Fall 2008

Arts, Humanities, or Science: Which Road to Reality? (back to top)
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00-11:15 a.m.
FYS 101P (AH)
Meets Arts and Humanities General Foundation Requirement (AH)

Rick Welch
Professor of Biological Sciences, Research Professor of the Human Context of Science and Technology Program, Affiliate Professor of History
Ph.D., University of Tennessee
Email: welch@umbc.edu

The Scientific Revolution began some 450 years ago when Copernicus dethroned the earth – and, ultimately, humankind – from the center of the universe. Since then, we have come to view the world around us as an ordered clockwork. In place of the human being, machines became the center of attention. Empowered by the engines of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, the application of science to our daily lives and livelihood has marched onward – to the point that, today, science itself has become a servant to our machines. Other important areas of human thought, such as the humanities and the arts, have become somewhat secondary to the scientific cause. Science has given much to humankind: knowledge, understanding and technology. However, the pursuit of science has also brought much controversy and challenge, in regard to defining our position (and our role) in nature.

Students in this course, irrespective of their academic majors, are taken on an exploratory path of study that attempts to provide a balanced intellectual picture of the essence of knowledge and the acquisition of knowledge. We ask the basic question: Which view of humanity and nature – science, poetry or art – is right? There is a significant historical component to the course, as we pursue the origins and bases of the polarized situation that exists today. We will read selected works from key historical figures during the development of the Scientific Revolution, as well as an array of writings from today’s scientists, artists and literary figures. The course culminates with an examination of the positive values that underlie the outwardly different ways of thinking about the world and of the manner in which they all can fit into a complete picture of the world in which we live.

Rick Welch’s research interests focus on the history of science and on theoretical biophysics. His work lies at the interface between the physical and biological sciences and has dealt with a number of emergent theoretical ideas and historical personages. His research has been supported by fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences and the Wellcome Trust. Welch was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1995, in recognition of his work in the theory and history of science. He served as dean of arts and sciences at UMBC from 1996 to 2005. At UMBC, he currently teaches in the Departments of Biological Sciences, Education and History, as well as in the Human Context of Science and Technology Program.

Images of Madness (back to top)
Tuesdays, 4:30-7:00 p.m.
FYS 102 (SS)
Meets Social Science General Foundation Requirement (SS)

Carolyn Tice
Professor of Social Work
Associate Dean and Program Chair
DSW, University of Pennsylvania
Email: tice@umbc.edu

In contemporary society, virtually everyone goes to movie theatres or views feature films at home on videos, DVD's or television. For many people, films, regardless of their accuracy, serve as a major source of information on social issues, including mental illness. This course reviews Academy Award winning films depicting mental illness to consider the influence of motion pictures on the public perception of social issues, policies, and services. Beginning with The Snake Pit (1948) through As Good as it Gets (1997), we will analyze films using a historical framework and in conjunction with assigned readings that address cultural stereotypes, societal attitudes, and the public's response toward people with mental illness.

We will look at the history of treatment and services for persons with mental illness, social work practice, and service delivery networks. In addition, we will explore critical concepts in social work practice and policy related to people with mental illness. The class will engage in critical thinking, analysis, and discussion of these issues--including social work's role as advocate and change agent. Class assignments, case studies, and group exercises will help us to understand the potential power of the mass media, specifically films, and to question our awareness of and response to mental illness.

Carolyn Tice teaches social welfare policy. She has presented and published in the area of media and social services, which has been a long time interest of hers. Carolyn is the author of three books on social work practice from a strengths perspective.

Diversity, Ethics and Social Justice in the Context of Schooling (back to top)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:00-4:15 p.m.
FYS 102 (SS)
Meets the Social Sciences General Education Requirement (SS)

Vicki Williams, Director of Student Services, Education
Ph.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore County
E-mail: vwilli5@umbc.edu

Schools are strong social institutions that influence all of us.  There are many significant political, cultural, psychological, and ethical forces that are directing how schools prepare students to succeed in our rapidly changing world.  It is important to understand how education policies, practices, issues and values are constructed and changed.

In multicultural America, classrooms mirror the diverse nature of children’s backgrounds, cultural experiences, languages, and “ways of knowing.”  Drawing from our experiences as products of the education system, we will explore and mediate the tensions that exist in current reform efforts as schools endeavor to meet the needs of diverse students.  This course will use an inquiry-based approach to examine federal and local policies and how they impact students, schools and society.

