Fiat Lux Freshman Seminars
Winter
Quarter 2006
Applied Linguistics/TESL 19, Seminar 1
Language Tests: Gatekeepers or Door Openers?
Lyle Bachman
Language tests
have become pervasive part of our education system and society, used for a wide
variety of purposes such as identifying English language learners in schools,
making admissions decisions to universities, placing students into language
programs, screening potential immigrants, and selecting employees. But how
useful are language tests for making these high-stakes decisions? By what
standards can we evaluate the usefulness of these tests, and the fairness of
decisions that are made? What are the consequences, both beneficial and
harmful, of using language tests for these purposes? We will be reading and
discussing selected articles that address these questions.
Lyle Bachman is
Professor and Chair of the Department of Applied Linguistics and TESL. His
current professional interests include the nature of the interactions between
test takers and assessment tasks, validity theory, language issues in
large-scale educational assessments, the technologies of test design and
development, and the interfaces between language testing research and other
areas of applied linguistics research. His publications include Fundamental Considerations in Language
Testing, Language Testing in Practice (with Adrian S. Palmer), and Interfaces between Second Language
Acquisition and Language Testing Research (co-edited with Andrew D. Cohen), and Statistical Analyses for Language
Assessment. He has also published numerous articles in the area of language
testing and evaluation. He is currently co-editor of the Cambridge Language
Assessment Series. He has received the MLA’s Mildenberger Award for Outstanding
Research Publication.
Ancient Near
East 19, Seminar 1
Mummies: Death
and Afterlife in Ancient
Willemina Wendrich
The
Willemina Wendrich is an Associate Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at
the Department for Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. She directs the UCLA
excavations in the Fayum Oasis in
Architecture & Urban Design 19, Seminar 1
Time for Ancient
Diane Favro
Modern cities
are directed by time. From store hours to synchronization of stoplights, modern
urban environments are shaped by diverse temporal structures. How did people
experience cities before time became a commodity shared by everyone with a wristwatch?
In ancient world, hours and calendar were flexible. The Romans linked time and
space in literature, philosophy, and environmental design. Notably Vitruvius
included a book on timekeeping devices in his architectural tract, and the Romans
celebrated birthdays of important buildings and the city itself. This class
will examine temporal issues in relation to
Diane Favro is
a professor in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design. Her research
focuses on Roman architecture and urbanism, methods and pedagogy of
architectural history, and women in the profession. Professor Favro's
monograph, The Urban Image of Augustan
Rome (Cambridge University Press 1996), analyses the symbiotic relationship
between physical interventions and conceptual shifts in the imaging of a
capital city. Other publications explore Roman municipal legislation,
administration, imagery. She was co-editor of Streets: Critical Perspectives on Public Space (UC Press 1994), for
which she also wrote a chapter on the urban impact of Roman triumphal parades.
In 1995 she received The Parthena Award for her efforts to promote women and
their contributions to the built environment. Currently Professor Favro is
Director of the
English 19, Seminar 1
Thoreau's Walden: Alone and Together
Thomas Wortham
No better
advice has ever been offered than this challenge by Henry D. Thoreau:
"Every man has to learn the points of compass again as often as he awakes,
whether from sleep or any abstraction. Not till we are lost, in other words not
till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where
we are and the infinite extent of our relations." Let's get lost reading
Walden together.
Tom Wortham is
Chair and Professor of English; his area of study is nineteenth-century
American literature and culture. More important, he first read Thoreau when he
was thirteen, and hasn't recovered since. "I learned this, at least, by my
experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a
success unexpected in common hours."
English 19, Seminar 2
Supernatural as Psychological Case Study:
Tales of Le Fanu
Frederick
Burwick
Five short
stories that Sheridan Le Fanu published as In a Glass Darkly (1872) are
presented as case studies from records of Dr. Hesselius, specialist in mental
pathology. In discussing these five tales, attention is given to developments
in aberrational psychology during generations prior to Sigmund Freud, to
presumed relationship between occult phenomena and mental derangement, and to
ways in which supernatural tales mirrored psychological case study.
Frederick
Burwick is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of English. He is the author of The
Haunted Eye, Illusion and the Drama, Madness and Romantic Imagination. Professor Burwick is currently at work on a
study of cognitive psychology and the literary accounts of apparitions and
hallucinatory experience.
Ethnomusicology 19, Seminar 1
Music Theory through Recorder
Would you like
to learn music theory while learning to play an instrument? This class is for
students who would like to study rudiments of music theory by playing recorder.
Each class includes practice pieces and exercises related to music notation,
keys, melody, rhythm, rounds, and harmony. Students will also have the opportunity
to write and perform short compositions. By taking practical approach to music
theory, students will develop a foundation for reading, playing, and writing
music. Students need not have any prior experience. Recorders will be available
for purchase at nominal cost on first day of class.
Film
and Television 19, Seminar 1
Introduction to Film Making: So You Want to
Make Movies?
Barbara Boyle
Three screenplays are read
without disclosing the title of screenplay or resulting movie. Analysis and
discussion of visual style, cast, director, music, and other essential elements
used to convey tone and message of movie made from script. Films actually made
from screenplays are then shown so that relationship between literary
(screenplay) and visual (movie and all its components) is understood. This
course will also introduce a glossary of basic film industry terms. Three
feature length motion pictures will be viewed.
