ECONOMICS

Course Code: EC 201H Sec 301H

Credits: 3

Time: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Intructor: Dr. Carl Liedholm

Faculty Biography:

• Professor, Dept. of Economics, Michigan State University Member of Department of Economics since 1965
• Visiting Fellow (Professor) Yale University, University of Colorado, Wesleyan University (Connecticut), Oxford University (United Kingdom), Sussex University (United Kingdom), University of Amsterdam, University of Nigeria
• Board of Directors, Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis
• Member of Research Advisory Committee, United States Agency for International Development, Department of State, 1987-92; Social Science Research Council, African Doctoral Fellowship Committee, Washington, D.C.
• Author of nine books or monographs and over one hundred articles or papers, with special emphasis on micro and small enterprises in Africa, Asia and Latin America
• MSU Senior Class Council Professor of the Year Award; MSU College of Social Science Outstanding Teaching Award; MSU Broad College of Business Student Senate Outstanding Teaching Award
• Recipient of State of Michigan Teaching Excellence Award, Michigan State University (Amoco Foundation) Excellence in Teaching Award, Withrow Teacher/Scholar Award (MSU College of Business)

Course Description:

This course provides an introduction to the economy from the viewpoint of individuals and businesses and is intended to develop a basic understanding of economic institutions, reasoning and analysis. Microeconomics is essentially the study and practice of making individual choices in a world where people cannot escape the reality of scarcity. In a market economy, these choices are crucially determined by a system of prices for goods as well as resources. Using the tools of economic analysis, the class will consider such issues as: how does the Mars Co. decide how much to charge for M & M candy? Why does the price of Coke increase this week, and then immediately decrease next week? How does Uncle John, owner of Uncle John’s apple orchard and cider mill in St. Johns, decide how many apples he should pick this year in order to maximize his profits? Is going to college a good investment? Why does government regulate local cable TV services? How can you make decisions concerning the optimal allocation of your own time? These and related economics questions will be examined through a variety of readings and extensive in-class discussions. In addition, members of the class will have an opportunity to undertake their own original economic studies, including price surveys in the Lansing area.

It is strongly recommended that students have completed math through Algebra 2 before taking this class. 

BIOTECHNOLOGY

Course Code: CSS 491H Sec 301H

Credits: 3

Time: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Instructor: Dr. Mariam Sticklen

Faculty Biography:

• Professor of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources since 1987
• Advisor to the United States National Academy of Sciences on (1) Bioconfinement of Genetically Engineered Organisms, and (2) Genomics: Genomes To Life (GTL) Program
• Former member of the Board of Trustees of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in Washington DC
• Recipient of the Michigan State University Smuckler International Award
• Inventor of nine U.S. patents
• Editor of two biotechnology books and author of over 150 biotechnology book chapters and journal articles

Course Description:

The course covers the building blocks of life, how genes work, genetic engineering of prokaryotes and eukaryotes, disease diagnosis and disease prevention, production of biofuels and biopharma, and bioremediation. The course also discusses the science behind major human diseases such as HIV/AIDS and cancer, dangers of recombinant biological weapons, interfering with the natural evolution, and more. Students will visit a genetic engineering laboratory to observe the actual practice of recombinant DNA technology for production of industrial enzymes and pharmaceuticals.

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

Course Code: PSY 101H Sec 301H

Credits: 4 Time: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 9:00 AM - 12:40 PM (plus Internet hours)

Instructor: Dr. Linda A. Jackson

Faculty Biography:

• Professor, Dept. of Psychology, Michigan State University
• Member of Department of Psychology since 1981
• Recipient of Michigan State University Teacher-Scholar Award, 1986
• Principal Investigator on two National Science Foundation grant projects, HomeNet Too (http://www.msu.edu/user/jackso67/homenettoo/) and The Children and Technology Project (http://www.msu.edu/user/jackso67/CT/children/)
• Professor Jackson is interested in the effects of technology on how children think, feel and behave as members of the “Net Generation.”
• Member of American Psychological Association, American Psychological Society, Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education, Association of Computing Machinery, Society for Experimental Social Psychology

