ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH 45N (GH) (GS) (INTER-D) Cultural Diversity: A Global Perspective
BIOLOGY
BIOL 160N (GHW) (GN) (INTER-D) Fitness with Exercise Physiology
CIVIC & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
CIVCM 211N (GH) (GS) (INTER-D) Foundations: Civic & Community Engagement
COMMUNICATION ARTS AND SCIENCES
CAS 101N (GH) (GS) (INTER-D) Introduction to Human Communication
COMMUNICATIONS
COMM 100N (GH) (GS) (INTER-D) The Mass Media and Society
COMM 150N (GA) (GH) (INTER-D) The Art of the Cinema
EARTH SCIENCE
EARTH 104N (GN) (GS) (INTER-D) Climate, Energy and Our Future
EARTH 111N (GN) (GS) (INTER-D) Water: Science and Society
ENTOMOLOGY
ENT 222N (GN) (GH) (GS) Honey Bees and Humans
GAMING
GAME 160N (GA) (GH) (INTER-D) Introduction to Video Game Culture
GEOGRAPHY
GEOG 30N (GN) (GS) (INTER-D) Environment and Society in a Changing World
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES
HDFS 108N (GHW) (GS) (INTER-D) Art & Science of Human Flourishing
HDFS 249N (GHW) (GS) (INTER-D) Adult Development & Aging
KINESIOLOGY
KINES 160N (GHW) (GN) (INTER-D) Fitness with Exercise Physiology
WOMEN'S STUDIES
WMNST 106N (GA) GH) (INTER-D) Representing Women & Gender in Literature, Art & Popular Cultures
ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH 45N (GH) (GS) (INTER-D) Cultural Diversity: A Global Perspective
Anth 45N is designed to introduce students to the concepts and evidence used in understanding the cultural diversity of our planet. "Culture" can be defined as a socially transmitted system of shared conventions, beliefs, practices, and behavior. Cultural systems vary across time and space, and dynamic cultural processes are involved in how humans interact with each other, other organisms, and the environment. This class provides students with the tools to approach questions about the diversity of human cultures, how they vary across different societies, how different people experience and represent social worlds, why they change, and the importance of understanding such variability for the global challenges we face in an ever-changing world.
BIOLOGY
BIOL 160N (GHW) (GN) (INTER-D) Fitness with Exercise Physiology
Biology of Exercise is an integrative exercise physiology course that combines performing physical activity (Kinesiology) and applying biological principles (Biology). This course will explain the benefits, changes, and processes the body exhibits while exercising. Students will gain knowledge and comprehension through both a lecture (or online) setting (approximately half of the class meetings) as well as an activity component (approximately half of the class meetings) in which students will demonstrate their health related components of fitness. This includes, but is not limited to, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, power, cardiorespiratory endurance, and body composition. In the lecture component, students will describe biological principles including homeostasis, nutrition, the structure and function of musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. At the completion of this course, students will be able to argue for the lifelong significance of exercise including why it is important, benefits related to organ systems, and disease prevention.
CIVIC & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
CIVCM 211N (GH) (GS) (INTER-D) Foundations: Civic & Community Engagement
Through readings, discussion, deliberation, listening, and individual as well as collaborative action, this course gives students the opportunity to learn about and practice theories and habits of civic and community engagement and public scholarship with the goal of helping to build democratic capacity and sustain participatory democracy. This course emphasizes concepts and case studies that focus on the people’s role in shared governance. The course also provides a foundation for understanding how a wide range of other individual and collective practices have an equally important role to play in building and sustaining community. The course draws from studies in demography, political science, sociology, psychology of racial identity formation and education to help students communicate better about and in shared governance. Among the core concepts are the role of students and other citizens in sustaining and transforming their communities, the historical and contemporary mission of Land Grant universities, the centrality of rhetoric and communication to collaborative judgment, and the relationship among media, cultures, and politics as they affect civic and community engagement. Students also learn together about the range of ways that citizens do, can, and might participate in democratic decision-making and will observe and practice these forms in several communication media and across a range of differences. Finally, learn about models of and opportunities for engaging other citizens across and beyond Penn State, including in global environments.
