LBSU 105

Academic Foundations

	Topics	Assignments
	WEEK1 How, What and Why Do We Learn?	Applebaum, Y. (2016, June 28). Why america’s business majors are in desperate need of a liberal-arts education. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/06/why-americas-business-majors-are-in-desperate-need-of-a-liberal-arts-education/489209/ Baker, B. & Weber, M. (2021, September 13). Separate and Unequal: Racial and Ethnic Segregation and the Case for School Funding Reparations in New Jersey. New Jersey Policy Perspective. https://www.njpp.org/publications/report/separate-and-unequal-racial-and-ethnic-segregation-and-the-case-for-school-funding-reparations-in-new-jersey/ Coper-Gencturk, Y. (2021, Summer). “Girls Can’t Do Math”: How unconscious bias leads to gender gaps in STEM. https://news.usc.edu/trojan-family/girls-learn-math-bias-gender-ability-stem/ Carson, C. (2004, June). Two cheers for Brown v. Board of education. The Journal of American History, pp 1-6. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/sites/mlk/files/two_cheers_brown_board.pdf Douglass, F. (2007). Learning to read and write. In Kennedy, X.J., et al. The Bedford Guide. Bedford/St. Martin’s. (Original work published 1845). http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/webpub/english/bedguide8e/Public%20Domain%20Readings/Douglass%20Learning%20to%20Read%20and%20Write.pdf Frommers. (2022, June 17). Why florida is the weirdest state in the country. https://www.frommers.com/trip-ideas/beach-water-sports/when-can-we-travel-to-mexico-and-the-caribbean-again Nietzel, M. T. (2020, September 9). Low literacy levels among U.S. adults could be costing the economy $2.2 trillion a year. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2020/09/09/low-literacy-levels-among-us-adults-could-be-costing-the-economy-22-trillion-a-year/?sh=75c7ba684c90 Jacoby, S. (2013). When bright girls decide that math ‘is a waste of time’. In G.H. Muller (Ed.) The mcgraw-hill reader: issues across the disciplines (pp. 277-279). McGraw-Hill Education. (Original work published 1983). https://www.scribd.com/document/420735634/jaccoby Rodriguez, R. (2013). The lonely good company of books. In G.H. Muller (Ed.) The McGraw-Hill Reader: issues across the disciplines (pp. 262-265)). McGraw-Hill Education. (Original work published 1982). https://www.crsd.org/cms/lib5/PA01000188/Centricity/Domain/96/AP%20summer%20201516.pdf The STEM Gap: Women and girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (2022). AAUW. https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/the-stem-gap/ Brown v. Board of Education Learning Activity 1 Discussion 1
	WEEK 2 Are We Citizens of the World?	Cofer, J. O. (1993). The myth of the latin woman: I just met a girl named Maria. In The latin deli: prose and poetry (pp 571-579). University of Georgia Press. https://www.oleanschools.org/cms/lib/NY19000263/Centricity/Domain/166/The%20Myth%20of%20the%20Latin%20Woman.pdf Ecenbarger. W. (2013). We are the world. Times-Picayune. In G.H. Muller (Ed.) The McGraw-Hill Reader: issues across the disciplines (pp. 371-374). McGraw-Hill Education. (Original work published 2003). https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet02-xythos.content.blackboardcdn.com/5b7ade7761e43/2841615?X-Blackboard Fergie, D. (2022, March 24). How american culture ate the world: a new book explains why Americans know so little about other countries. The New Republic. https://newrepublic.com/article/165836/american-culture-ate-world-righteous-smokescreen-globalization-review Marmon Silko, L. (2003). Yellow women and the beauty of the spirit: essays on native american life today. University of Idaho. https://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/engl484jj/SilkoPuebloEcol.pdf Moya, M. J. (2019, October 9). Our true face: Latina women are exoticized and unfairly portrayed in the media. The Daily Free Press. https://dailyfreepress.com/2019/10/09/latina-women-are-exoticized-and-unfairly-portrayed-in-the-media/ Ordway, D. M. (2020, August 8). How the news media portray latinos in stories and images: 5 studies to know. The Journalist’s Resource. https://journalistsresource.org/race-and-gender/news-media-portray-latinos/ Sen, Amartya (2001, November 23). A world not neatly divided. New York Times. www.newyorktimes.com/2001/11/23/opinion/a-world-not-neatly-divided.html?pagewanted=print Learning Activity 2 (Note: The learning activity for this week is a signature assignment) Discussion 2 home page for the compilation of Pueblo Indian stories, http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/sw/pifs/ written by Charles Lummis.