Barbara Boyle is a Professor and Chair
in the Department of Film, Television & Digital Media.
Film and Television Producer.
Boyle's credits include Phenomenon, Instinct, Bottle Rocket, Eight Men Out,
Mrs. Munck, and The Hi-Line. Her company, Sovereign Pictures, Inc., financed
and distributed internationally 25 films including, My Left Foot, Cinema
Paradiso, Reversal Of Fortune, Impromptu, Hamlet and The Commitments.
Sovereign's films were nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won 4. While
president of Valhalla Motion Pictures, the company produced 22 episodes of
Adventure, Inc., the documentary, True Whispers, and feature films, Clockstoppers
and Hulk. In 2003. She serves on the
Board of Project: Involve and is a past president of IFP/West and Women In
Film. Boyle has received, among others, a Vision Award from IFP, the WIF
Crystal Award and the Alumni of the Year from
French 19, Seminar 1
Jealousy in French Literature
Patrick Coleman
Jealousy, like other complex
emotions, is more than feeling. It is a way of perceiving and processing
information about the world. This course will explore the relationship between
feeling, knowledge, and interpretation as it is dramatized in three modern
French stories of jealousy. The aim of the course is to show how literature can
help us understand how emotions work in our lives.
Patrick Coleman is Professor of
French and Francophone Studies. He is the author of three books and many
articles in the fields of eighteenth-century and contemporary francophone
studies. His Fiat Lux proposal reflects the research for his current project, a
book on anger and gratitude in French Enlightenment writing.
German 19, Seminar 1
Is A Non-Violent World Possible?
Robert Kirsner
Can there ever
be an alternative to violence and war? Mahatma Gandhi thought so and waged
non-violent campaign against British which resulted in
Robert S. Kirsner is a Professor of Dutch and Afrikaans in UCLA's Department
of Germanic Languages, where he teaches these two languages, the literatures
written in them (from Holland, Belgium, the Caribbean, and South Africa), and
also a course on Linguistic Theory and Grammatical Description. His research
focuses on functional, discourse-based, and cognitive approaches in
linguistics, emphasizing the use of empirical quantitative data in analyzing
grammatical structures. He is most interested in the interaction of grammar and
intonation.
He likes to
read science fiction and he is also interested in Eastern religions and
philosophy.
Honors Collegium 19, Seminar 1
Stage and Screen: Works by UCLA Students
This seminar
will focus on works created by students in the Departments of World Arts and
Cultures; Film, Television, and Digital Media; and Theater. Student
choreographers and directors discuss their artistic processes, media, and
purposes, and show clips of their performances and films. We will also view and
discuss photos taken during rehearsals and production. Class members make
journal entries responding to each session and to readings suggested by
presenters. Class meets every other week for two hours, beginning first week.
Iranian 19,
Seminar 1
Consciousness
and Intuition: A Study of Persian Philosophical Texts
Hossein Ziai
This seminar will focus on a 12th century philosophical text (available
in a bilingual Persian-English edition), and each week one of the ten sections
of the text will be read and examined in detail. Special attention will be
placed on the Aristotelian principles expressed in the text. A major question
addressed in the seminar will be: "How are the Aristotelian principles
refined in their Persian expression."
Hossein Ziai is a Professor of Iranian and Islamic Studies & Director
of Iranian Studies. Professor Ziai holds a BS from
Ph.D. from
Jewish Studies 19, Seminar 1 (Seminar
Canceled)
Jewish Settlers on American Frontier
This course explores writings
about and by a population that might seem like contradiction in terms: Jewish
farmers, cowboys, ranchers, and small-town settlers in American West between
1850-1930. We will first read short memoirs and fictional narratives about
western Jewish settlement (on Jewish homesteaders and cowboys in
Music 19, Seminar 1
Music by Rufus Wainwright
Roger Bourland
In class discussion and analysis
of selected songs by singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. Elements include
phrase structure, formal structure, harmonic analysis, melodic analysis, and
issues of style and influence.
for
chorus and wind ensemble, was premiered by five groups around the country in
December 2002. A recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005.
Music
History 19, Seminar 1
VOCES
BALAENAE: Whale Songs and Human Audiences
Mitchell Morris
In 1969, cetacean biologist Roger
Payne published information about complex vocalizations of Humpback Whales,
referring to them as “songs.” One year later, he released first commercial
recording of whale songs. These songs became important cultural artifacts in
burgeoning "save the whales" movement, and were largely received as
instances of music in nature. This seminar will consider whale songs in terms
of their sound and the circumstances of their production among whales, and
consider what human beings have made of them. We will discuss questions about the
definition of music and culture, and thought about how human beings relate to
other animals who live in complex societies and possess elaborate systems of
communication.
Mitchell Morris is an Associate
Professor in the Department of Musicology.
Growing up in the rural South, he was frequently curious about the
potential "musicality" of animals. In the past five years, he has been
pursuing this question more formally, with a special interest in how human
beings make sense of whale songs.
