2018 E-term Bulletin

21 We will walk the Birmingham-area environment to discover its history and habitat and to benefit from lots of healthy walking. We will explore central Birmingham and Central Alabama habitats, such as Oak Mountain State Park, Ruffner Mountain, Tannehill State Park, Red Mountain, Moss Rock, Turkey Creek, the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, and Vulcan Trail. We will also hike habitats in downtown Birmingham, such as the Civil Rights Trail, local area cemeteries, the African Village, Railroad Park, and Sloss Furnace. Students will be required to keep a daily journal that reflects upon these experiences and to serve as a “tour guide” for at least one destination (preparing and researching the site or trail ahead of time for the group). Our touchstone text will be the environmental historian William Cronon’s excellent volume, UnCommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature (Norton, 1996). This will be supplemented by other handouts, historical and nature guides, and reading on specific treks we undertake. Grades will be based upon participation, the daily journal, preparation for and effectiveness as a “tour guide,” and a culminating 10-page reflective essay. Time spent hiking, writing, and reading will be at least 40 hours each week and therefore at least 160 hours of clock time. Students will need to be prepared to walk several miles each day and therefore have sturdy, close-toed walking shoes, appropriate clothing (layered for the winter weather and including hats and gloves), rain gear, a water bottle, and a day pack for lunches and snacks. Estimated Student Fees: $200 GEN*E299*57 Where Underpants Come From Guangjun Qu Prerequisites: None Open To: All Students Grading System: S/U Max. Enrollment: 15 Meeting Times: M Tu WTh 10:00 am–12:00 pm Have you even thought about where and how your underpants are made? Do you believe that an exploration of the underwear industry can help you better understand the rising manufacturing power of China, the bilateral relation between the U.S. and China, and even the effects of globalization upon people’s lives? In this project, we will join Joe Bennet, the author of Where Underpants Come From , to embark on an odyssey to the other end of the Pacific and seek the answers to the above questions in his book. We will also discuss Peter Hessler’s award-winning, bestselling trilogy on the human side of economic reforms in China. Every day during the term students are expected to read four chapters (approximately 60 pages) of the books mentioned above, maintain a journal of the questions and comments they have from the reading, and make a reasonable contribution to our class discussion. In addition, each student will select a topic to research, make a 10-15-minute presentation, and finally produce a 10-15-page essay. The research should be closely related to the books we read and take an economic, political, historical, or cultural approach to look at the effects of globalization. Estimated Student Fees: $50 for field trip and food expenses GEN*E299*54 Service-Learning in Uganda Amelia Spencer and Kristin Harper Prerequisites: Instructor Consent Open To: All Students Grading System: S/U Max. Enrollment: 18 Meeting Times: On Campus: January 3-5 Travel: January 6-27 Project participants will travel to Makuno, Uganda, to work with the primary purpose of teaching English at the Buiga Sunrise School. Students will experience cultural immersion through service. Participants will also experience the culture and natural resources of Uganda, visiting Murchison Falls National Park and the source of the Nile River. Participation in this project is a major commitment by the student— both prior to and during Exploration Term, requiring self-motivation and self-discipline. Requirements include fall preparation meetings, lesson planning, active participation on site in January and in discussions during class meetings, reading assigned literature, a daily reflective journal, and a final 7-10-page reflective essay. Evaluation will be based on the quality of the student’s work on each of the above requirements. Note: Participants will be selected through an application process. Estimated Student Fees: $5500 GEN*E299*55 The U.S. National Security System: A Historical and Contemporary Overview Ed Rowe Prerequisites: None Open To: All Students Grading System: Letter Max. Enrollment: 16 Meeting Times: M Tu WTh 10:00 am–12:30 pm. Meetings times may vary depending on the schedule of guest speakers. The U.S. National Security System is a conglomeration of structures, processes, and persons that assist the president in formulating, implementing, and overseeing national security policies and actions. Threats today are diffuse and ambiguous and express themselves in a multitude of forms; we no longer have the luxury of a singular, unambiguous threat as in World War II and the Cold War. Response today requires a “whole of government” approach, not just military. The project will include: the study of U.S. strategy; policy, legal, and doctrine documents; analysis of case studies; examination of select current threats; examination of the approach to combating terrorism; and the decision process utilized in the National Security Council. Methods used: lectures, guest speakers, extensive source readings, and class discussions. Evaluation will be based on attendance, daily participation, and an individual presentation (10-15 minutes); written summaries of select assignments; and two papers (3-5 pages each). GEN*E299*56 Walking Birmingham: History and Habitat Kathleen Rossmann Prerequisites: None Open To: All Students Grading System: Letter Max. Enrollment: 20 Meeting Times: M Tu WTh 10:00 am–3:00 pm ris e 3 ENROLLMENT FULL