COMMUNICATION ARTS AND SCIENCES
CAS 101N (GH) (GS) (INTER-D) Introduction to Human Communication
CAS 101 introduces students to the field of communication studies and to the most important concepts, questions, and ideas that surround the study of communication today. This class is essential for any student who wishes to consider a major or minor in Communication Arts and Sciences. The course is also an important elective for students who want to understand processes of communication in a variety of social forms or settings, including: interpersonal, small group, organizational, intercultural, public, and technological. The main objectives of the course are: 1) to expose students to the concepts and best practices that cut across every aspect of modern communication, 2) to prepare students to excel in advanced classes within the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, and 3) to help non-CAS majors incorporate essential communication principles into their own fields of study and future professions. Students from every major or college are welcome. Student grades may be determined by a variety of assignments, including quizzes, exams, in-class discussions, and major individual or group projects. This course invites students not only to learn about major concepts or ideas in the study of communication, but to explore their practical implications.
COMMUNICATIONS
COMM 100N (GH) (GS) (INTER-D) The Mass Media and Society
When is the last time you checked social media? How much TV did you watch over the weekend? What is the last song you streamed? Odds are, if you are like most Americans today, you are constantly connected to some type of media device. After all, media are everywhere today. We browse the web. We watch TV. We read books. We listen to music. Yet, where did these media that we take for granted come from? This class explores the backgrounds of various media, and explains how they have come together in a modern world of media convergence.
COMM 150N (GA) (GH) (INTER-D) The Art of the Cinema
COMM 150 (The Art of Cinema): COMM 150 is an introduction to cinema studies which aims to provide students with media literacy for a world in which communication is increasingly visual and cinematic in its form. The course assumes that films tell stories and make arguments as communicative forms by drawing on a visual language that can be learned. As such, films can be interpreted and analyzed to reveal something about the cultural conditions that produced them. The course seeks to familiarize students with examples of films that speak to both the forms that they follow and the cultural context in which they were produced. Movies, from early silent films to contemporary blockbusters, are examined as formal constructs, market commodities, and cultural artifacts that aim to represent a world for the viewer. Topics include the emergence of the cinema as a communications technology, business industry and cultural institution; the global dominance of classical Hollywood cinema; American film industry organization (production, distribution, exhibition, vertical integration, the studio system, the star system); analysis of film styles (national cinemas, historical movements); analysis of film genres (e.g., silent film melodrama, film noir, comedy, the war film, the western); consideration of film audiences (reception, spectatorship, criticism); introduction to film aesthetics (film art and appreciation); and alternative cinemas (independent, documentary and experimental cinemas). COMM 150 emphasizes media literacy and seeks to help students develop critical thinking, reading and viewing skills while providing them with a historical context for the media that they consume on a regular basis. All sections integrate lectures and readings with viewing feature films during the weekly practicum period. Many sections also incorporate slides and film or video clips during the lecture periods to allow students to exercise their critical viewing skills regarding certain teaching points. Students prepare for film screenings by reading, listening to lectures, and analyzing examples of relevant works. Introductory lectures seek to provide a critical and historical context for each week's screening; follow-up lectures offer critical analysis and examinations reward close viewing. The core purpose of the course, therefore, is to make film viewing a conscious, critical and analytic activity.
