TR | 8:10-9:25 & 11:20-12:35

 Inquiry into Memoir examines the issues of memoir and composition studies, which has received increasing attention due to arguments about the value of first-year composition in college education. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. To accomplish this goal, we will conduct secondary source, archival, and qualitative research.

TR | 2:30-3:45 & 4:05-5:20

 Advancing concepts introduced in English 101, English 102 provides students with intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research. It does so by emphasizing strategies for formulating and investigating questions, locating and evaluating information, using varied sources and research methods, developing positions on intercultural and interdisciplinary issues from diverse texts (print, digital, and multimedia), and presenting research using appropriate rhetorical conventions.

Our specific course theme is Inquiry into Food. This semester we will examine the issue of food and our relationship to it. Food is a subject that necessarily concerns every human on earth. It is key to our survival, but also to our sense of pleasure in life. It can bring delight and joy, and it can also bring challenges and problems. Food is one of the key aspects that give identity, structure, and sustenance to a particular culture. It is big business. It concerns the global economy. It can also be a deeply personal matter of health, ethics, and belief systems. This semester, we will use the topic of food to develop our research and writing skills. To accomplish this goal, we will conduct three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. The secondary source project will examine a current debate surrounding agriculture, nutrition, or a related issue. In the archival project, we will explore the historical significance of a particular recipe or dish over the past century. Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing, surveying, and/or observing participants in order to investigate their experiences, opinions, behaviors, and/or beliefs about food.

The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. We’ll learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you (hopefully, but not necessarily, your major). You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional discipline-appropriate papers or other genres appropriate to the subject and audience. 

MWF | 8:00-8:50, 9:10-10:00, 11:30-12:20, & 12:40-1:30

English 102 advances the concepts introduced in English 101 and provides students with intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research of memoir.  Throughout the semester, we’ll focus on strategies for formulating and investigating questions.  We’ll locate and evaluate information, using varied sources and research methods.  We’ll develop positions on intercultural and interdisciplinary issues for diverse texts, all modes, and present research using appropriate rhetorical conventions.    

MWF | 10:20-11:10 & 11:30-12:20

 What do we mean when we say that something happened in a place? Are we referring simply to its geographic features, its position in the world the way we might find it on Google Maps? Or do we have in mind something larger and much more difficult to define? When we think back to important events in our lives or in history, or even imagine the places we might like to visit someday, we often include in our definition a memory, a place’s history or imagined futures, even its ecosystem, alongside its geography. In this section of English 102, we will use an examination of some of the most important places in our own lives as a starting point into a larger examination of what gives place its shape and meaning. Our interrogations might force us to ask questions about cultural history, human and natural geography, or the science of climate change. In the end, our goal is to understand not just what makes those places so meaningful and important to us and our families, but what made those places themselves. How have they evolved and where might they be going?

MWF | 11:30-12:20 & 1:50-2:40

Inquiry into Memoir examines the issues of personal narrative, memory, and self-reflection which has received increasing attention because of the rising popularity of life writing. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. The course will explore questions such as how do memoirists balance truth and artistic license when recounting past events? What techniques can writers use to reconstruct events from memory? How does the process of writing a memoir impact one’s understanding of events around them, both political and personal? What ethical considerations arise when writing about other people in a memoir? The course features secondary, archival, and qualitative research projects. You will use skills such as drafting, peer review, and revision to improve your work over the course of the semester.

TR | 9:45-11:00, 11:20-12:35, 2:30-3:45, & 4:05-5:20

This section of English 102 will explore the evolution of the gaming industry starting in the 1970s and moving forward from the arcade to the console. As we look at the evolution of the platforms and the games, we will also examine the social aspects of the gaming community and the increasing popularity of gaming over the last twenty years. You will have the opportunity to research the historical evolution of some of your favorite games or game series, examine gaming culture as it stands today, discuss representation of games and gamers in the media and in games themselves, and explore how gaming has influenced your own field of study. Like all 102 sections, we will engage in archival, qualitative, and secondary source research to investigate the course topic.

TR | 9:45-11:10. 11:20-12:35 & 2:30-3:45

English 102 advances the concepts introduced in English 101 and provides students with intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research. Throughout the semester, we’ll focus on strategies for formulating and investigating questions, locating and evaluating information, using varied sources and research methods, developing positions on intercultural and interdisciplinary issues from diverse texts (print, digital, and multimedia), and presenting research using appropriate rhetorical conventions.

This section of English 102 will explore the evolution of the gaming industry starting in the 1970s and moving forward from the arcade to the console. As we look at the evolution of the platforms and the games, we will also examine the social aspects of the gaming community and the increasing popularity of gaming over the last twenty years. You will have the opportunity to research the historical evolution of some of your favorite games or game series, examine the gaming culture as it stands today, discuss representation of games and gamers in the media and in games themselves, and explore how gaming has influenced your own field of study. Like all 102 sections, we will engage in archival, qualitative, and secondary source research to investigate the course topic.  

TR | 11:20-12:35 & 2:30-3:45

Why is Edgar Allan Poe’s face among the most recognizable in American Literature? Why are television shows, documentaries, films, and film franchises like American Horror Story, Stranger Things, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Insidious, Get Out, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween so popular? What is the appeal of the American horror genre, and why is it so ubiquitous? In this section of 102, students will develop their research and writing skills while seeking to understand the socio-historical and cultural contexts of American horror as a distinct genre, as well as what continues to draw audiences to it as a form of expression in literature, film, and popular media. We will discuss classic and influential examples of the form and consider some more recent historical accounts as we trace the origins of American horror. These discussions will complement our investigation into the phenomenon of the genre as students learn how to conduct qualitative, archival, and secondary research.

MWF | 1:50-2:40

This section of English 102 will explore issues related to food, a topic which has always received attention due to reasons such as obesity, global hunger, food culture, and genetically-modified foods. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. To accomplish this goal, we will conduct three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative.

MWF | 11:30-12:20

TR | 9:45-11:00 & 11:20-12:35

This section of English 102 will approach academic research methods using the theme “Inquiry Into the South.” Our course will explore the Southeastern United States as a region, construct, culture, and site of history. Students will develop academic research, writing, and communication skills as we learn from each other’s research and writing. In each research-based project, students can investigate the South from several academic perspectives (or within their major). Students will develop research topics using multiple methodologies to make academic arguments about southern music, foodways, politics, race, gender constructs, economics, folkways, sports, art, or other topics of interest. Throughout the semester, students will conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present their arguments about southern culture, history, or regional identity to academic audiences in discipline-appropriate papers.

TR | 12:55-2:10 & 2:30-3:45

  Inquiry into Pop Culture: Music examines the intersection of pop culture and music, which has received increasing attention through the rise of social media, fan culture, festivals, and music streaming platforms. The course will allow students to explore questions such as:

• How is mass culture produced?
• How and why do trends in music change over time?
• How has digital streaming changed the music industry?
• How are musicians impacted by social media and fan culture?