	WEEK 3: How Do We Decide What is Fair?	Readings Baldwin, J. (1953, October). Stranger in the village. Harper’s Magazine, October 1953 issue. https://harpers.org/archive/1953/10/stranger-in-the-village/ Brooks, C. (2021, January 21). Cybersecurity in 2022 – a fresh look at some very alarming stats. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2022/01/21/cybersecurity-in-2022–a-fresh-look-at-some-very-alarming-stats/?sh=3a254ec06b61 Cole, T. (2014, August 19). Black body: rereading James Baldwin’s “stranger in the village”. New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/black-body-re-reading-james-baldwins-stranger-village Dewan, S. (2022, June 20). Failed autopsies, false arrests: a risk of bias in death examinations. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/20/us/medical-examiners-autopsy-racism.html https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/08/19/delusions-of-grandeur-young-blacks-must-be-taught-that-sportshe n Dyson, E. (1995, July 16). If you don’t love it, leave it. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/16/magazine/if-you-dont-love-it-leave-it.html Dyson, E. (2013, March 7). The first thing that engenders trust is transparency. Egon Zehnder. https://www.egonzehnder.com/industries/technology-communications/insights/the-first-thing-that-engenders-trust-is-transparency Ivins, M. (2003, October 30). Is texas america? Bush’s home is a damn peculiar place. The Nation, November 17, 2003 Issue. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/texas-america/ Mukherjee, B. (1997). American dreamer. Mother Jones, January/February 1997 Issue. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/1997/01/american-dreamer/ Villavicencio, K. C. (2021, January 18). Waking up from the American dream. New Yorker, January 25, 2021 issue. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/25/waking-up-from-the-american-dream Wright, L. (2017, July 3). America’s future is texas. New Yorker, July 10 & 17, 2017 Issue. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/10/americas-future-is-texas Writing Assignment 1 Discussion 3
	WEEK 4: How Do We Earn our Keep?	Delusions of Grandeur by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,   The Death of Horatio Alger by Paul Krugman,   Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich,   Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer by Robert Reich Bennett, M. (2019, February 1). Beyond the game: we teach black boys sports are their only hope. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2019/02/01/feature/we-teach-black-boys-sports-are-their-only-hope-what-if-we-let-them-dream-bigger/ Gates, H. L. (1991, August 19). Delusions of grandeur: young blacks must be taught that sports are not the only avenue of opportunity. Sports Illustrated. https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/08/19/delusions-of-grandeur-young-blacks-must-be-taught-that-sports Ehrenreich, B. (1998). Nickel and dimed: on not getting by in america. In G.H. Muller (Ed.) The McGraw-Hill Reader: issues across the disciplines (pp. 282-295). McGraw-Hill Education. (Original work published (2001). https://rampages.us/goldstein2015pe/wp-content/uploads/sites/4918/2015/01/ehrenriech-nickel-dimed.pdf  Read pages 284 – 294. Ehrenreich, B. (2011, August 9). How America turned poverty into a crime. Salon.  https://www.salon.com/2011/08/09/america_crime_poverty/   Inequality.org (2022, May 6). Updates: billionaire wealth, U.S. job losses, and pandemic profiteers. https://inequality.org/great-divide/updates-billionaire-pandemic/ Keane, E. (2019, July 16). “Nickel and dimed” for the Amazon age: inside the hellish reality of low-wage work. Salon. https://www.salon.com/2019/07/16/nickel-and-dimed-for-the-amazon-age-inside-the-hellish-new-reality-of-low-wage-work/ Krugman, P. (2003, December 18). The death of Horatio Alger. The Nation, January 5, 2004 Issue. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/death-horatio-alger/ Morrison, Terry (2001). “The Work Of Nations: An Interview With Robert B. Reich”. Aurora Online: https://aurora.icaap.org/index.php/aurora/article/download/63/75?inline=1 Reich, R. (1992). Why the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21st Century Capitalism. (pp. 208-224). Vintage Books. https://busbyonline.weebly.com/uploads/9/7/9/7/97977476/the_rich_get_richer_and_the_poor_get_poorer_-_robert_reich.pdf Selyukh, A. (2020, December 16). Paycheck to paycheck: why even Americans with higher income struggle with bills. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/12/16/941292021/paycheck-to-paycheck-nation-how-life-in-america-adds-up Writing Assignment (Note: The learning activity for this week is a signature assignment) Discussion 4
