Spring 2025 Courses

spring 25

 Spring 2025 course themes are:

  • Race, Equity, & Inclusion
  • STEM Focus
  • Business, Management, & Entrepeneurship
  • Engaging Our World Through the Arts & Literature 
  • Understanding the World & Exploring Human Experience
  • Human Conflict, Discrimination, & Social Justice
  • Education & Exploration

Race, Equity, & Inclusion

These courses were specifically proposed as part of the REI initiative and have a historical, narrative, applied, analytical, and/or geographic focus in either the US or global context and are denoted as (REI Course)
  • LC 2: Social Justice with a Heart

    Social Justice with a Heart: Creating an Inclusive Community for Adults with Disabilities
    (LC 2)
    ENGL 111-01: Introduction to Academic Writing REI - US
    Valerie Frazier, MWF 1:00-1:50pm, MYBK 104, CRN: 22319
    FYSE 138-03: Hearts: I Live a Life Like Yours
    Heather Hall, T 12:00-2:45pm, ECTR 216, CRN: 23536
    FYSS 101-27
    T 3:05-3:55pm, BELL 408, CRN: 23618
    --
    English
    REI - US
    Robert M. Hensel once said, “I choose not to place “DIS,” in my ability,” a statement that may resonate with many of us, as we navigate our daily lives with a range of divergent abilities, whether that be intellectual, mental, or physical. In ENGL 110, students will write personal narratives and photograph experiences or encounters with [dis]ability and social justice, across intersections of race, gender, class, and ethnicity.   In the paired education course, students will explore ways to foster an art centered classroom that is inclusive of those with neurodivergent abilities. Students in both courses will help design and promote a collaborative performance with HEART, an artistic community that celebrates, uplifts, and advocates for adults with special needs.

  • FYSU 114: Social Justice & [True] Crime

    FYSU 114-04: Social Justice & [True] Crime
    Emily Lee, MWF 12:00-12:50pm, ECTR 102, CRN: 23584
    FYSS 101-31
    W 4:00-4:50pm, BELL 405, CRN: 23588
    --
    English
    REI - US
    The ethics of true crime as a form of entertainment have been called into question, but can it be a form of social justice rhetoric? This course examines the intersections of social justice, true crime, Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, and social media. We’ll explore how true crime is packaged and consumed, the role of social media in social justice movements, and how victims are portrayed in the media based on race, gender, and occupation, among other factors. Students who take this class will analyze texts and topics related to race, equity, and inclusion in the US context.

  • FYSG 138: Child Development in International Contexts

    FYSG 138-03: Child Development in International Contexts REI - Global
    Laura Brock, TR 12:15-1:30pm, ECTR 214, CRN: 23534
    FYSS 101-24
    T 4:05-4:55pm, BELL 405, CRN: 23615
    --
    Teacher Education
    REI - Global
    What impact do violence, hunger, and neglect have on children’s development, and how much can we change that? We now know that our brains dynamically adapt and develop in response to our environments. What happens when a society invests in the wellbeing of children? Can we foster creativity, connection, critical thinking with the right inputs? We will examine home, school, and community environments as contexts for child development. Following, we will apply our knowledge of human development to understand the impacts of war, migration, climate change, incarceration, and institutionalization on children. With recommendations embedded within UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and Global Happiness Index, we will brainstorm a sustainable and equitable future.

  • FYSG 143: Beyond the Screen: Exploring the Impacts of Artificial Intelligence

    FYSG 143-03: Beyond the Screen: Exploring the Impacts of Artificial Intelligence REI - Global
    Amanda Kraft, TR 1:40-2:55pm, ADDL 127, CRN: 23535
    FYSS 101-14
    T 8:05-8:55am, BELL 405, CRN: 23597
    --
    College of Charleston Libraries
    REI - Global
    Is your phone listening to your conversations? Most likely, but unnecessarily. We routinely engage with and rely on systems, on our personal devices and elsewhere, that predict, recommend, and speculate based on our clicks, likes, searches, and even data based on socially constructed identities, but we rarely stop to think about how these systems work—or don’t. This seminar will address the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on our lives beyond the screen and explore the impacts of social hierarchies replicated and reinforced by algorithmic bias. Students will use information literacy to research the effects of algorithms, the attention economy, and digital polarization and complete a prompt engineering microcredential in order to practice using large language model chatbots effectively and ethically.