Students will participate in activities at a local school in UMBC’s Professional Development Schools network.   The Professional Development Schools are active learning communities in which higher education faculty, P-12 faculty, and students collaborate to optimize learning and success for all.   Students will complete a service-learning project based on their unique talents, interests, skills and field of study that makes a contribution to a school.

Vickie Williams, an educational psychologist, has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including Pre-K through 12 schools.  Her background includes degrees in human services psychology, community psychology, and education.  She is interested in studying diverse classrooms in multicultural communities and serves as a liaison to professional development schools in Baltimore County, as well as to community colleges around the state.  Dr. Williams teaches Educational Psychology and Analysis of Learning and Teaching.  Her current research focuses on the beliefs and dispositions of teachers from diverse classrooms.

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Contrasting Visions of Society (back to top)
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30-3:45 p.m.
FYS 102F (SS)
Meets Social Science General Foundation Requirement (SS)

David Mitch
Associate Professor of Economics
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Email: mitch@umbc.edu

This course will be based on reading four influential works, which set forth contrastingvisions of society. The four works are Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, Plato’sRepublic, Marx and Engels’ Communist Manifesto and Max Weber’s Protestant Ethicand the Spirit of Capitalism. Each of these are works with which educated people areexpected to be familiar and each of them continues to shape discussions of policy and social affairs. Yet, undergraduate students are all too infrequently providedopportunities to study these texts first hand in their general education courses. This course will provide students with this opportunity. It aims to develop an understanding of these four texts and the contrasts between the visions of society implicit in each. In addition, each student will be asked to read and report on a piece that exhibits
the contemporary influence of one of the four texts above. For example, a contemporary discussion about the use of choice and vouchers as a way of reforming the educational system could be interpreted as an application of principles of competition proposed by Adam Smith. Thus, a further aim of the seminar will be to cultivate an appreciation of the on-going relevance to contemporary policy and social issues of these works. These texts cross current disciplinary boundaries and can be seen as drawing on the disciplines of economics, philosophy, political science and sociology.

David Mitch has a B.A. and Ph.D in Economics from the University of Chicago. In 1995, he was a Fulbright Lecturer in the Department of Economic History at the London School of Economics. His specialty is economic history and he has taught courses at UMBC in American, European and Asian economic history in addition to general teaching in economics. His research focuses on the economic history of skills and education. He is the author of The Rise of Popular Literacy in Victorian England (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993) and co-editor of Origins of the Modern Career, 1850-1950, which consists of historical studies of career patterns for a variety of groups including English chemists and policemen, Argentine typesetters and Italian steel workers.

The United States and Iran Since World War II (back to top) Wednesdays, 4:30-7:00 p.m.
FYS 102I (SS)
Meets Social Sciences General Education Requirement (SS)

Devin Hagerty
Associate Professor, Political Science
Ph. D., University of Pennsylvania
Email: dhagerty@umbc.edu

The next U.S. president will face no more vexing foreign policy challenge than managing America’s difficult relationship with Iran.  Timed to coincide with the 2008 elections, this course will examine the evolution of U.S.-Iranian relations since 1945, focusing closely on the roots of the differences separating the two sides today, as well as on potential paths to détente.  Throughout the course, we will draw on tools and materials from history, economics, political science, geography, and religious studies.  These perspectives and the bridges we build between them will allow us the richest possible picture of this complex relationship.

Students participating in this seminar will have the opportunity to learn from guest speakers who will expose them to a variety of different perspectives, and the class will take field trips to New York and/or Washington, where we will meet with Iranian and/or U.S. diplomats.  Topical DVDs will also be shown, as appropriate.

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France Under German Occupation: Collaboration, Resistance, Survival (back to top)
Tuesday and Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.
FYS 102J (SS)
Meets Social Science General Education Requirement (SS)

Alan Rosenthal
Professor Emeritus, French
Ph. D., Rutgers University
Email: rosentha@umbc.edu

The German occupation of France during the Second World War was one of the most devastating events in that country’s history.  Its effects are felt even today.  In this course, we will study the period of the occupation and will look at the noteworthy individuals involved and the ordinary people whose lives were turned upside down.  We will also consider the vexing question of who resisted, who collaborated, and who simply tried to survive.  From all this, we will attempt to draw lessons regarding the behavior of people under extreme stress.  Our approach will be both historical and cultural.  Materials will include literature, articles from the press, historical documents, and film.