Scandinavian 19, Seminar 1
Urban Legend and Popular Film: Politics of Fright
Timothy Tangherlini
Ghosts,
UFOs, psychopaths, evil corporations, Satanists, serial killers, wild
conspiracy theories, unlikely ways to be killed, and even more unusual ways to
sur
Professor
Timothy Tangherlini is a folklorist whose work includes studies of storytelling
among paramedics, the political uses of storytelling in 19th century
African Languages 19, Seminar 1
Cultural Studies along
Katrina
Thompson
Culture(s) of
Swahili coast approaches this broad topic from a variety of disciplinary
vantage points. Swahili coast is large region that includes parts of four
countries and encompasses a wide variety of linguistic and ethnic groups, including
but not limited to the Swahili. Intensive study of Swahili coast, and the role
of Swahili beyond the coast, affords opportunity to develop a deep knowledge of
single region that is both diverse and, arguably, unified by the Swahili
language. No single approach can do this region justice, and thus vibrant
scholarship has arisen within this area. By reading some of the best of this
scholarship, and developing their own analyses of cultures they discuss,
students will learn to combine tools from multiple disciplines.
Katrina
Thompson earned both her M.A. and Ph.D. from the Department of African
Languages & Literature, UW-Madison. A specialist in Swahili language and
culture, she regularly teaches the language at all levels. A former Fulbrighter
to
Anthropology 19, Seminar 1
History of American Indians in
Russell Thornton
An examination
of the state of
Russell
Thornton is Professor of Anthropology. He is the author or editor of seven
books and over 100 scholarly papers, focused on North American Indians. Born
and raised in
Chicana & Chicano Studies 19, Seminar 1
Now What? After
In this seminar
will study public debates about the effort to rebuild at ground zero in
Economics 19, Seminar 1
Winner's Curse in Common Value Auctions
Hugo Hopenhayn
Exploration of the
well-known phenomenon of "winners curse" when people bid in certain
kinds of auctions. Winners curse occurs when a person who won at an auction
wishes he had not won. Since many other interesting phenomena have the same
basic structure as common value auctions, insights learned about auctions in the
laboratory have significance for other areas where unhappy winners are
important, such as in political contests and voting behavior, jury decisions,
and companies racing to discover and patent an invention.
Professor Hugo
Hopenhayn received his Ph.D. from the
Economics 19, Seminar 3
Reliability,
Trust and Contracts
William Zame
This seminar will analyze the issues of trust and reliability in
contracting environments, such as employer-employee relationships, or
partnerships.
In many cases, economic activity builds not on written contracts
enforceable in a court of law, but informal agreements and relationships
between the interacting parties. In these cases, there are usually some
individual incentives to cheat, but payoffs are greater if mutual trust can be
sustained. Uncertainty about other individuals' incentives and actions also
complicate decision-making in these settings. The course will use laboratory
experiments, and in particular the "trust game" to analyze
decision-making and outcomes in environments where trust and reliability are
important in determining financial payoffs and the social surplus.
William Zame (Ph.D., Mathematics, Tulane University 1970) is
Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Economics and of Mathematics at
the
Before coming to UCLA he held appointments in the Mathematics Departments
of
Education 19,
Seminar 1
Student Activism from the Sixties to the Present
This course
explores student activism at colleges and universities in the
Professor
Geography 19, Seminar 1
American Rivers: History of Environmental Change
The objective
of this course is to offer students with a basic understanding of rivers and
how human agency has changed them in the
History 19, Seminar 1
Honor and Shame in the Clash
of Civilizations and Religions
Scott
S. Bartchy
Honor
and shame are core cultural values for the vast majority of human beings,
including most Muslims. Ignoring this fact has led to serious (and avoidable) misunderstandings
of world events and mistakes in US foreign policies, which have been based most often on western
individualistic values of achievement and guilt. Reflection on values with
which students were raised as well as achievement of deeper understanding of
ways in which honor/shame values continue to influence self-perception, gender
roles, and group practices of more than five billion people.
Professor Scott
Bartchy specializes in the comparison of the great religious traditions, their
histories, and their effects on culture and human behavior. He teaches courses
in the history of religion and directs UCLA's Center for the Study of Religion
and the undergraduate major in the Study of Religion. In his research he uses
insights from cultural anthropology to understand the religions of the
History 19, Seminar 2
Genocide and Moral History of Humanity
Although
violence seems to have been quite pervasive in most periods of history, the
20th century was, many scholars agree, exceptionally violent. Moreover, much of
this violence, from massacre of Armenians in World War I to conflict between
Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda (1994) was genocidal, if we understand genocide as
willful extinction, in whole or in substantial part, of a people on account of
their race, ethnicity, religion, linguistic affiliation, or ideological disposition.
Just why did genocide become so marked feature of 20th-century life, and what
problems does it pose for moral history of humanity? What relationship does
genocide bear to idea of nation-state and to notions of moral purity and
cultural fetishism? We shall consider several case studies, including Armenian
genocide, holocaust of the Jewish people and other marginalized groups in
History 19, Seminar 3
Crisis in
Edward Alpers
This seminar
examines the continuing crisis in Darfur and seeks to place it in the deeper
historical context of the ethnic and regional politics of the
Professor Alpers has been
teaching at UCLA since 1968 and is constantly astonished by the diversity of
experiences of our undergraduates. He
enjoys the less formal contact with students and the opportunity to explore
issues that link more directly to students' lives than is normally the case in
many undergraduate teaching. The crisis in Darfur is especially significant for
Africa scholars like himself who has witnessed the way in which the world at
large ignored the clear case of genocide in Rwanda a decade ago and raises a
host of moral issues at both the state and personal level that he want students
to consider. Before coming to UCLA in 1968 he taught at the
History 19, Seminar 4
History in Museums
Stephen Aron
Using Museum of
the American West and
Professor
Stephen Aron holds a joint appointment as professor of history at UCLA and an
executive director of the
History 19, Seminar 5
Scopes Trial: Evolution Controversies in
Theodore Porter
The Scopes
"Monkey Trial" was a key moment in the American struggle over the
teaching of evolution, and more generally in the enduringly uneasy relationship
between science and religion. Current debates, including some newsworthy
trials, about creationist textbooks and the status of “intelligent design” in
biology demonstrate the continuing relevance of this event. The original trial,
held in the small town of
Professor
Theodore Porter teaches history and history of science at UCLA. He is
interested in the uses of numbers and calculation in science, the relations of
natural to social science, and in the ways that science provides, and fails to
provide, a model of public reason. He has written three books, or perhaps five,
depending on how you count.