EARTH SCIENCE
EARTH 104N (GN) (GS) (INTER-D) Climate, Energy and Our Future
This class explores how we can shift our society to a sustainable energy system that improves our quality of life, our economy, and our natural environment. Energy provides well-being, jobs and about 10% of our economy, while powering the rest. But, energy is also the least sustainable part of our economy-we rely on fossil fuels that we are burning about a million times faster than nature saved them for us. These fossil fuels, mostly coal, oil and gas, help us grow food and avoid some environmental disasters, but the limited fossil-fuel supplies mean we must move toward a more sustainable system. And, we will be better off by avoiding damaging climate changes from fossil-fuel CO2 if we move before all of the fossil fuels are gone. The warming influence of fossil-fuel CO2 is shown by physics known for more than a century and really refined by the US Air Force after WWII. History, data, and models confirm the physics, giving us high confidence that burning much of the remaining fossil-fuel resource and releasing the CO2 will cause much larger climate changes than we have experienced so far. This class will explore the big issues in energy, including the value of burning oil rather than whales, and other historical insights. Then, after looking at the basic science and engineering of our energy system and how it affects climate, we will examine the multitude of options for the future, including alternative energy sources, conservation, and intentionally manipulating the climate. The economics, policies and ethics of these options will help us consider how to build a sustainable energy system that will encourage economic growth and improved quality of life, while at the same time defending against potentially catastrophic future climate change.
EARTH 111N (GN) (GS) (INTER-D) Water: Science and Society
The Earth is often called "The Blue Planet", a reference to the fact that over two-thirds of its surface is covered by water. Despite its apparent abundance, water is a valuable and limited resource; less than 2.5% of the water on the planet is fresh, and only one third of that is potable. The small fraction of Earth¿s water that is useable to humans is distributed very unevenly. As a result, conflicts over water occur from the local level, for example: pitting rancher against developer - to the global level, at which nations square off against one-another in war and use water as a mechanism for imposing sanctions. The dire situation in some regions has spurred numerous research and technological endeavors, such as water desalinization, genetic engineering of crops, and major overhauls of agricultural practice. In this course, we explore the relationships between water and human populations, with emphasis on water resources and quality in the Western U.S., and how these have shaped history and modern politics. We will focus first on developing the scientific underpinnings of water¿s unique properties, behavior, movement, occurrence, and quality. With this background, we will then discuss key issues relating to modern and historical conflicts, human impacts on the natural world, and human engineering accomplishments driven by our thirst for this valuable resource. We will discuss historical examples from the American West, specifically the development of water resources in Arizona, Colorado and California. We will also explore modern and historical conflicts between stakeholders. Major themes will include political and economic conflicts over (1) water resources - for example, balancing agricultural and urban demands in the American west in the Denver and Los Angeles metropolitan areas, (2) water quality - for example, considering the impact of economically profitable human activities on water quality and transmission of disease, and (3) human impacts on natural processes, specifically connecting human activity with our cultural history of water use and exploration in the American West.
ENTOMOLOGY
ENT 222N (GN) (GH) (GS) Honey Bees and Humans
Among more than 1,000,000 known insect species, honey bees are truly unique. No other insect has been harnessed so effectively to benefit humankind: honey bees provide critical pollination services for agricultural crops, and the wax and honey they produce are valuable commodities. Furthermore, their fascinating social life-style has intrigued individuals from hobby beekeepers to scientists studying complex questions about the evolution of sociality. More recently, documented declines in populations of honey bees and wild bees have stimulated interest in many communities, including policymakers, in improving health outcomes for bees. This course will provide students with a strong understanding of (1) honey bee behavior (particularly their complex and sophisticated social systems), biology, and health, (2) the important contributions honey bees and their pollination services make to maintaining natural ecosystems and increasing productivity of many of our key agricultural crops; and (3) the global history of human interactions with honey bees, including how people from many cultures have managed bees to provide honey, wax, and pollination services (4) the social and political context of addressing bee health issues. The course material will be presented in a series of interactive lectures, videos, and discussions, and also include a field trip to the Pollinator Gardens at the Arboretum at Penn State, a field trip to one of the Penn State apiaries, tracking individual honey bees in an observation hive, and dissections of samples in a laboratory exercise.