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Computation as an Experimental Tool (back to top)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:30-3:45 p.m.
FYS 103 (M)
Meets Math General Requirement (M)

Manil Suri
Professor, Mathematics and Statistics
Ph.D., Carnegie-Mellon University
E-mail: suri@math.umbc.edu

The goal of this course is to make students comfortable with the idea of using mathematical computation as a tool towards answering questions and embarking on new explorations.

In the last two decades, computational mathematics has played an increasingly important role in scientific research, with advances and discoveries being routinely made through numerical simulation. We will begin by briefly examining this phenomenon in a historical and philosophical context (scientific experiment vs paper and pencil mathematical analysis vs computer simulation.) We will go on to explore questions on (for example) population dynamics, chaos, fractals, automata, and number theory, using web-based computational applets and simple Matlab programs. The ultimate goal would be to feel as comfortable using a computer for investigating a question in one’s discipline as one might feel using a calculator or some other tool.

Through this course, students will find that there is a major “experimental side” to what working mathematical scientists actually do, which does not come through in regular courses.

Additional Course Requirement and Recommendation:  A suitable score on the LRC algebra placement exam for a GEP mathematics course is required.  It is recommended that students have experience with calculus in high school.

Manil Suri has several publications in his area of mathematical research, numerical analysis. In the last twenty years, this field has become extremely computational, and extremely interdisciplinary. He would like to convey this excitement of mathematics via computational experiment to students. The ultimate goal would be to feel as comfortable using a computer for investigating a question in your discipline as you might feel using a calculator or some other tool.  He also has a parallel career as a novelist, and therefore puts great emphasis on making technical fields like mathematics accessible to non-experts.

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Paradigms and Paradoxes: An Attempt to Understand the Universe (back to top)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:30-3:45 p.m.
FYS 103B (S)
Meets Science General Foundation Requirement (S)

Joel F. Liebman
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Ph. D., Princeton University
Email: jliebman@umbc.edu

There are at least two kinds of scientific activities: acquiring and generating data, and inquiring and generating general modes of understanding. The latter activities will dominate this course. The course contents include discussions of some remarkable features of the universe: the class discussions will require no more scientific background than gained from high school chemistry and mathematics. Some topics for the course follow.

Matter doesn't collapse, shrink or disappear - it has size, weight, and sometimes shape. We take this for granted. Don't we? Positive and negative charges attract. The atomic nucleus is positive and electrons are negative. Why don't these parts of atoms get closer and closer and … closer, and eventually collapse? In other words, we ask, not only why are atoms so small but also why are they so big? This topic is not merely philosophical. Questions of fuel efficiency and national defense arise as naturally as those of the existence of the universe. There are 26 letters in the English alphabet. There are 4 letters in the genetic code and some 100 chemical elements in the periodic table. There are millions of distinct words, individual types of organisms and chemical compounds. Are these numbers 26, 4 and 100 small or are they large? As such, our study includes the nature of language, information and life. Consider the number 3.14159265357988 …. Can you identify it? Answering this question should be as easy as pie. Hatmakers equate this number to 3. Is this a rational choice? Answering this question tells us about the nature of numbers, measurement, design, and industry, and also about the answerer.

Joel Liebman teaches Chemistry, ranging from CHEM 100, "The Chemical World", a GFR course emphasizing science and society, through CHEM 410/610, "Quantum Chemistry/Special Topics in Theoretical Chemistry/Chemical Bonding". While my written contributions have mostly been in the research journal literature, I have coauthored or co-edited numerous books, book chapters and data bases, have had poems published as well, and was the nominator for the 2005 First Book Experience reading. I am a firm believer that science is an interpersonal, international and interdisciplinary endeavor and I have ongoing projects with scientists in England, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, as well as the US. I enjoy thinking and understanding, and thinking about thinking and understanding in particular. I enjoy words - I am responsible for some new words in the scientific vocabulary associated with new concepts, and I have been held responsible for verbalizing some of the "worst" puns heard by my students and coworkers alike. Chemical and comical are not antonyms, nor antithetical.