Throughout the semester, we’ll focus on strategies for formulating and investigating research questions, locating and evaluating information, becoming familiar with a variety of research methods, and presenting findings using appropriate rhetorical conventions. The course features secondary, archival, and qualitative research projects. You will use skills such as drafting, peer review, and revision to improve your work over the course of the semester.

TR | 12:55-2:10

Inquiry into Myth and Monsters examines the issues of Modern Mythology, which has received increasing attention because of the reemergence of classical archetypes through modern mythological adaptations. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. The course will explore questions such as how said adaptations represent ancient modes of thinking, how such stories are shaped by cultural and social influences, and how modern adaptations utilize these properties. The course features secondary, archival, and qualitative research projects. You will use skills such as drafting, peer review, and revision to improve your work over the course of the semester.

TR | 9:45-11:00 & 2:30-3:45

 Music, perhaps more than any other aspect of popular culture, forms an important part of our identity. We bond with friends over shared musical tastes, judge each other over their choices with the aux cord, feel closer to previous generations when we hear their favorite songs. The music we listen to feels like it forms an important part of our identity. 

Underneath music’s role in day-to-day life, however, rest some interesting questions. To what extent is the music we choose to listen to the result of historical and social trends? Why do we tend to associate certain kinds of music with certain attitudes and styles of dress? How have musical genres developed over time and why do they sound like they do today? Why does music take such an interest in relative terms such as “pop,” “indie,” and “alt”? Students will develop their own research questions and formulate original arguments using three different modes of research: secondary, archival, and qualitative. Through research, students will gain an insight into the role of music both historically and in the present 

MWF | 12:40-1:30 & 1:50-2:40

For lots of people (students, legislators, parents, professors) thinking about historically or currently minoritized groups in the United States is challenging. If we belong to a dominant cultural or social group, considering our own positions can be thorny, especially since these conversations might imply that we are ‘undeserving’ or should ‘feel bad’ about our advantages. On the other hand, if we belong to minoritized communities, we are often deeply aware that pursuing an education, a career path, economic stability, or a romantic relationship may be difficult in ways that outsiders cannot imagine. Black, Hispanic, Asian, rural Appalachian, disabled, and LGBTQ+ Americans, (as well as Irish, Italian, Muslim, and Jewish communities) face or have faced inaccurate and harmful representations. At the same time, many people in these same communities feel a great sense of pride in refusing to be defined by mainstream controlling ideas in dominant culture. 

This course takes the resilience of America’s minoritized cultures as its inspiration. Admittedly, ‘resilience’ is a fraught term since it places the burden on the minoritized group rather than the structural exclusions a that group faces. In this course, we first discuss how we speak and write respectfully about groups to which we do not belong. We will research the ways in which different minoritized cultures have resisted the myths imposed upon them and the complexities that those controlling ideas obscure. For your secondary source project, you will investigate a specific stereotype of a group to which you do not belong and the ways it impacts the people it purportedly describes. In the archival research project, you will produce a virtual museum exhibit of artifacts documenting a single minoritized community of which you are not a member, the exclusion they faced, and how that same group valorized its existence. In the qualitative research project, you will interview your peers about questions of curricular inclusion, since student voices are often missing from larger conversations among academics.  

If you are curious to learn about people who are different from yourself, you’re in the right place. If you would like to know what life is or was like for a community different from your own, you’re in the right place.  If you are hungry for the challenge of learning something new or researching unfamiliar topics, you’re in the right place. If you would like to think about your own and your peers’ attitudes towards inclusion, diversity, and equity in education, you’re in the right place. 

TR | 8:10-9:25, 9:45-11:00, & 2:30-3:45

This section of English 102 focuses on the topic of monstrosity. Through reading and analyzing both scholarly and creative genres, conducting our own research, and through navigating archival spaces, we will come to view monstrosity as social commentary. Perhaps, more importantly, we will learn to ask ourselves: Who are the monsters, really?

Online Asynchronous

In this English 102 course we will examine popular music. Many of us listen to music throughout the day, particularly when doing other tasks, but how often do we listen carefully to what we are hearing? Paying attention to music can dramatically change how we feel and think about it, especially as we attend to the complex relationship between sound and sense. For example, some popular musicians write lyrics that contrast with the tone of the music. A classic example is “Hey Ya!” by Outkast, which raises difficult and sometimes dark questions about love and human relationships to a cheerful and energetic beat, Andre 3000 even remarking in the song that “y’all don’t wanna hear me, you wanna dance.” The music in a song can also be used to drive home a particular message. For example, Rage Against the Machine uses forceful guitar riffs and repetition in “Killing in the Name” to condemn racism and police violence in America. 

This course will feature two kinds of research: archival and qualitative. These kinds of research will help us become more careful music listeners by providing us with increased insight into the influence of popular music both in history and the present moment. Our immersion in popular music will raise questions that research can help us address.

Our archival project will send us into the historical archives, where we will consider the specific cultural and historical conditions of popular music. For our second project we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing participants in order to investigate topics such as people’s experiences, attitudes, and beliefs about popular music, music subcultures, popular listening habits, contemporary music trends, and popular interpretations and evaluations of particular songs, artists, and genres.

TR | 9:45-11:00, 2:30-3:45, & 4:05-5:20

In this section, we’ll question what “disability” really is, how history, scholars, and our contemporaries view and have viewed it, and what our assumptions are about both disabled and abled people are. We’ll also observe accessible designs and how they shapes our everyday lives. In group projects, we will research and propose solutions to problems with disability and accessibility at UTK.

MWF | 9:10-10:00, 11:30-12:20, & 12:40-1:30

Our class is Inquiry into Pop Culture. This semester we will examine issues of adaptations and re-tellings, remakes, and sequels in media, which have received increasing attention because of the increased frequency of adapted and remade stories in the age of digital media. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. The course will explore questions such as: how stories change based on when they are told, the ways that different media change how stories are experienced, and how meaning is made and changed through adaptation and re-tellings. The course features secondary, archival, and qualitative research projects. You will use skills such as drafting, peer review, and revision to improve your work over the course of the semester.

MWF | 11:30-12:20

TR | 9:45-11:00, 11:20-12:35, & 2:30-3:45

In this course, we will explore the genre of memoir and use your life experiences, interests, and passions to guide your research.

Online Asynchronous

Many of us have probably heard the term “chronically online” tossed around the internet. Our course, “Inquiry into Social Media,” seeks to dive deeper into what it means to be “chronically online,” focusing on our engagement with the digital world in our day-to-day lives as well as how social media and new technologies are rapidly changing and influencing the world around us. The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills through various modes of research, including secondary source, primary source, and qualitative research. You’ll be able to investigate topics from a multitude of academic perspectives and, hopefully, relate your research to your major or personal interests. 