History 19, Seminar 6
Abraham Lincoln's Historical Legacy
Joan Waugh
The life of
Abraham Lincoln continues to spark intense interest and controversy. A large
part of that interest springs from the dramatic nature of the Civil War
(1861-1865), during which as President of the Union and Commander-in-Chief of the
largest assembled army in history,
Associate
Professor Joan Waugh of the UCLA History Department researches and writes about
Civil War era
History 19, Seminar 7
Plato's Republic: Property, Equality, and Knowledge
Teofilo Ruiz
This class will
engage in a close reading and discussion of Plato's Republic, first utopian
work written. Emphasis will be on the issues of property, equality, gender
differences, and knowledge as presented in text.
Teofilo Ruiz is a Professor in the Department of History. He is a
medievalist by training and the author of 8 books and numerous articles.
Professor Ruiz has been teaching at UCLA for five years. His field of research
is late medieval and early modern
Honors Collegium 19, Seminar 2
Ronni
Sanlo and Suzanne L. Seplow
The course explores the ways in which American culture is affected by
sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Topics include an overview of
historical perspective, legal and political issues specifically relating to
education, sexual identity development, impact of bullying and harassment in
schools and colleges, relationship between sexual orientation discrimination
and all other forms of discrimination, how to be an ally, and impact of sexual
orientation issues on all people regardless of their sexual orientation.
Ronni
Sanlo is the director of the
Suzanne L. Seplow, Ed.D., is
a graduate of the GSEIS Educational Leadership program at UCLA. Her focus is on
maintaining living/learning communities that foster positive impacts on student
learning. She specializes in learning
communities, environmental influences and student development theory.
Honors Collegium 19, Seminar 3
Perceptions of Americans Abroad: Discussions
with Visiting Fulbright Scholars
In post 9/11
world, there is greater need than ever for Americans to know more about the
rest of world and to understand how we are perceived abroad. This course will
provide an opportunity to see ourselves as others see us by hearing visiting
Fulbright scholars from around world speak about their countries and
perceptions of America there and have chance to ask them questions. Scholars
speak informally for 10-15 minutes. The
remainder of the class time will be hour is devoted to class discussion.
Ann Zwicker
Kerr, a native of southern
Honors
Collegium 19, Seminar 4
Tolerance:
Research, Theory and the
Experience
of Living in
Kathy O'Byrne and Suzanne Seplow
This seminar is required for
students interested in participating in an Alternative Spring Break program on
tolerance, in partnership with LAUSD and the
Kathy O'Byrne is the Director of
the Center for Community Learning. A psychologist by training, she teaches
several research courses for the Honors Collegium.
Suzanne L. Seplow, Ed.D., is
a graduate of the GSEIS Educational Leadership program at UCLA. Her focus is on
maintaining living/learning communities that foster positive impacts on student
learning. She specializes in learning
communities, environmental influences and student development theory.
Human
Complex Systems 19, Seminar 1
Cultural
Complexity: Espionage, Cryptology, and Psychological Operations
Nicholas Gessler
What we might more benignly call
"Intelligence, Secure Communications and Propaganda" are the senses,
thoughts, and actions of state, complex macrocosm of individuals who seek to
decipher their adversaries' will while concealing their own and imposing their
own will on target populations. So secret is this work that only now are we
beginning to see how these operations were carried out in World War II, and how
their complexity led to origins of computing. Classified dealings among nations
today will probably only become known several decades from now, when those in
power today have retired or died, when information (or disinformation) is no
longer strategic, and when details have become irrelevant to invasive
technologies of the future. We will explore the “intel,” “codes,” and “psyops”
of the “dark world” from variety of sources. We will examine actual
cryptographic machines and related artifacts; observation and decryption of
some enciphered messages; reading reports, declassified, and captured
government documents; and study private accounts in print and on the web. We
will focus on the 20th and 21st centuries and discuss the
implications of these activities for today’s social scientists and informed
citizens.
With a background in applied
sciences and anthropology, Gessler began his theoretical research with two
decades of fieldwork in archaeology, ethno history and culture change on the
Human Complex Systems 19, Seminar
2
Cognitive Processes: Exploring how you Perceive,
Decide, and Learn
Dario Nardi
In 1923 long
before neuroscience was a discipline, psychiatrist Carl Jung proposed eight
cognitive processes that all people have potential access to. Exploration of
these eight processes, which link to many questions about human experience,
through fun activities, exercises, and discussions. For example, how do we
determine physical risk when acting on impulse? Why do we sometimes cling to
past? And how do objective agreements between people arise from being able to
take measurements using ruler or clock? Emphasis on how mind mediates daily
life situations with other people and environmental demands, with eye on
practical applications such as improving individual study skills. We will also
examine the present scientific evidence for Jung's theory. Philosophical
questions such as how do we know what we know, and if learning is built into
thinking process.
