UF 100: Foundations of Intellectual Life

Do you wish you had more voice in your education? Most people think we know what happens in education because we have been through it! Education policy happens to and for all citizens in our society. Be a part of it. How will you make your voice heard so that education policy and practice informs a society where education makes a difference? Lead Instructor: Jennifer Snow.

We live in an ‘Age of Information’ where digital information increases at exponential rates: from traditional publications such as books or newspapers to ‘amateur’ data in the form of social media. Information is increasingly fragmented, anecdotal documentation of individual lives in a communal virtual space (on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.). At the same time, media companies use this data to create customized advertisements and ‘echo chamber’ news and opinions that surround users with information they want to see, hear, and buy. This course investigates how mass media and information technology shape the way we understand the world around us. We will address the following questions: Is all this information making us more informed? Why has ‘fake news’ become such an issue? And how does advertising and social media curate our choices, values, and identities? Lead Instructor: Erik Hadley or Tim Guill.

In this section, we will apply the design thinking process to planning, navigating, and maximizing your experiences at Boise State and beyond. Design thinking is a five-step methodology used by innovators, entrepreneurs, and others looking to enhance creative problem-solving and create better user experiences. Stanford University’s d.School is a hub of training and programming for design thinking, and this course is based on the book and course from d.School founders, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. Lead Instructor: Jill Heney.

What dynamics are at play between majority and minority cultures? What contributions do marginalized cultures make to societies they are a part of? This course will examine the marginalization of minority cultures through film, so we can better understand ourselves, our own culture, the effects of marginalization, and the roles minorities play. Lead Instructor: Becca Sibrian

We live in a capitalist nation; that reality structures our society and our daily lives. We work in capitalist workplaces and cast votes for politicians with starkly different visions of how capitalism should operate. Yet so few of us ever stop to think: What is capitalism, how did it evolve, and where is it headed next? How did America turn from a relatively minor player in the Atlantic marketplace into the world’s largest economy? To that end, this course explores how (and why) America became a “capitalist nation,” and how that transformation has fundamentally shaped our politics, our culture, and our lives. ” Lead Instructor: Shaun Nichols.

“He was not of an age, but for all time!” wrote Ben Jonson of his friend William Shakespeare in 1623. So how is Shakespeare relevant to life in 21st-century America? In this course, we will use critical thinking and performance to explore plays and poems that have resonated with readers and viewers around the world for over 400 years, looking specifically at the way Shakespeare’s works offer life lessons that can help us navigate the complex world we live in. Lead Instructor: Jennifer Black.

This course traces the origin of one of the most popular Hollywood movies, Aladdin, from the ancient text One Thousand and One Nights (Alif Layla wa-Layla in the original). Students will read a few of the Night stories that have a direct connection to the story of Aladdin, study about these stories’ origin and their journey across the world, the contacts they made with diverse cultures, how they are retold many times, and have taken a different meaning in the 21st century. They will learn to evaluate literary texts, movies, cultural practices and its connection to human life and understand how storytelling influences particular mindsets that help shape our consciousness. Lead Instructor: Reshmi Mukherjee.

Why is “the media” the way it is? Like fish immersed in water, we live in a world dominated by media products and messages, and it can be hard to take a step back and examine this environment. That is why we need to develop media literacy: the ability to analyze media messages and their social contexts. In this class, you will learn how to sort fact from fiction, how to separate reality from its representation, and how to use media to be an active participant in public life. Lead Instructor: Seth Ashley.

What should college be for? This course plunges students into an examination of higher education and its role in society. Students are expected to dig deeply into a wide range of readings and to explore the purposes of college from multiple perspectives. Students work extensively in teams to research and share ideas about how to make the most of their own university experience and how to shape higher education for the future. Lead Instructor: Jennifer Black.

How do we make sense of the human sexual experience? What are the brain systems that are involved in love, and why did they evolve? How can we best understand the great diversity of intimate relationships across cultures and time? This course is geared to help you make sense of our ever-changing social world given our shared evolutionary history and the cross-cultural variation in the human reproductive experience. You will gain hands on research experience, develop and reflect on learning goals, and consider how anthropology can contribute solutions to the continuing challenges we face as a species. Lead Instructor: John Ziker.