MWF | 11:30-12:20, 12:40-1:30, 3:00-3:50, & 4:10-5:00

Inquiry into Myths and Monsters examines the issues of myths and monsters in relation to cultural, social, and historical concepts. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. To accomplish this goal, we will conduct secondary source, qualitative, and archival research. We will start with secondary source research by examining and engaging with current academic scholarship about myths, monsters, and cultural significance. The qualitative research will require interviewing participants. The purpose of this assignment is to explore the experiences, feelings, and/or beliefs about myths and monsters. Then, we conclude with archival research, where we will explore historical representations of myths and monsters and what those representations mean for historical and cultural contexts.

TR | 11:20-12:35 & 12:55-2:10

Inquiry into Myths and Monsters examines the influence and consideration of ancient Greek classical myth and monsters of the time, and in modern adaptations. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. This course will feature three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. The secondary source project will examine a debate about Medusa. In the archival project, we will explore the historical significance of ancient depictions of Greek monsters, alongside their modern-day counterparts be that through retelling, inspiration, or allusion. Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by surveying participants in order to investigate their experiences with, beliefs, and/or perceptions about an ancient Greek mythological hero of your choosing. This course will hone your writing and research skills through drafting, peer review, and revision.

TR | 9:45-11:00 & 11:20-12:35

English 102 provides students with intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research. The theme of our course is Inquiry into Food. Food not only provides nutrition to our physical bodies, but it also nourishes, sustains, and feeds us in a multitude of ways. This semester, we will read a variety of texts that approach food and food culture. As we conduct research, we will explore major ideas such as agriculture, poverty, pop-culture, and psychosocial factors and needs. We will look at food memoirists, chefs, and home cooks and explore beliefs about what we eat, when we eat, and how it informs our culture. In what ways is food political? In what ways does food connect us to ourselves, to one another, and to place?

We will formulate questions, investigate, locate, and evaluate information, and use a variety of sources and research methods as we discover how food relates to us, to rhetoric, and to the communities that surround us.

TR | 2:30-3:45 & 4:05-5:20

Inquiry into Pop Culture and Identity examines how popular culture shapes individual and collective identities. Pop culture has received increasing attention because of its profound influence on societal norms and individual self-perception. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills.

This course will feature three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. The secondary source project will examine a debate about the portrayal of identity in contemporary popculture. In the archival project, we will explore the historical significance of cultural representations in media from the 20th century to the present day. Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing participants to investigate their experiences with and beliefs about identity as influenced by pop culture.

This course will hone your writing and research skills through drafting, peer review, and revision, focusing on the dynamic intersection of pop culture and identity.

TR | 12:55-2:10

Inquiry into Pop Culture examines the issues related to celebrities and fan culture, which has received increasing attention after Chappell Roan’s warning to her audience to stop being “creepy.” I invite you to explore all aspects of fan culture, from diehard sports fans and comic book aficionados to Swifties and Potterheads. We will consider questions such as “What boundaries should exist between a celebrity and their audience? How do we separate an artist/player from their work/skill? What sort of obligations does a celebrity have to please their fans?”

We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills, featuring three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. The secondary source project will examine a debate taking place in media and academic contexts. In the archival project, we will explore how fan and popular culture has evolved throughout history, from ancient celebrities to 18th-century best-selling novels to modern day sports and pop stars. Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing, surveying, or observing participants in order to investigate their experiences with and/or beliefs about a certain aspect of pop culture/fandoms. This course will seek to hone your writing and research skills through an emphasis on drafting, peer review, and revision.

TR | 8:10-9:25 & 12:55-2:10

Inquiry into Pop Culture examines the issues related to celebrities and fan culture, which has received increasing attention after Chappell Roan’s warning to her audience to stop being “creepy.” I invite you to explore all aspects of fan culture, from diehard sports fans and comic book aficionados to Swifties and Potterheads. We will consider questions such as “What boundaries should exist between a celebrity and their audience? How do we separate an artist/player from their work/skill? What sort of obligations does a celebrity have to please their fans?”

We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills, featuring three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. The secondary source project will examine a debate taking place in media and academic contexts. In the archival project, we will explore how fan and popular culture has evolved throughout history, from ancient celebrities to 18th-century best-selling novels to modern day sports and pop stars. Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing, surveying, or observing participants in order to investigate their experiences with and/or beliefs about a certain aspect of pop culture/fandoms. This course will seek to hone your writing and research skills through an emphasis on drafting, peer review, and revision.

MWF | 11:30-12:20 & 3:00-3:50

This course will explore the literary and cultural archetype of the “Cool Sad Girl” through an interdisciplinary and feminist lens, examining works by figures such as Sylvia Plath, Mariana Enríquez, Alejandra Pizarnik, Lana Del Rey, Maggie Nelson, and the character Fleabag. Together, we will examine how these figures embody topics of melancholy, rebellion, and femininity while, simultaneously, challenging traditional representations of womanhood. Students will learn to analyze how these stereotypes play into popular culture, history, and gender theory. This course aims to develop critical writing, argumentative and research skills, and deep understanding of how female figures challenge ideas about girlhood, sexuality, and power.

TR | 8:10-9:25 & 9:45-11:00

This 102 course will look at all facets of the conversation surrounding banned books, from freedom of speech to parental rights. We will examine what subjects tend to be challenged, from historical to current cases. We will also read statements from banned book authors in tandem with statements from students impacted by the bans. For the secondary source essay, students will delve into the intricacies of this debate, identifying stakeholders and examining rhetorical strategies. For the historical website project, students will have the option to either trace the banned book trajectory of one piece of literature over the years or chart the progression of a specific challenged literary theme through the years. For the qualitative interview project, students will devise interview questions based on an area of interest within the larger debate.

TR | 9:45-11:00 & 4:05-5:20

English 102 is all about exploring and articulating questions. It is about understanding how history and cultural narratives are composed. This section, entitled ‘Inquiry into Myths & Monsters: Cowboys, Outlaws, Greek gods, and the Myth of the American Frontier’ and will explore the relationship between the Hollywood Western and American mythology. How have Western films both described and inscribed American cultural perceptions of gender, race, and political ideology? The purpose of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills.

You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you (hopefully your major). Throughout this course, you’ll build a project through inquiry and research using two different methods:

• Archival research: we’ll digitally dig into archival and historical documents, both through the university library and through the US Federal archives.
• Secondary source research: we’ll look into scholarly sources to uncover what other researchers and academics are saying about our topics, and learn how to use this data in collaboration with our own primary source research. You will also be asked to regularly reflect on your research processes

MWF | 8:00-8:50 & 9:10-10:00

Inquiry into social media will provide students with an opportunity to reflect on how digital discourses that they use almost every day fill diverse discursive roles. Through various modes of research, including secondary source, primary source, and qualitative, students will discover the ways in which social media functions in contemporary society. By filtering academic research questions through familiar mode, students will come to a greater understanding of the significance of academic study in the day-to-day, and will thus begin to view other aspects of their lives through an academic lens.

