students solving problems

Academic Core


Menu Display

Breadcrumb

A Message From Patricia Tarantello, Director of First Year Seminar

The First Year Seminars (FYS) we offer at Marist combine academic skill development with an expansive approach to learning. They are designed with you鈥攁 brand new college student鈥攊n mind. These classes not only broach topics, ideas, theories, systems, ideologies, cultures, time periods, and literary genres that you may never have had the opportunity to explore in high school, but they also provide support to you as you adjust to a new set of academic standards and expectations. 

With your active participation, the FYS faculty create a dynamic classroom environment to stimulate curiosity and enhance your knowledge, skills, and level of comfort in your new community. 

This class may take you in unexpected directions, and it will surely be a sturdy foundation upon which to build your academic career at Marist. Make the most of it!

Spring 2025 First Year Seminar Courses

Sections, Titles, and Descriptions

In recent years, philosophers have focused a lot of attention on ethical questions regarding the food we eat. Is it ethical to eat animals? Is it ethical to genetically modify food? What obligations, if any, do we have to people who are starving? Do people have a right to things like water? Etc. Apart from these kinds of ethical questions, however, there are other philosophical questions raised about food. These include aesthetic questions regarding judgments about what is delicious or 鈥済ood鈥 food and how such judgments can be justified. For example, when we say that this wine or cheese is 鈥渂etter鈥 than that wine or cheese, is that claim valid in any universal sense or does it simply reflect one鈥檚 personal opinion? There are also metaphysical questions that philosophers ask about food. What is the meaning or significance of food in our lives? Is the purpose of food simply to meet our nutritional needs or does food have a contribution to make to how we understand ourselves as individuals and/or members of a culture?

It is these types of questions that we will be exploring during the course of this seminar. In asking these kinds of philosophical questions about food we will also inevitably touch upon other disciplines including science, history, anthropology, sociology, art and literature.11

Students in this First Year Seminar will explore questions about gender definitions and roles both historically and today through study of what is commonly termed 鈥渟peculative fiction鈥濃攚orks of science fiction, fantasy, supernatural horror and their hybrid variations. These speculative works (novels, stories, films, television shows, and other cultural products) will provide us strange and often provocative lenses through which to examine gender issues in American society. By introducing us to alien peoples, genderless cultures, third sexes, advanced technologies, alternate histories, and both utopian and dystopian worlds, this literature will reveal to us the potential detriments of a rigidly gendered society as well as the possibility of a future free from gender's restrictive influence. Readings extend from the early 20th century to the present, with selections from major speculative authors like Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Joanna Russ, Octavia E. Butler, Amal El-Mohtar, and Carmen Maria Machado.

Travel through the life of an entrepreneur, as your instructor gives you a firsthand look at the adventures of his own 鈥淓ntrepreneurial business ownership,鈥 and how you can learn to free yourself of corporate ownership by breaking through and becoming your own boss. Additionally, we will utilize a computer simulation (Biz Caf茅) and let you and your team develop and operate your very own coffee shop.

Creativity is a fundamental skill for success in today's rapidly evolving world. Traditionally, creativity has been seen as an innate trait, but we will challenge this notion by exploring how creativity can be nurtured and developed. You will learn to expand your creative potential through readings from various authors and engaging activities. We will explore the definition and importance of creativity in the 21st century, investigating its origins and the various factors that influence it. Techniques for enhancing creative thinking skills are introduced, along with strategies for overcoming barriers to creativity. Students will gain valuable insights into their creative abilities and develop strategies to unlock their creative potential. This course offers students the opportunity for self-discovery, as students embark on a journey to expand their creative capacities and apply them to academic and personal pursuits.

While classical music is often stereotyped as a form of music that 鈥渙nly old people enjoy,鈥 the music of composers like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms is played every season in most major orchestra programs. If classical music is only popular with a limited audience, then why does it continue to be played so frequently throughout concert halls. This FYS will consider the place of classical music in today鈥檚 society. In addition to considering the style of music itself, the class will think about the contexts in which it is played, examining things like stage setups, orchestra attire, and audience attire. Ultimately, we will explore how orchestras have (or have not) adapted over time to consider changing musical interests, the impact of social media, the influence of the COVID pandemic, and more for modern audiences. 

In this course we will read 20th and 21st century poets and discuss the concerns of various kinds of poems. How do poets capture the 鈥渇eeling鈥 of their times? How might they show us our history in a particular way? How do they approach the big questions of life: what are we doing here and what does it mean to have purpose? What is love? What is loss? But also, how does language explore and celebrate all of these concerns?

