2018 E-term Bulletin

24 where the emphasis will be on how black thought is given expression in film and/or music PS*E299*70 Pre-Law Internship Fred Ashe Prerequisites: 3.3 GPA or consent Open To: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors Grading System: S/U Max. Enrollment: 8 Meeting Times: M Tu WTh F 9:00 am–5:00 pm The law-office internship is a rise 3 project that provides pre-law students with the opportunity to observe and participate in the work of a law firm in the Birmingham area. It is intended for students who have minimal prior experience working in a law firm and want to learn more about the practice of law before making a decision to attend law school. There will be a two-day orientation session at the beginning of the month, after which students will spend a minimum of thirty hours a week for the next three weeks with their law firms. In addition, students are required to do extra readings and to reflect on their reading and experience both through a discussion board, in a weekly class meeting with Professor Ashe, and in a mid-month reflection paper. At month’s end, students will produce a 6-8-page reflection paper evaluating what they have learned through the internship. Evaluation will be based on papers, participation, and the assessment of the sponsoring law firm. Note: Interested students must contact and meet with Dr. Ashe, the BSC pre-law advisor, before October 7th in order to be eligible for these internships. Students will provide Dr. Ashe with résumés and with other information for the purposes of placing the student in an appropriate law firm. PSYCHOLOGY PY*E299*71 Planning Your Career in Psychology and Related Fields Jessica Allen Prerequisites: PY 101 Completed Prior to E-Term (cannot be enrolled in upcoming term and still be admitted) Open To: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors Grading System: Letter Max. Enrollment: 18 Meeting Times: Tu WTh F 9:30 am–12:30 pm This project orients students interested in psychology and related fields to career opportunities at the bachelor’s and graduate level. The importance of professional skills-building will be emphasized, and students will have the opportunity to do experiential learning activities throughout the semester. Class time will consist of lecture, videos, and guest speakers and will focus heavily on leading and participating in class discussions and activities. Topics such as job searching, interviewing and networking skills, and creating a professional development plan are included. Collaborations with the BSC Career Services are an important component of this project; both in and out of class time may include visits to Career Services and similar venues off- campus. Outside of class, students will create a “Professional Portfolio” PH*E299*68 Travels in Spacetime Mark Rupright Prerequisites: Algebra Proficiency Open To: All Students Grading System: Letter Max. Enrollment: 15 Meeting Times: M Tu WTh F 1:00 pm– 4:00 pm “Einstein, as you may have heard, was a pretty clever guy.” – James W. York, Jr. You have probably heard about Einstein’s theories of relativity and wondered what they’re all about. You may have heard that they have something to do with moving at really fast speeds, falling into black holes, designing nuclear weapons, and really cool effects in science fiction. What you probably don’t know is that understanding many of the amazing consequences of Einstein’s theory requires only a proficiency in algebra and geometry! Starting from the realization that space and time are not absolute, but rather aspects of a four-dimensional “spacetime,” we will investigate the consequences of motion at very high speeds and the apparent paradoxes that result. We will also discuss gravity and the curvature of spacetime, black holes, and beyond. Grading will be based on attendance and active participation, daily homework assignments, and weekly quizzes. Textbook: Einstein’s Mirror by Tony Hey and Patrick Walters POLITICAL SCIENCE PS*E299*69 Black Politics in Film and Music Desireé Melonas Prerequisites: None Open To: All Students Grading System: S/U Max. Enrollment: 15 Meeting Times: Tu WTh 10:00 am–1:00 pm This project takes seriously that politics assumes different expressions and is thought and lives through different mediums. We will be exploring two of these: film and music. We will pay particular attention to three questions: first, the ways in which black people have aimed to articulate what it means to be a political subject, and the challenges they face in their efforts to assert themselves as such; second, the uniqueness, therefore, of black political struggle; and third, the range of responses black people have put forward in the existential challenge of making sense of and defining the terms of their blackness. Students in this project will spend time listening to music and watching films that reflect the ideas and thought that emerged out of various regions of the African diaspora. Accordingly, students will be asked to: - Submit weekly 2-page reflection papers responding to prompts corresponding to the week’s theme - View assigned movies both in and out of class - Listen to assigned music both in and out of class - Come prepared to class having read assigned essays and articles to frame the set of questions, themes, and tensions particular to that week’s focus - And, as the culminating project, present on a topic of their choosing ris e 3