FYEX: The FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE
This fall FYEX will offer the following Learning Community, Interest Group and PHIL 100 courses:
Learning communities for Fall Semester 2009:
Written English/Music: Life is a Melody (Ethan Fischer and Cam Millar)
Written English/Psychology: Composition of the Mind (Heidi Hanrahan and Heidi Dobish
Economics/Biology: The Cost of Living (Rudy Bropleh and Ruth Conley)
Philosophy 100, Introduction to Liberal Arts Study, classes for Fall Semester 2009:
There will be seven 3-credit sections of this course offered to students entering Shepherd as provisional admits. This course focuses on critical thinking and decision making skills and instructors include: TC Williams, Becky Mercado, Rudy Bropleh, Holly Frye, Virginia Hicks, Laura Neal and Adam Booth
Interest Group classes for Fall Semester 2009:
- Grillin’ n’ Chillin’, Dave Cole
- Just Do It: Sports Trivia, Aaron Ryan
- Cooking 101: International Stews and Curries, Rachel Ritterbusch
- Anatomy of Funny: The Ultimate Comedy Experience, Nicholas Keresztury
- Yoga, Rebecca Goldstein-Hawes
- Treasure the Memories, Tracie Ellis
- Study Abroad, Beth Cauvel
- Paranormal U, Ellisa Woodbrey
- Tattoo Your Jeans, Mary Jo Wilhelm
- Zen of Knitting, Sharon Kipetz
- Bicycling in the Great Outdoors, Joe Jefferson
- Weight Training, Andro Burnett
- Culture of Japan, David Gordon
- The Labyrinth, Tracy Seffers
- Native American History, Larry Turner
- Writing About Science for Fun and Profit, Greg Durrschmidt
- Traditional Music and Dance, Jodie Blanton
- Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State, Scott Anderson
- Learning the Shepherd Way for Transfer Students, Kim Scranage
- Robots: Bots & Bits, Seung-yun Kim
Interest Groups earn one credit and are taught for 13 weeks on Tuesdays from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Class size is limited to 15 students. The goal of these classes is to welcome first-year students to the university community with ample support and resources, helping them become successful students. There are 18 Peer Educators trained to assist the Fall Semester Interest Groups.
SHEPHERD UNIVERSITY COMMON READING, 2008-2009
PERSEPOLIS SPRING SEMESTER EVENTS
The Common Reading for the 2008-2009 academic year, Persepolis, proved to be very interesting and the events planned around the book were all highly successful. Events were free and open to the public through the One Book, One Community Program. The motto for the Common Reading is Read, Think, Listen, Talk, Grow.
Persepolis related events during the spring semester included:
Two lectures:
“The Muslim World and Islam: Between the Historical Past and the Present Challenges” was held in the Center for Legislative Studies on Thursday, February 26. The speaker was Imam Yahya Hendi, an advisor at Georgetown University and the Imam of the Muslim temple in Frederick. The room was filled to capacity with seating on the stage and out in the hallway. There were at a minimum 100 people in attendance. The audience included students, faculty, staff and community. The Imam spoke about peace in the Middle East, intercultural relations, the Muslim faith and how it related to the Christian and Jewish faiths. The Frederick News Post and the Martinsburg Journal newspapers covered the event.
“The Culture and Architecture of Iran” was held in the Center for Legislative Studies on Thursday, April 9. The speaker was Dr. Mina Marafat who flew in from Paris while on a Fulbright Fellowship to give the lecture. Again, the room was filled to capacity with overflow in the hallway. Dr. Marafat’s lecture included beautiful slides of various buildings and mosques that illuminated the importance of architecture in Iran both past and present. She gave a concluding overview of Iran and how its culture evolved and how architecture is tied to that culture. She brought the themes of the book into her lecture and expanded everyone’s appreciation of Persepolis.
A musical performance:
Roya Bahrami and ensemble performed in Reynolds Hall on Monday, April 20. The performance included a fusion of Persian and Spanish musical influences. Roya played the Santur, which is a precursor instrument to the hammered dulcimer and the piano. Two percussionists and a guitar accompanied her. Thunderstorms and heavy rain made the audience much lower than expected. However, those who were lucky enough to be there were delighted with the performance. Roya is an amazing artist and watching her play the Santur made us realize just how skilled she was at that instrument. I doubt there is anyone in the world any better.
