Below are the WAYS 102 Seminars that will be offered in Fall 2026.
Should women go to war? That is a question that has been debated throughout the history of the United States. Women have fought in all U.S. wars since the American Revolution but were not formally recognized until an elite unit of telephone operators was formed and sent to the front lines in 1918 during WWI. It took until the 1970s for them to receive military benefits. We will explore those arguments, the women’s experiences, and the wider impacts on women and society that their service in WWI contributed.
The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Mothman---these are the names of just some of the elusive creatures that stalk through humanity’s imagination. The uncanny, the unknown, the misunderstood creatures of myth have fascinated and inspired scientists, artists, and authors alike for centuries. This course will explore the role cryptids and mythical creatures play in the human consciousness, the similarities that link some of our greatest fears across cultures, and the biology upon which many of these monsters are based. We will develop skills to research, analyze, and construct written arguments about cryptids from a variety of habitats around the world. We will also explore the numerous techniques writers employ to capture ideas and thoughts into organized prose and implement those skills to create written works of our own.
Food keeps us alive, provides us comfort, brings back memories, and when shared with others, helps build communities. It can also lead to diabetes, heart disease, and even wars. We often don't think much about where it comes from (besides the store), how it is produced, who picked that orange, and why does meat cost so much? How is bread tied to the environment? Are "super foods" really that super? What does food have to do with culture? This semester you will learn about food from a diverse range of texts. Then you will write about food for a diverse set of audiences.
This course will investigate some of the weird, the wild, the mysterious, the unusual, the too-good-to-be-true occurrences that, at least, some people have believed for a time. You'll develop reading, writing, and critical thinking skills as we reveal the facts behind a number of famous, infamous, and less-famous frauds and hoaxes. The topics for the course will largely come from the realms of archaeology and anthropology, but, from time to time, we will draw upon examples from other related academic disciplines.
Modern society is built upon the mineral resources that we extract from the Earth. But how do a bunch of rocks and minerals get turned into cell phones, art, or even milkshakes? In this class we will learn about minerals, how they form, the social and environmental costs of extracting them, and how they are used to build the world around us.
Why do women write science fiction? Ursula LeGuin, author of The Left Hand of Darkness, suggests that science fiction is really a thought experiment about the present, and the writers we will study tackle such relevant issues as gender identity, reproduction, and the environment.