LAR Class Descriptions

Doane University's First Year Liberal Arts Seminar is a course designed to introduce first-year students to college-level writing, discussion, critical thinking, and critical reading. Faculty will choose a theme for each seminar section in order to help students learn information research skills, to work collaboratively, and to gain an appreciation for interdisciplinary study and multiple perspectives.

 

LAR 101 Course Descriptions

Fall 2024

LAR 101-1
M/W/F 2:00 - 2:50 p.m.
JL Vertin
Taking a Stance
This seminar will focus on developing habits and skills to improve argumentation by examining several contemporary and historical controversies in order to build compelling written and oral arguments for a specific stance. Students will engage in two intensive Reacting to the Past role playing games that place them in moments of historical controversy. In order to win these games, students will write position papers and participate in informal debates and negotiations. Students will also examine the current controversial social issues of immigration, death penalty, and marijuana legalization. The course will conclude with students working in teams in a mock trial debate of one of these current social issues.

LAR 101-2
M/W/F 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
Kris Williams
Embracing Challenges with Change
Cars, computers, and vaccinations are all hailed as scientific innovations that have a large impact on human life. However, each of these breakthroughs faced pushback from their beginning and still face criticism. In this course we will study how historical scientific discoveries have impacted our world and how we can use those lessons as new scientific breakthroughs are made. This course will emphasize collaborative learning, interdisciplinary study, and appreciation of multiple perspectives in order to understand how we can approach change in a constructive way. Students will explore these ideas in intensive Reacting to the Past role-playing games where they will take on historically inspired roles, deliver persuasive speeches, and debate controversial ideas.

LAR 101-5
M/W/F 3:00pm - 3:50pm
Mark Meysenburg
Rejected Rebels
Why are some people “before their time?” Some pioneering thinkers are accepted and hailed in their time, while others are mocked and marginalized. Why have some ideas, which we recognize today as obviously correct, been rejected by experts in the past? What factors led to right ideas being rejected, and what can we learn from history so that we do not repeat it? In this course, we will explore these questions through two specific historic events: Galileo Galilei's idea of a sun-centered universe in the 1630s, and Charles Babbage's design of a working computer in the 1830s. We will attempt to answer these questions through intense Reacting to the Past role-playing games. You will take on historically-based roles, work with your faction, delve deeply into very important historical texts, write and make speeches, debate controversial issues (while staying in character!), participate in laboratory sessions, and try to win the game. Your performance in the game could change the course of history!

LAR 101-6
M/W/F 10:00am - 10:50am
Lucas Kellison
Know Thyself

LAR 101-7
M/W/F 11:00am - 11:50am
Lucas Kellison
Know Thyself
"Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose, a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye." - Mary Shelley What is the purpose of a liberal arts education? What does it mean to be free? A wide range of topics will be covered in this course using the lenses of literature, philosophy, history, religion, science, and politics. At Doane, it is our stated mission to create leaders, but what needs to be in place in one's life before one can responsibly lead others? With help from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Plato, Campbell, and many more great minds, these questions will be explored further in order to equip students with a more refined understanding of self in order to move forward with an open, alert, and truth-seeking mind.

LAR 101-9
T/Th 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Josh Pope
American Experiences
We have all heard talk of the United States being "one nation under God." Does this quote from the Pledge of Allegiance truly reflect the reality of the country we live in? How does the meaning of the term “American” differ in various communities? In this course, we consider aspects of these broad questions while practicing critical thinking, reading, writing, and discussion skills. Specifically, we will use a variety of media to analyze and discuss what it means to have an American experience. How are American experiences different with regard to race, gender, military service, and other factors? In addition, attention will be given to American experiences people have in and around Crete and to the importance of local elections. By the end of this course, students should have a heightened sense of the diversity present in this country and that there is not just one American experience but many.

LAR 101-11 **NOTE: This seminar is designed for transfer students
M/W/F 12:00pm - 12:50pm
Carlos Palacios
Transition Empowerment
This course is intended for students who have transferred to Doane from other institutions and are getting acclimated with Doane University and its culture. This course will cover a multitude of areas related to student development and cover what it means to have a Liberal Arts education. We will also work on skills related to student success such as: note taking, time management, financial literacy, and wellness. Students will be exposed to books, articles, and guest speakers with a central theme of being a complete student and finding the tools necessary to succeed. Aspects of leadership will be dispersed throughout the course and how sound leadership principles contribute to individual success. Every student will have the opportunity to explore and identify what it means to find success at Doane University, and beyond.

LAR 101-12
M/W/F 9:00 - 9:50 a.m.
Kimberly Jarvis
Journeys
People's perceptions of the world around them are influenced and affected by their environment and experiences. In this course students will read memoirs and novels that explore their authors' experiences with and reflections on such issues as identity and political oppression in China, Russia, Argentina, and Iran. In addition, students will examine and reflect upon their own transition from high school to college and develop the skills they need for a successful college experience.

LAR 101-13
M/W 9:00am - 10:15 a.m.
Karla Cooper
Climb Upward, Inward, & Outward
From Amanda Gorman's The Hill We Climb and Don Ziegler's The College on the Hill, students will imagine and integrate a Doane University's collegiate experience into a practical framework for engaging in the world. This seminar will be an experience that stretches, encourages and creates space for open discussion as well as reflective writing on the challenges of balancing student life and social change.

LAR 101-15
T/TH 2:30-345pm
Lori Thompson
“I’m in my Doane Era”
An Era is a “memorable and important time in your life” (Munson, O., 2024).
In this course, students will explore who they are as they enter Doane, what they bring to Doane from their experiences, family of origin, and towns they came from. We will examine a range of current topics that frame their “era” at Doane including social events, political events, cultural shifts, campus events, and highlight successes of each student as they experience their first semester at Doane. Dorm life, academic life, and everything in between will be discussed from the lens of how these events shape who we are. We will focus on concepts of capacity building, belonging, ownership of who we are, expanding our awareness, learning to lead, the importance of service, and embracing that our time at Doane is a time for growth. Students will learn from several texts, open discussions, small presentations on assigned topics, and guest speakers to help shape our conversations.

LAR 101 *NOTE THIS IS FOR CONDITIONALLY ADMITTED STUDENT ONLY*
T/Th 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Beth Jacobson
You've Made it to College. Now What?
This course will focus on finding the best possible experience at Doane University, something uniquely different for every student while learning about how to create a balanced lifestyle that supports mental health. What are your expectations? What are the expectations of your professors, coaches, advisors, etc.? What are your career goals? How will your experience at Doane University reflect your career goals? How does all of this relate to a healthy lifestyle? This course will not only try to instill in you the positive habits and skills for academic and personal success, but assist you in your journey throughout your entire Doane University experience. Students will be exposed to books, articles, videos, and guest speakers with a central theme of being a complete student and finding the tools necessary to succeed in and out of the classroom. Every student will have the opportunity to explore and identify what it means to find success at Doane University, and beyond.