GAMING
GAME 160N (GA) (GH) (INTER-D) Introduction to Video Game Culture
This course is a comparative introduction to the nature and history of video games as cultural artifacts, from Pong to online role-playing. It introduces students to academic discussion on and creative work in new digital forms including hypertexts, video games, cell phone novels, machinima, and more. Students will survey major debates over the meaning and value of video games, and study some of the major theoretical terms and perspectives developed to elaborate the cultural and sociological value of video games. The course extends students' skills in literary interpretation to a variety of new objects, and makes them aware of the role medium plays in aesthetic development and production. Students will leave with a far sharper understanding of how the interpretive tools used in the humanities can be extended to include new media, and with a sense of the historical role video games have played and will continue to play in global cultural production. Because the course is historically focused, it will spend significant time looking at the differential development of video games in three major regions: the United States, Europe, and East Asia (especially Japan).
GEOGRAPHY
GEOG 30N (GN) (GS) (INTER-D) Environment and Society in a Changing World
GEOG 30N "Environment and Society in a Changing World" introduces students to the relationships between humans and the natural environment, in addition to the theories and methods that geographers employ in addressing them. The course begins with an overview of theories and key concepts to examine the interactions between social and ecological systems, across settings in the United States and globally. The course will provide students with the opportunity to read and learn about the ways in which humans think about, use, and are affected by the natural environment. It will also provide skills for analyzing and evaluating the ways in which humans have transformed the environment in different parts of the world through the integration of knowledge from the natural and social sciences. This class is designed to address big questions in human-environment interactions at the present time, while drawing upon their histories and key conceptual ideas. 1. What is a human-environment system? How does the geographic discipline contribute towards understanding human-environment systems and sustainability? 2. Why do we conserve what we conserve? Is it possible to conserve natural resources and also meet human needs? 3. What are ways to manage the effects of economic development upon the natural environment? Is sustainable development possible? 4. How is climate change impacting social and ecological systems? Can we adapt to the impacts of climate change? One of the hallmarks of the discipline of geography is attention to how social and ecological processes interact and spread across spatial scales. This means that specific events, such as the consumption of particular product or the emission of greenhouse gases, connect sites within countries and across the globe. GEOG 30N meets the definition for both a US and international cultures course by emphasizing how current human-environment systems developed over time in the U.S. and internationally. GEOG 30N examines how various political, economic, and cultural factors influenced the creation of the different forms of human-environment systems that exist today. Further, it teaches students to see nations, cultures, and social identities in relation to one another, exploring how decisions made in relation to a human-environment system in one place or by one group can impact other people or places.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES
HDFS 108N (GHW) (GS) (INTER-D) Art & Science of Human Flourishing
This course offers students the opportunity to explore human flourishing - defined as a life of deep meaning, fulfillment and service to others. Students will be taught about flourishing through the lens of science, philosophy, and their own experience. Through exposure to diverse scientific theories and research on the skills associated with flourishing, to philosophical and religious writings on human happiness and wellbeing, and to various reflective exercises and contemplative practices (e.g., mindfulness and compassion meditation), students will develop conceptual knowledge, experiential insight, and practical skills related to flourishing. The course begins by introducing a conceptual framework that defines flourishing in terms of foundations, domains and dimensions. First, students will learn about the foundations of flourishing in terms of the unique human capacities for reflection, resilience and transformation. Second, students will learn about four major domains and related dimensions that characterize flourishing, including the domains of awareness (e.g., focus, emotion, mindfulness), connection to others (e.g., interdependence, compassion, diversity), wisdom (identity, aesthetics, values) and integration of one's values and intentions in everyday living (e.g., courage, performance).Together, in a supportive and highly experiential learning environment, students will be encouraged to envision, articulate and pursue their own unique path to flourishing during their time in college and beyond based on their intellectual and experiential learning in the course. By the end of this course, students are able to: (I) Demonstrate foundational knowledge, including the ability to analyze and describe the relevant concepts and theories in multiple intellectual fields on the nature and cultivation of human flourishing, and the ability to recognize the possibilities, value, and relevance of cultivating personal flourishing in their own lives in relation to flourishing in social relationships, communities, and institutions; (II) Experience deep engagement in terms of being familiar with the basic personal experiences relating to individual qualities of human flourishing in order to make personal sense of them, and master individual practices for assessing and developing them; and (III) Understand real-world applications in terms of acquiring skills, sensibilities, and perspectives relating to individual qualities of human flourishing, which they are able to apply in the diverse contexts of their lives.
