Interdisciplinary Studies
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MET IS 303: Moral Issues in Sports
Sports have come to play a central role within our culture and society. Athletes have come to be revered like god-like figures and have the salaries to prove it. For many people sports represent something very similar to a sort of religious devotion. But should sports play such a significant role in our lives? In this class we will consider the important role that sports play in shaping our culture and our values. In doing so we will also consider other questions: What counts as a sport? What is the point of sport? What happens when sports become more about money than competition and winning? Sports have come to play a central role within our culture and society. Athletes have come to be revered like god-like figures and have the salaries to prove it. For many people sports represent something very similar to a sort of religious devotion. But should sports play such a significant role in our lives? In this class we will consider the important role that sports play in shaping our culture and our values. In doing so we will also consider other questions: What counts as a sport? What is the point of sport? What happens when sports become more about money than competition and winning? Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
MET IS 308: Exploring Philosophy through Film: Knowledge, Ethics, and Personal Identity
This introduction to philosophy revolves around selected films and related texts that provoke serious reflection on issues of knowledge, ethics, and personal identity. The main objective of the course is to provide an introduction to the nature of philosophical inquiry and analysis by exposing the student to specific philosophical problems and issues. By focusing on film as the visual and narrative medium in which these problems and issues emerge, the student will also consider the ways in which art can represent and embody philosophical questions, ideas, and positions. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. -
MET IS 311: Disease Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Pandemics in Popular Culture
This course is designed to help students use critical thinking about scientific information, including quantitative methods, to evaluate the truth and exaggerations in journalistic and popular media depictions of disease and disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking. -
MET IS 312: Food Stuff: A Taste of Biology
This course, we will explore biological principles in the context of food. It will focus on biodiversity, evolution, biochemistry, symbioses, and humans in the biosphere. Students will be encouraged to make their own connections about the world of food by learning about biological interactions and relationships. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Scientific Inquiry I. -
MET IS 325: Explorations in the Essay: History, Theory, Practice
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 120 or WR 150)
The purpose of the course is threefold: first, to introduce students to a wide variety of essay forms, arranged historically and considered in historical context; second, to provide the opportunity to practice these forms and by imitating models to become more adept and polished writers of the essay, and finally, to explore the theory of the essay, by examining discussions among literary critics concerning the defining characteristics of the genre. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Writing-Intensive Course. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Creativity/Innovation. -
MET IS 327: The Meaning of America: People, Identity, and Conflict that Built a Nation
The course examines the philosophical underpinnings of what it means to be an American and the experiences of ordinary men and women in the making of modern America. It will look closely at the ideas of those who founded the nation and how this affected the idealism which became the American identity. The role of immigration, the change from agrarian to urban industrialized society, the growth and influence of labor unions, the shift of the U.S. from maker to buyer of goods and services, and how the ideological notion of what it means to be American evolved will be examined. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy. -
MET IS 333: Manipulating Life: The Ethics and Science of Biotechnology
This course will explore the science behind new technologies in biology, but it will also address the ethical questions that define and direct the application of these approaches, especially in humans. Students initially will be expected to master the basic biology of DNA, gene expression, and genomics. The course will require students to learn the basic components of ethical theory and apply them to living organisms in general and to human life in particular. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning. -
MET IS 345: Rethinking the Classics: Contemporary Takes on the Canon
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120)
This interdisciplinary course pairs well-known "classic" texts with more contemporary, perhaps lesser-known works that, in one way or another, respond to the earlier examples. The course focuses on traditions (literary, cinematic, and so forth) to emphasize genre and cultural history, and, as one of its goals, moves toward discussions of aesthetics. The course will examine the timeless quality of any work we consider a "classic" and also challenge the idea of timelessness by thinking about dialogues that exist between centuries and cultures and art. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking. -
MET IS 350: Nature and the Divine in Myth, Literature, and Art
Over time and throughout cultures, human understanding of a divine presence, of a god or gods, has been intimately connected to our relationship with nature. This course introduces students to some of the world's mythic traditions, applying them to the enduring cultural issues surrounding humanity's relationship to nature and our role as stewards of the environment. The course will cover the Bible and classical mythology through the writings of Emerson and modern works such as Ceremony by Pueblo author Leslie Marmon Silko, and will explore nature and religion in art from Europe and America. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking. -