The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. We’ll learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you (hopefully your major). You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional discipline-appropriate papers and a poster presentation.

MWF | 8:00-8:50, 9:10-10:00, & 1:05-2:40

The theme of this course, “Inquiry into Popular Culture,” will investigate conceptions of popular culture and the role it inhabits, both historically and contemporarily in our lives and how they fill diverse, discursive roles.  The course will draw from a variety of written texts as well as through visual, musical, technological, and other various forms of media.  By filtering academic research questions through familiar modes, students will come to a greater understanding of the significance of academic study in the day-to-day and will thus begin to view other aspects of their lives through an academic lens.

The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. Students  will learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing, and you’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you.  With these topics, you’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional discipline appropriate assignments.

MWF | 11:30-12:20

“Inquiry into Food and Memory” combines two of the 102 themes–Food and Memoir–into one class, specifically based around how we preserve memories around food and eating, both in our personal lives and as a wider collective. We will read and analyze both food memoir/creative nonfiction and food criticism/studies as part of our investigation.

TR | 9:45-11:00 & 11:20-12:35

How do we make a monster? What are the visual and cultural rhetorics that we use to describe, ascribe, and define monstrosity, especially as a contrast to humanity? In this course, we will analyze and evaluate the ways monsters and myths come to be and how we are taught to recognize them, paying special attention to rhetorical constructions that we use to determine in/humanity. Through discussion and written inquiry, analysis, argumentation, and research, we will attempt to answer the question posed succinctly in Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame: “What makes a monster and what makes a (hu)man?”

TR | 4:05-5:20

MWF | 10:20-11:10, 12:40-1:30, 1:50-2:40, & 3:00-3:50

This section of English 102 will explore the South as a region and as a construct. The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. We’ll learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from several academic perspectives that interest you (hopefully your major). You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional, discipline-appropriate papers.

TR | 12:55-2:10 & 4:05-5:20

In 102: Inquiry into Memoir, we will explore the genre of memoir and write short memoir pieces looking at memories of our history and identity in the process. We’ll write weekly in addition to the three major writing assignments of the term.

TR | 9:45-11:00

This section of English 102 will explore issues related to food, a topic that has always received attention due to increasing concerns over obesity, health and nutritional inequalities, global hunger, food diversity, culinary transition, sustainable food-related practices, and genetically modified foods. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills.

To accomplish this goal, we will conduct three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. In the secondary source project, we will conduct academic research to examine current debates about food. For instance, we can explore genetically modified foods and assess their global importance and status. In the archival project, we will explore the historical significance of food, focusing on specific topics like the emergence of fast-food chain restaurants in the US and the need for more diverse food options (think halal, ethically sourced ingredients, holistic food practices).

Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing specific populations to investigate their experiences with and/or beliefs about a food-related topic. A possible example would be to interview several employees of a popular fast-food about their experiences serving and preparing fast food. After the data are collected, we will work on finding underlying patterns among the responses to see what the respondents (do not) have in common. This course aims to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. We’ll learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you (hopefully your major). You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional discipline-appropriate papers and a poster presentation.

MWF | 10:20-11:10, 11:30-12:20, 1:50-2:40, 4:10-5:00

This course explores the phenomenon of echo chambers in contemporary discourse, particularly in digital and social media spaces. Students will investigate how echo chambers form, the ways they influence perceptions and beliefs, and their impact on public discourse and democracy. Through critical reading, writing, and research, we will examine the effects of confirmation bias, the role of algorithms in shaping online communities, and the consequences of insulated social environments.

MWF | 10:20-11:10 & 12:40-1:30

In Inquiry into Film, we as a class will examine the impact of film as a medium onto popular culture, political debate, social activism, and more. In a world in which movies influence phenomena from aesthetic trends to cultural conversation, it is important to analyze how films impact our lives in a number of ways. Throughout this course, we will utilize research skills ranging from scholarly, archival, and qualitative research to investigate the effects of the cinema in public consciousness. We will undergo a thorough examination of the writing process, including drafting and peer review, to discover theories from cultural representation in film, the question of censorship and movie ratings, to how can film impact our political/social beliefs.

MWF | 12:40-1:30 & 1:50-2:40

Inquiry into Humor in American Culture examines issues of humor as a language of social and political engagement. In our age of social media scrolling and bite-sized entertainment, it is common to see influencers, newscasters, stand-up comedians, and even Presidential candidates use humor to reach diverse audiences and to deliver complex messages quickly and accessibly. But few stop to consider how humor works, why it is funny, and the role it plays as a medium of serious communication in our democracy. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills.

TR | 12:55-2:10

Inquiry into Happiness and Meaningful Life investigates the concepts of happiness, fulfillment, and the search for meaning through historical, philosophical, social, cultural, and political lenses. This section engages students in critical reading, writing, and discussion, encouraging them to explore diverse perspectives on what constitutes a meaningful life. Students will develop research and writing skills through secondary, archival, and qualitative research projects, utilizing drafting, peer review, and revision strategies to enhance their work. By analyzing multimodal texts across various genres and cultures, students will strengthen their skills in argumentation, rhetorical analysis, and academic research. Additionally, the course emphasizes personal reflection, prompting students to connect course themes to their own experiences and aspirations.

TR | 8:10-9:25

TR | 12:55-2:10 & 2:30-3:45

To inquire is to ask questions, to seek, to investigate, to research. In this English 102 course, “Inquiry into Justice,” you’ll develop reading, research, and writing strategies to ask questions about a particular form of justice that interests you. What do you think of when you think of what is fair, righteous, ethical, and truthful? Understanding justice in this class might mean diving into your passion for environmental justice, linguistic justice, or racial justice, or exploring justice in the contexts of gun violence, healthcare access, the refugee crisis, economic inequality (including poverty), food insecurity, gender inequality, voter participation, religion, criminal justice reform, education, disability, or sexuality, among other approaches to social justice. What aspects of human life are affected by a pursuit of justice in ways you don’t yet know or understand? What questions about justice do you want to ask—and answer? In this course, you’ll develop your research and writing skills and knowledge by investigating your specific interest in justice, past, present, and future. You’ll formulate your own research questions about the collective and/or individual effects of injustice, which you’ll then investigate through secondary sources (research by scholars), as well as your own primary archival and qualitative research.