HDFS 249N (GHW) (GS) (INTER-D) Adult Development & Aging
This course provides a basic introduction to concepts, theoretical perspectives, and key empirical studies on adult development and aging. Students will become familiar with key developmental trends and challenges that must be addressed to achieve healthy growth and development throughout adulthood and late life. The course addresses changes in physical health, cognition, and psychosocial functioning (including mental health, social roles and relationships, and transitions in work and retirement); and the implications of these changes for issues such as risk of disability, dementia, caregiving, and end-of-life decisions. For each topic, students will become familiar with major theoretical frameworks, approaches to empirical research, and findings from empirical studies. Key features of this course are its attention to: how biological, cognitive and social changes combine to influence overall adaptation and throughout the aging process; the ways in which adult development and aging occurs in the context of families, social relationships, neighborhoods and communities, and the larger cultural context; and how theories and empirical findings can be applied to promote healthy adult development and aging. Students pursuing the HDFS major option must complete HDFS 129 plus two of the three 200-level developmental courses (HDFS 229, HDFS 239, HDFS 249N). This course may count toward the minor in HDFS. Students who are not pursuing a major in Human Development and Family Studies can apply credits from this course towards the General Education Integrative Studies requirement: as an Inter-domain Course, the course puts approximately equal emphasis on learning objectives for Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) and for Health & Wellness (GHW) knowledge domains.
KINESIOLOGY
KINES 160N (GHW) (GN) (INTER-D) Fitness with Exercise Physiology
Biology of Exercise is an integrative exercise physiology course that combines performing physical activity (Kinesiology) and applying biological principles (Biology). This course will explain the benefits, changes, and processes the body exhibits while exercising. Students will gain knowledge and comprehension through both a lecture (or online) setting (approximately half of the class meetings) as well as an activity component (approximately half of the class meetings) in which students will demonstrate their health related components of fitness. This includes, but is not limited to, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, power, cardiorespiratory endurance, and body composition. In the lecture component, students will describe biological principles including homeostasis, nutrition, the structure, and function of musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. At the completion of this course, students will be able to argue for the lifelong significance of exercise including why it is important, benefits related to organ systems, and disease prevention.
WOMEN'S STUDIES
WMNST 106N (GA) GH) (INTER-D) Representing Women & Gender in Literature, Art & Popular Cultures
Interdisciplinary consideration of primary works and scholarship pertaining to women in the humanitieS and the arts. WMNST 106N Representing Women and Gender in Literature, Art and Popular Cultures (3) (GA;GH;US;IL)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. This is an introductory survey course that fulfills General Education Integrative Studies requirements in humanities and arts, and also fulfills United States and International Cultures requirements. The course is a prerequisite for upper level women's studies courses. WMNST 106N is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, with an emphasis on the experiences, achievements, and status of women in the arts and humanities in the U.S. and global context. While providing a broad overview of scholarly research and theory pertaining to women and gender, students will also see many examples of contemporary women's creative practice through the visual arts, media, and popular culture. Students will learn about the challenges women artists have faced in making their way in a male-dominated arts and media industry; they will learn how these artists sought and continue to seek new languages and forms, whether in paint, words, film, music, crafts, to reassess and re-imagine notions of sex and sexuality, gender, race and ethnicity that underlie many forms of social injustice. Depending on the location where the course is taught, class meetings may be a mixture of lectures, group discussions, individual and group exercises, films, and guest speakers. Assigned readings and class meetings may be designed to help students reassess predominant modes of thought and to give students tools to appreciate the creative work of highly diverse women. Depending again upon location, evaluation methods will include a balanced selection from among short papers, longer research papers, journals, book reviews, quizzes, exams, group assignments and other creative activities.