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Honors Course Archive: Spring 2006

    • ENVIR 203 AE: Environmental Case Studies: Responding to Global Climate Change
      SLN 3878

        Richard Gammon (Program on the Environment, Oceanography, Chemistry)
        Phone: 221-6744
        gammon@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      TTh
      1230-120
      1230-120
      MGH 389
      BLM 211
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 20 students

      ADD CODE FROM MGH 274 OR EMAIL POEADV@U.WASHINGTON.EDU / Students must also register for lecture SLN 3873

      An interdisciplinary course examining the human use of fossil fuels and the consequent impacts on the global environment, with global climate change as the case study. Topics covered include: human impacts on the natural climate system and predicted climate impacts, international legal perspectives and policy options, and moral and ethical aspects of climate impact. Students will complete written assignments, group work as stakeholders, and participate in a mock Kyoto climate negotiation.

    • ESRM 302 AC: Sustainability in Production Lands
      SLN 3936

        James Fridley (Forest Resources, Mechanical Engineering)
        Office: 390 Bloedel Hall, Box 352100
        Phone: 543-6993
        fridley@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      TBA
      1030-1120
      TBA
      CDH 135
      TBA
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 6 students

      Students must also register for lecture SLN 3933/ Contact Michelle Trudeau for an add code: michtru@u.washington.edu

      Covers the role of farming, forestry, grazing, dams, water extraction, fishing, and their ecological and environmental impacts, and the remediation and restoration of their impacts. Utilizes field trips, studios, and problem-solving exercises to understand, integrate, and generalize processes and issues across diverse production systems. Prerequisite: either BIOL 162 or BIOL 200.

    • H A&S 222 A: Introduction to Energy and Environment (Life Under the Pale Sun)
      SLN 4431

        Peter Rhines (Oceanography)
        Office: 319 Ocean Science Bldg, Box 355351
        Phone: 543-0593
        rhines@ocean.washington.edu
      T TH
      10:30-12:20
      MGH 242
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 30 students

      This course explores the global environment and energy resources. It has a 'science core' yet is designed so that non-scientists can compete equally with science majors. The core will teach some of the essential ideas that underlie our environment: primarily from physics, but also with some biology. Yet it does not have any science prerequisites beyond basic math skills. We begin with a scientific account of energy in nature, from the sun to the atmosphere and ocean, thence to global energy resources for humans. From this background we study the natives living at the rim of the Arctic, where the environment and energy are central to survival. We consider changes in our global environment brought about by humans in the 20th Century, debate the 'end of oil', and present some 'can-do' strategies for the new century.

      Students will write essays and work out quantitative problems for each of three units. We have numerous resources to supplement lectures. Our laboratories in the School of Oceanography will be available for demonstrations exploring some basic physical properties of energy: its generation, transmission and conversion in Nature and by humans (from the sun to the fuel cell, for example). We will describe our field work in the Arctic, which relates to the science of the North.

    • H A&S 222 B: Animal Behavior
      SLN 4432

        Michael Beecher (Psychology)
        Office: 327 Guthrie, Box 351525
        Phone: (206) 543-6545
        beecher@u.washington.edu
      T TH
      1:30 - 3:20
      MGH 288
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 25 students

      This course takes an evolutionary approach to animal behavior. Discussion will be emphasized over lecture. An important part of the course is observational study of animals at the Woodland Park Zoo. (WPZ is an easy 20-min trip from UW on Metro 44; students get zoo passes.)
      Students will also give a group presentation on an animal group that shows interesting divergent or convergent behaviors (e.g., 3 different primates, or 3 different species with sex-role reversal, or 3 different big-game predators). The course grade will be based on class participation, two exams, a zoo project and the group presentation. More information is available on the class website: http://courses.washington.edu/anbehav. The username = the password = abnotes.

