Fall 2025 Freshman Seminar Course Descriptions
FSEM 101-01 (CRN: 51261) & FSEM 101-05 (CRN: 51262): “Growth Mindset”
TR 09:30-10:45, TR 11:00-12:15
Professor Jones
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-01 (CRN: 51441) & FSWI 101-05 (CRN: 51443): “Comics & Character Growth”
TR 11:00-12:15, TR 9:30-10:45
Professor Vazquez
FSEM 101-01 (CRN: 51261) & FSEM 101-05 (CRN: 51262): “Growth Mindset” – Can we increase our intelligence, abilities, and talents or are they determined at birth? Are our minds fixed or can we grow them? Did you know that we can build new neural pathways that will allow our brains to function in new ways? Come and explore how our brain is a muscle, like others in the human body. In this course, we will explore how our brains learn. We will come to see obstacles as challenges and mistakes as opportunities for growth. We will also develop our resiliency and grit. We will learn what a growth mindset is and how to cultivate it. We will apply the growth mindset as we increase our intelligence and talents in the areas of art, communication, math, and science. This course will help you to become a lifelong learner.
FSWI 101-01 (CRN: 51441) & FSWI 101-05 (CRN: 51443): “Comics & Character Growth” – Students will explore the themes of growth and fixed mindsets through the lens of comics and graphic novels. By reading La Borinqueña (vols. 1 and 2), Ms. Marvel, Daytripper, and Frizzy, along with other selected texts, students will analyze how characters navigate personal development, challenges, and identity formation. Through critical reading, discussion, and analytical writing, students will examine how comics depict resilience, transformation, and the struggle against limiting beliefs. Students will engage in a variety of writing assignments, including analytical essays, personal reflections, and argument-driven papers, to develop their writing skills and deepen their understanding of mindset theory. By the end of the course, students will not only strengthen their academic writing but also gain insights into how stories shape perspectives on learning, change, and self-discovery.
FSEM 101-04 (CRN: 51426): “Military & the Environment“
MWF 13:00-13:50
Professor Berry
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-04 (CRN: 51442): “Military & the Environment”
TR 11:00-12:15
Professor Plichta
FSEM 101-04 (CRN: 51426): “Military & the Environment“ – The relationship between the military and the environment is unique. Rarely do humans intentionally cause complete and lasting destruction of the environment as they do during times of war. In this course, we will explore some environmental impacts of military actions and warfare and examine alternatives.
FSWI 101-04 (CRN: 51442): “Military & The Environment“ – This course affords students the opportunity to demonstrate both written communication and inquiry/analysis skills while investigating the historical and contemporary interrelation between the military and the environment Students will have an opportunity to read and discuss select essays which provide a critical analysis of the devastating consequences of war on the environment and regional/global ecosystems with perspectives drawn from a wide array of diverse voices and global perspectives. The course will include extensive writing opportunities including low-risk in-class writing, contextual analysis, and a final research project.
FSEM 101-06 (CRN: 51427): “History of the FBI”
TR 11:00-12:15
Professor Graves
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-06 (CRN: 51444): “Freshman Writing Seminar”
TR 08:00-9:15
Professor TBA
FSEM 101-06 (CRN: 51427): “History of the FBI” – This course introduces students to the history of the FBI as a prism through which to view the larger history of the United States’ approach to law enforcement and intelligence over the last 120 years. What began as a controversial, “federal” creation in the tenuous years following the Civil War eventually burgeoned into the FBI as we know it today—a large organization with the ability to investigate worldwide wrongdoings, led primarily through the work of special agents. This course will challenge traditional stereotypes of the Bureau by looking at specific instances in history, assessing spheres of power, and evaluating the impacts of popular figures (i.e., J. Edgar Hoover) on the Bureau’s development. The class will strengthen students’ ability to analyze and communicate different issues and be informed citizens concerning issues related to the FBI. Students will uncover the iterative nature of crime, espionage, and war, which led to paradigm shifts in American society.
FSWI 101-06 (CRN: 51444): “Freshman Writing Seminar” – Course description coming soon!
