You may perhaps think of metaphors as an ornamental device that poets use to make their poems more engaging and meaningful.  And they are that, certainly.  But the authors George Lakoff and Mark Johnson argue in their book Metaphors We Live By that our minds are fundamentally metaphorical, that metaphors govern every aspect of how we understand our world and act in it.  In this class, we will start by learning to appreciate the metaphorical language employed by the Elizabethan sonneteers Sidney, Daniel and Shakespeare.  But then, under the guidance of Lakoff and Johnson, we will broaden our focus to the metaphors that quietly govern how we understand the world, and therefore how we act in our everyday lives.

How do we understand ourselves and our place in the world?  This course will look at the relationship between personal events/attitudes and the larger forces of culture and history that shape an individual's understanding of their experience.  Americans have written about themselves in many ways, through letters, diaries, journals, and formal autobiographies.  The cast of characters for this class will include the famous and the ordinary, and stretch from the colonial period to the near present.

The word “nostalgia” was first coined in the 17th century to describe a homesickness so severe it required medical treatment. Today, we more often think of nostalgia as a mild, even pleasant, desire for a better time, whether one that we’ve actually lived through or one we've only imagined. In this course, we will read works about nostalgia by historians, psychologists, political scientists, and literary critics. Some of these theorists write about nostalgia as a personal way of engaging with the world, while others argue for nostalgia as a societal ill. We will also read fiction, personal essays, and poetry, watch films, and analyze current forms of media that enact nostalgic desire. Along the way, we will develop our own theories of nostalgia and deepen our understanding of nostalgia as a complex aspect of contemporary life.

In this course we will examine fiction as a tool for social reform and as a lens to understand conflict, marginalization, and activism in U.S. history. Specifically, we will be reading ‘speculative fiction’ written in the 20th through the present, in which authors imagine and build worlds different from their own. While some writers imagine worlds where problems have been solved (utopian fiction) others offer cautionary tales about what might happen if current trends spin out of control (dystopian or apocalyptic fiction). We will consider the political messages of stories and connect their vision to actual events, people, and ideas at the time of their publication, moving chronologically through the most important social movements in our nation’s history, from women’s suffrage through Black Lives Matter.

This seminar will examine how several nations have experimented with dictatorship, democracy, and other forms of government in between. While analyzing the transition from fascism to democracy in Germany, the course will also explore other alternatives to authoritarianism that emerged in Russia, Rwanda, and Iran. The seminar will place special emphasis on gender, race, and ethnicity as categories of analysis when examining dictatorships and democracies. It will also explore the contemporary political phenomenon of “populism.” Combining history, literature, current events, and vast amounts of data from digital sources, this course will encourage civic engagement and global understanding while also developing the skill areas of the first year seminar.

Being overtly racist is widely regarded as unacceptable these days. But, while overt racism is justifiably denounced in the public square, many people exhibit behavior that suggests that their actions are often motivated by racial biases of which they are not directly aware. Moreover, people consciously deploy racial categories in their cognitive lives. Such thinking, while perhaps innocuous at times, can lend itself to irrational generalizations that result in actions and policies that contribute to the domination over and oppression of groups of people who are regarded as falling under a specific racial category.

In this course, we will focus on four problems that arise in reflecting on racial cognition by examining relevant work in evolutionary psychology, moral philosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of race, and social psychology. The first of these is over whether using racial categories in our cognition can be reduced and the extent to which the use of any such categories in our thinking ought to be retained. Second, we will consider whether there are any reasons for accepting that racial categories track any actual salient differences between groups of people that justify the use of such categories. Next, we will shift to how we may unjustifiably deploy racial categories in our unconscious cognition and exhibit implicit biases as a result. Finally, assuming that we agree that people can and should be regarded as morally blameworthy for explicit racial biases, we will consider whether people can also be held morally responsible for their implicit racial biases.

Families: we all have them, be they adoptive, biological, or chosen. We have relationships with our parents or caregivers, siblings of various sorts, and many face the question of whether to start families in the future. 

Although we don’t always consider them, these relationships raise a variety of philosophical questions and concerns, which we will explore in this class. Should one have children? Do parents have a special obligation to their children that they do not have to others? Who should do the caretaking? How should parents raise their children? What role should parents play in their adult child’s life? What obligations do children have to their parents? Focusing on contemporary philosophy and personal narratives, the class aims to challenge and enrich the students’ thoughts about parenthood and family, while also building vital skills in presentation, writing, and information literacy.