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Chasing Lightning: Sferics, Tweeks and Whistlers (back to top)
Time TBA
FYS 103K (S)
Meets the Science (Non-lab) General Education Requirement (S)

Phillip Rous
Professor, Physics
Ph.D., Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London (U.K.)
E-mail: rous@umbc.edu

Phillip Webb
Assisstant Research Scientist
UMBC GEST Research Center
Email: pwebb @umbc.edu

We all know what lightning looks like during a thunderstorm, but the visible flash we see is only part of the story. This is because lightning also generates light with other frequencies that we from lightning, these other frequencies can carry the lightning's energy hundreds or thousands of miles across the surface of the Earth in the form of special signals called "tweeks" and "sferics". Some of these signals can even travel tens of thousands of miles out into space before returning to the Earth as "whistlers".

In this seminar, you will learn about the basic physics of lightning, thunderstorms and the
Earth’s atmosphere and then you will build a special electronic receiver that will allow you to listen to the signals generated by lightning as far away as other continents. The INSPIRE Project, a non-profit organization, produces the unassembled receiver kit. The components of the receiver will be provided to you, which you will assemble under supervision as part of the course. No prior knowledge of electronics or electronic assembly is required; we will teach you everything you need to know to understand how your receiver works and how to put it together.

After everyone has built their receiver the class will do field work at local sites to listen for the sferics, tweeks and whistlers (one needs to get away from power lines, which can cause all sorts of bad interference). You will also have the opportunity to learn from guest speakers who will talk about topics including lightning observed on other planets.

Spring 2009

Turning to One Another: Beliefs and Behaviors (back to top)
FYS 101 (AH)
Meets Arts and Humanities General Foundation Requirement (AH)

Diane Lee
Dean of Undergraduate Education
Associate Professor of Education
Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park
Email: dlee@umbc.edu

Jill Randles
Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
M.Ed., Lynchburg College
C.A.S., Loyola College
Email: jrandles@umbc.edu

We are witnessing renewed interest in matters related to truth, community, connectedness, and spirituality. Concomitant with headlines about war, ENRON, cloning, the Tsunami, and steroid use in sports is a vibrant dialogue about social responsibility, moral reasoning, ethical action, and the sources of beauty, creativity, and passion that give life purpose and meaning.

As we enter the twenty-first century, we will need people who can lead with head and heart, who can combine the life of the mind with work for the greater good, and who exhibit the skills, knowledge, imagination, and spirit to create an equitable, sustainable, whole, and hopeful world. This calls for a curriculum that explores the scientific, aesthetic, and ethical dimensions of thought and behavior. This course is oriented toward that exploration of questions that are both personal and global in their orientation. For example: What is my faith in the future? What do I believe about others? What is the relationship I want with the earth? When and where do I experience sacred? There will be opportunities for conversation to occur around topics such as these; literally a "turning to one another" in order to expand and inform our understanding of how our beliefs and behaviors have the power to transform.

Students will enter this exploration by: 1) examining writings related to beliefs and behaviors; 2) discovering different ways spirituality is represented in music, literature, poetry, across cultures, throughout history, and in patterns of involvement such as environmental stewardship, feeding the hungry, building shelters for the homeless, etc.; and 3) reflecting on class discussions and readings in guided journals.

Diane Lee is Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education.  Although in a primarily administrative position at this time, she is best known as “a teacher of teachers.”  She was selected by her colleagues to receive the Presidential Teaching Professor Award for 1997-2000. When she is not working you will most likely find her reading a good book, visiting a local craft’s fair, gardening, or playing with her grandchildren.

Jill Randles is the Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. She is a student advocate at heart and has worked closely with UMBC students as an academic advisor. She is the recipient of the 2002 President's Commission for Women Achievement Award acknowledging her work in the areas of diversity and equity. When not on the job, she spends time with family and friends, runs, rides horses, judges horse shows, and is an avid reader.