How do we know when we experience “the beautiful”? What does it really mean to be “in awe”? What does the expression “beauty is only skin deep” imply? How are notions of beauty influenced by social conditioning and culture? These questions affect everyone, because everyone is affected by beauty. If you have ever felt in awe of an extraordinary event or felt the wonder and curiosity needed to solve a great problem, you have been moved by beauty. This course is for you. By the end of the course, you will know more about what you find beautiful and why, develop greater insight into how beauty fuels innovation and creativity in many different fields, and have practiced college-level critical inquiry within the disciplines of art, science, psychology, and philosophy. Lead Instructor: Elizabeth Cook

In this course we will explore education policy and decision-making processes. Who decides? Do you wish you had more voice in your education? Most people think we know what happens in education because we have been through it. Education policy happens to and for all citizens in our society. Be a part of it. How will you make your voice heard so that education policy and practice informs a society where education makes a difference? Lead Instructor: Jennifer Snow

An introductory course designed for all students, surveying the burgeoning field of planetary astronomy and how these discoveries have revolutionized the search for extraterrestrial life. Students will even have the opportunity to conduct their own astronomical observations.  Lead Instructor: Brian Jackson

What is the meaning of the United States Constitution and can Americans truly know it? That and other probing questions will structure this course. To obtain insightful answers, students will embark on a semester-long historical journey, one entailing immersion in milestone constitutional texts and their framework contexts that span a nearly 250-year time period. The exploration will commence with the Mayflower Compact of the 1620s and reach a culmination with the Reconstruction Amendments of the 1860s. Wherever it begins or however it ends, the pursuit will revolve about the 1787 Philadelphia Convention, the birth of a new governmental charter for the American people, and the subsequent rebirth of the United States. Hardly perilous, the expedition will nonetheless be challenging. Instructor: Raymond Krohn

In this course we will investigate the ways cities shape our lives and how we shape cities. Imagine the urban future. Imagine the Boise valley with two tall cities larger than Cleveland by the time the Class of 2024 reaches retirement age. We will explore cities as ecosystems of energy and innovation, cities with Google cars and sci-fi architecture, cities blighted and starkly divided by income and race. Bring a sense of adventure. We promise a thrilling ride. Instructor: Jillian Moroney

“It’s complicated” is a common refrain. But what makes relationships complicated? How can we all get along in a society with so many differences and layers of complications? How can we name these layers of complications to constructively engage with one another without compromising who we are? From families to neighborhoods, the workplace to government, from social movements to international relations, people must interact intimately to both survive every day and to make sweeping changes. At the same time, we must navigate differences in such things as gender, race, class, sexuality and ability. In this class, students will develop skills for understanding and successfully negotiating the complexities of our society. Lead Instructors: Desiree Brunette & Julia Broderick

It is hard not to feel the effects of climate change in our daily life in the 21st century. The average temperature is higher worldwide, an increasing number of extreme weather events are recorded, the sea water level is rising, and the picture is getting worse every year or decade. Although more people admit that the main reason for climate change is man’s behavior, that is mainly our economic decisions, we can’t make better decisions to preserve the course of climate change. In this course, we will try to find an answer to these questions: Why do we make bad economic choices? What are their cognitive/historical/institutional reasons? Is economic theory, often defined as the science of decision-making, flawed in guiding us to make good decisions for us and society? How do our individual decisions affect our environment? And how can we fix our bad choices? Lead Instructor: Emre Balikci

Climate change may destroy our world. It may not. We may be able to slow or control climate change. We may not. These statements imply difficult questions. One thing that is certain is that climate change is an astonishingly complex problem, and perhaps no topic requires our critical thought more than this. This course is designed to introduce you to a portion of the complex questions surrounding climate change, while helping you to develop perspectives, strategies, and tools for critically assessing and coping with this or any other similarly difficult problem.

The information we consider about climate change will be structured around three big questions: What is climate change, and what are its impacts on natural systems on which people depend? How does culture shape the climate shape debate? What are the impacts of climate change on social systems, and how can our civilization respond? Lead Instructor: Kerrie Weppner.

