First-Year Seminars
The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences invites first-year students to enroll in a UNIV course. These interactive seminars feature discussion topics related to the college's current academic theme. Once enrolled in a UNIV course, students can work closely with experienced faculty members while earning elective credit toward their degree requirements.
Below are video messages from faculty members that describe each available UNIV course.
For more information and to register for a UNIV course, contact the Office of Academic Advising at 800-757-7257, ext. 27900; (954) 262-7900; or FCASadvising@nova.edu.
UNIV 1010D | The Most Evil State: Hitler's Germany
Led by Stephen Levitt, LL.M., Associate Professor
This course looks at one of the most closely examined periods in history, Germany from 1933--1945. It poses the question, How could such a civilized and educated people commit crimes of such magnitude? The course illustrates how the Nazis exploited economic and political crisis to suspend rights and impose tyranny. It tracks how Hitler's government employed terror and deception to control and manipulate citizens. Considering the stories of survivors, students are confronted with choices about life and death. (Course Information)
UNIV 1010G | Biotechnology and the Future of Human Nature
Led by Josh Loomis, Ph.D., Associate Professor
This course examines the scientific, moral, and political impacts of new developments in biotechnology. Topics include stem cell research, human cloning, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, genetic engineering, and human-animal hybrids.Upon learning the science behind each of the above technologies, students analyze the potential benefits and drawbacks of physically and genetically manipulating human beings. (Course Information)
UNIV 1010I | May it Please the Court? Good and Evil in the Supreme Court
Led by Jessica Garcia-Brown, J.D., LL.M., Associate Professor
This course introduces how Supreme Court landmark decisions have defined what is good and what is considered evil. Students will analyze landmark Supreme Court decisions and discuss the influence these decisions have had on the law and society. The course will explore how Supreme Court decisions have evolved (or remained stagnant) on issues such as abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, gay rights and church-state separation based on societal standards. (Course Information)
UNIV 1011Y | Living Sustainability: An Examination of Our Daily Habits and Environmental Impacts
Led by Paul Arena, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
This course provides an introduction to sustainability issues and practices. The course's main goal is to analyze the daily and routine habits of both the student and the professor to discover how they are personally impacting the environment. The course provides a new-found awareness of our impacts on the world and provides sustainable alternatives in order to reduce students' use of our natural resources and their environmental footprint. (Course Information)
UNIV 1012C | Bad Blood: Stories of Evil
Led by Ben Mulvey, Ph.D., Associate Professor
This course explores how evil has been conceptualized and explained in various cultures and periods. Students explore what some philosophers and theologians have said about the concept of evil. The course also examines some examples of how this concept manifested itself in the graphic arts, literature, and film. (Course Information)
UNIV 1012D | Words that Wound: The Ethics of Language Use
Led by Kelly Concannon Mannise, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Students examine how people have used concepts of good and evil to justify their ethical and unethical use of language. The course examines tensions between freedom of speech and hate speech, as represented in popular culture and the media. Students critically assess the relationships between the ethical use of language and actions identified as "good" and "evil." (Course Information)
UNIV 1012E | Good and Bad Medicine
Led by Ed Stieve, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Students explore the theme of good medicine/bad medicine through close readings and analyses of narratives written by physicians and others as they explore such areas of medicine as organ transplantation, pediatrics, and surgery, and especially as they encounter these areas of medicine during their medical education. (Course Information)