Dario Nardi,
Ph.D, teaches computer modeling-and-simulation at UCLA where he is a Human
Complex Systems faculty member. He has also taught in UCLA's Program in
Computing and Honors Collegium. Dario has been a researcher with the
Temperament Research Institute since 1992. He is the author or co-author of
multiple books on personality, multiple intelligences, and organizational
development. Dario received his doctorate in systems science from the State University
of New York and his undergraduate in Aerospace Engineering from USC. His
educational background also includes East Asian languages and cultures and
creative writing. Dario is creator of Socialbot, a virtual/robotic agent
capable of socially intelligent behavior; and he is a winner of UCLA's 2005
Copenhaver Award for innovative use of technology in the classroom.
Law 19,
Seminar 1
Origins
of the Federal Income Tax
Steven Bank
This course surveys the
political, social, economic, intellectual, and legal origins of the federal
income tax. The advent of this tax alternatively has been hailed as "one
of the most progressive achievements in the making of modern America,"
derided as "class legislation" of the worst sort, and dismissed as
"a means of limiting dissent" in the course toward true revolution
and redistribution. We will review both modern and contemporary perspectives as
we trace the origins of the federal income tax from its status as a temporary
tax during the Civil War and Reconstruction, to its brief reinstatement in the
1890s before being struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional, and
finally through the adoption of the 16th amendment and the enactment of the
first modern federal income tax in 1913.
Steven Bank is a Professor of Law
and the Faculty Director of UCLA School of Law's Program in Business Law and
Policy. He teaches Federal Income Tax and Taxation of Business Enterprises. His
primary research specialty is the history of tax law between the Civil War and
World War II, especially as it relates to the treatment of business entities. He
is currently co-authoring a book that explores the relationship between war and
taxes in American history.
Law 19,
Seminar 2
Changes
in Social Welfare and What Has Happened to Poor Single-Mother Families
Joel Handler
In this seminar we will discuss the
evolution of "ending welfare as we know it" policy, low-wage labor
market, and growth of poverty and inequality.
Professor Joel Handler is a
Professor in the
Law 19,
Seminar 3
Frances Olsen
This seminar examines various
roles of law in promoting or impeding social change through the lens of
political trials. We will learn about the origin and potential of jury
nullification, the uses of courtroom by revolutionaries as political platform,
and recent government efforts to suppress these traditional outlets of
political expression.
While she was working as an
attorney, Frances Olsen represented a number of political activists, including
the Native Americans who staged the last major uprising against the federal
government at
Law 19, Seminar 4
Inequality, Tax Policy and Distributive Justice
Kirk Stark
This seminar will examine the growing inequality of income and wealth in
the
if anything, tax policy should (and can)
do about it. Topics to be discussed include the progressivity of the income
tax, taxing inheritances, the flat tax, progressive consumption taxes, how the
tax system should treat
low-income households, and redistributive school finance reform.
Professor Kirk Stark teaches Federal Income Tax, Taxation &
Distributive Justice, Multistate Taxation,
and Property. His research focuses on broad issues
of tax policy relating to fiscal federalism, state and
local taxation, and school finance reform. Professor Stark was elected
"Professor of the Year" in 1999
and 2002, and received the University Distinguished Teaching Award in 2003.
The Challenges of Managing Global Corporations
Hans
Schollhammer
This seminar focuses
on managerial decision issues in the context of firms operating on global
scale, with emphasis on formulation and implementation of business strategies
for worldwide operations. We will address six major issues: 1. Gaining an understanding
of the nature of multinational firms and developing an appreciation of reasons
for the rapid globalization of business operations. 2. Learning about structural
and strategic configurations designed to enhance firm's performance and
competitive position in an integrated global economy. 3. Approaches to
identification of overseas market opportunities. 4. Analysis of strategic
choices in the main functional areas of a multinational firm: logistics,
production and R&D issues, financial management, marketing, human resource
management. 5. The integration of global firm's operations through leadership,
appropriate organization design, and effective use of management system. 6. The
role of ethics in global business context.
Hans Schollhammer
is a professor in the Global Economics and Management area of the Anderson
Graduate School of Management at UCLA. He has held faculty positions at the
European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) in Fontainebleau,
France; the Institute for International Studies and Training, Japan; the
Cranfield Institute of Technology, England; and at Columbia University, New
York. Professor Schollhammer is the author of books and articles on
entrepreneurship and international management issues.
Complexity
Science: Overview of
Order-Creation
Science
Bill McKelvey
Complexity is curious mix of
complication and organization that we find through natural and human worlds.
Nobel Laureate Murray Gell-Mann says it is about finding simplicity beneath
surface complexity. Science as we know it studies forces and trends toward
equilibrium. Complexity science is “order-creation science.” If there is no
Intelligent Designer, how do new order, new structure, and new processes appear
in the physical, biological, and social worlds? The first law of thermodynamics
is about conservation of energy--one kind of order transforming into another
without loss of energy. The second law of thermodynamics is about entropy
production--slow shift from high energy and high structure states to randomness
of outer space. Complexity science is about "0th" law of
thermodynamics--how order appears out of randomness. It is about normal science
done backwards, often called New Science. This seminar will introduce you to this
new science. It will be a conversion
experience!
