Freshman Seminar Program
Fall Quarter 2018 Enrollment Information
Freshman Seminars are open first to all freshman including first-year freshman with sophomore standing during the freshman enrollment period. Incoming freshmen with sophomore standing should use the campus Course Pre-Authorization system to be cleared to enroll in a seminar and then use WebReg to enroll in seminars during your enrollment time.
Early enrollment is encouraged due to the small class size.
Visit the Schedule of Classes to see enrollments (select all departments and 87.) Use WebReg to enroll in seminars during your enrollment period.
Sophomores may enroll directly in freshman seminars by using WebReg after the freshman enrollment period and if seats are available.
Please use the campus Course Pre-Authorization system if you have an enrollment question.
Please use the Virtual Advising Center, VAC to contact the advisor of the department or program offering the seminar for all non-enrollment questions.
Department of Anthropology
Discover Anthropology
ANTH 87 A00
Section ID: 951895
Semendeferi, Ekaterini (
ksemende@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
The seminar introduces students to the various disciplines within anthropology, library and laboratory resources, faculty research and mentoring opportunities in the department.
Division of Biological Sciences
Earth's Fragile Biosphere
BILD 87 B00
Section ID: 951897
Saier, Milton (
msaier@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
This seminar will address the consequences of human activity on the Earth's biosphere. Topics include species extinction, global warming, habitat destruction, individual responsibility to future generations, and human values/morals.
The Philosophy of Science and the Science of the Supernatural
BILD 87 A00
Section ID: 951896
Saier, Milton (
msaier@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
This seminar will consider the philosophy of science and the science of faith. Topics to be included are:
1. The Creation Story 2. The Ptolemaic Universe 3. How to explain the supernatural 4. Copernicus and Galileo 5. Kepler's analyses 6. Sir Isaac Newton 7. Darwin and Evolution 8. Koch's Postulates 9. Mental illness 10. The Scientific Method.
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Teaching Science: The Challenge
CHEM 87 A00
Section ID: 951898
Bussey, Thomas (
tbussey@ucsd.edu)
Location: NSB 3211
Thursdays, 3:00 p.m. to 4:20 p.m.
Meeting Dates:
TBA
Why do so many students seem unable or unwilling to learn science? Is this due to ineffective instruction, or are the difficulties inevitable? How can teaching make science intrinsically stimulating for all students? How can a teaching career be fulfilling and rewarding?
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
Neural Networks as Models of the Mind
CSE 87 A00
Section ID: 951899
Cottrell, Gary (
gary@ucsd.edu)
Location: EBU3B B230
Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
Seminar will meet weeks 1-6
We investigate how neural networks can be used to model how we see, read, remember, and learn. We use simple demonstration programs that implement these models. We teach a neural network to recognize faces, facial expressions, and gender. We also get some insight into the latest trends in neural networks, Deep Learning.
Critical Gender Studies
Gender and Sexuality in Popular Culture
CGS 87 B00
Section ID: 952251
Wesling, Megan (
mwesling@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Thursdays, 2:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet weeks 1-5
We will talk about how sexuality is constructed in television, film, and advertising. Students will have opportunities to propose shows or films for discussion.
Virtual Intimacies
CGS 87 A00
Section ID: 952250
Nguyen, Hoang (
htn057@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Tuesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet weeks 1-8
How do digital technologies bring us closer to other people and drive us away from them? What happens when personal interactions once conducted face-to-face are carried out over email, text message, Skype, and Facebook? What consequences arise when our physical relationships become virtual? This course explores the role of digital media in intimate relationships through such case studies as online friendships, Tinder and Grindr, transnational surrogacy, and helicopter parenting.
Eleanor Roosevelt College
Disability and the Struggle for Inclusion
ERC 87 B00
Section ID: 951903
Herbst, Matthew (
mtherbst@ucsd.edu)
What is disability? This seminar offers an overview of the topic, providing an historical perspective and an introduction to contemporary issues, including the legacy of exclusion and discrimination and the struggle for inclusion, equal rights, and opportunity.