Course Description:

This course will focus on developing an understanding of what psychology is all about and how psychologists go about the business of studying human behavior. We will examine a diverse set of topics, including the nervous system (e.g., how does the chemistry of the brain influence mood and behavior?); intelligence (e.g., can we become more intelligent? Why or why not?); memory (e.g., why do we remember emotionally-charged events better than emotionally-neutral ones?); attitudes (e.g., are people innately prejudiced?); cognitive development (e.g., what do infants know and how do we know they know?); and mental disorders (e.g., what causes depression and what can be done about it?). Classroom and outside-of-class activities will emphasize student participation in the form of discussion and use of the World Wide Web to present psychological concepts and research. Course grades will be determined by mastery of course content, with an emphasis on understanding core concepts and issues in psychology.

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

Course Code: PHL 200H Sec 301H

Credits: 3

Time: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Instructor: Steve Esquith

Faculty Biography:

• Professor, Department of Philosophy, Michigan State University, 1991 – present
• Dean, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, Michigan State University, 2007 – present
• Senior Fulbright Scholar, Poland 1990-91, Mali 2005-06
• Recipient of MSU Teacher-Scholar Award, 1984
• Author of two books, Intimacy and Spectacle: Liberal Political Theory (1994) and The Responsibilities of Political Bystanders (2009); editor or co-editor of four volumes of essays in ethics and political philosophy; author of 25 refereed articles or chapters in ethics and political philosophy
• Member of the American Philosophical Association, the American Political Science Association, and advisory board of the International Development Ethics Association

Course Description:

Philosophy involves thinking hard about life’s fundamental questions – the types of questions that do not fit squarely into any other discipline. What are the limits of our knowledge? Is it possible to know anything with certainty? Can we know what is right or wrong? Does God exist? What exactly is “the mind,” and is it something separate from the brain? What does it mean to have free will in a world that tells us that all events must have a cause? How is it possible for a person to undergo the many changes brought on by life and yet remain the same person? In this course we not only probe these questions ourselves, but also explore how others have raised them in traditional philosophical texts, science fiction stories, and film. Course material will be explored through readings, film, class discussions, and writing assignments. Students will be encouraged to develop and defend their own answers to philosophical questions and critically evaluate the responses others have offered. Requirements include daily reading and discussion questions, two short essays, and a final examination.

INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH

Course Code: ENG 210 Sec 301H

Credits: 3

Time: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Instructor: Dr. Stephen Carl Arch

Faculty Biography:

• Prof., Department of English, Michigan State University, 1989 - present
• Chair, Department of English, Michigan State University, 2007 - present
• Author of two books, including After Franklin: The Emergence of Autobiography in Post-Revolutionary America
• Editor of three books
• Author of 15 articles on early American literature, autobiography, and the novel
• Fulbright lecturer, University of Nijmegen (the Netherlands), 1996

Course Description:

We’re living in a moment when technology is changing our conceptions of “literature” – blogs, tweets, and social networking permit “anyone” to be a published writer; file sharing, piracy, and sampling have broken down the barriers between discrete texts; newspapers, book publishers, and magazines are scrambling to find a way to make money in a paperless economy. In this class, we will study the foundational concepts of literary and humanistic study (formalism, figuration, rhetorical theory, narratology, etc.) through the lens of three paradigmatic shifts: the invention of printing in the 15th century (initiating a shift from oral to written discourse), the emergence of modernism ca. 1800 (initiating the invention of concepts like nationalism and professionalism), and our own peculiar moment of transition. Primary texts to be studied will include works like Jane Austen, Emma; Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; and an episode of the TV series The Wire. Secondary readings will include works like Sven Birkets, The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in the Electronic Age. Students will be expected to read intensely, contribute to class discussions regularly, and write 25-30 polished pages of criticism and commentary.