Bill McKelvey received his BA
(physics, business economics, mathematics, music) from
Rethinking
National Security
Albert Carnesale
As the post-war
reconstruction of
Albert
Carnesale is Chancellor of UCLA. He holds faculty appointments in the
Addressing The
Arleen
Leibowitz
This seminar
will explore the history of the
Arleen
Leibowitz, Professor of Public Policy, is an economist whose research centers
on health policy. Her research has examined the effects of insurance on medical
care use, the effects of HMOs on use and care for HIV/AIDS. Mark Peterson,
Professor of Public Policy and Political Science, conducts research on health
policy making at the national level, including presidential-congressional
policy making and the influence of organized interests.
Spanish 19, Seminar 1
Gerardo
Luzuriaga
This seminar
provides an overview of
Gerardo
Luzuriaga is an emeritus professor of Latin American literature, theater, and
culture, and a former Chair in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. He is
the author of several books and numerous articles and has lived in
Urban Planning 19,
Seminar 2
Sprawl: The American
Dream, or Nightmare?
Randall
Crane
What
is sprawl, is it good or bad, and what should be done? Many urban areas, in the
Randall Crane is a Professor
of Urban Planning and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the School of
Public Policy & Social Research. His
research interests include urban environmental and development problems in the
is co-author with Marlon
Boarnet of Travel by Design: The Influence of Urban Form on Travel"
(
Urban Planning 19,
Seminar 3
BANANAs Aren't Just for Kids: Understanding and
Addressing Development Conflict
Lois Takahashi
BANANAs,
NIMBYs, and CAVEs are all examples of conflicts over developments (BANANA=Build
Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone, NIMBY=Not In My Back Yard,
CAVE=Communities Against Virtually Everything). In this seminar we will discuss
why there is conflict over different kinds of developments (e.g., retail,
housing, environmentally sensitive land uses, human services), who is involved
in these conflicts, and what we can do about it.
Lois M.
Takahashi is an Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of the Department of Urban
Planning at the
Astronomy 19, Seminar 1
To Boldly Go: NASA, Your Money in Space
Jean L. Turner
This seminar
will cover the many activities of NASA and their costs. We will explore the premise
that "space exploration is cool, and deficit moaners are nerds" (H.
Hickam, Wall St. Journal). We will review of its centers and their missions,
its research and engineering accomplishments, and spacecraft. Study of NASA's
activities today, including manned and unmanned space programs. We will focus
on one NASA center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Jean Turner is
a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Her specialty is radio
and microwave astronomy. In her research, she uses the Very Large Array in
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 19, Seminar 1
Cosmic Evolution: How Everything is Connected
by Arrow of Time
Richard Turco
We will discuss,
in very broad and general terms, of how matter has evolved over the course of
time--from the beginning of the universe to the present world as we know it.
Emphasis on processes leading to the development of complexity in natural and
manmade systems, which represents the inevitable and irreversible evolutionary
path from "big bang" toward life and beyond. Accordingly, we will explore
the idea that basic physical principals underlie enormously diverse universe
around us, and are consistent with the emergence of even most sophisticated
systems, including human society.
Richard Turco
is a Professor in the Department of
Atmospheric and
Oceanic Sciences. He has studied the
natural environment, particularly Earth's atmosphere and biosphere, over many
decades, focusing on natural systems (such as the global "climate"
system) and threats to the environment from human activities (for example,
emissions of air pollutants). He has also taught courses focusing on the Earth
System, which requires an understanding of the evolution of the environment
over billions of years, and Earth's place in the solar system. He hopes to
bring all of this experience together in the Fiat Lux format.
Biomedical
Engineering 19, Seminar 1
Truth and
Questions in Orthopedics
Howard Winet
Demand for solutions to fracture healing problems has spawned a variety
of orthopedic devices. Rush to application has outrun scientific evidence for
effectiveness. Exploration of how needs for scientific rigor and clinical
application can come into conflict, beginning with Bacon's separation of
religion from science. Examination of orthopedic medicine and biomaterials with
respect to Scholasticism and science. Essay on how students would bring a given
orthopedic device to market required.
Howard Winet is an Adjunct Professor in the
Chemical Engineering 19, Seminar 1
Nanoparticles: in the Air, on Our Toothbrushes,
in Our Cells
Sheldon K.
Friedlander & Lutz Maedler
Nanoparticles
are key component of nanoscience, nanoengineering, and nanotechnology. They are
at least one length scale ranging from size of few molecules to approximately
100 nm (one thousands times smaller than thickness of human hair). Such small
particles were probably present in atmosphere as result of forest fires before
humans first manufactured them in controlled manner (e.g., carbon nanotubes).
Today, nanoparticles are present in our daily life in toothpaste as an abrasion
agent, in high-performance tennis rackets to make them stiff and lightweight,
and in atmosphere causing unwanted effects such as visibility degradation. This
seminar will focus on a historical review of nanoparticles, industrial
manufacture, and examples of how nanoparticles can be used to yield better
products. The seminar will also discuss environmental effects of nanoparticles
and possible health effects. The course will conclude with a critical
discussion of the exaggerations and fears of nanotechnology with special
emphasis on nanoparticles.