MET IS 360: Literature, Film, and the American Dream
TThis course will examine the nature of the American Dream through fiction, essays, poetry, autobiography, historical documents, and art. It will follow the Dream evolving from the Puritan fathers? desire for religious freedom to the Revolution's emphasis on political liberty, the 19th century's focus on self reliance, and the quest for the good life characteristic of the 20th century. At the same time, such characteristic thematic elements as the desire for equality and the maturation of the soul will be examined in terms of their impact on different permutations of the American Dream. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community. -
MET IS 362: Mathematics that Matter in the Twenty-first Century
In this course students will expand their knowledge of the mathematics of probability, algebraic thinking, geometry, and statistics, with a focus on contemporary developments and applications. The course will examine the applications of mathematics in contemporary contexts via readings and explorations. 4 cr -
MET IS 367: Jobs, Wages, and the Global Economy
This course introduces fundamental concepts of micro and macroeconomics within the context of the labor market. In macroeconomics, we focus on the ability of the economy to create enough jobs to maintain full employment. In microeconomics, we focus on the supply and demand for labor, looking at trends in labor force participation, college attendance, and wage differentials. We will also cover recent topics related to the functioning of the labor market, including a discussion of the effects of the most recent recession, and the employment impact of international trade and outsourcing. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Social Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
MET IS 370: China, the Emerging Superpower: A Model for Development?
The course will assess whether China will remain a friend or become a foe for the U.S., argue whether China's road to modernization is an apt model for other developing nations, analyze China's past to discover patterns and traditions that still exist, and study the interaction between China and the world community to determine its future role as a world leader. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
MET IS 380: Landscape, Climate, and Humans
This course will provide students with an introduction to environmental science with a dual focus in physical geography and climatology. Students will learn to interpret major themes in Earth History and human affairs through interactive lessons that include online lectures, outside reading, and extensive online maps, diagrams, and animations. We will discuss the interactions of climate, physical geography, and human activities in the formation of a dynamic, living Earth. We end with biogeochemistry and a look at the origin of life. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Creativity/Innovation. -
MET IS 385: Interior and Exterior Landscapes: Indigenous Peoples of North America
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar
The indigenous people of North America have a unique experience of negotiating cultural boundaries, alien ideologies, and inscrutable behaviors that appear in everything from personal interactions to national policy, and their own cultural and religious traditions have survived despite a dominant culture that has sought to both annihilate and romanticize them. This course is about that cultural interaction and offers an opportunity to understand Native American cultures in their own terms through the voices of their people, expressing themselves through literature, film and venues. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy. -
MET IS 400: Great Ideas
Exploration of the question "What is philosophy?' and its self-reflective nature is the foundation of this introductory course. Together we will examine the works of both classical Western philosophers and contemporary authors whose ideas have influenced the development of contemporary Western thought. As sound philosophical inquiry requires questioning the assumptions of every system of thought (including one's own) students will be expected to think critically when reflecting on the social and ethical implications of these ideas in the 21st century. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking. -
MET IS 401: Communication Skills I
This undergraduate communication course incorporates writing skills with academic research. Both business and academic writing expectations are covered. This skills- oriented course focuses on the development of oral and written communication techniques, small and large group dynamics, presentations, and negotiations. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Research and Information Literacy; Writing, Research & Inquiry. -
MET IS 402: Communication Skills II
This undergraduate communication course incorporates presentation skills with academic research. It reviews the writing standards of IS 401 Ex and covers interpersonal and management communications for professionals. Course writing and presentation assignments will be posted in student ePortfolios. This course is set in the context of communications skills for professionals. -
MET IS 403: Natural Science in Contemporary Society
This course will focus on controversial and critical social, environmental, business, and political issues in the various disciplines of science. The natural sciences will be explored in the context of public policy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking. -
MET IS 419: American Traditional Music
Traditional American music is a dynamic cultural medium that defines identity and community. It is transmitted by long-practiced modes of observation and imitation, and it engages talented musicians who are part of a long-lived cultural continuum. It is based upon a collective understanding of what tradition is, but it is necessarily altered in each generation as new musicians bring their training, insights, talents, and instruments to the process. How traditional music has evolved into the current popular American musical forms, will be explored in lectures, musical examples and readings. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy.
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