Library display:
The Library created a display for Persian New Year, Nowruz, which ran from March 20-31. It contained many of the things shown in the book Persepolis associated with this important festival holiday – grass, eggs, fire, and other items familiar to those who read the book. I extend many thanks to the Library staff for creating this wonderful display.
Bus trip to the Freer and Sackler Galleries:
On Thursday, April 16, eleven students, faculty and staff went by bus to Washington, D.C. to the Freer Gallery for a docent-led tour of The Arts of the Islamic World exhibit. Seeing the items discussed in the book and by the various lecturers made it all come visually alive and lent a new appreciation for Iran, its history and its art.
Student Appreciation Day ceremony:
The winner of the Persepolis Student Writing Contest, Sarah Wall, received a certificate at the Student Appreciation Day ceremony. Even though Sara couldn’t attend because of a class presentation scheduled for the same time, her father accepted her certificate on her behalf. Earlier in the year Sara received a $250 gift certificate to the Shepherd Bookstore as winner of the contest. Her essay was chosen because she illustrated her feelings, ideas and perceptions about people in Iran and the Middle East and how these perceptions had changed after reading the book.
In appreciation:
A thank you is extended to Monica Larson from the Communications Department who created many of the flyers and posters advertising the Persepolis events. Also thanks are extended to Shannon Holliday who created programs and some flyers for various Persepolis events. The Persepolis Speaker Series lecturers, Mary Strasma, David Gordon, Kristin Urban, Monica Larson, Yahya Hendi and Mina Marefat are to be congratulated for adding to our appreciation and knowledge of the book. The Gateway Program is thanked for making it possible to take a bus trip to the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C. The Library staff is thanked for producing such a lovely and informative Persian New Year’s, Nowruz, display. The essay contest committee, Sharon Kipetz, Alan Tinkler and Helena Cole, who read all the student essays and picked a winner, is heartily thanked. Roya Bahrami is to be congratulated for giving a beautiful and enlightening performance. The faculty who used Persepolis in their classes this year are heartily thanked because they brought the book truly alive to the students. The university is thanked for providing the books free for first-year students and faculty. A final thank you is extended to the students, faculty, staff and community members who attended our events and hopefully came away with an expanded or new perception of Iran, its people, culture and religions.
As always something this large is never accomplished by one person, but by many, working in concert with an ideal and a goal firmly in mind.
SHEPHERD UNIVERSITY CHOOSES 2009-2010 COMMON READING:
ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE BY BARBARA KINGSOLVER
The process for choosing the Common Reading is as follows: book suggestions are requested from students, faculty and staff. These recommendations are narrowed down using selection criteria found on our website . Next, an expanded committee of FYEX Taskforce members and other campus and community representatives reads the narrowed selection of books over Winter Break, meets in January and by discussion, further narrows the choices to a semi-final five. These five are placed on the Shepherd University Home Page to be voted on by all students, staff, faculty and campus community members.
We are pleased to announce that the book chosen as the 2009-2010 Common Reading was Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. It recounts a single year that the Kingsolver family spent trying to eat locally grown food. From one March to the next, the Kingsolver clan frequented farmer’s markets to find fresh produce; queried grocers and restaurateurs about their vendors; tilled, planted and weeded their vegetable garden; raised chickens and turkeys from their downy youth to squawking slaughter; baked their own bread daily; canned, pickled, and froze the bounty of summer; and rediscovered a rich tapestry of American agricultural possibility including many heritage varieties of flora and fauna that have been bred nearly out of existence by industrial growth practices. Her journalistic recounting of the experience compels us to recall a more organic connection to the food we eat, the land on which we live, and the bodies we need to sustain.
Events for next year are beginning to be developed around the themes of the book. Planting and maintaining a campus garden is one idea and a dinner using organic foods is in the beginning stages of planning by Dining Services. Stay tuned to our website for more information. Ideas are always appreciated. Stay tuned to the Common Reading website for more information. Ideas are always welcome - contact Judi McIntyre to discuss at 876-5396 or jmcintyr@shepherd.edu.