    • H A&S 396 B: Current Topics in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
      SLN 4440

        Tolga Bilgen (Zoology)
        Office: 430 Hitchcock, Box 355320
        Phone: (206) 616-4029
        tolga@u.washington.edu
      T
      12:30 - 2:20
      MGH 238
      Credits: 2, c/nc
      Limit: 30 students

      Students must be concurrently enrolled in BIO 220

      We will discuss general models that are fundamental to understanding physiology in animals and plants and apply these models to topics discussed in class, reveiw literature on muscle physiology, visit a respiratory physiology lab discuss current topic in plant physiology.

      This course will focus on discussions of various topics relevant to Biology 220. Readings will include articles, from varied sources. Students will also give a short seminar, on some newsworthy biological issue.

    • OCEAN 220 B: Introduction to Field Oceanography
      SLN 6547

        Rick Keil (Oceanography)
        Office: 517 Ocean Science Bldg, Box 355351
        Phone: 616-1947
        rickkeil@u.washington.edu
        Richard Sternberg (Oceanography)
        Office: 313 Ocean Teaching Building, Box 357940
        Phone: 543-0589
        rws@ocean.washington.edu
      M
      F
      130-420
      230-420
      OTB 014
      GLD 436
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 20 students

      Prerequisite: either OCEAN 210 or OCEAN/FISH 250, BIOL 250, Contact Oceanography Advisor, Michelle Townsend for entry code: mtown@ocean.washington.edu

      Design and conduct a field study in oceanography. Field trip required (usually during Spring break). Focus on active learning, deployment of instruments, data collection, interpretation, and presentation. Honors section incorporates additional field experimentation and study in marine biology. Writing class. Prerequisite: either OCEAN 210 or OCEAN/FISH 250, BIOL 250.

      Contact Oceanography Advisor, Michelle Townsend for entry code: mtown@ocean.washington.edu

    • H A&S 253 A: American Civil Religion
      SLN 4433

        James Wellman (International Studies)
        Office: 420 Thomson, Box 353650
        Phone: 543-0339
        jwellman@u.washington.edu
      T TH
      1:30-3:20
      MGH 206
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 25 students

      Course Description

      Religion and political power in American culture has always had a tangled relationship. Following the 1960s, the influence of religion on American power seemed to decline. Few imagined religion's resurgence not only culturally but politically. Our task is to trace this influence and to ask what is the relationship of religion, power and politics in the American context? We will begin by looking at the early relationship of church and state. We then move to Tocqueville's observations on 19th century American culture. We investigate the invention of the term civil religion by Robert Bellah, writing in the 1970s. We then look more critically at how this relationship of American religion and politics has changed more recently. Asking what impact does American political religion have on the budding American global power? What is the present relationship between American civil religion and the growing American militarism?

      Course Goals
      · To identify the history of relation between American religion and power.
      · To apply a critical lens and reflect an articulate voice on the religious events in American religious history, politics and culture.
      · To prepare students to take on the role as scholars in the study of American religion and political power.

      Teaching Goals
      · To create a stimulating environment for learning.
      · To logically unfold the material to give you a clear understanding of these themes of religion, power and politics.
      · To be a resource for your understanding, critical thinking, and appreciation of the impact of religion on American culture and politics.

      Required Readings

      Noll, Mark, Hatch, Nathan, Marsden. 1989. The Search for Christian America. ISBN: 0939443155

      Tocqueville, Alexis de. 2001. Religious Democracy in America. Signet Classic. ISBN: 0451528123

      Bellah, Robert N. 1975. The Broken Covenant: American Civil Religion in Time of Trial. Chicago. ISBN: 0226041999

      Hughes, Richard T. 2003. Myths America Lives By. Illinois. ISBN: 0252028600

      Bacevich, Andrew. 2005. The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by War. Oxford. ISBN: 0195173384

      Domke, David. 2004. God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the 'War on Terror,' and the Echoing Press. Pluto Press. ISBN: 0745323057

      Several essays will be handed out during the quarter, which will copied for you

      Course Requirements
      Attendance is encouraged and completion is required of 6 two-page reflection papers that grapple with a question from the required readings that are worth 15 points each (45% of grade). One presentation of a draft of your final paper, worth 20 points (10% of grade); a final 12 to 15-page research paper due on Tuesday, June 7 by 9:00 a.m. in my box Thomson, worth 90 points (45% of grade). I expect the final paper to be 90 percent original research and writing for H253a, spring 2006.

