Moodle at Eckerd College 2024-25 Academic Year

Is This All a Game?: Is it possible that our phones are playing us? In relation to game studies, rhetoric is used to study how the rules and materials of games are designed to get players to act in specific ways. These same methods used by game designers are being used by city planners, social media apps, and even in college classrooms to influence our behavior. In this class, we will learn about how we are being gamified through the technologies we use. We will study contemporary game theory scholars to better understand the problematic ways our phones and laptops are working to hold onto our attention; in addition, we will discuss how to harness these same methods to improve our attention and benefit us in the classroom. Students will have the opportunity to learn to play games such as The Quiet Year, Concept, and Catan as they analyze the mechanics of each. We will not only think critically about the games we play, but we will also look at the ways in which elements of games are being used to play us.

Politics of Science Fiction: Imagine, if you will, an ordinary street in an ordinary American town. Until, that is, some of its inhabitants begin to suspect that one of their neighbors is not what they seem. They may be, instead… an alien from outer space. Or perhaps it’s the mid-24th century, and humankind has solved world hunger, ended their petty political squabbles, and ventured out amongst the stars. Or, scratch that, and you find yourself in an alternate future in which the Cuban Missile Crisis marked the beginning of World War III, and what’s left of humanity is still reckoning with the effects of nuclear fallout. The universe of science fiction is awash in scenes much like these. In this course, we will consider how science fiction represents not just interesting or scary or kooky imaginings of the future, but instead reflect a multitude of attempts to grapple with the very real, important, and sometimes intractable political problems and aspirations of the here and now (or there and then.) We will explore science fiction as a tool to reimagine political systems and institutions, provide insight into the interconnectedness of politics and identity, and explore the paths not taken at critical junctures in political history.

Successful Marketing through Storytelling: Have you ever had an idea but you did
not know how to sell it or how to tell a story about it to gain support for it? This class focuses on the importance of storytelling in successful marketing campaigns. Storytelling is an effective tool used by marketers today in a world that’s overloaded with messages. It enables them to tell a story that’s relevant to each specific customer. In particular, the class will review the universal elements of powerful stories to understand how companies and institutions connect with customers and grow. Topics will include learning about capturing attention, engaging an audience, changing minds, inspiring action and pitching ideas persuasively. Inspired by the works of both marketing scholars and practitioners, the class will investigate stories of companies and individuals; ultimately resulting in writing our own Eckerd story.

The Art of Detective Fiction: What makes a good detective? In one of the earliest examples of a detective story, Edgar Allan Poe claims that detectives need to employ the “high powers of the reflective intellect.” What are these “powers”? How do they get used by the detective? And for nineteenth-century readers, how might the detective’s adventures make them feel better about all the scary crimes that are happening in their urban environment? We’ll attempt to answer these questions by reading stories by Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie. We will also consider the evolution of the detective story as we move into the twentieth century and witness the rise of the “hard-boiled” detective, a genre filled with tough-talking wise guys and alluring and dangerous ladies who appeared in those old black and white movies your grandparents watched. As we move into the later twentieth century, we will look at how artists begin to use the detective story to consider questions of race and gender in the United States. The course’s conclusion will include a screening and discussion of Rian Johnson’s 2005 film Brick, a film that takes place in an early twenty-first century suburban high school and draws upon the hard-boiled formula in its depiction of teenage romance and alienation.

Genes in Society: Genetics can explain both the unity and diversity of life and thus has far-reaching application outside of cellular biology. Today, biologists have genetic resources Charles Darwin and Watson and Crick would have never imagined: spanning from genomic sequence data for 100,000s of individuals to the ability to precisely edit a single gene. Just as genes are interwoven throughout life, understanding genetic theory and technology is becoming increasingly important beyond biology – from informing how to make society more equitable, improving the human condition and experience in medicine and agriculture, and ensuring we may have a sustainable planet for future generations to inherit. Here, we will explore these concepts and more by developing a greater understanding of what genetics is and can or cannot provide for us from both practical and technological standpoint. Through reading, writing, and discussion based on both scientific and topical issues, students will better their ability to interact critically with genetics and science in general and the role they play in society.