  • FYSG 143: What is the Metaverse?

    FYSG 143-04: What is the Metaverse? REI - Global
    Jolanda-Pieta van Arnhem, TR 10:50am-12:05pm, ADDL 127, CRN: 23530
    FYSS 101-15
    W 5:00-5:50pm, BELL 324, CRN: 23600
    --
    College of Charleston Libraries
    REI - Global
    Is science fiction our new reality? Will the Metaverse disrupt our expectations or influence our future in a world shaped by technology? The blurring lines between daily life, fiction, non-fiction, science, and technology requires a high level of literacy to decode and consider all the implications, challenges, and opportunities. We will explore the Metaverse and related technologies thru history, considering art, literature, media, culture, politics, technology, finances, social and economic implications, and inclusivity. The goal is to develop skills for analysis and critical thinking when approaching contemporary texts and artifacts of culture (books, articles, popular/social media, web, apps, images, films, television, video, advertisements, games, augmented reality, virtual reality, digital currency, artificial intelligence) that can be applied to questioning, participating, creating, and inclusivity in everyday life rather than passively consuming the ever-expanding metaverse.

STEM Focus

Below are courses that are centered around the themes of STEM focus. Please click to read more about each courses information and description.
  • FYSE 143: Visualizing your World: Data and Storytelling

    FYSE 143-02: Visualizing your World: Data and Storytelling
    Jannette Finch, TR 1:40-2:55pm, BELL 308, CRN: 23528
    FYSS 101-13
    R 3:05-3:55pm, BELL 408, CRN: 23594
    --
    College of Charleston Libraries
    What is fascinating to you? All data tells a story, and as world citizens, you will benefit from using data to tell your own story and to explore the world around you. In this course, students will learn how to verify data sources and to recognize misleading graphics. Students employ effective visualizations to explore trends, develop insight, and illuminate patterns. We will mine a brief history of visualization, appreciate visualization classics, and explore visualization best practices. We will critically evaluate and interpret existing visualizations and produce our own visualizations. Data visualization is an essential literacy for the 21st century student. Learning how to present your insights clearly through data visualization is a skill that you will use throughout your life.

  • BIOL 112: Learning from Nature: A Biomimicry Approach

    Learning from Nature: A Biomimicry Approach
    BIOL 112-04: Evolution, Form, and Function of Organisms
    Deborah Bidwell, TR 3:05-4:20pm, RITA 103, CRN: 23360
    Prerequisite(s): BIOL 111/BIOL 111L
    Prerequisite(s) or Co-requisite(s): BIOL 112L
    BIOL 112L: Evolution, Form, and Function of Organisms Laboratory
    Register for a lab section that fits your schedule
    FYSS 101-16
    R 5:05-5:55pm, BELL 405, CRN: 23603
    --
    Biology
    A foundation course for science majors providing an introduction to evolution and a study of the major groups of organisms with an emphasis on their structure, form, and function. Lectures three hours per week. The Honors version of this course is HONS 152. Students may not receive credit for both. This FYE course utilizes a biomimetic approach. Students will learn techniques for translating adaptations in nature to sustainable and regenerative problem solving and design practices.

  • GEOL 240: Volcanoes!

    Volcanoes!
    GEOL 240-02: Special Topics
    John Chadwick & Haley Cabaniss, TR 9:25-10:40am, SSMB 203, CRN: 23626
    FYSS 101-17
    R 5:05-5:55pm, BELL 408, CRN: 23605
    --
    Geology
    Volcanoes are a blast! Nature’s fireworks can hurl incandescent lava and ash miles into the atmosphere.  There are more than 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth, with several dozen erupting in any given year, many of which threaten human life and property.  Ash in the atmosphere can bring down a jet airliner, volcanic lava flows and glacier-melt mudflows bury cities, and pyroclastic flows incinerate everything in their paths.  This class erupts knowledge about the science and hazards of volcanoes.  How do they work?  Why do some produce a relatively calm river of red hot lava, while others blast a cloud of deadly ash? Case studies of destroyed cities (especially Pompeii in Italy in A.D. 79, the island of Montserrat in 1997, and Hawaii in 2022) will reveal the different ways that volcanoes threaten us and the ways that geologists study the activity.

