First Year Seminar
a writing-intensive class looking at the future and Kalamazoo
Fall 2005
Chuck Stull
cstull@kzoo.edu
Course Description
Will Midwestern industry follow the passenger pigeon into extinction?
Will genetically modified food prove to be a monster or a miracle?
Will the Great Lakes be the OPEC of fresh water? How did we get here
and where are we going?
Tomorrow's changes are hard to predict, but they will have important effects
on our lives.
This seminar explores the past and future of society using the Midwest as
a specific case study. We will look at changes in living patterns,
resource use, and urban design. We will consider important trends in
technology, privacy, globalization, economics, and the environment.
We will move beyond the classroom to find examples of transformation and
to participate in service-learning projects in the community.
Readings:
Many of our class readings will be on-line; we will also use the following books
1) Cities of the Heartland: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Midwest
, Jon C. Teaford. Indiana University Press 1993
2) The Brief Handbook, Laurie Kirzner and Stephen Mandell. Thomson
2004.
Online Readings:
Why Societies Collapse: Jared Diamond at Princeton University
Communication:
Elements of Style by William StrunkWeb Design links
Urban Issues:
Links to some sites about urban issuesKalamazoo:Geography Links
Some basic information about KalamazooSouthwest Michigan maps and data
Kalamazoo Information (Seminar Fall 2000): Social/ Political
Confronting The 21st Century's Hidden Crisis: Reducing Human Numbers by 80%
Genetic Encores: The Ethics of Human Cloning
Questions, problems or comments?
email cstull@kzoo.edu