This seminar will focus on the recurring motif of madness and mental illness in literature, film, television and society in general, and address the question of how madness challenges traditional assumptions regarding individual identity. Through an interdisciplinary approach, we will explore the nature of the human mind and cultural representations of madness in a variety of contexts. Students in this course will consider how madness is a very ordinary human possibility which can be creative and/or destructive, which can be a breakdown and/or a breakthrough. We will examine the significant presence of madness in society and question how central madness is to human life. Students will study both social/intellectual components and cultural/emotional/expressive aspects of mental illness.

This FYS class will examine the concept of “celebrity” in order to better understand what it is, how it is cultivated, and how it changes over time. To this end, we will study the written works and publicity methods of several celebrated personalities of the nineteenth century: Gothic writer Edgar Allan Poe, prolific poet Emily Dickinson, abolitionist and activist Frederick Douglass, and investigative journalist Nellie Bly. In addition to thinking about their cultural value in their own time, we will consider their legacies and examine more modern representations of these figures. Because we live in an age obsessed with fame and self-image, it is useful to look back and see how the concept of celebrity emerged and developed over the years.

People have long been fascinated by how the world ends, and that critical imagining has become even more intense since the turning of the last millennium. This course will sample literature written in the past ten years that takes as its premise the end of civilization as we know it, and we’ll use film and television to supplement our investigation. Why are we so interested in the destruction of civilization, and why now? We’ll use history, psychology, philosophy, and literary studies to try to answer this question.

Do I know how to budget my time and money now that I am basically on my own? Do I know how to do my income taxes? Do I understand all those flyers and applications I receive for credit cards? Should I even get a credit card? Why do I need, or do I need, life insurance? What are the best ways to invest my money? Why should I start thinking about a retirement fund now? Have you ever had these questions? How will I survive my first year in college, let alone life after college? Many people have written articles and books, launched websites, and created podcasts to consider and provide some answers to these questions. In this class we will research and discuss some of the most relevant information available about surviving your first year in college and life in the “real world.”

How do we understand myth making in contemporary times? What role might it play in shaping an understanding of ourselves and the world we live in? In this course, we will take a closer look at myths of Greek antiquity and their reception in the realm of contemporary philosophy in order to open a dialogue around the questions of myth, meaning, and otherness. Centering on the themes of creation myths, the outcast, the scapegoat, the ideal state, divine encounters, the power of masks, ethical obligation, alterity and power, students will explore how, through myth (both stories and criticism) and philosophy, an attempt to negotiate the encounter with otherness is a necessary endeavor of our times.

We will consider how a range of American writers frame human interactions with “Nature,” and explore their various representations of the natural world. How has “Wilderness” been imagined? How do authors construct language to shape the way readers think about the environment? What vision do these texts offer about the relationship of individuals to society, and about progress, industrialism, and technology? We will examine Native American stories, early accounts of natural history, diverse representations of flora and fauna, memoirs of the local, essays on urban nature, and narratives of exploration. “Nature Writing,” often combines rhapsody and science and runs the gamut of the scientific, philosophical, psychological, aesthetic, ethical, and spiritual. We will consider a range of diverse habitats and places, from deserts to rainforests to Alaska, to dorm rooms and malls and cityscapes. In this class you will construct essays based upon the course readings, your own observations, and your classmates’ presentations.

Many college students feel pulled in a million different directions. Work, family, friends, relationships, roommates, coursework, internships, and career-related decisions are just some of the distractions the average college student must deal with on a daily basis. These stressors and responsibilities, coupled with our growing dependence on technology can make us feel disconnected, distracted, and alone. Have you ever wondered what impact this growing lack of mindfulness can have on our learning?

In this course, students will explore how developing a mindfulness practice—a practice of living in the present moment, without judgement or reaction—can help us to feel more grounded and connected, and improve our learning. During this process of exploration, students will research the cognitive, emotional, and physical effects of various mindfulness practices, and experiment with these practices in order to determine which practice(s) provides them with the most benefits; that is, benefits to their writing process, as well as to their mental, emotional and physical health.

Some of the mindfulness practices that will be explored in this class include: yoga, meditation, reflective journaling, contemplative reading and listening, guided visualization, walking meditation, and mindful drawing. Please come to this class with an open mind and a desire to experiment with mindfulness practice.