FSEM 101-07 (CRN: 51428): “Outfoxing the Enemy”
TR 15:00-16:15
Professor Frame
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-07 (CRN: 51445): “Freshman Writing Seminar”
TR 09:30-10:45
Professor TBA
FSEM 101-07 (CRN: 51428): “Outfoxing the Enemy” – In this course, we will apply Karl Jung’s concept of the shadow self to the question of what it means to be a mature and mindful individual; connect adulthood to relating respectfully to others, and use shadow-self theory to analyze literature and film. We will identify attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection, and allowing as vital to human flourishing and fear, anger, and guilt as obstacles to healthy adulthood. We will differentiate advantageous responses to challenges (sensitivity, fortitude, self-reliance, and empathy) from unproductive reactions (rationalization, drama, and people-pleasing); develop assertiveness skills; and evaluate victory over inflated ego as a potential key to maturity. In the second unit of the course, we will discuss maintaining personal boundaries in relationships, elements of true intimacy, fears of abandonment and engulfment, and jealousy and infidelity.
FSWI 101-07 (CRN: 51445): “Freshman Writing Seminar” – Course description coming soon!
FSEM 101-08 (CRN: 51429) : “Media: Past & Present”
MW 14:30-15:45
Professor Wood
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-08 (CRN: 51446): “Writing About Media”
MWF 11:00-11:50
Professor Livingston
FSEM 101-08 (CRN: 51429) : “Media: Past & Present” – In tracing the history of media, the notions of progress and “newness” play a pivotal role. This course will situate various media technologies and theories of history in contexts that are both strange and familiar. In doing so, we shall see that media technologies often taken for granted represent a seminal shift in human history, while other seemingly “new” forms of communication are mere reinventions of the old. This course will map the emergence and effects of media, such as printed text, sound recording, film, radio, television, computer software, and social media. These media technologies will be studied in relation to empire building, extraterrestrial communication, virtual reality simulators, special effects, and more. As we study these historical moments and developments, we will consider how technology influences culture and the ways in which culture influences technology.
FSWI 101-08 (CRN: 51446): “Writing About Media” – In this course we will investigate the process of textual production, from manuscripts to the published word. By studying how communication has occurred in the past, we will learn to become better communicators in our present.
FSEM 101-09 (CRN: 51430) & FSEM 101-10 (CRN: 51431): “Reading Urban Spaces“
TR 09:30-10:45, TR 11:00-12:15
Professor Mushal
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-09 (CRN: 51447) & FSEM 101-10 (51448): “Reading Urban Spaces”
TR 09:30-10:45, TR 11:00-12:15
Professor Leonard
FSEM 101-09 (CRN: 51430) & FSEM 101-10 (CRN: 51431): “Reading Urban Spaces“ – Why do different towns and cities look the way they do? How do geography, economic concerns, and cultural values shape a city? Can you tell a city’s history by looking at its buildings and roads? How do cities adapt to new challenges? This class will examine key aspects of urban development over the past three centuries. These will include 18th-century ideas of trade and ordering the landscape; 19th-century industrialization and the creation of new parks in cities; the role of commerce and transportation networks in shaping urban layout; the role of cars and other new technology in shaping building forms and urban expansion; and some of the challenges facing American cities today. We will discuss how each of these developments reflects larger social values, and how they have shaped experiences of urban life.
FSWI 101-09 (CRN: 51447) & FSEM 101-10 (51448): “Reading Urban Spaces” – The Writing Intensive half of the six-credit hour Freshman Seminar develops a student’s skills in academic writing. Starting with brief compositions and progressing to a full-length research paper, students work on key writing challenges such as organizing ideas, developing content, and presenting evidence. Each individual Writing Intensive class is linked with a thematically-related section of FSEM 101.