Professor Sheldon
K. Friedlander is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and received
the 1990 Fuchs Memorial Award from the International Committee representing the
Dr. Lutz Mädler
is a visiting researcher from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)
and received the BASF Award for his work on nanoparticle technology in 2004.
His research focuses on particle science and engineering, aerosol manufacturing
of materials, functional particle coatings, air pollution and environmental
health.
Chemistry
& Biochemistry 19, Seminar 1
Chemistry and Art
David Scott
This seminar
explores the relationships between chemistry and art and how modern chemical
knowledge can be used to analyze the composition of artifacts, ranging from
ancient pigments to Renaissance metals. The ability to authenticate works of
art is an important part of chemical investigation of antiquities which will be
discussed in this seminar. Examples of the scientific investigation of art
objects will be discussed and the examination of samples of ancient metals will
form some laboratory work for the participants. The course will also explore
how pigments and minerals play an important role in the production of art, the
history of synthetic chemistry, and the corrosion of ancient art objects.
David A. Scott
is a Professor in Art History and Archaeology and Chair of the UCLA/Getty
Program in archaeological and ethnographic conservation. He was a lecturer in
conservation at University College London from 1981-87 and Head of the Museum
Research Laboratory at the Getty Conservation Institute from 1987-2003. He
joined the faculty of UCLA in 2003. His main research interests are in the
characterization and technology of works of art.
Chemistry
& Biochemistry 19, Seminar 2
Introduction to Health Professions
Richard L. Weiss
and Gary L. France
This course is
designed to describes in detail all facts pertinent to careers in health
professions; to explore the issues involving healthcare past and present; to examine
the specialized knowledge and skills necessary for given health profession; the
evaluation of employment opportunities and trends; and the time and financial
commitment in education and the projected remuneration of given health
profession, based on the organization and financing of health services today
and the future. The goal is to encourage students to examine more than one
avenue in healthcare field and to expose them to healthcare professions that
would advance to a satisfying career which they might not otherwise consider.
Richard L.
Weiss is a Professor of Biochemistry and former Director of the Center for
Academic and Research Excellence (CARE). He directs a number of programs funded
by NIH and NSF to encourage students to enter careers in the natural sciences.
He has more than ten years experience in providing information to
undergraduates about the variety of careers available to science majors.
Dr.
Gary L. France was formerly the Advisor and Consultant for Diversity and
Academic Administrator in the Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry
for UCLA School of Dentistry. He is on Meharry Medical College School of
Dentistry's faculty as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Division of Dental
Public Health and is a Lecturer at
Earth & Space Sciences 19, Seminar 1
Rivers and Earthquakes of
An Yin
The Santa
Monica Mountains separate densely-populated greater Los Angeles area into the San
Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles Basin, and are bounded by active fault
system that is capable of generating devastating earthquakes. This seminar is
to review the most recent progress in examining the earthquake history of the
An Yin is a
Professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences. He has a Ph. D, Geology, from USC and BS from
Earth & Space Sciences 19, Seminar 2
David D.
Jackson
In a one day
seminar (with guest lectures) and a one day field trip, we will discuss the
condition of the physical environment in southern
David D.
Jackson is Professor of Geophysics and Chair of the Department of Earth and
Space Sciences. His research is on earthquake hazards in southern
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 19, Seminar 1
The Future of Biodiversity: Is There Hope?
Kenneth A. Nagy
Homo sapiens
(humans) has been such a successful species on this planet that it has been
able to take away Earth's limited space and supplies from other species,
causing them to go extinct at an ever-increasing rate. Should this be stopped?
Can it be stopped? Or are humans not capable of changing their lifestyles
enough to make a difference? Discussion of these and other issues will take
place while reading Ed Wilson's The Future of Life.
Kenneth A. Nagy
is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology where he
teaches animal physiology and herpetology. His research concerns the survival
mechanisms of animals living in difficult environments, especially deserts. He
has studied reptiles, birds and mammals on all seven continents, and his
current research is on the Threatened desert tortoise in the Mojave Desert of
California.
Human Genetics 19, Seminar 1
Genetic Counseling: Making Genetics Real
Christina
Palmer and Michelle Fox
This course
focuses on the fascinating field of Genetic counseling. Genetic counseling
combines psychology and science to explain the role of genetic information in the
lives of individuals and society. By ‘making genetics real,’ genetic counselors
help individuals to understand genetic information and to make decisions about
its use, for example, through genetic testing for conditions such as cancer,
Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis. Through the exploration of case histories
in each of the areas of genetic counseling specialization, we will discuss the
ethical dilemmas facing individuals in approaching their genetic future.
Christina
Palmer, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry &
Biobehavioral Sciences. She is a trained genetic counselor and provides genetic
counseling for neuropsychiatric conditions at UCLA. She conducts research in
psychiatric genetics and the genetics of hearing loss.
Michelle Fox, M.S., is an Adjunct
Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the David Geffen School
of Medicine at UCLA. She is a trained genetic counselor and coordinates the
Pediatrics/Adult Genetics Clinic at UCLA and coordinates the UCLA Predictive
Huntington Disease Program.
Human Genetics 19, Seminar 2
Nature, Nurture: Is it Genes or Upbringing
That Defines Us?