Global Warming (back to top)
FYS 103D (S)
Time TBA
Meets the Sciences General Requirement (S)

Raymond Hoff
Professor, Physics
Ph.D., Simon Fraser University
Email: hoff@umbc.edu

The science of global warming involves a broad understanding of several scientific disciplines (physics, chemistry, math/statistics, biology).  The general public has a very poor conception of how scientific consensus is developed on complicated socially-linked issues.  This course will review the scientific literature behind this important issue and examine the processes by which scientists try to reach consensus on difficult issues.  Students in this course will be challenged to represent and refute the scientific arguments leading to our current understanding of the state-of-the-science and, subsequently, examine the process by which such scientific information can be used to affect the making of public policy
This will include the development of our current climate over eons (paleoclimate), the variability in modern climate (the last 1000 years), the concept of climate versus weather (the last 100 years), the evolution of our current atmospheric state due to emission of greenhouse gases and aerosols (last 50 years) and the predictions for the next 10, 50 and 100 years.

Issues in Biotechnology (back to top)
FYS 103 (S)
Meets Science General Education Requirement (S)

Nessly Craig
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
E-mail: craig@umbc.edu

Almost every newspaper issue today has one or more articles about how our society is being affected by new advances in biotechnology, and how its impact is controversial. Some of these issues include: cloning, genetic engineering of plants and animals, DNA analysis as a means of determining parentage or involvement in criminal events, development of new medicines and vaccines, the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, the human and other species' genome project, the origin and genealogy of human groups, etc. For our society to discuss these issues in a rational and thorough manner, it is important to understand the scientific basis for the methods used, their limits and uncertainties, and their relationship to other areas of life sciences, medicine, public policy, and bioethics. Through directed readings, class discussions, and student presentations, this seminar will focus on understanding these various aspects of modern biotechnology with an emphasis on its scientific basis. Practical demonstrations and visits to UMBC labs using biotechnological techniques will be an important part of the course to illustrate how the methods theoretically discussed in class are actually done.

Nessly Craig has taught courses in molecular and cellular biology to undergraduates, graduate students, and adult workshop participants for many years and has seen the development of biotechnology first hand. He has been involved in research using the techniques of molecular biology and tissue culture to study the mechanism and control of protein synthesis, and the mechanism and the control of ribosomal RNA synthesis in mammalian cells. In his "other life" he has been involved in building a house, gardening, stained glass, and raising a son who is now in college and provides lots of "feedback" as to what students really want and find useful.                     

Sexuality, Health and Human Rights (back to top)
FYS 102 (SS)
Meets the Social Science GFR/GEP Requirement (SS)

Ilsa Lottes
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Email:  lottes@umbc.edu

Who has the right to access scientific information about individuals' sexuality and sexual health? What privacy rights do people have in their sexual relationships? Who controls when and if one has children? In the last decade, scholars and advocacy organizations have been asking such questions that link sexuality, health and human rights. Increasingly, these linkages are made by human rights advocates, those marginalized by their gender and/or sexuality, feminists and professionals in the health and, family planning fields.

In this seminar, we will consider a number of sexuality, health and human rights questions: What are sexual rights? What is meant by sexual health? How important are sexual rights? What characteristics of a society promote or hinder sexual rights? What responsibilities are tied to sexual rights? Do views on sexual rights conflict with the general welfare of society? To what extent do Americans have sexual rights? What laws restrict sexual rights?

Students will become sensitized to views on sexual rights and the reasons/justifications for these various perspectives.   In this process they will learn how to critique social science research, evaluate strengths and weaknesses of this research, and identify common errors of scientific and everyday reasoning.

Ilsa Lottes teaches Human Sexuality in Sociological Perspective and Human Sexuality in Cross Cultural Perspective as well as courses in social science research methods and statistics. Her latest publications include the book, New Views of Sexual Health, the Case of Finland and an article 'Sexual Health Policies of Other Industrialized Countries: Are There Lessons for the USA?' She was one of the social science experts consulted for The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior (Office of the Surgeon General, 2001) and continues to do research in the areas of health, sexuality and human rights. She is a member of international professional organizations such as the International Academy of Sex Research and the World Association of Sexology and regularly presents her work at their meetings. She enjoys listening to jazz, dancing, traveling and visiting friends in Europe.

