health and well-being vary over time, across cultures, and within cultures. This course examines medical knowledge and practice in the Latin West, 1000-1600. It also considers more broadly how people in that time and place conceived what it means to live well. A principal focus of this course will be conflicting or competing notions of health and well-being from folk culture, Christian tradition, and elite medical learning.
“A Good Life and Death in Chinese History,” Professor K. Knapp
HISS 304-03, T/Th 0800-0915, CRN 51144
Over the three-thousand years of China’s recorded history, its people have long thought about how to live well and prolong life. Since death was viewed as a continuance of life under slightly different circumstances, Chinese simultaneously pondered how to die well. By reading translated philosophical texts, hagiographies, medical treatises, short stories, and diaries, we will see how one could lead a healthy and meaningful life, and perhaps even cheat death by attaining immortality. By examining death testaments, Buddhist scriptures, and archaeological evidence, such as tombs, grave goods, and excavated documents, students will ascertain how Chinese envisioned death and prepared the deceased for a pleasant existence, or even Buddhahood, in the afterlife.
Natural Science (NTSS 304)
“An Ounce of Prevention”, Professor K. Zanin
NTSS 304-01, T/Th 0930-1045, CRN 51119
What does it mean to have a healthy lifestyle? How can choices about things like sleep, diet, and exercise impact one’s chance of getting diabetes, heart disease, mental illness, or cancer? This course will allow students to explore the value of healthy living as it relates to disease prevention and treatment, with focus on some of the worst health problems in our society. Students will study the related organ systems’ normal functions, their malfunctions in disease, and the financial and emotional costs of chronic diseases to individuals, their families, and the healthcare system. Unhealthy habits can be fun, but are they worth the risk?
“Human Diseases”, Professor A. Gramling
NTSS 304-02, MWF 1000-1050, CRN 51571
NTSS 304-03, MWF 1300-1350, CRN 51572
This strand course will explore human diseases and our body’s defense mechanisms to combat diseases. We will explore organs of the human body to understand the development, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and disorders. We will apply this knowledge to explore disease transmission and disease prevalence.
This class is for you, if you have an interest in:
– Understanding how organs work in our bodies
– Understanding how diseases and disorders affect our body
– Understanding why certain diagnostic tests should be used to determine a disease or disorder
– Understanding treatments/therapies available for diseases and disorders
– How diseases are distributed in different populations
Social Science (SCSS 304)
“Social Problems”, Professor R. McNamara
SCSS 304-01, T/Th 1330-1445, CRN 51599
This course seeks to explore a host of social issues that are facing American society, from a sociological perspective. The topics include discussions about poverty and the economy, racism, climate change, crime, healthcare, immigration, and aging. It also seeks to understand how political frameworks, as well as the media, shape people’s understanding of a particular issue, including what social policies should be enacted to address them.
“Sports and Society”, Professor P. Roof
SCSS 304-02, MWF 0900-0950, CRN 51600
SCSS 304-03, MWF 1100-1150, CRN 50817
This course examines the basic concepts and principles of sports sociology. The focus will be centered on the sociological approach to the analysis and explanation of the complex cultural and sociological debates that surround how the institution of sports. These debates focus on how sports are increasingly influencing society and being influenced by it in terms of power, inequality, race, gender, social institutions & symbolism.
Elective (ELES 304)
Coming Soon!
Sustainability (305)
English (ENGS 305)
“Utopias, Dystopias and Beyond”, Professor S. Lucas
ENGS 305-01, T/Th 1100-1215, CRN 50617
ENGS 305-02, T/Th 1500-1615, CRN 51499
For millennia, men and women have imagined new and (in their minds) ideal ways for humans to live, imagined communities that are nowadays referred to as utopias. Their creators have designed these ideal communities specifically to eradicate the worst elements of their own social formations and to help humans survive and reach their highest states. Of course, what one designer might argue is of benefit to a society may be seen by another as terrible for humanity, and thus no two utopias are ever the same. Indeed, some authors have created literary dystopias (harmful, malignant imagined communities) as a means to warn against the perceived dangers of what others would call utopian innovations in human society. In this class, we will explore how various authors of utopian and dystopian literature imagine the benefits and/or harms of large-scale social design, whether on the societal level, the individual level, or both. Our topics will include both the designing of social structures to shape human development and behavior and also the shaping, augmenting, and even the partial replacement of human individuals in a society. In the course of our studies, we will seek to apply the ideas and questions raised by the texts we read to our own lives and to the future of our own communities.
History (HISS 305)
“Viking Age Sustainability”, Professor M. Maddox
HISS 305-01, MWF 1000-1050, CRN 50685
HISS 305-02 MWF 1200-1250, CRN 51150
The history of sustainability considers man’s use and control of his environment during different historical periods. This use and control can lead to long-term success and/or failure. This course will broadly focus on human interactions with nature and the environment during the Viking Age, c. AD 750-1100. Topics to be discussed are land use, travel, belief systems, commerce, city formation and political authority. Regions included in the course are Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Scandinavia, early England, and Francia.
Natural Science (NTSS 305)
“Extreme Weather and Climate”, Professor W. Curtis
NTSS 305-01, MWF 1200-1250, CRN 51389
Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, heat waves, sea level rise. The Citadel, much like our nation, is susceptible to these threats, but what causes them and how do they impact the natural and built environment? Furthermore, how do we mitigate weather and climate hazards to make our communities more livable? In this introductory course we will explore what makes weather extreme and look into recent events in US history. We will synthesize the effects rising temperature and extreme weather have on people, property, and sustainability efforts by individuals all the way up to the US military. Extreme events will be observed and analyzed with real world data, including the Lt Col James B Near Jr., USAF, ’77, Center for Climate Studies weather station on campus.
“Foraging Wild Plants”, Professor J. Gramling
NTSS 305-05, T/Th 0800-0915, CRN 51122
Since prehistoric times humans have foraged the landscape for food and medicine. Today that knowledge is no longer widespread. This is an introductory course in field botany where you will develop your foraging skills. A basic knowledge of plant biology will be established in order to confidently identify poisonous, edible and medicinal plants found in South Carolina. Students will learn the about plant ecology, plant identification and human nutrition. Lectures will be combined with hands-on activities and foraging walks to create an active learning environment. The primary objective of this course is to learn about sustainable foraging practices and develop the skills necessary to safely forage the local landscape.
Social Science (SCSS 305)
“Sociology & Sustainability”, Professor P. Roof
SCSS 305-01, TR 1100-1215, CRN 50818
This course examines the basic concepts and principles of sociology. A scientific approach to the analysis and explanation of culture, personality, and social organization are emphasized along with the major sociological paradigms along with a heavy emphasis on sustainability issues.