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LAC 100 and LAC 101: where your Eastern academic journey begins.
Your academic experience at Eastern begins with your selection of a Liberal Arts Seminar (LAC 100). You can choose from a range of immersive courses with relevant, thought-provoking themes, that break down barriers between disciplines, sparking your imagination in a dynamic environment.
Picture this: a tight-knit community led by dynamic faculty exploring a fascinating topic in your first semester. The discussion weaves together experiential and hands-on learning at the heart of every course you will take at Eastern.
But that's not all! LAC 101, a one-credit course taken together with LAC 100, will introduce you to Eastern’s five Learning Outcomes (communication, creativity, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and quantitative literacy), which are the values of a liberal arts education, and the skills required of you in whichever career path you might choose. Peer Mentors will help introduce you to campus life and help you navigate your academic, social, and co-curricular activities at Eastern.
Students may choose from a variety of LAC 100 course topics. Learn more about the offered course topics below.
First-Year Seminars
*restricted to students admitted to the University Honors Program*
This course will use the subject of dinosaurs to explore connections among scientific thinking, creativity, ethics and communication in shaping the ways people have viewed dinosaurs over the past centuries. We will discuss topics including how science influenced our perception of dinosaur behavior, the ethics surrounding national scandals and black market sale of dinosaur bones, how conflicting personalities of America’s leading collectors both benefited and derailed our understanding of dinosaurs, and dinosaur portrayal in the popular media. Because this section of LAC 100 is designed for the first-year cohort of Honors Scholars, students will also learn what to expect and what is expected of them in the Honors Program and will grow together as a cohort of scholars who will support and challenge each other throughout the four years at the university.
Eager to advocate for a cause but don’t know where to start? Whether you are a talented artist or can’t even draw stick figures, you can create powerful poster designs to have your voices heard. Posters are a visual communication tool consisting of text and graphics that are displayed publicly for the consumption of the masses. When used effectively, posters can quickly capture the attention of a target audience, convey key information, and leave a lasting impression. In this course, we will focus on creating posters centered around public issues and exploring the importance of creative expression. You will learn basic principles of design and develop technical graphic design skills using Canva, a free-to-use online graphic design tool. You will advocate for a cause by producing a series of posters that will be printed, exhibited, and shared online.
This seminar is designed to introduce students to the learning objectives of Eastern's Liberal Arts Core (ELAC). We will explore college-level expectations and apply interdisciplinary perspectives to our work in this course. Disney is the road, feminism is the vehicle of this course; if you can’t operate the vehicle, it doesn’t matter how well you know the road. You will be expected to engage critically with the materials (yes, this includes the visual ones) and this may mean (read: almost certainly will mean) challenging long standing thoughts and opinions on “the Man with the Mouse” and its creations as we explore the context and commentary from different perspectives.
This course will delve into various environmental problems impacting the planet, examining their root causes and potential solutions through the lens of geological, atmospheric, and hydrological processes studied within Earth Science, including topics like climate change, sea level rise, coastal erosion, pollution, resource depletion, and natural disasters. These topics will be examined with a focus on scientific research, data analysis, and potential mitigation strategies.
Friedrich Schiller once said that "the human being only plays when they are in the fullest sense of the word a human being, and they are only fully a human being when they play." In this course, we will explore the philosophical, ethical, educational, psychological, and cultural aspects of playing sports and games. Besides exploring several theories of both the capacities required for play and the benefits of it, we will explore the contrasts between play and work, competition and cooperation, the physical and the mental, reason and imagination, the individual and the team, and the real and the virtual. We will look a variety of issues that come up in play, sport, and gaming, including issues of gender and sexuality, technology, fairness and cheating, violence and safety, and freedom and rule-following. We will explore the value and purpose of play and sport across cultures and across time, looking at its religious and ritual origins to its economic and entertainment goals.
This LAC 100 seminar offers to ethically reflect on what it means to be exiled in our global age, where interconnectedness rules but where wars and natural disasters produce displaced persons, migrants, etc. We will investigate different facets of the exilic condition (immigration and exile in a foreign land, in one’s country, in oneself, in one's body/gender/sexuality). Through the discussion of the primary material (films, short stories, and a novel) and group activities, conjoined with the exchanges guest speakers will allow, students will develop sophisticated critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills to learn to both assess what caused an individual's or group's exilic status, as well as whether it was preventable and what its possible consequences may be, and also comprehend our (and our community's and government's) responsibility and propose solutions to remedy the situation. In addition to being exposed to non-US outlooks on the world, and gain awareness of global cultures and globalization, students will develop communication skills as they collaborate, partake in discussions, and present arguments to each other for criticism. This class will help develop ethical reasoning, critical thinking, and communication skills students will fine-tune in other Eastern classes and will use in their lives as privileged citizens of a wealthy country involved in the world's global workings.
