Hey Terp Transfers!
Sorry I have been missing lately. As we wrap up the end of the semester, it gets busy around here. Meetings, finishing up taking and teaching classes, etc. I hope that you all are having a great end of the semester as well! I wanted to talk about a new series of classes called the iSeries. This is a test-run of a new set of General Education requirements that the university is piloting this semester and open to all students. This will be part of what was formerly called "CORE."
Here is some information from the main website where you can find the actual course offerings. The website is here.
I think this is a great move for the education at our institution and will be a huge advantage for you as students.
Q: What does the "I" in I-Series stand for?
A: Courses bearing ther University's signature will investigate significant issues with
imagination and intellect with a belief that they will inspire future investigation and
provide concrete mechanisms to implement innovative ideas. Not surprisingly, the
Committee has tentatively called the courses the "I"-Series: Issues, Imagination, Intellect,
Investigation, Inspiration, and Implementation. They will challenge students to wrestle with the Big Questions and examine the ways in which diverse intellectual traditions address them, offering a students not only new intellectual domains to explore but also new ways to think about contemporary problems like the energy crisis but age old dilemmas like ecological sustainability.
Here are the course offerings. Pretty cool stuff!
Acting Human: Shakespeare and the Drama of Identity
The Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem: Intersection of Science, Economics, and Policy
Collisions in Space: The Threat of Asteroid Impacts
Cross-Examining Climate Change
Disability: from Stigma and Sideshow to Mainstream and Main Street
Engineering in the Developing World
Engineering Issues in Medicine
Genetically-Modified Humans: Physical Performance in the Post-Genomic Era
Greening Cities: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Who Cares?
HIV/AIDS in a Global Perspective
The [In]Active City: The Physical Cultures of Metropolitan Baltimore
Information 3.0: Exploring Technological Tools
Managing Natural Disasters: Hurricanes, Floods, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Fires
Physics for Decision Makers: The Global Energy Crisis
Playing the Market: Managing Risk and Using Technical Analysis
The Power of Musical Performance in Social Engagement
Race, Genomics, and Human Evolutionary History
Recognizing Homophobia in the New Millennium
Social Networking: Technology and Society
Specialty Crops: Plantation Agriculture to Globalization
The Sustainable City: Opportunities and Challenges
Weather and Climate
What is Religion?
Why Good Managers Make Bad Decisions
Which of these courses appeals to you? Why? What other courses should be offered?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Hey there!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Kelsey Welsch. I am a rising junior Agricultural Science and Technology Major here at the University of Maryland. I am an Orientation Advisor for the summer of 2011.
These 'I' courses are really interesting! Last spring I was fortunate enough to be in The Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem: Intersection of Science, Economics, and Policy. Before the class, I was not sure what exactly I would be learning. I had heard that the new 'I' series are classes that promote hands on learning and applicable knowledge. Learning about the Chesapeake Bay would be very helpful with my major of agriculture and an all around interesting topic relating to the state of Maryland.
The class was a large one full of a diverse amount of majors. Some students did not have prior knowledge about the Chesapeake Bay the professor started out with background and history. So feel free to take an ‘I’ series that interests you even though you are not an expert on the topic. We were split up into groups to plan and present a project based on the Bay throughout the semester. This was the hands on learning. My group was designated to do research on the farmer’s influence on the Chesapeake Bay. We researched recent debates and discussion about what real Maryland farmers could do to prevent further pollution problems in the Bay. This was all about current news, which made it very interesting to continue researching throughout the semester to find new opinions on the topic. I took a personal interest in the information we were gathering and I can still remember facts we found. It was a class that I was always excited to attend!
'I' series have freedom in their structure because the topics are so current. Things that occur about the topic in the news on the day of class may be so fascinating that the professor decides is worthy to teach. Relating to real life events was so cool. Taking an 'I' series class will help students to gain a desire for research and staying current in the news. As well as an in-depth and close relationship to the topic of the class. So get to class and get to learning!
Kelsey Welsch