    • H A&S 253 B: Reading the City
      SLN 4434

        Dennis Ryan (Urban Design & Planning)
        Office: 410F Gould Hall, Box 355740
        Phone: 543-8293
        frango@u.washington.edu
      T TH
      10:30 - 12:20
      GLD 424
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 25 students

      Cross Listed with URBDP 370

      The city is a rich and complex text full of unpredictability and surprises. So infused with cultural symbols, it is constantly open for the conscious eyes and mind to explore its patent physical form or the meanings behind the grand facades and humble doorsteps. The city invites us to read, to describe, and to interpret; and very often, we see ourselves -- as individuals as well as the collective social life of community, society or humankind -- reflected in, and our values forged or transformed by the city. Reading the city is therefore a necessary practice so as to better understand ourselves, the urbanized environment and the people who share their everyday experiences in it.

      This course is intended to encourage students of diverse backgrounds not only to look at, survey, and interact with the city from various perspectives related to their interests and beliefs, but also to appreciate other approaches different from their own. We will learn from texts, readings, a great deal of fieldwork, small group exchanges, our own writings, visual materials, classroom discussions and more. Our most valuable resource is the city itself.

      The aim? Enriching our urban experiences - from philosopher Henri Lefebre - that encompass the full range of the perceived, the conceived, and the lived. It is hoped that, before the end of the course, students may reach beyond the level of seeing the city as merely an ensemble of great architecture and monuments and be capable of fathoming the meaning of daily drama of people-city interactions.

      Texts Outside Lies Magic: Regaining History and Awareness in Everyday Places John R. Stilgoe, New York: Walker and Company, 1998.
      Cities and Urban Cultures. Deborah Stevenson, Maidenhead UK: Open University Press, 2003
      Other texts are on Over Night (24 hour) Reserve in OUGL

      Student Collaborative Work. The format for Spring Quarter is outlined below. Expect some variation and reconstruction over the quarter.

      1. A selected place as the vehicle to engage this thing called reading.
      2. A small group of students, no larger in number than 4, with whom to "read:" to collaborate, construct, deconstruct, express, challenge, ... and finally to create and represent a common understanding with.
      3. Building capacity working with others, prior to undertaking RTC's major journey this quarter.
      4. Four "domains" encountered in our reading journey: Home/Place-Philosophy, Emotion/Image, Visual Perception/Looking, and Cultural Studies/Human Geography.
      5. Writing as the means (but not exclusive) means for both research/knowing and expressing. RTC is a writing experience.
      6. The Tour: the culmination of the group's deliberate and collective efforts, represented in 20 pages of highly professional work, imaginatively presented to the RTC class in the last two weeks of the quarter, to become part of the permanent collection of RTC

      Evaluation As noted above, collaborative learning is a primary objective. Another is sustained, active, and varied engagement with reading the city. For those of you familiar with "studios" as a format for learning, this is going to be similar. And with that comes the issue of evaluation and all of the questions: where has each student begun and where they arrive, what did they seek and what did they accomplish? As a collective, the same questions pertain.

      Enrollment in 370 is a journey and a contract in self-learning - it's about your growth and your self-challenge using a vehicle that surrounds us daily - the city.

    • H A&S 253 C: Northwest Coastal Stories: Turbulence and uncertainty in science and culture
      SLN 4435

        Neil Banas (Oceanography)
        neil@ocean.washington.edu
      T TH
      10:30-12:20
      MGH 238
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 35 students

      This course will follow Jonathan Raban's remarkable travelogue Passage to Juneau on a tour through the human and natural history of the Pacific Northwest coastal waters. We'll discuss chaos theory and the circulation of Puget Sound; coastal ecology and climate change; the art and mythology of the Northwest tribes and the problems of ethnography; the Vancouver expedition and the Romantic Sublime. The unifying theme is the interplay between order and chaos, and how we cope (in science, in literary criticism, in political decision-making) with the limits of rationality and the limits of our knowledge. How do we, and how did the indigenous cultures on this coast, deal with natural unpredictability and all the dangers that result--from navigating a turbulent channel to managing a salmon fishery?