The search for happiness gives rise to humanity’s basest behaviors and its noblest pursuits. This religious studies and philosophy course examines the connection between happiness, identity, and belonging through the lens of the active human body.  We examine how our physicality influences religious depictions of human excellence and the construction of our relationships and groups. More specifically, we will discuss topics ranging from gender and sexuality to martial arts, communal prayer, and ritual practice.

While this course focuses on examining religious and philosophical texts, students in this class will also be invited to participate in physical forms of experiential learning, such as breath meditation or tai chi. This experiential learning culminates with the creation of a choreographed flash mob as a way of understanding how ritual functions to transform gathered individuals into bonded groups.

Was it ‘meant to be?’ or does ‘stuff’ just happen? Are you the driving force in your life, or are you a passenger along for the ride? Do you live in the moment appreciating that every choice you make impacts who you are becoming? Have you ever wondered how you could live more purposefully so your life is full of possibilities? 

This seminar focuses on learning life lessons by exploring success, failure, hopes, dreams, regrets, and redemption -- the stuff which makes life both complicated and meaningful. Using literature from the Hudson Valley, your new home, such as Eleanor Roosevelt's You learn from living and Washington Irving's Legends and lore of Sleepy Hollow and the Hudson Valley and the movies A Quiet Place (filmed in Ulster County), Nobody's Fool (filmed in Beacon) and Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding (filmed in Woodstock), you will develop essential 21st century skills to prepare you for “life after Marist.”

What would it take to make life better for people around the world? The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with businesses, non-governmental organizations, and countries around the world, has developed an answer. It put forth a strategic plan to make the world a better place by 2030. This plan, the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” is a network of seventeen separate items, and focuses on key areas such as alleviating poverty and reducing economic inequality, promoting peace and democratic governance, and fostering ecologically sustainable development. In this course we will use the framework of the SDGs to help us understand development in the world and here in Poughkeepsie.

When people talk about their favorite bands or artists, they sometimes ask, “What kind of music are you into?” Music is a universal language of drama, complexity, and emotion. This course works from such a premise. By drawing on specific musical moments and genres, we will use the art form as a way to “get into” the study of the past. U.S. history is filled with stories of heroism and villainy, inspiration and shame, contradiction and ambiguity. But, as 21st-century people several steps removed, we don’t always feel the drama of it all. In this course, we will listen intensively to key musical selections in order to feel the realities of our collective past. Our focus will be the modern popular genres of rock, hip hop, and other roots and offshoots; our historical orientation will be the modern United States; and, our topics will include race, gender, sexuality, and class. One need not be a musician to take this course. But, all students will need to be ready to take music seriously as a way to seriously analyze U.S. history.

In this course, we will explore the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals from countries across the world. We will use documentaries, short films, peer-reviewed research, personal narrative, popular press articles, and more to gain an interdisciplinary understanding of the state of LGBTQ+ issues globally. We will focus on legal rights and access, mental and physical health, and discrimination and prejudice. Throughout the semester, students will identify common threads of experience, while also gaining an understanding of the unique circumstances that LGBTQ+ people are in based on their geographical location. As we “travel” around the globe, students will also gain skills in writing, information literacy, critical thinking, creative expression, and oral communication.   

Do you want to talk about the environment with confidence? Do you want to know the difference among “the pine trees” between an eastern redcedar and an eastern hemlock? Do you want to be able to explain accurately why “it’s not the ozone” when talking about global warming and climate disruption? (What’s the difference between those two anyway?) This First Year Seminar gives you the tools you need to intelligently engage in this critical global issue, and acclimate to college-level work as we read, research, and write about the environment.

In this class we delve into the natural world to gain an appreciation for and knowledge of the life around us. This way we first get to know what we want to protect, so that it is tangible. How? By exploring outside, especially in our own 12 acre Fern Tor Nature Preserve. This is complemented by learning essentials of the science of ecology. From there we investigate a few major natural resources, identify problems in how they are used, and ways to use them more sustainably. Interwoven is your role in becoming an environmental steward and society’s role in environmentally-sustainable economic development (aka “going green”).

Students will apply their developing environmental intelligence and stewardship by working for change locally, including on campus, using relevant science for positive change.