MWF | 1:50-2:40 & 4:10-5:00

This section of English 102 will investigate the mythology and reality behind “cults”, exploring the ways in which these leaders and their ideological movements capture the imaginations and loyalty of their followers. We will question the cultural and psychological underpinnings of cultic devotion and challenge the conventional narratives that surround them. By examining historical and contemporary examples of “cults”, students will critically analyze recruitment tactics, societal conditions that give rise to these groups, and the ways in which popular media and public perception shape our understanding of them. We will focus on examples of widely known “cults” in America as a means of examining ideologies from the past to the present, but students are encouraged to explore lesser-known or global movements of their choice for their research projects. Building upon the research and writing skills introduced in English 101, this course emphasizes critical inquiry, analysis, and academic writing. Students will conduct three types of research:

• Secondary Source Research – engaging with scholarly debates on the cultural impact and ethical questions surrounding “cults”.
• Archival Research – investigating the historical context of cultic movements, focusing on media representation and public reactions from the 20th century onward.
• Qualitative Research – interviewing or surveying individuals to explore modern beliefs or experiences surrounding “cults”, ideologies, and religious movements.

Through a series of writing assignments, peer reviews, and revisions, students will develop their ability to critically engage with complex texts and present well-researched, persuasive arguments.

TR | 12:55-2:10

In this section of English 102/132, students will explore readings and conversations related to food, a topic that yields itself to all sorts of rich discussions on different issues and experiences. Because food is often a reflection of family, community, and/or culture, this course theme will be well suited to our cross-listed section of 102/132. Students will have the opportunity both to write and inquire into their own cultural experiences with food and heritage, as well as to learn about other cultures and lived experience through this course theme. Other food-adjacent issues we will examine in this class will include food deserts and food insecurity, food as fuel for the body as well as care for the mind and soul, family and community recipes as a site for archival research, family and community traditions and rituals surrounding or involving food, and more. Because food is written about and studied in a wide variety of disciplines, students are encouraged to think outside the box and consider how this course theme will connect uniquely and effectively with their own majors or interests.

MWF | 8:00-8:50 & 9:10-10:00

Memoir is the murky place where memory, research, and storytelling intersect, and in this section of English 102 we will focus on crafting writing driven by our memories and experiences. We will examine examples of stories, primarily nonfictional and a few fictional, that teach us how emotional truth and fact often intertwine. We will examine the memoir genre and will practice personal writing with special attention to the roles of history, place, and identity in our lives. The goals of this course are to develop your academic research, analysis, and communication skills. You will have the opportunity to gather information by searching your family archives, conducting interviews with family and friends, and employing traditional research methods. Additional emphasis will be placed on prewriting, reflection, and revision, so we can consider how writing evolves as an ongoing process. You will practice presenting what you have learned using several academic genres, such as an archival research paper, a qualitative research paper, an annotated bibliography, and a secondary source paper.

MWF | 12:40-1:30 & 1:50-2:40

Inquiry into Memoir examines the issues of memory, history, and the places we inhabit as it relates to our understanding of ourselves and others. We will use the topic of memoir to develop research and writing skills, while exploring questions such as how our memories and stories shape us, how the places we occupy or inherit inform our identity, and how family history acts as a focal point between story, memory, and place. The course features secondary, archival, and qualitative research projects. You will use skills such as drafting, peer review, and revision to improve your work over the course of the semester.

TR | 11:20-12:35 & 4:05-5:20

“It’s a cult!”— You’ve undoubtedly heard this acidic accusation levied about in American society in contexts as varied as the political sphere, social media fitness influencers, and Taylor Swift fandoms. But what exactly is at play when one portion of culture points at another to condemn it as so radical or fanatical it amounts to a coercive, predatory, “brainwashing” group? Capital “C” Cults are driven by conspiratorial worldviews and propelled toward violent criminal outcomes, yet we also speak of “cult followings” or “cult classics” in music and film to reflect a certain ardent appreciation. True Crime, too, has its own “culty” vibe, the sense that one must be a little transgressive or deviant or “weird” to find aesthetic or intellectual intrigue in such sordid subjects.

In this course, we will study the relationships between these sensational terms, what you might call “The Three C’s of Intellectual Profanity,” topics that, for all our world-weariness, we cannot help but feel drawn toward despite their repellent cultural cache. We will research and evaluate the cultic and conspiratorial from a critical perspective, seeking to understand how this unsavory section of your neighborhood bookstore can descend into the most totalizing romantic rebellions against modernity

Online

Our readings, writing assignments, and research will be related to the concept of the hero and how it has changed through time. We shall focus upon the epic hero in traditional literature as well as modern characterizations in popular culture. Through the study of epics such as the Iliad, modern fantasy literature (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), and film (Troy), we shall consider how images of the hero show continuity as well as transformation through different time periods, cultures, and media. We shall use qualitative, archival, and secondary source research to explore our topic (which may also include role models and villains) through various essay assignments.

MWF | 10:20-11:10 & 12:40-1:30

Our specific course theme is Inquiry into Food. This semester we will examine the issue of food and our relationship to it. Food is a subject that necessarily concerns every human on earth. It is key to our survival, but also to our sense of pleasure in life. Food is one of the key aspects that give identity, structure, and sustenance to a particular culture. It concerns the global economy. It can also be a deeply personal matter of health, ethics, and belief systems.

This semester, we will use the topic of food to develop our research and writing skills. To accomplish this goal, we will conduct three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. The secondary source project will examine a current debate surrounding agriculture, nutrition, or a related issue. In the archival project, we will explore the historical significance of artifacts concerning food (a particular recipe or dish, food advertisement, etc). Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing, surveying, and/or observing participants in order to investigate their experiences, opinions, behaviors, and/or beliefs about food.

The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. We’ll learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you. Consider your hobbies, interests, major when deciding on a topic. You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to an academic audience in traditional discipline-appropriate papers or other genres appropriate to the subject and audience. Ideally, you’ll better understand your relationship with food and consider why you eat what you eat the way you eat it. If we are what we eat, understanding our food helps us understand ourselves.

MWF | 9:10-10:00

Tune in, Turn on, Drop out. Black is beautiful. Give Peace a chance. These and other slogans mark one of the most momentous decades in American history with significant cultural, political, and social transformations. The era’s shifts still affect our political views, society, and culture, and Inquiry into the ’60s: A Decade of Revolution will explore these in wide-ranging research topics. Students might investigate social developments like the Civil Rights Movement or student protests, counterculture lifestyles such as communes, cultural insignias like rock ‘n roll or psychedelic fashion, spiritual exploration of Buddhism or mysticism, experiments with drugs like LSD or the sexual revolution – and many other facets of a unique generational rebellion.    

The English 102 requirements will take different forms: historical research using artifacts from that decade and secondary research comparing studies of that era, as well; students will also gather information on an original topic of their choice about their own generation.