God, Satan, and the Desert - $95 field trip fee required
ERC 87 A00
Section ID: 951902
Herbst, Matthew (
mtherbst@ucsd.edu)
Location: ERC 115
Tuesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet Camping trip will be a weeknd in February
This seminar offers an introduction to cultural and religious perspectives on the desert, which has been viewed as a cursed wasteland, but also as source of enlightenment. This course includes a weekend trip in the desert . Website: http://ucsdherbst.org/wilderness-seminars/
Film Studies
Banned films
FILM 87 D00
Section ID: 951907
Rahimi, Babak (
brahimi@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
This seminar examines the relationship between law, politics and cinema and why governments have banned certain films throughout history. We will examine films such as This is Not a Film, Sweetness of Spirit, Battleship Potemkin, LAge dOr, The Bohemian Girl, Clockwork Orange, Goldfinger and others.
Cult Films of 1950s-2000s
FILM 87 A00
Section ID: 951904
Havis, Allan (
ahavis@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
Cursory look at enigmatic cult film classics from 1950 to today. Basic aesthetics and ideas of cult films will be celebrated. Films will probably include PSYCHO, THE WICKER MAN, ROAD WARRIOR, BLADE RUNNER, DELICATESSEN, RUN LOLA RUN, HAROLD & MAUDE.
Fantasy, Sci Fi, & Horror the Last 60 Years
FILM 87 B00
Section ID: 951905
Havis, Allan (
ahavis@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
An entertaining and analytical survey from the 1950s to today of memorable and strange feature films probably including THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, PSYCHO, RUN LOLA RUN, ROAD WARRIOR, BLADE RUNNER, METROPOLIS, DARK CITY, and THE RING. Technical achievement, visual power, and personal nuance will be emphasized.
Film and Religion
FILM 87 E00
Section ID: 952252
Rahimi, Babak (
brahimi@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
This seminar examines key films in the dynamic relationship between spirituality and cinematic experience. The seminar examines films ranging from the Seventh Seal (1957) and Black Narcissusm (1947), to Order (1955) and Life of Brian (1979), and many more.
What Film Could Teach Us About Life
FILM 87 C00
Section ID: 951906
Rahimi, Babak (
brahimi@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
This seminar is about how film can reflect and change our lives. We will discuss movies such as: I Love you, Beth Cooper,American Beauty, Sliding doors, Seventh Seal, Happiness, La Dolce Vita, Taste of Cherry, Do the Right Thing, Christmas Story and others.
Department of History
Sun, Sea, Sand & Sex: What Do Tourism and Tourists Really Do?
HITO 87 B00
Section ID: 951909
Patterson, Patrick (
p1patterson@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
Major issues and hot topics relating to the impact of tourism and tourists in the contemporary world, including environmental impacts, sex tourism, economic development and underdevelopment, "cultural imperialism," sustainability.
The History and Philosophy of Confucius - cross listed with PHIL 87 section A
HITO 87 C00
Section ID: 951910
Schneewind, Sarah (
sschneewind@ucsd.edu)
Location: HSS 8025
Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates:
TBA
We read and discuss Confucius's Analects from the perspectives of both history and philosophy perspective. The required text is an English translation by Slingerland. The teachers are a professor of Chinese History (Schneewind), and a professor of Ancient Philosophy (Johnson). Enrollment is 10 for HITO 87 section B and 10 for PHIL 87 section A.
Why Do Europeans Love and Hate America?
HITO 87 A00
Section ID: 951908
Patterson, Patrick (
p1patterson@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
"Americanization" and "McDonaldization" in Europe spark controversy and even violent protests. Many treat imports of American culture with disgust. Yet the US is also admired, even loved, and demand for American things remains strong. We will study key forms of and resistance to Americanization.
Department of Literature
Dystopia in Film and Literature
LTWL 87 A00
Section ID: 951911
Lampert-Weissig, Lisa (
llampert@ucsd.edu)
Location: LIT 237
Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Seminar will meet Weeks 1-7 and 9
George Orwell’s dystopian classic, 1984, recently shot to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list. What does this novel, written in 1949, have to say to us today? We will explore political, environmental, and technological dystopias in works such as Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Butler’s The Parable of the Talents, Collins’ The Hunger Games, and the UK television series Black Mirror.