The record-breaking movie, Black Panther, has ushered in a plethora of tweets, blogs, and videos, many focusing on the film’s success in debunking fantastical and false depictions of Africa. Examples of such myths can be found in early European literature. During the first century CE, the Roman scholar, Pliny, stated that the inhabitants of north-eastern Africa were "said to have no heads, their mouths and eyes being seated in their breasts." In the early nineteenth century, the influential German philosopher, Hegel, described Africa as an "unhistorical" and "underdeveloped" continent on the "threshold” of world history.

Using films, such as Black Panther, as well as primary and secondary material, this course will challenge such myths that seek to portray an ahistorical, underdeveloped, and isolated continent. Attention will be paid to the African diaspora, particularly in the Americas, including the notion that enslaved people were unable to establish cultural institutions based on their African heritage. In doing so, this course will enhance your understanding of the continent and its diaspora, both past and present.

This course will explore social, economic, and environmental issues through a social justice lens, explore elements of what it takes to be an activist, learn about activists in the 20th and 21st centuries, and movements they inspired.  Through individual and group research, readings, engaging with the local community, and through discussion and presentations with local community activists, students will learn how social action is implemented.  This course provides opportunities for and encourages students to consider issues affecting struggling populations and human diversity. This course will offer a safe learning environment where students will engage in a range of activities to build intellectual and emotional intelligence while developing respect for differing opinions. 

This seminar is devoted to Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), one of the major painters in early seventeenth-century Italy.  We will study Caravaggio’s life and artistic production by analyzing his groundbreaking paintings and reading primary documents.  We will also examine how recent fictionalized, costume drama biographies and films have transformed Caravaggio’s life and career into a popular, sensationalist soap opera, with all the colorful ingredients of sex, glamour, disgrace, scandal and murder.  Finally, we will investigate Caravaggio’s enormous influence on the next generation of painters working throughout Europe. During the semester, we will take a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

In this seminar, we will explore what it means to be Italian in the United States and around the world by way of texts, films, and more, written by those who identify and are identified as Italian. We will consider those characteristics and stereotypes that define Italians globally, while also asking what it really means to identify as Italian or any variation (Italian-American, Italian-Canadian, Italian-Australian, etc.) in the 21st century. Finally, we will examine those racial issues that arose in the past surrounding Italians immigrants and how those same issues are viewed today, in societies where “being Italian” is now, hip, cool, and very much accepted. All materials will be written, translated, or subtitled in English. 

This course will begin with a general refresher of the scientific method, and will progress with a description of many of the major body systems, spending time along the way on various homeostatic imbalances of those systems. We will also debate some recent controversies in health and medicine, and compare and contrast the writing styles of 2 books: The Great Cholesterol Myth, and Atherosclerosis Risk Factors. The course culminates in a 4 – 6 page research paper corresponding to a timed oral presentation.

Since the birth of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s, the relationship between fashion and popular music has been a culturally significant one.  This course will explore the ways in which the constant intertwining of fashion and rock ‘n’ roll has shaped attitudes, taste, and consumption as well as the identity of the youth of the past seven decades.  Looking at a variety of media including music, magazines, and videos, we will study this unique and exciting relationship while engaging critical college-level skills such as information literacy, research, public presentation and writing.

This course will explore the historical, social, economic aspects of true crime in the U.S. and the depiction of true popular crime stories and celebrated real life cases in film. Through feature films, various readings on current criminal justice topics of interest, and class discussion, the course will cover various aspects of the criminal justice system including courts, policing, and corrections. Students will explore the criminal justice system within historical, social, economic, and political contexts. The readings in this course primarily revolve around improving research, writing, and oral communication skills.

This course will expose students to oral and written arguments through appellate advocacy. The foundation of this course draws from law, policy, philosophy, as well as other aspects of society found within case law. Relying on the collegiate Moot Court model, we explore U.S. Supreme Court case law relevant to recent intercollegiate Moot Court competitions. Students will be prepared to compete in intercollegiate Moot Court by the end of this course. The readings in this course primarily revolve around improving research, writing, and oral communication skills.

In this course, students will develop an understanding of how institutions of higher education in America function. Students will learn about the history of higher education, different institutional types, and the institutional functional areas (i.e., multicultural affairs, residence life, campus programs, advising, career services, admissions). Through readings, multimedia, research, and case studies, we will develop answers to understand the inner workings of higher education and student affairs. Students will actively engage in dialogue and activities about diversity, governance, leadership, and ethics, while understanding the social, political, and economic contexts of college campuses.