TR | 12:55-2:10

How many times have you seen food or heard about food today? Perhaps, Spotify put on an ad for a meal delivery service, or you flipped past the Food Network. Maybe a friend gave you a restaurant suggestion right before this class started, or maybe in driving to campus you spot a billboard advertising the next exit with a Cracker Barrel. Even when we are not eating, we are constantly surrounded by images and language that engage with food. In this class we hope to take a broad look at what food does, how it’s rendered, how it makes us feel and why all of that is important. Moreover, we will engage with questions about what it means to be authentic and what kind of work that authenticity does for us. We will talk about how food and food sharing builds communities. And we will think about the metaphorical life of food, how the act of sharing is a granting of access into our own interior lives. This course will focus on the development of student’s research and inquiry skills through a variety of projects with food serving as the unifying topic. Students can expect to read and watch a variety of different materials dealing with food on a variety of cultural and scholarly levels.

TR | 9:45-11:00, 11:20-12:35, & 4:05-5:20

If we are what we eat, then what do the choices we make on a daily basis say about us? This writing and research course is an investigation of the complex relationship that humans have with food. We’ll look at what, when, with whom, and how we eat and what these choices reveal about ourselves and our culture.

You’ll formulate your own research questions about the collective and individual effects of food on culture, which you’ll then investigate through qualitative, archival, and secondary source research. For the qualitative project, you’ll gather your own data through interviews to examine how a food or food practice has impacted a specific group of people or aspect of society. You’ll continue that line of inquiry with your archival project by creating a digital museum exhibit that highlights and examines a food or food practice’s effects upon a particular community. In the secondary source project, you’ll locate and analyze scholarly sources to explore a food-related line of inquiry relevant to today’s culture.

English 102 advances the concepts introduced in English 101 and provides students with intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research. Throughout the semester, we’ll focus on strategies for formulating and investigating questions, locating and evaluating information, using varied sources and research methods, developing positions on intercultural and interdisciplinary issues from diverse texts (print, digital, and multimedia), and presenting research using appropriate rhetorical conventions.

TR | 11:20-12:35, 2:30-3:45, & 4:05-5:20

This section (Venture LLC) will focus on an inquiry into business ethics: what is business ethics, what are current and past issues involving business ethics, how has business ethics changed, and how do other people feel and/or what do they think about business ethics?

TR | 9:45-11:00 & 12:55-2:10

This section of English 102 will explore issues related to food, a topic which has always received attention due to reasons such as obesity, global hunger, food culture, and genetically-modified foods. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. To accomplish this goal, we will conduct three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. In the secondary source project, we will conduct academic research to examine current debates about food. For instance, we can explore genetically modified foods along with assessing their global importance and status. In the archival project, we will explore the historical significance of food, focusing on specific topics like the emergence of fast food chain restaurants in the US. Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing specific populations in order to investigate their experiences with and/or beliefs about a particular food-related topic. A possible example would be to interview several McDonald’s employees about their experiences serving and preparing fast food. After the data are collected, we will work on finding underlying patterns among the responses to see what the respondents (do not) have in common. The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. We’ll learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you (hopefully your major). You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional discipline-appropriate papers and a poster presentation.

TR | 8:10-9:25, 11:20-12:35, 12:55-2:10, & 2:30-3:45

Inquiry into Pop Culture: Genre Fiction will provide students with an opportunity to reflect on Genre Fiction as a cultural force and its broad influence within various forms of media and art. Students can focus on a specific genre, art form or text in their research; they can also study the economic, social, or political impacts of this cultural shift.

Through various modes of research, including secondary source, primary source, and qualitative, students will discover the ways in which various virtual cultures function in contemporary society. By filtering academic research questions through familiar mode, students will come to a greater understanding of the significance of academic study in the day-to-day, and will thus begin to view other aspects of their lives through an academic lens.

The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. We’ll learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you (hopefully your major). You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional discipline-appropriate papers and a poster presentation.

MWF | 9:10-10:00, 10:20-11:10, & 12:40-1:30

Advancing concepts introduced in English 101, English 102 provides students with intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research. It does so by emphasizing strategies for formulating and investigating questions, locating and evaluating information, using varied sources and research methods, developing positions on intercultural and interdisciplinary issues from diverse texts (print, digital, and multimedia), and presenting research using appropriate rhetorical conventions. This class will specifically use media adaptations to learn how to utilize these strategies.

TR | 8:10-9:25 & 2:30-3:45

English 102 advances the concepts introduced in English 101and provides students with intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research. Throughout the semester, we will  focus on strategies for formulating and investigating questions, locating and evaluating information, using varied sources and research methods, developing positions on intercultural and interdisciplinary issues from diverse texts (print, digital, and multimedia), and presenting research using appropriate rhetorical conventions.

Our specific course theme is “Inquiry into Evidence.” A key element of academic thought and research is how truth and knowledge are produced. Part of examining those modes of production is to query the means by which humans decide on ‘truth.’ What types of evidence do we accept? What types do we reject? How do we evaluate knowledge? What would it take for us to change our minds? How does disciplinary or socio-cultural context affect the answers to these questions? We will be addressing these concerns throughout the semester as we perform research, craft our own arguments, and read the arguments of others.

MWF | 11:30, 12:20, 1:50-2:40, & 3:00-3:50

In this English 102 course, we’ll be examining environmentalism, namely the socio-political discussion of environmental concerns. The importance and primacy of this topic within our cultural discourse does not need to be explained. Still, we will read articles from Canvas to generate class discussion and to achieve a more rounded understanding of the topic and how people are discussing it in specific ways. This unit will require you to take part in that conversation. In this course, you’ll develop research and writing skills by investigating environmental issues, past and present. You’ll formulate your own research questions about specific aspects of this broad theme–questions that you’ll then investigate through secondary source, archival, and qualitative research. In the secondary source project, you’ll locate and analyze scholarly sources to explore an environmental-related line of inquiry. You’ll continue that line of inquiry with your archival project by creating a digital museum exhibit that highlights and examines the effects of a past environmental catastrophe upon a particular community. For the qualitative project, you’ll gather your own data through interviews, surveys, or focus groups to examine environmental attitudes or experiences within a specific group of people or aspect of society.

TR | 11:20-12:35

Inquiry into social media will provide students with an opportunity to reflect on how digital discourses that they use almost every day fill diverse discursive roles. Through various modes of research, including secondary source, primary source, and qualitative, students will discover the ways in which social media functions in contemporary society. By filtering academic research questions through familiar mode, students will come to a greater understanding of the significance of academic study in the day-to-day, and will thus begin to view other aspects of their lives through an academic lens.

The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. We’ll learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you (hopefully your major). You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional discipline-appropriate papers and a poster presentation.

TR | 9:45-11:00

In this class, we will study various forms of memoirs. Students would apply rhetorical questions and appeals to all the essays and memoirs that will be read in class.