Janet
Sinsheimer
From Victorian
eugenics to post-genomic questions about women and math, debate has raged long
and widely over influence of genes
versus environment in determining complex traits like human intelligence. In
this seminar, we will explore the debate and why it has been so difficult to
reach consensus. We will examine traits like intelligence and sociability, and
diseases like schizophrenia and autism, to critically assess scientific
literature and to explore questions such as: What does it mean for a trait or
disease to be genetic? How can we determine the role played by genes? How can
we determine role played by environment? How do genes and environment influence
each other? Why is it more difficult to determine the role of genes and
environment in human traits and diseases compared with animal counterparts? How
far can we extrapolate from animal studies to understand roles of genes and
environment in human traits and diseases? If a disease is highly influenced by
genes, how can we hope to change its outcome?
Janet
Sinsheimer is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Human Genetics,
Biomathematics and Biostatistics at UCLA. For the past ten years, she has
developed ways to map genes for diseases like schizophrenia, arthritis and
heart disease. She teaches courses in gene mapping methods and in introductory
statistics for psychology.
Medicine 19,
Seminar 1
The Magic of
Medicine
Neil Parker
Extraordinary discoveries and methods of treatment that frequently occur
in the
Dr. Neil H. Parker is a Professor in Internal Medicine, Senior Associate
Dean in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He joined the faculty at
UCLA in 1977 as Chief Resident in Medicine and was appointed Associate Dean of
Graduate Medical Education in 1991. In 1996 he became Senior Associate Dean for
Student Affairs and Graduate Medical Education. Dr. Parker has earned numerous
awards throughout his career including the AOA, the Outstanding Fulltime
Faculty Award, Department of medicine and the UCLA Medical Staff Service Award.
Pediatrics 19, Seminar 1
Pediatric Heart Transplantation: Giving Children
with Failing Hearts a Chance
Daniel Levi
Heart failure
in a baby or in a young child can require complex medical and surgical
interventions including heart transplantation. This course will use the subject
of pediatric heart failure and transplantation to allow students glimpse into the
world of Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA. To enhance medical learning
experience, undergraduates will be treated like medical students or residents
as they are brought on rounds in the hospital, observe procedures, and talk
with patients and families. The course will focus on interactive discussions of
cardiac anatomy, causes of heart failure in children, and treatment with
medicines and transplantation. Students will have the opportunity to examine
actual human heart specimens and will be exposed to the surgical technique,
catheterizations, echocardiograms and ethical issues in transplantation. One
day will be spent on immunology surrounding heart transplantation and another day
will be dedicated to ethics of pediatric heart transplantation.
Dr. Levi is an
Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics in Mattel Children's
Hospital at UCLA. His appointment is through the Division of Pediatric
Cardiology and his clinical duties are in the cardiac catheterization
laboratory, on the pediatric heart transplant service and in the intensive care
unit and pediatric ward. He also runs a research program in thin film nitinol
transcatheter biomedical devices intended for use in children with congenital
heart disease. His research involves both animal studies and laboratory
testing.
Pediatrics 19, Seminar 2
Stem Cells: Promise and Peril in Regenerative
Medicine
Edward McCabe
and Linda McCabe
An examination
of the impact of Proposition 71 on stem cell research and the therapeutic use
of stem cells. Issues considered will include patents, science by political
initiative, costs and benefits of stem cells therapies, consumer's role in
science policy, and national impact of Proposition 71. Two-hour discussion
Tuesday, January 24, from
Edward R.B. McCabe, M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor of Pediatrics and Human
Genetics, Executive Chair of Pediatrics, and Physician-in-Chief of the Mattel
Children's Hospital. He is the Director,
of the
Linda McCabe, Ph.D., is an Associate Adjunct Professor of Human Genetics
and Pediatrics.
Public Health 19, Seminar 1
So Cosmo Says You are Fat? Well, I Ain't Down with
That: Nutrition & Body Image
Pamela Viele,
Karen Minero and Jill DeJager
This course
will examine the personal, social, and environmental factors that influence
college students' eating behaviors and body image through the lens of social
learning theory and PRECEDE model. Students learn to apply these theories in
developing an individualized plan to eat well, be active, and feel good about
their bodies. Students will also learn practical skills with application to
stress management, positive body image, and nutrition as they participate in
critical evaluation of popular diets, healthy body weights, sports nutrition,
fitness, supplements, muscle builders, media body ideals, and self-destructive
thoughts. Presentation of subject matter in academically rigorous manner, while
simultaneously promoting positive developmental outcomes.
Pamela Viele, Ph.D,
MPH, holds dual appointments at UCLA as the Director of Health Education in the
Karen Minero,
Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Assistant Director of the
Jill DeJager,
MPH, RD, is a Registered Dietitian with a background in exercise physiology and
public health. In addition to her current role as UCLA's Nutrition Education
Coordinator, she is an Adjunct Professor of nutrition at
Statistics 19, Seminar 1
Visual Display of Data: Good, Bad, and Ugly
Gretchen Davis
How can we
present a large amount of data in the most accurate, compact, easy to
understand format so we can gain information? We will consider the principles
of data display developed by Edward Tufte, professor emeritus of
Gretchen Davis
has been a Lecturer in the Department of Statistics since 2000. She has a major
interest in how the print media displays and/or distorts data.