Zombies: An Unnatural History
LTWL 87 B00
Section ID: 951912
Lampert-Weissig, Lisa (
llampert@ucsd.edu)
Location: LIT 237
Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Seminar will meet Weeks 1-7 and 9
Why is imagining a zombie apocalypse so compelling? Is the recent craze just mindless fun or are there political and social subtexts? We'll examine the origins of the zombie, early films from the 1940s, George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968), The Walking Dead and World War Z. More information at www.talesofthenight.org
Department of Mathematics
Calculus and the Art of Bicycle Racing
MATH 87 A00
Section ID: 951913
Wulbert, Daniel (
dwulbert@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
Topics Include: Power on climb, Counter steering vectors, Rotating mass, Track stands, Cornering lines. Students can choose topics ranging from arithmetic and trig calculations through to Taylor Series and Lagrange Multipliers.
Math in the Movies
MATH 87 B00
Section ID: 951914
Bunch, James (
jbunch@ucsd.edu)
Location: APM 6402
Wednesday, 3:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet Octpber 3, 10, 17, 24
Does studying math lead to mental instability and madness, or to social awkwardness and nerdiness? We will view four films and discuss the portrayal of math and mathematicians in them.
Teaching Math: The Challenge
MATH 87 C00
Section ID: 951915
Harel, Guershon (
gharel@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
Why do so many students seem unable or unwilling to learn mathematics? Which of the difficulties students have in mathematics are due to ineffective instruction and which are inevitable? How can teaching make mathematics stimulating for all students? How can a teaching career be fulfilling?
Department of Philosophy
History and Philosophy of Confucius - cross listed with HITO 87
PHIL 87 A00
Section ID: 951916
Johnson, Monte (
mrj001@ucsd.edu)
Location: HSS 8025
Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates:
TBA
We will read and discuss selections from Confucius' Analects from an historical and philosophical perspective. The seminar will be led by a Chinese History Professor and a Philosophy Professor who specializes in Ancient Philosophy. Enrollment will be 10 for HITO 87 and 10 for PHIL 87.
OurTech: Building The Web That We Want
PHIL 87 B00
Section ID: 952253
Tolley, Clinton (
ctolley@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
This seminar will examine political, technical, and philosophical issues surrounding the use and development of digital technology in our everyday and academic lives. The course will involve both theory and practice: we will critically engage with articles on topics like algorithmic thinking, data surveillance, and software licensing, and then also explore concrete methods from digital humanities (text mining, data visualization, virtual reality, digital publishing, content management systems).
Department of Physics
Introduction to LaTeX: typeset your own science/engineering papers
PHYS 87 A00
Section ID: 951917
Grinstein, Benjamin (
bgrinstein@ucsd.edu)
Location: MYR-A 4623
Mondays, 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates:
TBA
LaTeX is the standard mark-up language for professional typesetting of scientific and engineering documents (from papers to books). This is a hands on seminar, covering from LaTeX and editor installation to producing a document with tables, figures and equations. Students have a choice to work on their laptops or use computers in the computer lab.
The Large Hadron Collider@CERN: A Time Machine
PHYS 87 C00
Section ID: 952254
Sharma, Vivek (
vsharma@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
In this course we will first learn how to build a particle accelerator like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN and the ideas behind the two detector cameras called CMS and ATLAS. Rest of the course will be devoted to the idea behind the Higgs field and the cool methods used in its recent Nobel prize winning discovery. Prospects for the next set of ground breaking discoveries in physics at the LHC will then be discussed.
Thinking Like a Physicist
PHYS 87 B00
Section ID: 951918
Murphy, Thomas (
tmurphy@ucsd.edu)
Location: SERF 329
Thursdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates:
TBA
This seminar views the world around us through a quantitative lens, fearlessly estimating and approximating our way to a big-picture understanding of our physical world. Topics include the energy challenge, everyday life phenomena, personal physical performance, and more.
Department of Political Science
Current Foreign Policy Crises
POLI 87 A00
Section ID: 951919
Roeder, Philip (
proeder@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
Each week we will discuss a foreign policy crisis confronting American decision makers, such as the South China Sea confrontation or the Kurdistan conflict. Students will select each week's topic from a list of over a dozen topics in the Great Decisions series.