This dynamic and engaging course is designed to immerse students in the captivating worlds of digital art and media literacy. In an era where visual communication dominates, this course equips students with essential skills and knowledge to create, critically analyze, and navigate digital art, graphic design, and multimedia content. Students will be well-equipped to navigate the digital landscape as informed consumers and creators, prepared to excel in various academic and professional pursuits. Whether pursuing careers in the arts, journalism, marketing, or any field, the skills learned in this course will be invaluable in today's digital age.
This introductory seminar course on the relationship between film and culture examines the formal elements through which films tell stories and the kinds of stories they tell in response to audience needs and desires. It focuses on how audience interaction shapes narrative filmmaking and examines how the experience of watching films (theaters, screen size, sound, color, etc.) has changed in attempts to draw audiences to the theater. Students will gain a better understanding of American film in its cultural and historical context as well as the technical and economic factors involved in filmmaking. This course requires critical viewing, critical thinking, and writing to understand the pleasure and power of the movies. Students will get a better understanding of how films relate meaning and how to evaluate individual films.
Owen Arthur said, “for he who has health has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.” This comprehensive introductory course is designed to provide students with a foundational understanding of the multifaceted world of health and healthcare. Health Sciences is a diverse and evolving field that encompasses a wide range of disciplines, from biology and anatomy to exercise science and public health. This course will also introduce students to the scientific method and develop skills in analysis, evaluation, and critical thinking. We will emphasize the importance of communication, team building, and professionalism in the context of the healthcare industry. This course is relevant for students who are embarking on a career in healthcare or simply interested in gaining insights into the complex interplay of factors that contribute to human well-being.
Anyone can be more proactive and creative with an entrepreneurial perspective. "LAC 100: Getting started as an entrepreneur" is designed for future entrepreneurs who want to learn and explore entrepreneurial opportunities aimed at improving or benefiting economic, social, environmental, and cultural challenges that we face these days. This entry-level entrepreneurship course is open to students with all majors. This course is ideal for students who want to start a business but need help knowing where and how to start their entrepreneurial journey.
The purpose of this course is to investigate the origins and practices of creativity, both individually and from a global perspective. Students will test out a variety of creativity-boosting exercises, examine the creative process of individual artists, and evaluate published research on the subject of creativity. Throughout this process, students will strengthen their understanding of their own creativity and develop strategies for applying creativity to real-world problem solving across a spectrum of applications.
*restricted to students admitted to the LSAMP Program*
The goal of LAC 100 LSAMP Becoming a Self-Direct Learner is to create a sense of belonging and self-identity in STEM, enhance students’ preparedness, confidence, self-efficacy, persistence and success in STEM majors and careers, and to learn how to become a self-directed learner. This LAC 100 is paired with LAC 101-LSAMP Introduction to the Liberal Arts and both must be taken in a student’s first semester at Eastern with the same instructor and same group of students. These two courses create a first-year learning community for the LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation) scholars, which is an NSF (National Science Foundation)-funded program.
Political disinformation is everywhere in our new media environment. It can often be difficult to distinguish between fact and fabrication in our current disinformation environment. The result has been a kind of political chaos that is then used by political actors to convince people to endorse particular policy changes or particular candidates running for office. This course will deploy the study of disinformation and new media to enable students to develop sophisticated critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills to learn to both distinguish between fact and fabrication but also comprehend the impact on society. In addition, students will develop communication skills as they work together, present arguments to each other for criticism and partake in debates. This class will help in future classes deploy college level critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills, but also later in life as they partake in the civic life of their communities.
Philosophy of the Martial Arts addresses issues of character development in philosophy of sport and introduces students to the history and cultures of the martial arts through Uechiryu karate. Students will learn basic movements to promote health, longevity, and self-defense, as well as learn about the history of virtue-based ethics from global philosophical perspectives to explore their relevance to practical life in the present day.