Mission Impossible: Religion, Science and Spies: We talk all the time about people “on a mission” to change the world but what does that really mean? Are missions supposed to be so hard that we can focus on nothing else? Are they possible or impossible? Do they alter who we are and how we behave? Why do most organizations feel the need to create mission statements? Do they really follow them? Join us on a journey as we explore these questions and seek to understand missions in our wider world while developing our own sense of what our individual missions might be. Our main sources will be the diaries of early German missionaries to Pennsylvania, Anna Botsford Comstock’s guide to the study of nature and Katy Payne’s work with whales and elephants, and the story of women in the CIA. We will also look at popular films like The Martian and Operation Mincemeat and visit local community organizations in search of that illusive sense of purpose and meaning within ourselves and others.

Think Outside: Transitioning into the Eckerd Experience
This course is specifically designed as an AT experience for transfer students. Think Outside is an exciting, seminar-style course that will provide an introduction to the curriculum that lies at the core of our identity as a liberal arts college. We will follow the core beliefs from “People over Profit” and will read important works of literature to think about who we are in the world and what we value most. We will engage with the stories and experiences of others as we think about empathy, imagination, and human potential. We will see how text- and discussion-based learning can help us form a community of learners together to determine our paths and contribute to a sustainable world. Along the way, students will also get acquainted with the academic requirements specific to Eckerd College and with the support services and many curricular and extracurricular opportunities that are available. At the conclusion of this class, transfer students will be both well informed about the college and fully equipped to take advantage of all that EC has to offer!

Breaking U.S. Oil Addiction (Honors): How addicted is the U.S. to oil? How much oil
does the world have left? What are the costs and benefits to society of fracking? Is it possible to
reduce our consumption of oil and other fossil fuels to avert the dangers of climate change?
How much has oil driven our foreign policy? Should the U.S. strive to be “energy independent”?
This course examines such questions and invites students to critically assess existing U.S. oil
policy and make informed recommendations for the future. Issues to be explored are the supply
and demand for this nonrenewable resource, its historical importance to the U.S. economy, and
its national security and environmental consequences. We will analyze various policy options,
including supply-based measures such as increased oil drilling and use of unconventional
sources, as well as demand-based measures such as fuel economy standards, higher gasoline
taxes, and incentives for alternatives like electric vehicles and biofuels. Throughout this course,
we will work together to develop our research, writing, and presentation skills, and become
familiar with class preparation and participation expectations at Eckerd.

¡Viva Ybor! Cuban and Spanish Cultures in Tampa’s Ybor City: Have you Googled
“Best Things to Do in the Tampa Bay Area” and wondered, “What is Historic Ybor City?” Is it
pronounced “eye-bore” or “e-bor”? In this course we will explore the unique history of Ybor
City, an area of Tampa that was once the cigar-making capital of the world. Founded by
entrepreneur Vicente de Ybor in the 1880s, Ybor City became the home of several groups of
immigrants who came to Florida to work in the cigar factories. Many of these immigrants were
Cuban and Spanish, and Ybor City became known as Tampa’s “Latin Quarter,” Cigar factory
workers were educated and politically conscious, and they created mutual aid societies, raised
money for Cuban Independence, and protested against fascism. After a series of historical
changes–the Great Depression, World War II, and the mechanization of cigar making– many of
the cigar factories closed and a large portion of the original communities moved to newer areas
of Tampa. Although Ybor City has changed significantly since its prime, it remains an important
part of Tampa’s culture. In this course we will read historical and anthropological studies of
Ybor City, the speeches and poems of José Martí, the father of Cuban independence who visited
Ybor City 20 times (and survived an assassination attempt), and Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer Prize-
winning play, Anna in the Tropics, which is set in an Ybor City cigar factory and explores the
power of literature. We will also go on a field trip to Ybor City and eat a Cuban Sandwich. ¡Que
viva Ybor! project, students will have the opportunity to make their own short films.