      The course will be driven strongly by student discussion and writing, with opportunities for exploratory individual research projects.

    • H A&S 263 A: Beyond Tourism, Travel, and Research? Existential Encounters With Others.
      SLN 4436

        Clarke Speed (Anthropology)
        landogo@u.washington.edu
      M W
      12:30-2:20
      MGH 271
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 35 students

      This course studies a range of alterities via cultural and linquistic difference and differance. We start with Western experience of so-called non-western societies, but then invert that same order. We plow old terrain of the tourist, the traveller, and the researcher to grasp existential encounter spaces. In essence, these spaces-of-knowing occur without history, structure, power, certainty, or control.

      Encounter Studies are driven by a historical unintendedness. Such spaces and meanings are dialectical innovations subject to new forms of cultural production and power relations.

      We read: Treasure Island, The Heart of Darkness, In Sierra Leone, and Existentialism: From Dostoevsky to Sartre.

      There are three short Concept Papers, rewrites, a Presentation and Precis of assigned readings, and a Concept Notebook. There are no right answers.

    • H A&S 263 B: Philosophy of Religions
      SLN 4437

        Ken Clatterbaugh (Philosophy)
        Office: 345B Savery, Box 353350
        Phone: (206) 543-5086
        clatter@u.washington.edu
      T TH
      12:30-2:20
      MGH 228
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 25 students

      This course will be run like a seminar. Students will be required to participate and do presentations. Traditional issues in the philosophy of religion will be explored, these include faith and reason, the
      problem of evil, the argument from design, the nature of religious experience, miracles, the connection of religion to morality, and the relationship between science and religion. In addition to participation,
      students will be expected to write a term paper preceeded by a prospectus and a rough draft.

      Texts:
      Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Religion/ by Michael L. Peterson and Raymond J. Vanarragon.

      Philosophy of Religion/ (2nd ed) by Michael Peterson, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger

    • HIST 113 AC: Europe and the Modern World
      SLN 4466

        George Behlmer (History)
        Office: 108-A Smith Hall, Box 353560
        Phone: 543-5747
        behlmer@u.washington.edu
      MTWTh
      F
      930-1020
      930-1020
      KNE 120
      PAB B164
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 25 students

      STUDENTS MUST ALSO REGISTER FOR MAIN LECTURE SLN 4463

      Political, economic, social, and intellectual history of modern Europe. Cannot be taken for credit toward a history major if HSTEU 302 or 303 previously taken.

      Class Description

      History 113 surveys European culture, thought, and politics over the past three centuries. Beginning with the Age of Absolutism in the mid-17th century and ending with our own era of fracturing nationalisms, this course charts the road to "modernity" in western civilization. Enlightenment thought and French revolutionary practice; the social consequences of industrialization; imperialism and decolonization; and the challenges of communism, fascism, and total war: these world-shaping developments will receive special attention in History 113.

      Class Assignments and Grading

      Lectures 4 days per week, supplemented by illustrative films and music of the period under consideration. Weekly discussion sections each Friday. Taken together, the lectures, reading, weekly discussions, and paper assignments aim to enrich students' appreciation of the European past--as well as hone students' ability to think and write analytically about that past.

    • RUSS 323 AB: Russian Literature and Culture of the Twentieth Century
      SLN 7838

        Jose Alaniz (Slavic Languages and Literatures)
        Office: M256 Smith Hall, Box 353580
        Phone: 543-7580
        jos23@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      TF
      1030-1120
      1030-1120
      TBA
      EE1 031
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 25 students

      STUDENTS MUST ALSO REGISTER FOR MAIN LECTURE SLN 7836

      Literature as an element in modern Russian culture. Art, architecture, and music also treated. Periods covered include symbolism, revolution, postrevolution, Stalinist, the "thaw," and contemporary.