MWF | 9:10-10:00, 10:20-11:10, & 12:40-1:30

This 102 course will take you on a deep dive into the history and sociological contexts of horror cinema and culture as a means of understanding that horror is much more than a genre of vulgarity and cheap scares. Through various research projects, we will examine how horror films reveal the histories of our (and other) culture’s deepest anxieties, fears, and repressions. We will do so by drawing connections between themes in horror cinema and the current events and societal anxieties that inform creative choices within the genre.

MWF | 9:10-10:00 & 11:30-12:20

Inquiry into Myths and Monsters examines the issues of American Horror which has received increasing attention because of the large number of films, TV shows, and real-life instances of crime. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. This course will feature three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. The secondary source project will examine a debate about how horror has influenced the perpetuation of true crime. In the archival project, we will explore the historical significance of American horror films, TV shows, and literature, from 1970 to the present. Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing participants to investigate their experiences with and/or beliefs about horror. This course will hone your writing and research skills through drafting, peer review, and revision.

TR | 8:10-9:25, 9:45-11:00, & 11:20-12:35

This section of English 102 will explore issues related to food, a topic which has always received attention due to reasons such as obesity, global hunger, food culture, and genetically-modified foods. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. To accomplish this goal, we will conduct three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. In the secondary source project, we will conduct academic research to examine current debates about food. For instance, we can explore genetically modified foods along with assessing their global importance and status. In the archival project, we will explore the historical significance of food, focusing on specific topics like the emergence of fast food chain restaurants in the US. Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing specific populations in order to investigate their experiences with and/or beliefs about a particular food-related topic. A possible example would be to interview several McDonald’s employees about their experiences serving and preparing fast food. After the data are collected, we will work on finding underlying patterns among the responses to see what the respondents (do not) have in common.

The point of this course is to develop your academic research, writing, and communication skills. We’ll learn about our course topic through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you (hopefully your major). You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional discipline-appropriate papers and a poster presentation.

MWF | 10:20-11:10 & 11:30-12:20

Inquiry into Popular Culture examines how topics such as film, music, sport, fashion, and more shape and are shaped by broader contemporary society. We’ll examine the ongoing relationship of popular culture with politics, civil rights, environmental justice, and other issues to develop research and writing skills. The course features secondary, archival, and qualitative research projects. You will use skills such as drafting, peer review, and revision to improve your work over the course of the semester.

Online Asynchronous

This section of English 102 will explore the role of myth in culture, particularly how the transmission of knowledge and values across generations often occurs through storytelling. Our collective histories as nations, as people groups, and as individuals are made up of frameworks which help us to make sense of spiritual and natural realities. Certain repeating themes—such as the “Hero’s Journey” or “Monomyth” commonly seen in Hollywood blockbusters and popular book series—unite times and places by speaking in universal terms to what it means to be human. These stories and themes constitute myth, a vehicle by which truth is told through fiction. In this course, students will learn to write and research through an examination of traditional and popular myths such as the fairy story, the folk legend, and its modern counterpart, the superhero tale.

Online Asynchronous

Food is a part of everyone’s life. While the course and its texts and discussions will be focused around the industrialization of food in the West, students are invited to do their own research on food (culture, sociology, etc.) and explore that in the course’s projects

MWF | 9:10-10:00, 10:20-11:10, & 12:40-1:30

English 102 advances the concepts introduced in English 101 and provides students with intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research. Throughout the semester, we’ll focus on strategies for formulating and investigating questions, locating and evaluating information, using varied sources and research methods, developing positions on intercultural and interdisciplinary issues from diverse texts (print, digital, and multimedia), and presenting research using appropriate rhetorical conventions. This section of English 102 will explore lore. This subject spans across many interests, from mythology to conspiracy theory to oral traditions. Throughout this course we will use lore to develop research and writing skills through three kinds of research: secondary source, qualitative, and archival.

8:10-9:25 & 9:45-11:00

Inquiry into Humor will allow students to investigate humor in all its numerous forms—various genres, common messages and tropes, target audiences, and modes of communication—to understand the nuanced social and historical contexts in which comedic works are composed, received, and circulated. Because humor is constantly evolving, culturally specific, and inherently interactive, it provides exciting avenues for critiquing social institutions, political figures, and current events, all while deepening our understanding of ourselves and others. This course will use the topic of humor to develop academic research and writing skills as students engage in secondary, qualitative, and archival research in search of definitive answers to inherently subjective questions.

Inquiry into Humor will ask students to tackle surprisingly complex topics such as what makes something funny, what makes something offensive, and how we should respond to controversial perspectives. Particular attention will be paid to defining and differentiating among key terms such as humor, comedy, and amusement, with one example being an exploration of those instances that might be described as amusing or humorous despite them not being blatantly, or at times even intentionally, funny. We will also discuss an assortment of prominent humor theories, diverse comedic styles, and comedy’s therapeutic qualities relative to difficult subjects like mental health, inequality, cultural differences, grief, and even trauma.

TR | 11:20-12:35

Inquiry into the South examines the issues of underrepresented communities who are some of the most underappreciated pedestals of the South’s cultural and intellectual infrastructure. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. This course will feature three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. We will explore questions such as: Historically, who has been able to decide what constitutes the South and how do we see this replicating in our everyday conversations? What are some of the tropes and stereotypes referencing the South that we often see in literature/speech and is there a way to reclaim these to empower? What Southern voices are often overlooked and why? This course will hone your writing and research skills through drafting, peer review, and revision.

MWF | 11:30-12:20

For Inquiry into Myths and Monsters, we will be examining the mythos around the vampire, one of the world’s favorite monsters. Using this topic, students will develop their research and writing skills. This course will feature three kinds of research: secondary source, archival, and qualitative. The secondary source project will examine debates about what the vampire represents, as well as how that representation has changed over time. In the archival project, we will explore the historical significance of the vampire in media, particularly looking at film. Finally, we will conduct qualitative research by interviewing participants in order to investigate their thoughts on vampires in pop culture, discovering if people lean more towards Edward Cullen or Count Dracula when they think of the most well-known blood sucking fiends.

TR | 12:55-2:10

In War, Conflict, and the Power of Story, we will examine issues of honor, duty, and the civilian perspective in war narratives, which have received increasing attention due to ongoing global conflicts and their portrayal in literature, film, video games, and the media. We will use this topic to develop research and writing skills. Our course will feature three kinds of research: secondary source, qualitative, and archival. The secondary source project will examine a debate about the representation of heroism in modern and/or classical texts and put them in conversation with modern media. For the qualitative research project, we will conduct interviews with veterans and community members to investigate their experiences and beliefs about war and its representation. Finally, the archival project will have us explore the historical significance of wartime documents and narratives.