  • HEAL 230: Health for All? Examining Contemporary Practices in Global Health

    Health for All? Examining Contemporary Practices in Global Health
    HEAL 230-01: Global Health
    Kathleen Trejo Tello, TR 9:25-10:40am, BELL 315, CRN: 20959
    FYSS 101-25
    R 8:00-8:50am, BELL 408, CRN: 23616
    --
    The World Health Organization promotes the mission of health for all, but is the field of global health really moving in this direction? This course will introduce students to the field, study and practice of global health. We will center our course discussions around questions of equity and sustainability as we explore global health issues such as the affordability and accessibility of health care around the world, sustainable practices of global health organizations, and the impacts of climate change on human health. Students will develop an understanding of the determinants of the global burden of disease and disability and be able to identify strategies for prevention, intervention, and health promotion in ways that are both sustainable and equitable for all.

Business, Management, & Entrepreneurship

Below are courses that are centered around the themes of business, management and sustainability in our world. Please click to read more about each courses information and description.
  • MGMT 105: Designing Your Life: Finding Your Way in the World of Business
    Designing Your Life: Finding Your Way in the World of Business
    MGMT 105-01: Introduction to Business
    Hayden Smith, MW 3:25-4:40pm, TCFE 315, CRN: 22631
    FYSS 101-19
    F 3:00-3:50pm, BELL 408, CRN: 23610
    --
    MGMT 105-02: Introduction to Business
    Hayden Smith, MW 3:25-4:40pm, TCFE 315, CRN: 21659
    FYSS 101-20
    F 4:00-4:50pm, BELL 408, CRN: 23611
    --
    MGMT 105-03: Introduction to Business
    Hayden Smith, MW 3:25-4:40pm, TCFE 315, CRN: 22632
    FYSS 101-21
    W 5:00-5:50pm, BELL 408, CRN: 23612
    --
    Management

    Interested in business but not sure which path to take? This interactive and dynamic learning community will prepare you for whatever your future holds, during college and after graduation. You will get an overview of the basic concepts and principles of business and design thinking while incorporating elements of personal development and life design. This Learning Community aims to help you identify your strengths, interests, values and guides you in developing a vision for your future careers both in the School of Business and post-graduation. You will engage with current students, alumni and industry leaders. You are encouraged to think outside the box, explore new ideas and gain personal development strategies for success.

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Engaging Our World Through the Arts & Literature

Below are courses that are centered around the themes of arts and literature in our world. Please click to read more about each courses information and description.
  • ENGL 110: Civic Responsibility: Thinking, Speaking, & Writing
    Civic Responsibility: Thinking, Speaking, & Writing
    ENGL 110-07: Intro to Academic Writing
    Hudson Luthringshausen, MWF 11:00-11:50am, MYBK 116, CRN: 20968
    FYSS 101-29
    W 3:00-3:50pm, BELL 324, CRN: 23585
    --
    English

    The Art of Thinking, Speaking & Writing introduces students to the tools that empower them to navigate the art of effective communication confidently. We explore the principles of articulate expression, critical thinking, and moral reflection, and we practice written and spoken acts weekly. Students prepare speeches and written work on a research topic of their choosing. This course centers on themes such as ethics and communication, virtue and authority, and knowledge and social obligation, drawing inspiration from (and challenging) the Jesuit rhetoric notion of Eloquentia Perfecta—the good person speaking well for the common good.

  • FYSE 114: From Sherlock Holmes to Selena Gomez: Detective Fiction & Descendants
    FYSE 114-01: From Sherlock Holmes to Selena Gomez: Detective Fiction & Its Descendants
    Elizabeth Baker, TR 10:50am-12:05pm, MYBK 300, CRN: 23478
    FYSS 101-01
    R 3:05-3:55pm, BELL 405, CRN: 23480
    --
    English

    In addition to tracing the history, conventions, and surprising variety of detective fiction, the course will also examine its influence outside of literature. Among the questions we’ll consider: How does detective fiction reflect time and place? How did detective fiction become the antecedent of certain pop culture trends? Why do familiar genres (the private investigator, the police procedural) remain hugely popular in both traditional and reimagined forms? Why do true crime documentaries and podcasts continue to proliferate? How have cultural shifts around race and gender been reflected in crime fiction (as well as film, TV, and other formats)? What might account for the enduring appeal of detective fiction and its offshoots?