    • SIS 202 AI: Cultural Interactions
      SLN 7885

        Cabeiri Robinson (International Studies)
        Office: 429 Thomson Hall, Box 353650
        Phone: (206) 543-1693
        cdr33@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      TTh
      1030-1120
      830-920
      SMI 120
      BLM 308
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 15 students

      STUDENT MUST ALSO REGISTER FOR MAIN LECTURE SLN 7876

      Cultural interaction among societies and civilizations, particularly Western and non-Western. Intellectual, cultural, social, and artistic aspects; historical factors.

      Class Description

      Modern political and economic systems are founded and maintained by combinations of subtle workings of ideas and overt violence. This course examines how the systems of meaning and social organization we call "culture(s)" organize the experiences, ideologies, and institutions of power which we call "politics" at the local, national, and international level. This course introduces a critical approach to understanding the relationship between culture and politics by examining the problem of political violence and armed conflict and its relationship to society and culture in the post-WWII world. The questions this course will address include: In what ways are strategies of power produced through forms of knowledge that are culturally organized? How does power become internalized and personalized so that people actively reproduce it? What does it mean for a society to become "militarized"? What are "cultures of terror" and what does it mean to rule by fear rather than by consent or coercion? How is torture and the violent inscription of the body a "modern" political practice? How do cultural expectations shape international recognition of conflicts as "war", "civil insurgency", or "terrorism" and of impacted people and populations as "victims","refugees", "perpetrators" or "terrorists"? What is the distinction between modern and postmodern warfare and how do their political economies differ? How do post-cold war paradigms of accountability and reconciliation rely on the transformative possibilities of political culture? We adopt an ethnographic perspective to examine the these questions through the examination of processes of political violence and armed conflict in the daily lives of ordinary people, drawing on case studies from the US, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

      Three 50 min. lectures and two section discussion hours per week.

      Recommended preparation

      Students should expect to do all readings and attend all class sessions.

      Class Assignments and Grading

      There will be seven weekly response papers, a 5-6 page analytic essay using course readings, discussions and writing workshops in sections, current events quizzes, and a short answer and essay final exam on lecture and reading materials in which students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of key concepts.

      The final grade will reflect the student's full participation in this course weighted as follows: response papers 30%, essay paper 20%, section participation 20%; quizes 10%; final exam 20%.

    • SIS 202 AJ: Cultural Interactions
      SLN 7886

        Cabeiri Robinson (International Studies)
        Office: 429 Thomson Hall, Box 353650
        Phone: (206) 543-1693
        cdr33@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      T TH
      1030-1120
      1030-1120
      SMI 120
      TBA
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 15 students

      STUDENT MUST ALSO REGISTER FOR MAIN LECTURE SLN 7876

      Cultural interaction among societies and civilizations, particularly Western and non-Western. Intellectual, cultural, social, and artistic aspects; historical factors.

      Class Description

      Modern political and economic systems are founded and maintained by combinations of subtle workings of ideas and overt violence. This course examines how the systems of meaning and social organization we call "culture(s)" organize the experiences, ideologies, and institutions of power which we call "politics" at the local, national, and international level. This course introduces a critical approach to understanding the relationship between culture and politics by examining the problem of political violence and armed conflict and its relationship to society and culture in the post-WWII world. The questions this course will address include: In what ways are strategies of power produced through forms of knowledge that are culturally organized? How does power become internalized and personalized so that people actively reproduce it? What does it mean for a society to become "militarized"? What are "cultures of terror" and what does it mean to rule by fear rather than by consent or coercion? How is torture and the violent inscription of the body a "modern" political practice? How do cultural expectations shape international recognition of conflicts as "war", "civil insurgency", or "terrorism" and of impacted people and populations as "victims","refugees", "perpetrators" or "terrorists"? What is the distinction between modern and postmodern warfare and how do their political economies differ? How do post-cold war paradigms of accountability and reconciliation rely on the transformative possibilities of political culture? We adopt an ethnographic perspective to examine the these questions through the examination of processes of political violence and armed conflict in the daily lives of ordinary people, drawing on case studies from the US, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

      Three 50 min. lectures and two section discussion hours per week.