	WEEK 5: What is the Message in Media and Pop Culture?	Barry, D. (2013). Red, White, and Beer. In G.H. Muller (Ed.) The McGraw-Hill Reader: issues across the disciplines (pp. 452-453). McGraw-Hill Education. (Original work published 1988). https://www.sweetstudy.com/sites/default/files/qx/17/05/21/04/201705031316_0.pdf  Douglas, K. (2021). Kim Mills: Speaking of psychology: why people believe in conspiracy theories, with Karen Douglas, PhD. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/conspiracy-theories Gates, H. L.  (1990, June 19). 2 Live Crew, Decoded. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/19/opinion/2-live-crew-decoded.html?searchResultPosition=1 Gitlin, Todd (2001) Supersaturation, or, the media torrent and disposable feeling. University of British Columbia. http://blogs.ubc.ca/astu204a/files/2016/06/Supersaturation-reduced.pdf     King. S. (2013). My creature from the black lagoon. In G.H. Muller (Ed.) The McGraw-Hill Reader: issues across the disciplines (pp. 444-450). McGraw-Hill Education. (Original work published 1981). https://www.sweetstudy.com/sites/default/files/qx/17/05/21/04/201705031316_0.pdf Klara, R. (2022, May 16). Budweiser Has Been Wrapping Cans in the American Flag for a Decade. Has That Become a Risky Bet? Adweek. https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/budweiser-american-flag-cans-risky-bet/ Liebenson, D. (2021, August 28). How to address gender stereotypes in Disney princess movies with your kids. NewFolks. https://www.newfolks.com/stages/disney-movies-gender-stereotypes/ Ross, D. (2004). Escape from Wonderland: Disney and the female imagination. Marvels and Tales, 18(1), 53-66. http://bcfairytales.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/112416976/Escape%20from%20Wonderland%20Disney%20and%20the%20Female%20Imaginatio.pdf   Suciu, P. (2021, June 24). Americans Spent On Average More Than 1,300 Hours On Social Media Last Year. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2021/06/24/americans-spent-more-than-1300-hours-on-social-media/?sh=2ef34cb2547f   Trakin, R. (2020, October 21). 2 live crew’s obscenity trial remembered by Luther Campbell and Doug Morris, 30 years later. Variety. https://variety.com/2020/music/news/2-live-crews-obscenity-trial-remembered-by-luther-campbell-and-doug-morris-30-years-later-1234812588/  Learning Activity 3 (Note: The learning activity for this week is a signature assignment) Discussion 5
	WEEK 6: Why Do Literature and the Arts Matter?	Alexie, Sherman (1997). The joy of reading and writing: superman and me. In Wardle, E., & Downs, D. (Eds.), Writing about writing: a college guide, (pp. 128-131). Bedford/St. Martins. https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet02-xythos.content.blackboardcdn.com/pdf Bezamat, M. (2020, August 29). MJ explained: did Michael Jackson really want to become white? MJ Beats. https://mjbeats.com.br/mj-explained-did-michael-jackson-really-want-to-become-white-3582cfbd929f Bezamat, M. (2020, September 19). MJ explained: did Michael Jackson really want to become white? Part 2. MJ Beats. https://mjbeats.com.br/mj-explained-did-michael-jackson-really-want-to-become-white-part-2-c2b76705acd6 Flamer, K. (2020, December 28) Billionaire Ron Burkle Buys Michael Jackson’s Infamous Neverland Ranch For $22 Million. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/keithflamer/2021/12/28/billionaire-buys-michael-jacksons-infamous-neverland-ranch-for-22-million-bargain/?sh=21bec7604780 Gates, D. (2009, June 26). Michael Jackson; the man in the mirror. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/michael-jackson-man-mirror-80831 Gibbons-Neff, T. (2022, June 18). The battlefield: a kaleidoscope of death. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/06/18/world/ukraine-russia-news-deaths Gilbert, S. (2022, March 31). We have to look for longer. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/03/sarah-meister-war-photography-ukraine/629428/ Morris, B. (2020, June 11). Faith Ringgold will keep fighting back. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/arts/design/faith-ringgold-art.html   Sontag. S. (2004, May 23). Regarding the torture of others. New York Times Magazine. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/23/magazine/regarding-the-tortu re-of-others.html Walker, A. (1983). Saving the life that is your own: the importance of models in the artistic life. A Harvest Book, Harcourt Inc. https://mxcenter.utsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/09.28.18_Assigned-Reading-from-Dr.-Morales.pdf Weinstein, J. R. (Host). (2015, March 8). “The rise of writing: what happens when people write more than they read?” with Deborah Brandt. Institute of Philosophy in Public life. https://philosophyinpubliclife.org/2015/03/08/the-rise-of-writing-what-happens-when-people-write-more-than-they-read-with-deborah-brandt/  Writing Assignment 3 Discussion 6
	WEEK 7: How Do We Relate to the Natural World?	Readings, “Nature and the Environment” Related video recordings: Chief Seattle’s speech Bill McKibben Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Jared Diamond, Why Societies Collapse Writing Assignment 4 Discussion 7
	WEEK 8 What Can Science Teach Us?	Readings, “Science and Technology” Related video recordings: How Does Evolution Work? Darwin at 200 Creationism – Hear the Scientists Respond Carl Sagan Intelligent Design Oliver Sacks, What Hallucination Reveals About Our Minds Writing Assignment 5 Discussion 8 (1 and 2)

LBSU 105: STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Explain the purposes and values of a liberal arts education.
2. Describe the relationship between a liberal arts education and an individual’s role in the university community, and the global community.
3. Identify unique disciplinary approaches to understanding the world.
4. Summarize the role of diversity in a liberal arts education.
5. Evaluate a problem using multiple modes of inquiry from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
6. Choose a variety of resources that help hone the fundamental liberal arts skills of critical thinking, information literacy, and written expression within and across a variety of disciplinary boundaries.
7. Analyze the relationship between the assigned readings, the cultures and historical periods in which they were created, and the human concerns they illuminate.