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UC DAVIS: Offices of the Chancellor and Provost December 8, 2003 MEMBERS OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE Re: Call for FRS Seminars - Spring 2004 I am issuing an invitation for faculty participation in the Freshmen Seminar Program for spring 2004. 1-unit seminars may be offered for 10 hours during the first 8-10 weeks of the academic quarter and 2-unit courses for a total of 20 hours during the first 8-10 weeks of the quarter. Both 1 and 2-unit courses are letter-graded. Enrollment is limited to twenty students per class. From the program's inception, faculty members have offered Freshman Seminars as an add-on to their normal departmental teaching assignments. As a means of acknowledging the instructor's contribution to our undergraduate educational mission, I am pleased to offer a modest stipend in the amounts of $2,000 for 2-unit seminars and $1,500 for 1-unit seminars. These funds may be transferred to the faculty member's departmental account. Additionally, instructors are eligible to apply for up to $500 in Minigrant support to defray expenses that may be associated with conducting the class. Additional information on Freshman Seminars related to the Campus Community Book Project is below. Although I recognize that faculty have already established their teaching responsibilities for this year, I hope that you will seriously consider this opportunity to work with our first-year students. If you are interested in offering an FRS Seminar, please complete the "Proposal to Teach a Freshmen Seminar" material on the TRC web site (http://trc.ucdavis.edu/trc/frosh/FRSapp.html) and return it to Janet Chambers (jachambers@ucdavis.edu) at the Teaching Resources Center. All proposals are reviewed by a faculty committee. Please note the following deadline: January 16, 2004, last date for spring 2004 seminars If you have any questions about the program, please contact Janet Chambers at the Teaching Resources Center: 752-6050 or at: jachambers@ucdavis.edu. Patricia A. Turner Vice Provost--Undergraduate Studies 03-140 Campus Community Book Project Freshman Seminar Call Faculty are encouraged to submit Freshman Seminar Proposals related to the Campus Community Book Project focused on Mark Juergensmeyer's Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution. For more information about this exciting initiative, see http://occr.ucdavis.edu/bookproject.html. Seminars may be proposed for spring 2004. One of the primary criteria for selecting this year's book was its applicability across many academic disciplines. Gandhi's Way offers a practical guide to assisting us in working through conflict in a way that values the positions of all parties and sorts through the "truth" of both sides. Business and law faculty would find this interesting to include in their study of legal and labor-related contractual agreements. Philosophy faculty could create a course related to the applicability of Gandhi's approach to nonviolence. The third section of the book imagines Gandhi in conversation with Marx, Freud, and Niebuhr about the validity of nonviolent conflict resolution. Historians and political scientists might construct a course about the events that led to Gandhi's formulation of nonviolent principles or the ways that his work influenced the national struggles in India, South Africa, Poland, and the civil rights movement in the United States. Gender and ethnic studies faculty might consider feminist or cross-cultural approaches to conflict and conflict resolution that bridge or deviate from Gandhi's ideas. Scientists might use his approach to discuss conflicting ideologies on such topics as biotechnology, genetic engineering, environmental preservation, or stem cell research, among other current issues. Linguists might study the influence of language in fostering societal norms around violence and nonviolence. The drama department could explore how theater has addressed disputed societal issues through the ages. Almost any debatable issue within the academy could be used as a case study exploring Gandhi's philosophy of conflict resolution. In addition, Gandhi's Way provides an approach to conducting classroom dialogues on controversial topics and helping students to respect differing viewpoints during a discussion. Guidelines for Freshman Seminars and a sample course proposal are available at the Freshman Seminar Web Site http://trc.ucdavis.edu/trc/frosh.html. For more information please contact Janet Chambers at 752-6050 or jachambers@ucdavis.edu.
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