The course will be divided into three parts: students will write an analytical essay about poems of their choosing; they will write their own poems using the poems we鈥檝e read as models; and the final part of the course will be discussing performance poems and learning to perform our own poems. There will be a midterm exam to cover poetic terms and analyze the poems we have studied.

The word 鈥渘ostalgia鈥 was first coined in the 17th century to describe a homesickness so severe it required medical treatment. Today, we more often think of nostalgia as a mild, even pleasant, desire for a better time, whether one that we鈥檝e actually lived through or one we've only imagined. In this course, we will read works about nostalgia from a variety of disciplines. Some of these theorists write about nostalgia as a private way of engaging with the world, while others argue for nostalgia as a social activity. We will also read fiction, personal essays, and poetry, watch films, and analyze current forms of media that enact nostalgic desire. Along the way, we will develop our own theories of nostalgia and deepen our understanding of nostalgia as a complex and significant aspect of contemporary life.

We all have families, be they adoptive, biological, or chosen, and many face the question of whether to start families in the future. Although we don鈥檛 always consider them, families raise various philosophical questions, which we will explore in this class. Through reading and discussion, this course will challenge and enrich your thoughts about parenthood and family. We will also work on the development of skills that will be central to your college career and beyond: writing, public presentation, and information literacy.

For some people, Africa is a country. For others, it is a country filled with poverty, diseases, warfare, and corruption. Some who identify Africa as a continent, including Welsh journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley, have named it the 鈥淒ark Continent.鈥 This FYS aims to disrupt these misconceptions, demonstrate what the continent is about, and highlight the dangers emanating from these misconceptions for Africans and non-Africans. We will watch films/documentaries and read readings (fictional and non-fictional) showing that (1) Africa has 54 countries with over 1.4 billion people who speak over 2,000 languages, and (2) the continent does not have a single narrative of pain. Ultimately, students who take this class will be challenged to engage with the African continent in a way that makes them emphatic citizens of the world in the twenty-first century.

This class examines the millennia-long history of the taco. Using the history of food as a way to open up larger questions about the histories of agriculture, colonialism, modern society and the environment, we will trace the evolution and spread of one of the world鈥檚 most popular food items, following the taco from its historical origins in the ancient civilizations of the Americas to the food鈥檚 complex transformation within the 21st century global fast-food industry. We will explore the deep historical roots of corn and barbecue as sacred and technologically complex items in the cuisines and cultures of the Precolumbian America, and we will then examine the many transformations of the taco over centuries of colonial rule and capitalist development. Drawing on the fields of anthropology, history and commodity studies, we will explore the social and ecological parameters of the taco鈥檚 rich and multilayered history, and through the story of the taco鈥檚 global spread, we will examine some of the major themes in Latin American history and in the history of globalization.

Greta Gerwig鈥檚 record-breaking blockbuster shocked the world with its popularity and has generated a wide range of reactions and interpretations. On one hand, its content appears comedic and familiar, drawing on a mainstream toy that has been popular for over sixty years. On the other

hand, it offers an overtly feminist message, particularly in its identification and critique of "patriarchy,鈥 which first emerged in radical feminist tracts in the 1960s and 1970s. In this FYS we will explore the history of Barbie鈥揻rom the development of the doll in the late 1950s to the 2023 film. We will delve into post-war consumer culture, gender, race, girlhood, toys, and feminist theory. Our goal as a class will be to examine the entire Barbie phenomenon, placing it in an historical and global context.

In this FYS, we will examine the concept of 鈥渃elebrity鈥 in order to better understand what it is, how it is cultivated, and how it changes over time. In particular, we will focus on literary celebrity, studying the written works and publicity methods of several celebrated personalities of the nineteenth century: Gothic writer Edgar Allan Poe, prolific poet Emily Dickinson, abolitionist and activist Frederick Douglass, and investigative journalist Nellie Bly. In addition to thinking about their cultural value in their own time, we will consider their legacies and examine more modern representations of these figures. We will also think about creative and interdisciplinary ways to introduce these authors to new and modern audiences.

In this course, we will explore the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals from countries across the world. We will use documentaries, short films, peer-reviewed research, personal narrative, popular press articles, and more to gain an interdisciplinary understanding of the state of LGBTQ+ issues globally. We will focus on legal rights and access, mental and physical health, and discrimination and prejudice. Throughout the semester, students will identify common threads of experience, while also gaining an understanding of the unique circumstances that LGBTQ+ people are in based on their geographical location. As we 鈥渢ravel鈥 around the globe, students will also gain skills in writing, information literacy, critical thinking, creative expression, and oral communication.