      Recommended preparation

      Students should expect to do all readings and attend all class sessions.

      Class Assignments and Grading

      There will be seven weekly response papers, a 5-6 page analytic essay using course readings, discussions and writing workshops in sections, current events quizzes, and a short answer and essay final exam on lecture and reading materials in which students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of key concepts.

      The final grade will reflect the student's full participation in this course weighted as follows: response papers 30%, essay paper 20%, section participation 20%; quizes 10%; final exam 20%.

    • H A&S 350 A: Language: Origins, Forms and Power
      SLN 4438

        Tolga Bilgen (Zoology)
        Office: 430 Hitchcock, Box 355320
        Phone: (206) 616-4029
        tolga@u.washington.edu
      TH
      2:30 - 4:20
      MGH 211 B
      Credits: 2
      Limit: 15 students

      Registration Priority for Juniors and Seniors

      What was the first spoken word? What will be the last -- and in what language? Whether spoken or written, language pervades everything we clever humans do, to the point where language becomes power. Why do some languages thrive while others disappear? From anthropology to art, from philosophy to politics, be ready to talk about talk; explore the meanings of language in free-ranging discussions, presentations and a written assignment.

    • H A&S 350 B: The Basic Problem in Science and Society
      SLN 4439

        Vladimir Chaloupka (Physics)
        Office: B309 Physics-Astronomy Bldg, Box 351560
        Phone: 543-8965
        vladi@u.washington.edu
      T
      2:30 - 4:20
      PAA A 114
      Credits: 2, c/nc
      Limit: 15 students

      Priority given to Juniors and Seniors

      Many thinkers have pointed out the ever-increasing gap between the cumulative, exponential progress in science and technology on the one hand, and on the other hand, the lack of comparable progress in our ability to use our new technological tools thoughtfully and responsibly. This gap cannot keep increasing forever. Some people think that we might be in the process of acquiring powers that we should not have, and that catastrophic consequences are not only possible, but probable or even inevitable. We will explore these issues, evaluating developments in Physics, Molecular Biology
      and Genetics, Nanotechnology, and Computer Science, including the potential for accidental or intentional misuse. The emphasis will be on critical evaluation of the likelihood of various outcomes. Students from technical disciplines, as well as students from the Arts and Humanities, are encouraged to participate - we will not hesitate to talk about Philosophy (Philosophy of Science in particular) and Religion, and - for good measure - about Music. There will be an extensive reading list, with assignments to be presented in class. Students will write a term paper summarizing and arguing their position on the issues discussed during the Quarter.

      See http://www.phys.washington.edu/~vladi for further > details.

    • H A&S 396 C: How the Human Brain Learns
      SLN 4441

        John Medina
        medinaj@u.washington.edu
      MWF
      10:30 - 11:20
      MGH 082A
      Credits: 5
      Limit: 20 students

      Priority given to Juniors and Seniors

      This course is designed for two groups of people.

      First, this course is for anyone interested in how the human brain processes information. Lecture content focuses on 6 brain “rules”, a half dozen things we know about how the human brain encodes, stores, retrieves and even forgets information. Multidisciplinary in nature, this course draws freely from the molecular, behavioral and cognitive neurosciences.

      Secondly, this course is designed for anyone whose career may someday involve teaching. As such, lecture content also focuses on the potential for brain science to influence and even improve classroom practice. Given this multi-disciplinary perspective, the course is specifically designed for students with only a modest background in the sciences. But it is also here, however, where the course sounds a note of caution. Given the relative immaturity of the field, very little in the brain sciences is today relevant to classroom practice. These rules primarily serve only to outline potentially productive areas of research inquiry were education scientists and brain scientists ever to collaborate on end-use driven research projects.