FSEM 101-11 (CRN: 51432): “Artificial Intelligence Culture“
MWF 11:00-11:50
Professor Morales
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-11 (CRN: 51449): “Freshman Writing Seminar”
MWF 1000-1100
Professor Rink
FSEM 101-11 (CRN: 51432): “Artificial Intelligence Culture“ – This interdisciplinary course delves into the multifaceted relationship between artificial intelligence and human culture. We will explore how AI technologies are shaping our societies, values, and experiences, while also examining how cultural perspectives influence the development and deployment of AI. Key themes will include: AI and the human condition, exploring philosophical and existential questions surrounding AI’s impact on humanity; AI and social change, analyzing how AI is reshaping social structures and addressing global challenges; AI governance and ethics, discussing the ethical frameworks and societal considerations necessary for responsible AI development; and AI and cultural representation, critically analyzing how AI is portrayed in various cultural products, which will form a cornerstone of the course readings. By exploring these themes, students will gain a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between AI and human society and develop the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate the challenges and opportunities of this transformative technology.
FSWI 101-11 (CRN: 51449): “Freshman Writing Seminar” – The writing intensive half of the six-credit hour freshman seminar develops academic writing capabilities. Starting with brief compositions and progressing to a full-length research paper, students confront and overcome writing challenges such as organization, developing content, and integrating evidence. For this class, we will write using standard American English and MLA formatting. Find its guidelines and citation information at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html. Nobody memorizes the whole of MLA. It is a reference guide. Goals: to learn writing techniques which are transferable to all career paths, to heighten communication skills which are transferable to all walks of life, and to deepen thought which is essential for freedom.
FSEM 101-12 (CRN: 51433): “Mixed Reality Educ. Games“
TR 09:30-10:45
Professor Leonard
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-12 (CRN: 51450): “Online Learning in Higher Ed”
TR 11:00-12:15
Professor Glassberg
FSEM 101-12 (CRN: 51433): “Mixed Reality Educ. Games“ – Students will both design and develop a Mixed Reality Serious Educational Game. Infusing mobile devices in the classroom is at the forefront of 21st century learning. In this class, students will play through a variety of Mixed Reality Serious Educational Games and create a game using a design document provided for you and the Adobe Aero software application found in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite.
FSWI 101-12 (CRN: 51450): “Online Learning in Higher Ed” – In this specific section, we will engage with some of the material from your respective FSEM classes; however, this class will challenge you to consider the role of higher education in American society, especially its relationship with technology. Most of you are Knobs at this institution; therefore, you have grown up in a much different world than most, if not all, of your professors. Most of you have never experienced a world in which there are no cell phones, no options to DoorDash or receive an Amazon order on your doorstep within 24 hours of placing the order. Whereas many, if not all, of you have taken some form of virtual classes, many of your professors have never been enrolled in an online undergraduate college class. This course will ask you to examine the opportunities brought by technology as well as the negative consequences. The culminating research project requires you to study the benefits and negatives of online learning in higher education and argue for strategies to improve this method of teaching and learning.
FSEM 101-13 (CRN: 51434): “Data Analytics“
TR 13:30-14:45
Professor Jefferson
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-13 (CRN: 51451): “Writing Texts in Contexts”
TR 11:30-12:45
Professor Spring
FSEM 101-13 (CRN: 51434): “Data Analytics“ – The course explores the use of data in daily life decisions. Students will examine how having too much data can make you feel overwhelmed or over-think each decision and how having too little data can lead to poorly informed decisions and missed opportunities. Focus is on the practical use of data to understand and solve real-world problems.
FSWI 101-13 (CRN: 51451): “Writing Texts in Contexts” – In this writing intensive course, students will use a variety of primary and secondary sources to explore their personal experiences and interests. Students will dig into texts and their contexts as they conduct research to compose an argumentative essay project. During this process, students will consider what makes a piece of writing effective in both academic and public spheres. The work for the semester will improve students’ approaches to thinking, researching, reading and writing. From this course students will develop skill sets that will help them in future courses as well as their personal, professional, and public lives. Communicating effectively through writing is an invaluable skill, and we will develop this skill this semester. Additionally, this course asks students to think about writing as a process, a series of conscious choices and iterative steps used to craft appropriate responses to the variety of tasks and situations. they’ll encounter in life. This course is aimed at making students aware of their writing as writing. We will cultivate this awareness by engaging scholarly texts about writing and by undertaking projects that ask students to critically assess their writing process.