  • FYSE 114: The Horror Genre: A Reflection on Society

    FYSE 114-02: The Horror Genre: A Reflection on Society
    James Austin Floyd, TR 12:15-1:30pm, MYBK 220, CRN: 23581
    FYSS 101-28
    T 3:05-3:55pm, BELL 405, CRN: 23586
    --
    English
    What does horror tell us about ourselves and our society? The Horror Genre: A Reflection on Society will help students develop writing, research, and analytical thinking skills through a focus on horror as a genre of literature, film, and even video games. We will explore the relevance of horror as it has evolved from folklore and myths to blockbuster movies and television shows, all while perpetually reflecting and, at times, distorting our fears, values, and beliefs. Students will engage with both scholarly and mainstream sources, and assignments will span a wide range of genres such as critical reviews, analyses, and academic research projects.

  • FYSE 114: Get me Bodied: Integrating Mind and Body in the Writing Classroom

    FYSE 114-03: Get me Bodied: Integrating Mind and Body in the Writing Classroom
    Meg Scott-Copses, MWF 11:00-11:50am, MYBK 220, CRN: 23583
    FYSS 101-30
    F 3:00-3:50pm, BELL 405, CRN: 23587
    --
    English
    This course will dismantle the belief that writing and thinking are primarily cerebral acts. We will move (literally!) toward more experience-based practices for composing, communicating, learning, and thinking. This means we will be mentally and physically active—moving to music, engaging our senses, and creating ideas together through what we might call our “bodymind.” We will also address contradictory messages we receive from media and culture about the norms and rules for our bodies, asking tough questions about what kinds and shapes of bodies are most valued in our society. You don't need to be an expert writer or a yoga enthusiast to enjoy this class, though you might come out the other side feeling like one!

  • FYSE 124: Terror and Tragedy

    FYSE 124-01: Terror and Tragedy
    Ezra Cappell, W 1:00-3:45pm, BELL 308, CRN: 23520
    FYSS 101-10
    F 3:00-3:50pm, BELL 400, CRN: 23525
    --
    FYSE 124-02: Terror and Tragedy
    Ezra Cappell, W 4:00-6:45pm, BELL 308, CRN: 23521
    FYSS 101-11
    F 4:00-4:50pm, BELL 405, CRN: 23523
    --
    In this course, Terror and Tragedy, students will consider the ethical question of how filmmakers, artists, and writers ought to represent the horrors of historical tragedy and war.  Throughout the semester we will analyze historic and aesthetic representations of the Holocaust, the Vietnam War, and the 9/11 terror attacks through a variety of genres, including: films, photographs, paintings, musical compositions, short stories, documentary evidence, historical texts, philosophical texts, religious texts, and survivor testimonies. By the conclusion of this course students will be able to make ethically informed evaluations of artistic representations of war, genocide, and terrorist attacks and will determine for themselves whether and how artists ought to create art from the ashes of human tragedy.

  • FYSE 139: Theatres Visual Language

    FYSE 139-01: Theatres Visual Language
    Janine McCabe, MWF 11:00-11:50am, CAAN 108, CRN: 23531
    FYSS 101-18
    W 5:00-5:50pm, BELL 400, CRN: 23607
    --
    Theatre
    Take a dive into the visual communication that begins a journey of exploration and concept development for theatrical storytelling. It’s not just about the visual product seen on stage at the culmination of the process, it’s about how we get there and keep design and directing teams unified in their vision to support the playwright’s intention. In this class, you will explore and analyze the way theatre design teams conceptualize and execute ideas while learning basic elements and principles of design. You will meet designers and directors, see productions, and collaborate on projects as you learn research and communication tools!