    • H A&S 397 A: Paradox and Progress: Exploring Urban Culture in Amsterdam through Interdisciplinary e-Research
      SLN 9302

        Julie Villegas (UW Honors)
        Office: MGH 211, Box 352800
        Phone: 543-7172
        villegas@u.washington.edu
        Clifford Tatum (Communication, Honors)
        Office: 211 Mary Gates Hall, Box 352800
        clifford@u.washington.edu
      MW
      3:30-4:50
      MGH 206
      Credits: 3
      Limit: 17 students

      This course is only open to students participating in the Summer 2006 Amsterdam Study Abroad

      The objective of this seminar is to introduce students to the city of
      Amsterdam as an object of study and to develop interdisciplinary
      research designs that enable students to collaborate in small group
      research projects.

      Students will choose topics and work in groups of 2 to 3 students.
      There are a couple of ways this can work. You can work together to
      identify a single research question. In this case the work would be
      divided up among the group participants. Alternatively, a group can
      be formed around a particular topical domain. In this case each group
      member would develop an individual research topic within the larger
      domain. In both cases, students will work together, collaboratively,
      both in Seattle and in Amsterdam.

      Throughout the seminar you will be introduced to a number of research
      methods intended to provide a practical means of conducting research.
      E-Research practices will augment these methods and will be
      incorporated into your research designs. Data collection and analysis
      techniques will include still image photography, sound and voice
      recordings, short video clips, and the use of geo-location tagging
      (eg. Google Earth and Geographical Information Systems software.)
      Each student will start a blog to use as a lab notebook to publish
      research progress as well as a kind of travel journal while in
      Amsterdam. We will experiment with video pod-casting as the end
      product of your research.

      We will look critically at our assumptions about knowledge. This
      means being reflexive about how we collect data, the methods we use,
      and how our assumptions about reality influence research designs.
      International research is an interesting way to do this because many
      of our assumptions, particularly the unconscious ones, are put into
      relief as a result of being outside of our cultural context. Our use
      of e-Research collaborative practices makes this reflexivity all the
      more salient.

      http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/international/amsterdam.htm

    • H A&S 397 C: Online Communities
      SLN 4442

        Wanda Gregory (Software Systems-Bothell)
        wanda.gregory@gmail.com
      T TH
      1:30-2:50
      SAV 153
      Credits: 3
      Limit: 15 students

      Priority given to Juniors and Seniors

      What is a community? What is an online community? What is the relationship between online and offline communities? How did online communities come into being and where are they heading? What makes a good online community? What is the impact of online communities on identity? How does blogging and social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, impact how we communicate and socialize today? These are some of the questions we will be addressing in this seminar. We will look at a variety of online communities both past and present, from both a theoretical and practical perspective. There will be particular emphasis on online game communities which we will explore from both a social and economic perspective.

      Assignments will consist of readings and discussions, participation in a variety of online communities both solo and as a class along with hands-on group assignments. No prior computer experience is required.

      Wanda Gregory will co-teach this course with John Doyle, Senior Development Director at EA Canada.

    • H A&S 397 D: Street Newspapers, Poverty and Homelessness
      SLN 4443

        Tim Harris (Real Change)
        rchange@speakeasy.org
      M
      9:30 - 11:20
      MGH 206
      Credits: 2
      Limit: 15 students

      Priority given to Juniors and Seniors

      Street newspapers such as Seattle's Real Change build for a more just society while helping to meet the immediate needs of those most affected by poverty. More than 200 such papers now exist in at least 27 countries, offering opportunity for self-help and political action by homeless people and their allies. This focus group will examine poverty and homelessness through the lens of the street newspaper movement. Students will visit the Seattle newspaper (www.realchangenews.org) and participate in building solutions to homelessness in Seattle. The focus group is led by Timothy Harris, Executive Director of Real Change and President of the North American Street Newspaper Association. Internship opportunities will be available with street newspapers both locally and abroad.

      North American Street Newspaper Association: www.nasna.org

      Street News Service: www.streetnewsservice.org