Courses Offered

FMS 115-01
T,R | 9:30 – 10:45 AM
Instructor: Dr. Susan Thomas
MAC: Written Communication

This Freshman Seminar in Reasoning and Discourse will focus on the post-Civil War American South through the twentieth century. Our readings will explore how historians, journalists, and novelists have depicted the region and its people. While that sounds straightforward, we will learn that whether intentional or not, writers often present ideas in ways that obscure rather than reveal underlying truths. They construct identities and create indelible impressions through and from a common language; but frequently the reality bears no resemblance to the carefully crafted image presented. We will be examining a variety of texts, looking at both fiction and non-fiction, some of which will provide historical foundations for our course so that we can build from an understanding of the ‘roots’ of southern culture. Various assignments will emphasize the writing/revising process and critical reading, which will require analysis of the sources and generating original work that reflects some aspect of your own experience.

FMS 115-02
MWF | 9:00 – 9:50 AM
Instructor: Virginia Weaver
MAC: Written Communication

In this course, we will discuss the origins and evolution of the vampire in culture, from historical panics over the alleged undead in Eastern European villages to today’s magnetic, glamorous, and monstrous media representations. We will interpret vampire media using concepts from rhetorical theory and students will use these rhetorical concepts to produce analytical, argumentative, and expressive writings of their own.

FMS 115-03
MWF | 10:00 – 10:50 AM
Instructor:​ Henriikka Koivisto
MAC: Written Communication

 “Horror is like a serpent; always shedding its skin, always changing. And it will always come back.”
–Dario Argento

From Early Modern revenge tragedies to 21st century horror film, humans have been drawn to things that scare, horrify, and disgust us. This course explores why we are drawn to horror, what horror stories can reveal to us about ourselves and the world we live in, as well as horror’s potential to serve as a platform for social change. Through reading and discussing various types of horror texts ranging from short stories to scholarly arguments on horror, this course aims to sharpen your skills as a reader, writer, and thinker while also strengthening your understanding of the horror genre. The assignments in this course will have an emphasis on writing and revision process, reflection, and critical reading.

FMS 115-04
T, R | 12:30 – 1:45 PM
Instructor:​ Brittany Hilliard
MAC: Written Communication

When fan fiction is considered, fan created art, videos, and stories that alter or add onto content found in books, film, and video games can come to mind. Frequently, those interactions with the narrative’s world enhance the author’s participation in it and can help other audiences feel more included in it as well. Fan fictions, then, fulfill an author’s individual needs and desires regarding those narratives. Once published, those creations also have the power to speak to other people’s interests and build communities. In those ways, fan fiction composition is both a personal and social act.

In this course, we will critically read a variety of texts, including film and video games, analyze how other authors altered those texts, and how narrative modification appeals to the self and society. Assignments will emphasize the writing and revision process through creative engagement with texts and the formations of original arguments about them that ultimately will help you express yourself and discover your individual academic investments.

FMS 116-01
T,​R​ |​ ​11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Instructor: Jessica Sullivan
MAC: Oral Communication

I can’t believe you just said that.  Why won’t you talk to me?  What do you mean that topic is “off limits?”  We’ve all been there.  We’re trying hard to have a meaningful and productive conversation with someone, but are finding it difficult to make headway.  Maybe you’re trying to address someone’s bias or discrimination.  Maybe you’re trying to communicate your own identity, or work through challenging family dynamics. In this class, we’ll explore theories and strategies to guide us toward effective listening, conversations, and conflict resolution.  You’ll have opportunities to practice ethical dialogue and will learn to clearly articulate your own positions and feelings orally.

FMS 116-02
M, W | 2:00 – 3:15 PM
Instructor:​ Calvin Lowery
MAC: Oral Communication

In this course, students will gain valuable insights into the legal profession and develop communication skills through a hands-on approach. Students will participate in legal client interviews, negotiations, moot court, and a mock trial. Through interactive discussions, case studies, and practical exercises, you will learn how to effectively communicate and advocate for your clients’ interests. This immersive experience will enhance public speaking, presentation, and legal analysis skills.

FMS 116-03
MWF | 11:00 – 11:50 AM
Instructor: Evan Moore
MAC: Oral Communication

Whether it’s telling stories to friends, finding multiple versions of something, or engaging in internet conversations, we engage with revised ideas every day—even if we don’t know we’re doing it. The oral communication skills involved are usually just assumed, but we should be more active. We should ask: “Why am I telling this story differently to two different people? Why are they lying about what clearly happened? Why would someone tweet an update to a book they already published?” Texts change overtime, just like we do, and so we call them “living texts.” In this class, we’ll try to understand why and how those changes take place. We’ll create stories ourselves, and we’ll read several short stories from the ancient world through to today.

FMS 116-04
T, R | 12:30 – 1:45 PM
Instructor: Blair Lunn
MAC: Oral Communication

In this course, we will explore the process of adaptation across a variety of mediums and modalities. We’ll consider the influence of various power structures and how our choices in adaptation might shift in relation to our audience, with the following always in mind: What is gained, lost, or negotiated through this process–and for whom?

FMS 117-01
M, W | 2:00 – 3:15 PM
Instructor: Tiffany Holland
MAC: Diversity and Equity

What is freedom? Can freedom be boundless, or does it have limitations? Who can define it, and who protects it or polices it? Does it look like 1920s Harlem, Wakanda, the Mothership Connection, or worlds we have yet to imagine?

The course will utilize Black feminist thought, Afrofuturism, queer theory, and historical analysis to explore the ways in which Black people in the United States have imagined freedom and their varied efforts to achieve it. We will evaluate how radical imagining, speculation, and dreaming can transform institutions and individuals and can push the boundaries of ideas of race, gender, sexuality, nation, belonging, and liberation. In addition to scholarly works, we will examine novels, art, film, and music.

FMS 117-02
MWF | 12:00 – 12:50 PM
Instructor: Alejandro Hortal
MAC: Diversity and Equity

“Money and Happiness” is an innovative freshman seminar focused on the critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of economic class within cultural identity. This course uniquely addresses how economic status profoundly shapes individuals’ identity, health, character, and happiness. It emphasizes the intersectionality of economic class with other identity aspects (race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.), offering a comprehensive exploration of this dynamic.

In the course, students will explore cultural identity complexities, focusing on global poverty, social justice, and economic diversity. They will study both local and global economic disparities, including gentrification, the rise of the working poor as a new class, and the effects of public policies on economic inequality.

The main objective is to equip students with the intellectual tools necessary to comprehend the complexities of economic class as an aspect of cultural identity and its interrelation with happiness and well-being in our globalized society.

FMS 195-01
MWF | 1:00 – 1:50 PM
Instructor: Kevin Reese
MAC: Quantitative Reasoning

New mathematics is made through proofs. This course will present key discoveries in the history of mathematics via the proofs that made these discoveries possible. We will focus on ancient Greek mathematics, with topics including the Pythagorean Theorem, irrational numbers, Euclidean geometry (geometric constructions with compass and straightedge), Archimedes’ estimate of pi, Eratosthenes’s measure of the Earth’s circumference, and the use of spherical trigonometry in astronomy. Students will need only a background in high-school algebra, geometry, and trigonometry (NC Math 1, 2, 3).