What is a game? How does playing differ from the rest of human life? Friedrich Schiller once said that “man only plays when he is in the fullest sense of the word a human being, and he is only fully a human being when he plays.” In this First Year Course, we will explore the philosophical, ethical, educational, psychological, and cultural aspects of playing sports and games. Besides exploring several theories of both the capacities required for play and the benefits of it, we will explore the contrasts between play and work, competition and cooperation, the physical and the mental, reason and imagination, the individual and the team, and the real and the virtual. We will look a variety of issues that come up in play, sport, and gaming, including issues of gender and sexuality, fairness and cheating, violence and safety, and freedom and rule-following.
Do vaccines cause autism? Are genetically modified foods safe? Is climate change real? What is homeopathy? Questions like these illustrate the difficulty that arises when dealing with a surfeit of complicated issues which are pervasive in our society. We cannot be experts in every field, so how do we determine what is real and what is fake? How can we discern good science from pseudoscience? This course addresses these issues by focusing on the application of critical thinking and scientific skepticism to questions such as those posed above as well as several others. We shall discuss the cognitive biases and logical fallacies to which we often fall victim. We shall apply critical thinking concepts to various examples of pseudoscience. We will develop communication skills to discuss science and pseudoscience and to create and present a hoax.
Explore the wonders of studio art and express your creativity in this fun, hands-on course. You will make art using a variety of medium, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media in a beautiful studio space. You will be introduced to the art elements and principles of design, understand the function of the arts in society through history and in the present, and develop studio art techniques while developing a visual problem-solving skillset.
This course is designed for any first-year student who is interested in learning, teaching, participating and/or leading in pre-schools, elementary and/or secondary schools as future educators, parents, and concerned citizens. Through a 2-hour seminar focused on individual and group applications of how social scientists study schooling and a weekly 1-hour service-learning experience in local schools, students will actively investigate the dynamic and complex relationships of individuals and their communities around schooling. This section is designed to introduce the goals of Liberal Arts Learning Outcomes – Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Ethical Reasoning, and Quantitative Literacy - and provide student-developed evidence of applications of the social sciences for the study of schooling. This course is paired as a co-requisite with LAC 101 – Is Teaching Right for You?
Students will learn critical thinking skills to assess the debates on current topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on campuses, in workplaces, and in broader society. Topics of race, gender, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability will be addressed through interactive discussions of current events.
This course focuses on the connections between music and communication from a musical and social scientific perspective. This LAC 100 seminar considers the ways in which we treat music as a form of communication distinct from verbal and nonverbal communication. The Music of Communication also explores the social origins, functions, and effects of music, and how music interacts with other forms of communication such as through media and technology.
Students will learn critical thinking skills to assess the debates on current topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on campuses, in workplaces, and in broader society. Topics of race, gender, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability will be addressed through interactive discussions of current events.
Have you ever heard a story about a friend of a friend and then read the same story online about someone else? If so, you have run across an urban legend. Urban legends have been an important part of the cultural fabric of American and European societies for over a century. Earnestly told and often believed, they are an informal, but important way that groups communicate their values, ethics, and beliefs. These stories are also a tool that allows groups to maintain these characteristics. Because legends are spread, retold, and adapted by new storytellers in different settings, studying them provides a creative and critical thinking exercise that allows you to analyze and explain how value systems change over time and vary among different groups. Moreover, since studying folklore is by nature an interdisciplinary pursuit, examining urban legends will offer a unique way to draw from fields across the humanities and social sciences. Because of this potential, this class will provide a strong introduction to the liberal arts and the learning outcomes of ethical reasoning, creativity, communication, and critical thinking.
This seminar uses the cultural reality of “driving while black” as a metaphor to compare the oppressive reality that a lone black or brown driver (especially in a luxury car and a nice white neighborhood) is subject to with the alienation and estrangement students of color experience in the traditional creative writing classroom. In this seminar we will intentionally negate the pitfalls in which a diverse classroom with a traditional curriculum fails the students by insisting that those writers sublimate personal identity and cultural differences to white artistic expectations. In this course we will celebrate the home culture of our members to create a community of writers whose core artistic challenges will engage questions of equity and justice. This class is for students of all races and backgrounds that want to confront the gap between their lived-reality and the Eurocentric male-centered philosophies in most university creative writing classes. This course is an opportunity to begin your creative exploration with an aesthetic that puts you and your cultural reality at the core of this experience.