MWF | 8:00-8:50, 9:10-10:00, & 10:20-11:10

About the future of Artificial Intelligence Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) is quoted saying, “The bad case — and I think this is important to say — is, like, lights out for all of us” (Insider, 2023).  Kelsey Piper writes in a recent article for Vox, “This is not because it [Artificial Intelligence] hates humans and wants us to die, but because it didn’t care and was willing to, say, poison the entire atmosphere, or unleash a plague, if that happened to be the best way to do the things it was trying to do” (Vox, 2022). This fearful apprehension seems to be a large portion of the public discourse surrounding the induction and rapid progression of Artificial Intelligence. And while caution is important to carry with us into this new future, is it the only conversation worth having?

Artificial Intelligence is here to stay, there’s no denying it. With programs like ChatGPT, Google Bard, Character.AI, etc. advancing literally by the second, our focus should be on understanding the nature of these programs rather than demonizing them. In his latest novel, Klara and the Sun, Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro poses questions about the nature of intelligence in an era of machine learning and automation, circumventing the narrow view of AI’s future and exploring the more abstract and philosophical natures of this new phenomenon. In this seminar we will take up those questions:

Can there be as such? Can a machine think? What is the nature of intelligence? How do we define our intelligence in contrast/comparison to machine intelligence? What is consciousness? Where is the line between human and nonhuman? What does a posthuman world look like?

Course readings will be balanced between primary sources (we will work with fiction, representations of AI in visual media, articles on the implications of AI and machine learning in cultural and scientific texts, etc.) and scholarly work in: Pop Culture Studies, Performance Studies, Cultural Studies, and film scholarship.

MWF | 10:20-11:10, 11:30-12:20, 1:50-2:40, & 3:00-3:50

The way our human world is built relies on certain assumptions about what is “normal” and what is not. The function of scholarly inquiry is to question those common-sense assumptions: What does it mean to be abled or disabled? Where do those definitions come from? Who makes them? When do you shift from one category to another? How do our assumptions make it hard for us to understand what’s really going on? How do we account for human difference, and what are the consequences of these decisions?

Once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll see how ideas about disability affect many fields of study: art, literature, education, engineering, design, business, philosophy, religion, history and more. There’s ample room within this theme for you to explore topics of interest to you in terms of your major or your social commitments.

MWF | 9:10-10:00 & 12:40-1:30

We all have our favorite shows, music, celebrities, teams, and hobbies, but being a “fan” tends to take it to another level. Fandoms help create communities, establish shared sets of values, and give a sense of belonging; they also breed tribalism, gatekeeping, and toxic behaviors. They can be healthy escapism, and they can be unhealthy avoidance. An entire city might shape its identity around a team, and yet, that same city might burn in riots when the team wins a championship. This section of 102 will use this multifaceted aspect of fan culture as the basis of our research. You’ll be able to use the fandoms you love, the fandoms you hate, and the fandoms that are simply strange or curious to launch into researching big topics like how we form communities and relationships, how personal interests turn into a battlefield for deeper issues, how fan culture creates opportunities for new expressions of creativity, or how big corporations stoke our interests and passions to get our money and keep us on the hook. Our projects will look at the topic historically and contemporaneously, and over the semester, hopefully leave us with an idea of how niche interests are relevant—and important—parts of the big ideas of academic research.

TR | 12:55-2:10

“Inquiry into Indie Games” will be a class that researches the independent video games/small video games industry by playing a couple accessible, cheap computer games, taking a look at game journalism, reading up on research surrounding who plays what kinds of games, and discussing some relevant theory around games. Student projects will include historical research into the gaming industry, qualitative research into gaming on campus (such as our Esports presence), and analytical research into an ongoing concern in the gaming industry of the students’ choosing. The choice to focus on indie games will help students develop a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of gaming in alt-spaces, as well as an understanding of game development and marketing beyond Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. Students coming from various majors will be provided “ins” to engage with the topic from marketing, graphic design, engineering, or English to anything under the sun.

TR | 11:20-12:35, 2:30-3:45, & 4:05-5:20

The Titanic began as an engineering puzzle, became a historical trauma, and by the end of its century had become both an archeological challenge and a case study in the modern Hollywood blockbuster. This course will allow students examine both the ship and its legacy in all of these contexts. First students will study primary sources in the form of survivor accounts and press coverage of the disaster. They will then research recent scholarship in a discipline of their choice that will provide a methodological context for discussing some aspect of the ship or its enduring cultural resonance. Finally, students will conduct a qualitative research project in order to better understand the enduring fascination, in the twenty-first century, of spectacular historical tragedies.

Online Asynchronous

Inquiry into pop culture, digital media, and activism will provide students with an opportunity to reflect on how digital discourses that they use almost every day fill diverse discursive roles. Through various modes of research, including secondary source, primary source, and qualitative, students will discover the ways in which pop culture and digital media function in contemporary society. By filtering academic research questions through familiar mode, students will come to a greater understanding of the significance of academic study in the day-to-day, and will thus begin to view other aspects of their lives through an academic lens.

TR | 8:10-9:25, 11:20-12:35, & 12:55-2:10

This section of ENGL 102 will consider the complicated histories, identities, environments, and cultural constructions of Appalachian America. Nationally known as a site of extraction and poverty, this course aims to explore persistent challenges for Appalachians while engaging with historic depictions and contemporary productions of Appalachia. We will review critical contributions to writing, art, film, music, and social and environmental justice as we seek authentic narratives of finding home in these hills.

MWF | 10:20-11:10, 11:30-12:20, & 1:50-2:40

English 102 advances the concepts introduced in English 101 and provides students with intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research. In this section, students are invited to explore fairy tales as rich texts that reflect complex cultural, historical, and social issues. Students will conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research analyzing different versions of classic fairy tales, modern adaptations and retellings, and critical scholarship about their cultural impact. Students will produce original research projects that blend personal inquiry with academic analysis in order to practice both research methodologies and literary criticism.

MWF | 3:00-3:50

Inquiry into Memoir will provide students with the opportunity to develop and practice skills in various modes of research while investigating an unlikely subject—themselves! This course aims to help students gain a deeper understanding of the things (places, people, experiences, etc) that shape who they are and how they interact with and understand the world. While exploring their past, students will build necessary research skills by completing primary source, secondary source, and qualitative research projects. Encouraging students to engage in research-driven self-reflection will lead students to a better understanding of themselves as well as a practical understanding of how to apply research techniques to a wide variety of subjects.

MWF | 11:30-12:20

What have you been listening to? Inquiry into popular music will provide students with an opportunity to reflect critically on how they design their sonic environments by listening to music and what historical discourses that listening is engaged with. By conducting secondary, primary, and qualitative research, students will gain new perspectives as to how music shapes their world, and how the world shapes their music. We’ll learn together about the myriad forms that constitute popular music through each other’s research and writing. You’ll be able to investigate the topic from any academic perspective that interests you (hopefully your major). You’ll learn how to conduct archival, qualitative, and secondary source research and will present what you’ve learned to academic audiences in traditional discipline-appropriate papers and a poster presentation.