Intercultural Exploration Through Film (back to top)
FYS 104(C)
Meets the Culture GFR/GEP Requirement (C)

Alan Bell
Professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics
Ph.D. The Johns Hopkins University
E-mail: abell@umbc.edu

We find ourselves inundated with visual media whose principle raison d'etre is to exert influence in subtle and often hidden ways. The rigor with which we focus on in-depth analyses of text intended to elicit deeper meaning and significance is not generally brought to the task of deciphering visual material that surrounds our daily existence in a multiplicity of formats through the mass media. At the same time we find ourselves thrust into a world that everyday becomes more globally centered and one in which cultural knowledge and sensitivity have never been more paramount to the survival of complex modern societies. Through an intensive study of contemporary intercultural cinema and readings on the art of film making, we will confront both of these issues.

Films will be grouped into thematic units that include: Unit 1: The Intercultural Experience of the Immigrant Family; Unit 2: The Intercultural Experience in Times of War; Unit 3: The Intercultural Experience in Times of Peace. Because the films themselves are the core materials of the course, it is mandatory to attend each class, participate in discussions, and do the required reading for each session.

Alan Bell teaches Spanish language, literature, culture and film. He has served as Coordinator of Spanish as well as Coordinator for Spanish Fulbright Scholars that every year brings a Fulbrighter from Spain to UMBC. For over a decade he was Director of Spanish-TV Magazine, a video series that was a joint venture between RTVE (Spanish National Television) and UMBC. The series, which highlighted the incorporation of media images in the classroom curriculum, was broadcast nationally by PBS and distributed nation-wide by McGraw-Hill. He has co- authored a textbook on intermediate college Spanish, currently used at UMBC, in which the pedagogical approach to video images is at the center of its design. In addition, he has written extensively on video as visual text that should be examined with the same intensity and rigor as written texts. His current initiatives include involvement with Baltimore's Hispanic Community by fostering programs that make meaningful links between UMBC and Hispanic businesses as well as social organizations. He is also working to establish distance-learning course to support teacher training and thus address the critical shortage of high school Spanish teachers in the United States. When not engaged in these activities you can find him on strolls with his chocolate Labrador or on his sailboat. He has served as advisor to UMBC's Sailing Club.

Investigating Everyday Problems And Their Current IT Solutions (back to top)
FYS 102
Meets the Social Science GFR/GEP Requirement (SS)

Sue A. Evans
Senior Lecturer, CSEE Department
M.Sc., UMBC
E-mail: bogar@cs.umbc.edu

As we procede through a normal day, we are faced with a myriad of small problems ranging from "How can I avoid that traffic jam?" to "What's the number for the pizza place that delivers?" Other larger problems, such as "Are Maryland's new voting machines accurate and secure?", and "How do we train our surgeons without putting patients at risk?" also occasionally get our attention.
The purpose of this course is to provide first-year students with an opportunity to study some real-world problems and to see how research is carried out on those problems at UMBC. This course will concentrate on problems currently being studied by members of the CSEE Department, but it is interdisciplinary in nature since those problems vary in subject matter tremendously.

• The students will do hands-on exercises designed to familiarize themselves with the current available software solutions for the chosen set of everyday problems being investigated.
• Each student will then chose a problem and work in a group with other students in the class who are interested in that same problem.
• Each group will tour the CSEE lab that is working on their problem and will investigate the research being done at other institutions on their chosen topic.
• Each group will write a paper about their problem, the current state of the solution, and the ongoing research in that area.
• Each group will present their paper to the class.
• Near the end of the semester, the students will attend UMBC CSEE's Research Review Day, where they will listen to presentations and attend a poster session in a conference-like environment.

Susan Evans is a Senior Lecturer in the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department. She has primarily been responsible for the teaching and administration of Computer Science I for Majors (CMSC 201) and CMSC 201 Honors. She has also taught Problem Solving and Computer Programming, Network Information Retrieval and Principles of Programming Languages. She is actively involved in the CSEE Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Program, is the advisor for Alpha Sigma Kappa, and has been chosen as a Distinguished Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She received both her B.S. and Masters degrees in Computer Science from UMBC. Her interests include Computer Science Education, Information Retrieval and Electronic Document Processing.

