First-Year Writing Seminar Spring- ENG 1111

Spring - 3 Credits

---

English 1168 - In Pursuit of Health and Wellbeing

 

This seminar traces the evolution of beliefs about health and wellness from a socio-cultural perspective. Throughout the semester, we will be reading multi-genre texts to explore issues of agency and factors shaping public perceptions. 

Since this is a writing intensive course, you will have to submit four formal essays in addition to shorter oral and written assignments.

---

 

English 1111 - Lights, Camera, Writing: Understanding Human Behavior Through Film

 

Rodney Sharkey, Ph.D., Professor of English

Recent changes in the nature of academic study have seen it widen its scope to incorporate film and other aspects of popular culture. Such changes make it imperative for philosophers to take film seriously as an art form on a par with the traditional genres of literature and theatre. Guided by a set of readings selected from contemporary philosophy, this course will examine the aims and associated responsibilities of contemporary film in society. For example, the role of cinema and television in shaping societies’ mores will be examined through readings of McLuhan and Žižek, and corresponding analysis of the films Quiz Show and The Truman Show. ‘What is the nature of social justice?’ is another recurring question the course will ask.

At the same time, the course will endeavor to provide an overview of the dominant ideologies generated by the Western film industry so that its role as both a shaper of public opinion and a critical commentator on social consensus will become more apparent. Moreover, the course also aims to enrich students’ writing skills as the repeated scrutiny of film form will result in an increased emphasis on the importance of narrative structure. During the course, students will undertake a series of sequenced assignments, and their revision. One of these will be a major multi-sourced paper, designed to help them recognize the unifying ideas that structure writing about culture in general. As a result, and at the conclusion of the course, students will have acquired the critical tools for a long and rewarding self-development program in appreciating film and the visual and narrative arts.

---

English 1168 - Medicine and Us

This course will improve your written and oral communication skills, as well as critical / analytical thinking, through frequent writing and reflective exercises. We will examine all aspects of the human dimensions of medicine, including AI technologies and medicine, and how the disciplines of history, sociology, philosophy, the visual arts, and literature can help us understand the human side of illness, health, disease and well-being.

English 1111 - Ancient Medicine and Its Legacy

This seminar will introduce ancient Greek medical theories and practices, and explore their lasting legacy in the medieval Islamic world. We will study Greek concepts of health and disease, and their systematization and consolidation in the Roman Empire. We will also examine how these concepts transitioned into Arabic during the early Islamic period to inspire new generations of scientists, philosophers, and physicians. Of particular interest will be the social dimension of ancient medicine, including questions of ethics, the social role of physicians, and the tensions and interconnections between magical, spiritual, and scientific forms of healing.

---