FSEM 101-14 (CRN: 51435): “Logic and Inference“
MWF 09:00-09:50
Professor Sanders
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-14 (CRN: 51453): “Freshman Writing Seminar”
MWF 11:00-11:50
Professor Rink
FSEM 101-14 (CRN: 51435): “Logic and Inference“ – Detectives use forensic evidence to reconstruct a crime and identify the culprit(s). Physicians and therapists observe a patient’s symptoms to formulate a diagnosis and treatment plan. Scientists perform experiments to identify the laws of nature. Mathematicians prove general theorems that apply to anything that can be quantified. Engineers and computer scientists design products to fulfill societal needs while working within given constraints. Statisticians analyze data and draw conclusions. All of these examples have one thing in common. Logic, or how we infer what is true (or not true) based on available data, is at the heart of almost every discipline. In this course, you will learn about the different types of logic used in various professions and how to apply them. Students of every major, and students who are still undecided on their major, are all equally welcome in this course. No matter what you decide to do, this course is designed to help you succeed.
FSWI 101-14 (CRN: 51453): “Freshman Writing Seminar” – The writing intensive half of the six-credit hour freshman seminar develops academic writing capabilities. Starting with brief compositions and progressing to a full-length research paper, students confront and overcome writing challenges such as organization, developing content, and integrating evidence. For this class, we will write using standard American English and MLA formatting. Find its guidelines and citation information at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html. Nobody memorizes the whole of MLA. It is a reference guide. Goals: to learn writing techniques which are transferable to all career paths, to heighten communication skills which are transferable to all walks of life, and to deepen thought which is essential for freedom.
FSEM 101-15 (CRN: 51436): “Touch, Tech, & Design“
TR 13:30-14:45
Professor MacGavin
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-15 (CRN: 51454): “Freshman Writing Seminar”
TR 11:00-12:15
Professor Rink
FSEM 101-15 (CRN: 51436): “Touch, Tech, & Design“ – Human touch perception and biology; language and communication through touch; haptics in education; universal design; accessibility in product design; presentation practices.
FSWI 101-15 (CRN: 51454): “Freshman Writing Seminar” – The writing intensive half of the six-credit hour freshman seminar develops academic writing capabilities. Starting with brief compositions and progressing to a full-length research paper, students confront and overcome writing challenges such as organization, developing content, and integrating evidence. For this class, we will write using standard American English and MLA formatting. Find its guidelines and citation information at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html. Nobody memorizes the whole of MLA. It is a reference guide. Goals: to learn writing techniques which are transferable to all career paths, to heighten communication skills which are transferable to all walks of life, and to deepen thought which is essential for freedom.
FSEM 101-16 (CRN: 51437): “Theory of Knowledge“
TR 08:00-09:15
Professor Ortiz
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-16 (CRN: 51455): “Theory of Knowledge”
MWF 09:00-09:50
Professor Leonard
FSEM 101-16 (CRN: 51437): “Theory of Knowledge“ – In this course students reflect on the nature of knowledge, and how we know what we claim to know. Through critical thinking and inquiry, they are encouraged to question assumptions, analyze different perspectives, and support their ideas with evidence. Rather than passively accepting information, students learn to engage actively with knowledge, construct reasoned arguments and navigate its complexities with clarity and coherence.
FSWI 101-16 (CRN: 51455): “Theory of Knowledge” – Course description coming soon!
FSEM 101-17 (CRN: 51438): “Games & How to Win Them“
MWF 10:00-11:00
Professor Swart
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-17 (CRN: 51456): “Writing Texts in Contexts”
TR 13:30-14:45
Professor Spring
FSEM 101-17 (CRN: 51438): “Games & How to Win Them“ – We will explore a variety of deterministic combinatorial games, including impartial and partisan games. For each game, we will determine winning strategies. Justifications will play an important role in this course. Games investigated will include Nim and Hackenbush among others.