Dynamics of Problem Solving (back to top)
Time TBA
FYS 103
Meets the Math General Education Requirement (M)

Shlomo Carmi
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Ph..D. Aeronautical Engineering, University of Minnesota
E-mail: carmi@umbc.edu

Have you ever considered how problems are defined and then solved?  What kinds of questions do you ask when you are confronted with a choice?  As you have lived with decisions made by you and others, have you ever wondered if they lead to a good solution?  Do you want to play a major role in the decision making process…and understand how to challenge or support the decisions that will define your future?

Since the beginning of time mankind has been involved with problem solving, whether related to one’s physical existence or spiritual well being. In this day and age, technology-driven change is impacting the entire spectrum of the human experience. In this course, we will be engaged in exploring the available modern problem solving tools and needed skills.  These will then be applied, as we pay careful attention to the human element and to a diverse universe of cultural values.

Through the use of case studies and discussion sessions, students will work independently and in groups to analyze selected problems and arrive at reasonable solutions.  We will examine a variety of approaches to solving problems, how problems are perceived with different models formulated and with various degrees of success. These concepts will be applied to real world situations, in order to enhance our decision making skills. Our projects will include models in history, science, engineering and behavioral sciences. Students will present their projects orally, as well as in writing.

Additional Course Requirement:  A suitable score on the LRC algebra placement exam for a GEP mathematics course is required.

Shlomo Carmi is Professor of Mechanical Engineering (2006-present) and the former Dean of Engineering and Information Technology at UMBC (1996-2006); he was Professor and Head of Mechanical Engineering at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (1986-1996); and Assist./Assoc./Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Wayne State University Detroit, MI (1968-1986).  Professor Carmi’s main research interests are in the Thermal-Fluid Science area where he             published extensively, mainly in the area of Hydrodynamic Stability and transition to turbulence. In recent years, while holding administrative positions, his interests focused on the engineering education arenas. During 1985-86, while on sabbatical from Wayne State University, he was a Congressional Fellow, serving as a Science and Technology Advisor to Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). Recently, Dr. Carmi completed his term as Senior Vice President-Education of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2003-2006).

What Should Government Do? (back to top)
Time TBA
FYS 102 (SS)
Meets Social Science General Foundation Requirements (SS)

Tim Brennan
Professor of Policy Sciences and Economics
Ph.D., Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Email:  brennan@umbc.edu

In thinking about how our society works, have you ever asked yourself questions like?

• What should be "left to the market" rather than handled by the government?
• Should government be able to take money from one person and give it to another?
• Do we have “rights” to services, like health care or education, which the public is obliged to provide?
• How can we possibly decide how much the government should spend to save lives?  
• Can there be justified government-imposed limits to privacy or freedom of speech?
• When should the government be able to tell us what to do, and when should we be able to do whatever we want?
• Why should we obey the law?
• When judges decide cases, are they just playing politics?

Cable news channels, network talk shows, op-ed pages, and other media outlets are full of opinions on these topics from pundits and politicians. Too often, their assertions are either blatant responses to political clout or gut reactions that public policies are “just unfair.”  Our aspiration is to go beyond superficial reactions and parochial politics, to apply ethical and economic principles to policy questions. The object is not to provide answers—many of these questions have been debated for centuries—but to understand what facts and values go into forming our judgments about “what should government do.”

Most of our time will be spent reading, writing, and talking about how multidisciplinary perspectives provide sometimes compatible, sometimes conflicting insights into crucial issues facing us as citizens. Students will be expected to think critically about what government does and does not do, and to share their discoveries, assessments, and questions with the class.

Tim Brennan is Professor of Public Policy and Economics.  He teaches courses in microeconomics, the economics of law, public finance, strategic behavior, and telecommunications policy.  His recent research includes a co-authored book on the electricity industry and a law review article on the Microsoft antitrust case.  In addition to competition policy and regulatory economics, he has written on philosophical and legal topics including privacy, copyright, the First Amendment, benevolence, moral rights, incorporating ethical behavior in economics, and the roles of theory and fact in justifying public policies.  In 1996-97, he served as a senior economist on the staff of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.  He is also a senior fellow at Resources for the Future, the premier independent energy and environmental policy “think tank” in Washington.  He has been an economist with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and a staff consultant with the Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission.  During 2006, he held the T. D. MacDonald Chair in Industrial Economics in the Canadian Competition Bureau.  When he isn’t writing or teaching, he can usually be found playing jazz and rock guitar.