In this course, we will examine the nature of love and friendship by studying some of humanity鈥檚 finest philosophical and literary texts on these subjects. We will compare the philosophical analyses of love to works of literature that contain rich, concrete examples of both healthy and unhealthy ways of handling the love we experience. The course is organized around three different ancient Greek terms, all of which can be translated into the single English word 鈥渓ove鈥: er艒s, philia, and agap膿. Broadly speaking, er艒s is erotic or romantic love, and philia is the type of love we feel for our family and friends. Finally, agap膿 (鈥渃harity鈥 or 鈥渄ivine love鈥) can be described as the love humans can feel for the divine and/or all beings. Authors we will read include Sappho, Plato, Aristotle, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, S酶ren Kierkegaard, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Herman Hesse, Aldous Huxley, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams.

We live in a throwaway society, but what happens when we run out of places to throw things? This course will explore the impact of consumerism on waste production and how recycling and other sustainable practices can help mitigate environmental damage. Students will investigate successful recycling practices on other college campuses and around the globe, considering how these ideas could inspire better waste management strategies. We鈥檒l take a couple of field trips, watch documentaries, and discuss real-world case studies. Students will develop college-level skills through research projects, discussions, and presentations while exploring the intersection of waste, society, and environmental responsibility.

Would you like to learn about your new surroundings? If you are from the area, are there things about the Hudson Valley that you've always wanted to learn about, but never took the opportunity to do so? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, then this course is for you! We will explore the history and culture of the region, as well as visiting a few landmarks in the area. You will have an opportunity to research an aspect of the Hudson Valley that is of a personal interest to you.

We will consider how a range of American writers frame human interactions with 鈥淣ature,鈥 and explore their various representations with the natural world. How has 鈥渨ilderness鈥 been imagined? How do authors construct language to shape the way readers think about the environment? What vision do these texts offer about the relationship of individuals to society, and about progress, industrialism, and technology? We will examine Native American stories, early accounts of natural history, diverse representations of plants, animals, and insects, memoirs of the local, as well as narratives of exploration and essays on urban nature. Nature writing often combines rhapsody and science and runs the gamut of the scientific, philosophical, psychological, aesthetic, ethical, and spiritual. We will explore how authors depict a range of diverse habitats and places, from oceans to deserts to rainforests. In this class you will construct essays based on meaningful places, on course readings, and on your classmates鈥 presentations.

Spring 2025 First Year Seminar: Honors Courses

Sections, Titles, and Descriptions

Place is not mere geography. It is a cerebral and emotional blend of associations, an awareness that is part physical, part science, and part history, culture and social memory, an affective bond between people and place or settings. This course will focus on the symbolic and experiential aspects of place that define human experience. We will use literature as a means to deepen our understanding of the rich, complex, and varied engagement between human beings and the places they inhabit. We will examine how places, with their history, traditions, myths, tensions, social structures, and physical form, interact with our lives and imaginations, and explore the way literature is encoded with鈥攐ften driven by鈥攐ur deeply felt relationship to place. The reading list for the class will include a series of short works in addition to a few longer pieces, highlighting the intricate spaces and places recorded in them.

Greta Gerwig鈥檚 record-breaking blockbuster shocked the world with its popularity and has generated a wide range of reactions and interpretations. On one hand, its content appears comedic and familiar, drawing on a mainstream toy that has been popular for over sixty years. On the other hand, it offers an overtly feminist message, particularly in its identification and critique of "patriarchy,鈥 which first emerged in radical feminist tracts in the 1960s and 1970s. In this FYS we will explore the history of Barbie鈥揻rom the development of the doll in the late 1950s to the 2023 film. We will delve into post-war consumer culture, gender, race, girlhood, toys, and feminist theory. Our goal as a class will be to examine the entire Barbie phenomenon, placing it in an historical and global context.

In this course, we will examine the nature of love and friendship by studying some of humanity鈥檚 finest philosophical and literary texts on these subjects. We will compare the philosophical analyses of love to works of literature that contain rich, concrete examples of both healthy and unhealthy ways of handling the love we experience. The course is organized around three different ancient Greek terms, all of which can be translated into the single English word 鈥渓ove鈥: er艒s, philia, and agap膿. Broadly speaking, er艒s is erotic or romantic love, and philia is the type of love we feel for our family and friends. Finally, agap膿 (鈥渃harity鈥 or 鈥渄ivine love鈥) can be described as the love humans can feel for the divine and/or all beings. Authors we will read include Sappho, Plato, Aristotle, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, S酶ren Kierkegaard, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Herman Hesse, Aldous Huxley, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams.

What does it mean to be both Black and Latino? This course will explore the ways in which Afrolatino authors, artists, scholars, and activists are revealing the anti-Blackness inherent in many contemporary representations of Latino identity. In this course, students will analyze the intersections of Blackness and Latino identity in a variety of cultural products from the US and Latin America, including literature, film, music, and social media posts.