FSWI 101-17 (CRN: 51456): “Writing Texts in Contexts” – In this writing intensive course, students will use a variety of primary and secondary sources to explore their personal experiences and interests. Students will dig into texts and their contexts as they conduct research to compose an argumentative essay project. During this process, students will consider what makes a piece of writing effective in both academic and public spheres. The work for the semester will improve students’ approaches to thinking, researching, reading and writing. From this course students will develop skill sets that will help them in future courses as well as their personal, professional, and public lives. Communicating effectively through writing is an invaluable skill, and we will develop this skill this semester. Additionally, this course asks students to think about writing as a process, a series of conscious choices and iterative steps used to craft appropriate responses to the variety of tasks and situations. they’ll encounter in life. This course is aimed at making students aware of their writing as writing. We will cultivate this awareness by engaging scholarly texts about writing and by undertaking projects that ask students to critically assess their writing process.
FSEM 101-18 (CRN: 51439): “Physics & Nature of Reality“
TR 11:00-12:15
Professor Hurka
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-18 (CRN: 51457): “Freshman Writing Seminar”
TR 13:30-14:45
Professor Rink
FSEM 101-18 (CRN: 51439): “Physics & Nature of Reality“ – Quantum Mechanics and the Special and General Theories of Relativity have allowed physicists to explain phenomena that extend well beyond our direct, everyday experiences – from objects moving close to the speed of light to massive galactic clusters to the smallest building blocks of matter. But with these theories have come ideas about the world that seem very counterintuitive and that are at odds with our commonsense notions of reality. In this course, we will first examine how scientists develop scientific models, and we will gain an understanding of the complexity and limitations of this process. We will also recognize how a failure to recognize these complexities and limitations can lead to a simplistic view of science that can lead to misunderstandings about what scientists do by those outside of that culture. We will then discuss the Special and General Theories of Relativity and what they say about the nature of space and time. Finally, we will discuss Quantum Mechanics and what it has to say about the basic building blocks of nature and the possible limitations it seems to impose on what we can know about the entities that make up reality.
FSWI 101-18 (CRN: 51457): “Freshman Writing Seminar” – The writing intensive half of the six-credit hour freshman seminar develops academic writing capabilities. Starting with brief compositions and progressing to a full-length research paper, students confront and overcome writing challenges such as organization, developing content, and integrating evidence. For this class, we will write using standard American English and MLA formatting. Find its guidelines and citation information at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html. Nobody memorizes the whole of MLA. It is a reference guide. Goals: to learn writing techniques which are transferable to all career paths, to heighten communication skills which are transferable to all walks of life, and to deepen thought which is essential for freedom.
FSEM 101-19 (CRN: 51440): “Machine Learning and Internet Things“
MWF 10:00-10:50
Professor Aggarwal
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-19 (CRN: 51458): “The Rise of AI”
TR 11:00-12:15
Professor Lucas
FSEM 101-19 (CRN: 51440): “Machine Learning and Internet Things“ – Course description coming soon!
FSWI 101-19 (CRN: 51458): “The Rise of AI” – This course will explore key questions about the nature of artificial intelligence, the future of artificial intelligence, and how both fiction and non-fiction writers have portrayed the possible interactions of artificial intelligence with humanity. Among the questions our class will ask are:
- What do we mean when we speak of artificial intelligence?
- How similar or how different are artificial intelligence and human intelligence?
- Are there elements of humanity that make us unique, or can artificial intelligence one day take on all aspects of human consciousness?
- What is the role of moral value in artificial intelligence (if any)?
- What is the future of artificial intelligence, and how has it been imagined by literary authors?
- What are the possible threats and what are the possible benefits of a “super-intelligent” A.I.?
Equally as important as the exploration of its chosen topic, this class will also introduce students to the fundamentals of college-level writing. It will acquaint its participants with the techniques of written communication, it will encourage them to develop their skills as critical thinkers, and it will offer them detailed instruction in performing college-level research.