Department of Scripps Institution of Oceanography
An Introduction to Volcanoes
SIO 87 B00
Section ID: 951921
Cook, Geoffrey (
gwcook@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
Students will be introduced to the fascinating world of volcanoes using a combination of hands-on activities, analogue demonstrations, and a wide variety of multimedia including videos, photos, and computer simulations.
Weather in San Diego
SIO 87 A00
Section ID: 951920
Norris, Joel (
jnorris@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
This seminar will discuss types of weather in the San Diego region, their causes, and how to read weather maps and satellite images. Topics include Santa Ana winds, marine layer clouds, winter rain, summer thunderstorms, high wave events, and others.
Department of Sociology
Globalization and the exploitation of childhood
SOCI 87 A00
Section ID: 951922
Evans, Ivan (
ievans@ucsd.edu)
Location: SSB 101
Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
Seminar will meet Weeks 1-5
This course examines the evolution of the idea of “childhood” and focuses on the mistreatment of childhood in an era that simultaneously presents children as objects of intense affection while tolerating the often intense abuse of children on a global scale. An examination of slavery, child soldiers, sexual slavery and prostitution, and the sexualization of children in pop culture raises important questions about societal values and the treatment of children in both developing and developed coun
Relationships in the Digital Age
SOCI 87 B00
Section ID: 952255
Lewis, Kevin (
k7lewis@ucsd.edu)
Location: SSB 101
Mondays, 5:00 p.m. to 5:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet weeks 1-9
This seminar will examine how digital communication technologies are influencing the nature of human connection. We will cover all forms of digital technologies- from social media to smart phones to online dating- and all forms of connection- from platonic to romantic to familial relationships.
Department of Theatre & Dance
Architecture and Design of UCSD campus
TDGE 87 A00
Section ID: 951923
Guirguis, Mark (
mguirguis@ucsd.edu)
Location: GH 102
Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Seminar will meet weeks 1-4
This seminar will observe and analyze notable architecture on UCSD campus. The class will include guest speakers and several field trips.
Dance Movement Exploration
TDGE 87 C00
Section ID: 952721
Rincon, Patricia (
princon@ucsd.edu)
Location: Dance 1
Tuesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet weeks 1-4
An introduction to dance movement and understanding your body; a contemporary approach to dancing and its many genres as an expressive medium and form of communication. No dance training necessary. Prerequisites: none
Voice for the Stage
TDGE 87 B00
Section ID: 952140
Meyer, Ursula (
umeyer@ucsd.edu)
Location: GH 247
Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet weeks 1-5
An Introduction to Voice for the Stage - The Basics of Breathing, Tone work, Projection, Range, and Articulation - will culminate in coaching of an audition monologue
Thurgood Marshall College
Principles of Clarity
TMC 87 A00
Section ID: 951924
Dobkins, Karen (
kdobkins@ucsd.edu)
Location:
TBA
Date and Time:
TBA
Meeting Dates:
TBA
This is a course in positive psychology and mindfulness. It teaches how to be clear in our needs and choices,
communicate those needs effectively and clearly to others, and accept full responsibility for the outcome. It combines
a short lecture with workshop style exercises.
Warren College
Drugs for Bugs: From High-throughput Technology to New Discovery
WARR 87 A00
Section ID: 951925
Debnath, Anjan (
adebnath@ucsd.edu)
Location: SSPPS 1182
Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet October 3rd through December 12th
This seminar will introduce students to recent progress in drug development for protozoan parasitic diseases. We will discuss different parasitic diseases, use of high-throughput technology and various other attempts by the parasitology research community to create effective drugs for these diseases.
Visualization of macromolecules and their interactions with drugs in 3D
WARR 87 B00
Section ID: 952248
Radic, Zoran (
zradic@ucsd.edu)
Location: Skaggs School of Pharmacy 1120
Tuesdays, 4:00 p.m. to 5:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 6
Where to find and how to visualize structures of biologicaly important macromolecules, proteins and nucleic acids. Computer visualization of their interactions with small molecules. Creating slide-show presentations with incorporated molecular structures. Presenting visualized structures in stereoscopic 3D.