EC Scholars Courses

Spring 2011 EC Scholars Seminar

Power of Place
HNRS 2013.005 [CRN:32523]      FC: SO (WI)
Dr. Derek Alderman (Geography) and Dr. Thomas Crawford (Geography)

Seminar Description: This seminar is designed to provide EC Scholars from a variety of majors with an introduction to the central and complex nature of place within social life, the importance of place analysis and geospatial technology to the social sciences, and how a consideration of place advances the study of cultural, economic, political, and environmental issues in the contemporary world. The instructional approach used in the seminar is grounded in: (1) collaborative learning and teaching, (2) student participation in critical reading, informed discussion, and “real world” case studies, and (3) experiential assignments and field excursions that provide students exposure to various ways of analyzing place, qualitatively and quantitatively. Students are provided hands-on experience with geospatial technologies, cultural and historical resource appraisal, media image interpretation, spatial inequality analysis, mental and cognitive mapping, community livability assessment, and other methodologies.  In doing so, students gain a rigorous understanding of a social science perspective in general and a geographic perspective in particular.

Fall 2010 EC Scholars Seminar

Crossing the Border and Exploring the Journey
HNRS 2116.001 [CRN: 82627]      FC: HU (WI)
Dr. Michael Bassman, Distinguished Honors Professor

Seminar Description: As students embark on their college years, they are all too often like travelers moving through new and varied discipline territories.  They are expected to keep clear their fragmented travels from country to country–if this is Tuesday it must be Sociology–if this is Wednesday it must be English.  Simultaneously, they must find their own ways of integrating the journey and thereby becoming well–traveled, educated persons.  As participant observers, students are intrigued and impressed by the natives, realizing that immigrants must learn the language, the mores, and the history of the region if they are to be accepted and made welcome.  But how does one put the pieces together?  Designed specifically for entering freshmen who are EC Scholars, we will attempt to answer the aforementioned question.  The students will be challenged to reflect on issues that will concern them during their next years at the university.  Lively discussions, reflective and free–style writing, relevant readings, as well as final projects will be required.  Issues to be examined include, but are not limited to, the following: the environment, leadership, globalization, technology, ecology, diversity/multiculturalism, gender, spiritual connections, and “composing” one’s life. A number of our sessions may be intense as we will examine some controversial topics. We will also do a ‘city-as-text’ project.  Relevant guests will be invited to lead discussions. In  keeping with ECU’s mission, servire ("to serve”), service learning will be an essential component of this seminar. In the past, we played active roles in the migrant Latino community and in an assisted living facility.  Thus, service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibilities and strengthen communities.