History, legends, castles and battles, kings and queens, heroes and dragons, swords and sorcery:  the images of the Middle Ages have exerted a powerful influence on popular culture for centuries.  They pervade fantasy novels including The Once and Future King, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones; games such as Assassin’s Creed and Dungeons and Dragons; dramatic films like Excalibur, The Lion in Winter, and The Green Night; satires like The Princess Bride, Robin Hood:  Men in Tights, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail; adventure films like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, animated Disney films like The Sword in the Stone, and Broadway musicals such as Camelot.  Why do we still love stories of knights in armor and ladies in lace, jousting and carousing, romantic love and quests?  What are we telling ourselves about the modern world with our tales of the Middle Ages?  We will explore the themes and enduring appeal of the Middle Ages in pop culture, and will also compare it to the realities of the longest historical period (400-1400) in European history. Lead Instructor: Clyde Moneyhun

Learn about how to understand and analyze games using tools from mathematics and computer science, economics and social sciences, and interactive media disciplines. Play multiple types of games, learn ways to represent them, and practice talking about games as decision-making settings. Study some tried and true strategies (e.g., pure and mixed, minimax, Nash equilibrium), and play a customized semester-long educational game by splitting up into two teams to compete for low stakes prizes. Lead Instructor: Joe Champion

In this course, we will examine the meaning of health, compare factors that influence health, and evaluate the contributions individuals and society make in achieving health. We will also consider how different communities value health differently and how individuals within those communities can effectively communicate across those differences. Lead Instructor: Michael Mann

We live in a capitalist nation; that reality structures our society and our daily lives. We work in capitalist workplaces and cast votes for politicians with starkly different visions of how capitalism should operate. Yet so few of us ever stop to think: What is capitalism, how did it evolve, and where is it headed next? How did America turn from a relatively minor player in the Atlantic marketplace into the world’s largest economy? To that end, this course explores how (and why) America became a “capitalist nation,” and how that transformation has fundamentally shaped our politics, our culture, and our lives. Lead Instructor: Shaun Nichols.

Ever wondered how fictional languages like Elvish in “Lord of the Rings”, Dothraki in “Game of Thrones”, or Klingon in “Star Trek” were created? This course explores the fascinating world of linguistics through the lens of fictional or constructed languages.  Are you fascinated by languages and cultures? In this course, you’ll delve into the “ingredients” of natural languages, analyzing sounds, gestures, words, sentences, and writing. We’ll also explore the close relationship between language and culture, examining how languages reflect the unique worldviews of their speakers. Join us in this hands-on exploration of language, both human and constructed! Lead Intstructor: Michal Temkin Martinez

This course investigates how disease and epidemics have impacted human communities throughout history and how they have affected social change. Lead Instructor: Katherine Huntley

Extreme environments on Earth span from the poles to the deepest oceans and the highest peaks, presenting unique challenges for life. Remarkably, organisms not only survive, but thrive in these harsh conditions. This course will provide foundational knowledge for understanding life in extreme environments. The essential question in this course is “How do they do that”. We will investigate physical extremes like temperature, radiation, pressure, as well as chemical extremes such as desiccation, salinity, pH, and oxygen levels. We will then discuss the challenges associated with these conditions and then look at adaptations to such extreme conditions and their impact on ecosystems. By exploring extremes, we will also address fundamental questions about the origins of life, the role of microbes in making Earth habitable, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Finally, we will highlight the practical applications of this research which revolutionized fields as diverse as medicine, biotechnology, food science, the pharmaceutical industries, and cosmetics. Lead Instructor: Konrad Meister

“He was not of an age, but for all time!” wrote Ben Jonson of his friend William Shakespeare in 1623. So how is Shakespeare relevant to life in 21st-century America? In this course, we will use critical thinking and performance to explore plays and poems that have resonated with readers and viewers around the world for over 400 years, looking specifically at the way Shakespeare’s works offer life lessons that can help us navigate the complex world we live in. Lead Instructors: Jennifer Black & Stephanie Cox

Students will explore the literary and cultural journey of Walt Disney’s Aladdin from 1992 to the present day. They will learn about its connection to the Thousand and One Nights and how it influenced our understanding of the world today. Lead Instructor: Reshmi Mukherjee (Online Section)