Understanding the World & Exploring Human Experience

Below are courses that are centered around the themes of understanding and exploring the human experience. Please click to read more about each courses information and description.
  • LC 1: Justice and Civil Discourse
    Justice and Civil Discourse (LC 1)
    ENGL 110-37: Introduction to Academic Writing
    Scott Peeples, MWF 10:00-10:50am, MYBK 220, CRN: 21331
    POLI 150-02: Introduction to Political Thought
    Claire Curtis, MWF 11:00-11:50am, MYBK 316, CRN: 20610
    FYSS 101-26
    W 3:00-3:50pm, BELL 405, CRN: 23617
    --
    English

    For many people, “politics” is a bad word, suggesting manipulation and corruption. The  same might be said of “rhetoric,” which often connotes not just saying what you mean.  This learning community combines a course on political thought and a course on writing  and rhetoric that seek to redeem these terms: politics and rhetoric can and should be  used to promote the common good. POLI 150 will focus on how theorists over the last  2500 years have thought about what it means to live together peacefully, and what principles are at stake. ENGL 110 will focus on civil discourse: how to “argue”  constructively, fairly, and respectfully when you write and design documents --- and why  it matters.

  • FYSE 121: The Meaningful Life

    FYSE 121-01: The Meaningful Life
    Richard Bodek, TR 10:50am-12:05pm, MYBK 302, CRN: 23482
    FYSS 101-02
    R 4:05-4:55pm, BELL 408, CRN: 23484
    --
    History
    Who am I? Who do I want to be? What are the elements of a meaningful, life? What is a good life? In this class we will read and discuss some great texts from various times and places and think about how to build a life with meaning. Prepare to consider some fascinating works, including novels, a dialogue, and works of theology, philosophy, psychology, and political science. Few if no lectures, no tests, just discussion, writing and thinking. We may all end up with different answers, but that’s fine. Most importantly, we will share our questions and quest.

  • FYSE 132: Psychology of Travel

    FYSE 132-01: Psychology of Travel
    Chelsea Reid-Short, TR 12:15-1:30pm, BELL 308, CRN: 23509
    FYSS 101-03
    T 3:05-3:55pm, BELL 414, CRN: 23510
    --
    Psychology
    In this course, students will seek to understand how travel impacts individuals, close relationships, broader social groups, and the larger world by reviewing and applying psychological scientific research and theory. This course will examine how travel affects our mental and physical health, relationship quality, and work productivity, and we will discuss challenges that individuals of different demographic groups may face when traveling. Students will also examine how our travel may impact people who live and work at the locations to which we travel, and how our travel can impact our attitudes and behaviors toward other cultures and social groups. Finally, students will examine how travel may impact our natural environment and surrounding world, including a focus on sustainability and eco-tourism.

  • FYSE 135: American Popular Culture
    FYSE 135-01: American Popular Culture
    Paul Roof, MW 2:00-3:15pm, ECTR 113, CRN: 23513
    FYSS 101-06
    W 8:00-8:50am, BELL 405, CRN: 23515
    --
    FYSE 135-02: American Popular Culture
    Paul Roof, MW 3:25-4:40pm, ECTR 113, CRN: 23514
    FYSS 101-07
    F 3:00-3:50pm, BELL 324, CRN: 23516
    --
    Sociology

    This course is designed to introduce students to critical analysis of contemporary popular culture in the United States.  Students will get an overview of the insights, findings, concepts, and perspectives that are held by a wide variety of interdisciplinary popular culture scholars today.  Several prominent areas of popular culture to be studied include advertising, television, film, music, religion, and cyberculture.

  • PSYC 223: Me and We: Social Relationships and Identity

    Me and We: Social Relationships and Identity
    PSYC 223-03: Social Psychology
    Lisa Ross, MWF 10:00-10:50am, MYBK 103, CRN: 21222
    Prerequisite(s): PSYC 103
    FYSS 101-04
    W 9:00-9:50am, BELL 405, CRN: 23511
    --
    PSYC 223-04: Social Psychology
    Lisa Ross, MWF 10:00-10:50am, MYBK 103, CRN: 23476
    Prerequisite(s): PSYC 103
    FYSS 101-05
    W 5:00-5:50pm, BELL 405, CRN: 23512
    Psychology
    Social psychology is the scientific study of social aspects of being human: how we think about one another, influence one another, and relate to one another. Students will reflect on their childhoods as well as their transition to college as they link course material, namely social sources of information (including relationships), with their identity.