FSEM 101-20 (CRN: 51552): “Chinese Utopian Thought”
TR 9:30-10:45
Professor Knapp
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-20 (CRN: 51556): “Freshman Writing Seminar”
MWF 12:00-12:50
Professor Ohlandt
FSEM 101-20 (CRN: 51552): “Chinese Utopian Thought“ – We generally think of the Chinese as practical people. However, Chinese people have been frequently motivated by Utopian dreams of a better tomorrow. Sometimes these dreams led to political and economic reforms, such as governmental redistribution of land and public education campaigns. Other times these utopian yearnings led to massive rebellions and large-scale human disasters. In this class, we will explore Chinese utopian thought and the huge impact that its implementation has had on Chinese history.
FSWI 101-20 (CRN: 51556): “Freshman Writing Seminar“ – The writing intensive half of the six-credit hour freshman seminar develops academic writing capabilities. Starting with brief compositions and progressing to a full-length research paper, students confront and overcome writing challenges such as organization, developing content, and integrating evidence. For this class, we will write using standard American English and MLA formatting. Find its guidelines and citation information at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html. Nobody memorizes the whole of MLA. It is a reference guide. Goals: to learn writing techniques which are transferable to all career paths, to heighten communication skills which are transferable to all walks of life, and to deepen thought which is essential for freedom.
FSEM 101-21 (CRN: 51553): “The Witch Craze in Early Modern Europe”
MWF 10:00-10:50
Professor Boughan
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-21 (CRN: 51557): “Freshman Writing Seminar”
MWF 13:00-13:50
Professor Ohlandt
FSEM 101-21 (CRN: 51553): “The Witch Craze in Early Modern Europe“ – From the fifteenth century through the seventeenth, European courts prosecuted, and frequently sentenced to death, tens of thousands of people — mostly poor older women, but including not a few men and children of all ranks — for a crime understood to connect harmful magic with devil worship, and to involve cannibalistic infanticide, perverse secret nocturnal festivals, and flying broomsticks: witchcraft. Early Modern Europe was an age of spectacular horrors — famine, plague, ceaseless war, religious massacres, and ever-increasing poverty — and its great witch hunt, or “Witch Craze”, is one of the more lurid and puzzling. This course explores the Craze from an historical standpoint, examining its philosophical, religious, psychological, and social causes, with emphasis on the rational interpretation of primary source documents. It will also draw comparisons to similar episodes of “Satanic Panic” and paranoid conspiracy theorizing in more recent times.
FSWI 101-21 (CRN: 51557): “Freshman Writing Seminar“ – The writing intensive half of the six-credit hour freshman seminar develops academic writing capabilities. Starting with brief compositions and progressing to a full-length research paper, students confront and overcome writing challenges such as organization, developing content, and integrating evidence. For this class, we will write using standard American English and MLA formatting. Find its guidelines and citation information at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html. Nobody memorizes the whole of MLA. It is a reference guide. Goals: to learn writing techniques which are transferable to all career paths, to heighten communication skills which are transferable to all walks of life, and to deepen thought which is essential for freedom.
FSEM 101-22 (CRN: 51577): “French Culture”
MWF 12:00-12:50
Professor Frask-Ramos
Co-requisite: FSWI 101-22 (CRN: 51578): “Freshman Writing Seminar”
MWF 8:00-8:50
Professor Ohlandt
FSEM 101-22 (CRN: 51577): “French Culture“ – The romantic language, the internationally beloved art, the sophistication, the fancy cuisine. What makes the French so… French? Find out in Culture of France where we’ll take a leisurely tour of France’s cultural traditions from their core values such as liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality and brotherhood) to their artistic legacy in literature and even their culinary creations! We’ll also be looking into their rich tradition of intellectualism as well as pivotal historical events. If you want to find out why the French are who they are, Culture of France is the class for you!
FSWI 101-22 (CRN: 51578): “Freshman Writing Seminar“ – The writing intensive half of the six-credit hour freshman seminar develops academic writing capabilities. Starting with brief compositions and progressing to a full-length research paper, students confront and overcome writing challenges such as organization, developing content, and integrating evidence. For this class, we will write using standard American English and MLA formatting. Find its guidelines and citation information at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html. Nobody memorizes the whole of MLA. It is a reference guide. Goals: to learn writing techniques which are transferable to all career paths, to heighten communication skills which are transferable to all walks of life, and to deepen thought which is essential for freedom.