How do we know when we experience “the beautiful”? What does it really mean to be “in awe”?  What does the expression “beauty is only skin deep” imply? How are notions of beauty influenced by social conditioning and culture?  These questions affect everyone, because everyone is affected by beauty. If you have ever felt in awe of an extraordinary event or felt the wonder and curiosity needed to solve a great problem, you have been moved by beauty. This course is for you. By the end of the semester, you will know more about what you find beautiful and why, develop greater insight into how beauty fuels innovation and creativity in many different fields, and have practiced college-level critical inquiry within the disciplines of art, science, psychology and philosophy. Lead Instructor: Elizabeth Cook (Online Degree Pathway Section)

This course will focus on exploring political science concepts through science fiction film and television. Instructor: Michael Allen

What should college be for? This course plunges students into an examination of higher education and its role in society. Students are expected to dig deeply into a wide range of readings and to explore the purposes of college from multiple perspectives. Students work extensively to research and share ideas about how to make the most of their own university experience and how to shape higher education for the future. Lead Instructor: Corey Simpson (Online Degree Pathway Section)

Experts once predicted the disappearance of religion from modern life, but while religiosity has decreased in many European countries, it has grown elsewhere. As a result, religion in modernity invites many questions: Is religion a major cause of violence? Is it the foundation of morality? Is it compatible with science? Is it biased against women? Are we hardwired to be religious? Is religion compatible with democracy? In light of questions like these, this course asks the following: What has religion done for us, and what is its role in our collective future? If we critically engage the complexity of religion in human history, we can more effectively address these pressing questions about the appropriate role of religions in the years to come. Lead Instructor: Matt Recla.

The creative economy permeates our everyday lives, shaping where we live, what we buy, and how we interact with others. In this course, we look at how arts and culture are at the center of economic and community development in the Treasure Valley. Students gain exposure about how to live artful lives through experiences and first-hand encounters with artists, arts leaders, cultural sites, and creative activities. Lead Instructor: Amanda Ashley

The First Amendment includes important rights to religion and speech that most Americans are familiar with. It also includes a right to Association that is essential, but gets paid less attention. When citizens join together, whether in groups of two or two million, change happens. As well, political theory and free speech theory emphasize how those with new ideas that sometimes seem utterly bizarre and, even, taboo, are required for the public to prosper.

This course considers the meaning of dissent in public life, why it matters, and how it takes shape. Special attention will be paid to the theoretical underpinnings of dissent, and how the Supreme Court has come to protect rights to dissent over its jurisdictional history. The second half of the course will cover some significant social movements/change movements from American history, and how they have succeeded or failed. Students will learn that social dissent and conflict are critical components of progress and are catalysts that move individuals, institutions, and communities toward systemic change. Moreover, becoming willing to voice opposition, or stand apart in one’s identity or opinion, is a valuable life skill that enhances self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. Instructor: Sam Martin

The Changing Chemistry of Planet Earth – Planet Earth sustains a diverse array of life, which has evolved over eons of time along with the planet’s environment. We are currently in the Age of Man, where human growth and activity are significant in the planet’s continuing evolution. Much of the human impact begins with changes in the Earth’s chemical environment, which are manifested as alterations in our physical environment. What are those chemical alterations and how is human activity involved? How do these alterations produce smog in our atmosphere, deadly blooms of algae in our water, and the expansion of deserts across our landscape? How does our thirst for energy relate to global warming and climate change? What can we do as humans, and how far should we go, to enhance our positive impact on the environment, while reducing the negative? Expect to actively discuss and debate, in this context, the management of natural resources and human waste in the environment.

We live in a capitalist nation; that reality structures so much about our society and our daily lives. We work in capitalist workplaces and cast votes for politicians with starkly different visions of how capitalism should operate. Yet so few of us ever stop to think: What is capitalism, how did it evolve, and where is it headed next? How did America turn from a relatively minor player in the Atlantic marketplace into the world’s largest economy? To that end, this course explores how (and why) America became a “capitalist nation,” and how that transformation has fundamentally shaped our politics, our culture, and our lives.

This course will focus on brain: the organ we know least about- yet comprises everything normal and abnormal that humans are and inherit. A discussion of normal brain function including plasticity and communication (neurotransmitters, action potential, and receptor signaling) will then be highlighted by numerous disorders and diseases including drug addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, Huntington’s disease and even psychopaths. The underlying theme throughout these lectures will be the influence of genetics not only on disease and disorders, but normal behavioral traits including occupation, religion, political attitudes and parental care. Although this is a survey course of neuroscience, learning some molecular aspects of neurobiology is expected.