Human Conflict, Discrimination, & Social Justice

Below are courses that are centered around the themes of human conflict, discrimination, and social justice. Please click to read more about each courses information and description.
  • AAST 200: For the Culture

    For the Culture
    AAST 200-03: Intro to African American Studies REI-US
    Kameelah Martin, MWF 11:00-11:50am, ECTR 114, CRN: 21707
    FYSS 101-08
    F 3:00-3:50pm, BELL 414, CRN: 23591
    --
    African American Studies
    REI-US
    This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to African American Studies that combines the teaching of core thinkers, concepts, and debates in the field with instruction in critical reading and writing. After exploring the field’s institutionalization in US higher education, students engage foundational texts in African American Studies such as works by Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Toni Morrison, the Combahee River Collective, Malcolm X, Audre Lorde, and James Baldwin. After taking this course, students should emerge with rich and textured insights into African American history, thought, and culture that provides them with critical lenses for analyzing contemporary social issues impacting African Americans.

  • FYSE 125: Bad Hombres/Spicy Vixens: Challenging Latino/a Stereotypes in the U.S.

    FYSE 125-01: Bad Hombres/Spicy Vixens: Challenging Latino/a Stereotypes in the United States
    Nadia Avendaño, TR 10:50am-12:05pm, LONG 402A, CRN: 23518
    FYSS 101-09
    W 3-3:50pm, BELL 408, CRN: 23522
    --
    Latin American and Caribbean Studies
    This seminar introduces students to the field of Latino/a Studies in order to better understand the place of Latinos in U.S. politics, history, and culture. Students will be asked to examine how a heterogeneous and changing Latino/a population both shapes and is shaped by life in the United States. Students will be introduced to Latino/a literary production involving growing up Latino/a. In addition to reading fiction written by Tomás Rivera, Sandra Cisneros, Judith Ortiz Cofer and Junot Díaz among others, students will also study images and representations of Latinos/as in motion picture and independent films in order to understand societal constructions and treatment of Latinos/as with the hope of being able to draw parallels between representations and issues facing Latino/a communities in the United States. The course will look at constructions of “Latinidad” as they relate to questions of identity, class, race, and/or ethnicity, religion, gender and sexuality, (im)migration, language, and popular culture.

  • FYSE 143: Navigating a Post-Truth World

    FYSE 143-01: Navigating a Post-Truth World
    Jared Seay, TR 12:15-1:30pm, ADDL 127, CRN: 23526
    FYSS 101-12
    T 4:05-4:55pm, BELL 408, CRN: 23537
    --
    College of Charleston Libraries
    The profusion of social media has escalated the concept of “fake news” and radically changed the information environment into a “post-truth” world where anyone is a publisher and sources and authorities are decentralized. Identifying what a document is, much less the credibility of the information, is muddled at best. Students will learn how information was historically accessed and used in comparison with the unique characteristics of the “new media” information environment and how one can successfully navigate this new social information sphere. Using visual literacy, media literacy, and game-based learning activities, they will learn how to identify text packaging, think critically about the information they encounter, develop skills as information consumers and employ ethical behavior as creators of information.

Education & Exploration

Below are courses that are centered around the themes of education and exploration. Please click to read more about each courses information and description.
  • FYSE 138: FitCatZ Aquatic & Motor Therapy

    FYSE 138-01: FitCatZ Aquatic & Motor Therapy
    Susan Flynn, W 3:00-6:00pm, ECTR 214, CRN: 23532
    FYSS 101-22
    T 4:05-4:55pm, BELL 400, CRN: 23613
    --
    Teacher Education
    The FitCatZ Aquatic and Motor Therapy course is designed to provide students interested in pursuing a degree in occupational & physical therapy as well as teacher education, with the knowledge and skills to design & implement movement experiences to enhance children’s physical, social and emotional development. Students will participate in an aquatic and motor clinic putting theory to practice and teaching young children in a therapy setting.    Time is required for transportation to the facility before 3:00 p.m. on Wednesdays.

  • FYSE 138: Got Mindfulness?

    FYSE 138-02: Got Mindfulness?
    Techa Smalls-Brown, TR 10:50am-12:05pm, ECTR 214, CRN: 23533
    FYSS 101-23
    T 3:05-3:55pm, BELL 400, CRN: 23614
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    Teacher Education
    It’s no secret that college can quickly become a major stressor for many students. Balancing multiple classes on top of work, a social life, and many other things is a lot to take on at once. Don’t let yourself become too overwhelmed with everything. Instead, take this FYE!