What dynamics are at play between majority and minority cultures? What contributions do marginalized cultures make to societies they are a part of? This course will examine the marginalization of minority cultures through film, so we can better understand ourselves, our own culture, the effects of marginalization, and the roles minorities play.

“He was not of an age, but for all time!” wrote Ben Jonson of his friend William Shakespeare in 1623. So how is Shakespeare relevant to life in 21st-century America? In this course, we will use critical thinking and performance to explore plays and poems that have resonated with readers and viewers around the world for over 400 years, looking specifically at the way Shakespeare’s works offer life lessons that can help us navigate the complex world we live in.

This course examines the role of trash in modern human society, tracking its production, management, disposal, and re-use. Historical, political, economic, and environmental dimensions of trash management are considered both locally and globally. Students are introduced to best practices and innovative solutions to solid waste management.

In this course, we will examine the meaning of health, compare factors that influence health, and evaluate the contributions individuals and society make in achieving health. We will also consider how different communities value health differently and how individuals within those communities can effectively communicate across those differences.

Why are you here? What makes a college degree valuable? Why do some people get much more out of college than others? How can students successfully navigate their university experiences? In this course, we explore the recent historical struggles determining the role of higher education in society. We look at the major elements and inequalities in higher education, considering how these have changed over time, how they can be reimagined, and the disruptive potential of college degrees. We investigate the interlocking relations of college as preparing students for both jobs and civic participation – the tensions between work and democracy. And we empower students with the critical understandings necessary to make the most of their college experience.

The central, overarching question of this course is, “What does it take for someone’s life to go well?” – also known as the question of what Well-being or the Good Life consists in. At the beginning of the course, we’ll survey several historically important answers to this question. Then we will turn to an in-depth examination of four perennial philosophical concerns: Theism vs. Atheism & Agnosticism (“To believe or not to believe?”); The Nature of Morality; Death and Meaning; The Pursuit of Truth. The readings, videos, lectures, assignments and activities of the course have all been chosen with the aim of helping you to develop your own reasoned account of what well being is, and of how each of these philosophical concerns relate to it. In so doing, we hope that you will come to appreciate the lifelong value of philosophical activity, especially in the form of sincere, respectful, truth-aimed dialogue with others. Through such activity, you will arrive at a deeper, more reasoned and reflective sense of who you are, where you are going and why, and how you relate to others.

A Geoscience Perspective on Natural Hazards, Climate Change, and Society – Are YOU prepared for Natural Hazards? Is Yellowstone really going to blow? Regardless of where we live now or in the future, we all face threats from possible natural hazard events. The core of the class involves understanding geologic and climate processes that result in natural hazard events (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, floods, landslides, severe weather, and more). By the end of this class, you will understand the causes and consequences of the variety of natural hazards, and will learn how individuals and communities can work together to reduce the impact of such events.

In this section, we will apply the design thinking process to planning, navigating, and maximizing your experiences at Boise State and beyond. Design thinking is a five-step methodology used by innovators, entrepreneurs, and others looking to enhance creative problem-solving and create better user experiences. Stanford University’s d.School is a hub of training and programming for design thinking, and this course is based on the book and course from d.School founders, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.

Stories pass to and through us in many forms — through writing, images, songs, voice, architecture, etc. Some stay with us and shape the way we understand ourselves and the world. In this class, we will read, discuss, and research in order to reflect on the role significant stories have played in our own lives, how they impact what we know, what we can do, and who we become.

We live in an ‘Age of Information’ where digital information increases at exponential rates: from traditional publications such as books or newspapers to ‘amateur’ data in the form of social media. Information is increasingly fragmented, anecdotal documentation of individual lives in a communal virtual space (on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.). At the same time, media companies use this data to create customized advertisements and ‘echo chamber’ news and opinions that surround users with information they want to see, hear, and buy. This course investigates how mass media and information technology shape the way we understand the world around us. We will address the following questions: Is all this information making us more informed? Why has ‘fake news’ become such an issue? And how does advertising and social media curate our choices, values, and identities?

What should college be for? This course plunges students into an examination of higher education and its role in society. Students are expected to dig deeply into a wide range of readings and to explore the purposes of college from multiple perspectives. Students work extensively to research and share ideas about how to make the most of their own university experience and how to shape higher education for the future.