Summer I (May 4 – May 21)	Summer III (July 6 – August 6)
From NUMB3RS to DaVinci Code:  Quantitative Reasoning in Television, Cinema, Literature and Beyond	The Impact of Trauma on Development
American Civic Values
Character and Culture
Summer II (June 1-July 2)
Nuclear Age

IDC 200: From NUMB3RS to DaVinci Code:  Quantitative Reasoning in Television, Cinema, Literature and Beyond

·         Dr. Anne Raymond

·         MTWTh 8:30 – 11:30 AM

·         Course Description:  This particular section of IDC. 200 examines the power of television, cinema, and literature to influence, sustain, and even challenge beliefs, attitudes, and stereotypes about mathematics, mathematicians, quantitative reasoning and quantitative abilities.  Students also explore quantitative reasoning in our pop culture in many contexts including sports, music, poetry, jokes, and toys/recreation. 

IDC 200: American Civic Values

·         Dr. Gail Henson

·         MTWTh 8:30 – 11:30 AM

• Course Description: What values guide the culture, politics, media, and daily life of the United States? How did these values emerge in the life of this country? This class combines experiential learning with readings and explorations of media and the arts to answer this question.

IDC 200: Character and Culture

·         Dr. Barry Padgett

·         MTWTh 11:45-2:15

• Course Description: This course explores some controversial ideas and arguments related to the notion of "character." We will discuss examples from our own lives of people engaging in actions that displayed -- or demonstrated a lack of -- character. Three scholarly approaches will guide our exploration:  one author claims that "character" is dead; we don't know what the word means anymore, we don't know how to judge whether or not people have it -- the whole concept is dead. Another author describes American culture as a "cheating culture," one in which people engage in and accept a certain level of cheating, and he (an American himself, writer for the New York Times) gives some very interesting real-life and recent examples of cheating (today, for example, he might write about "A-Rod" the baseball player). The third author argues that character is, at least in part, a genetic trait; it is something that we inherent and pass on, something that is modifiable over time but only slowly; so, far from seeing the concept as "dead" this author disagrees with our first author. We will examine philosophical implications of the connection between character and culture.

IDC 200: Nuclear Age

·         Dr. Pat Holt

·         TWTh 9:00-11:30

·         Course Description: The word nuclear summons many emotions (and pronunciations--"nucular," for example) -- fear, confusion, anger, to name just a few. It induces such passion that the use of this term is avoided whenever possible. For example, consider MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners, a widely used medical diagnostic tool. These instruments are based on a phenomena known by scientists as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR spectrometers have been used for decades to discern molecular structures). When the medical community began to use these instruments for imaging, the term nuclear was removed because of the negative connotations associated with it. Why does this term evoke such an intense response? In this course, we will explore the science, history, and politics of nuclear technology. Are there any benefits to nuclear technology? Or does every aspect of nuclear phenomena impact us and our planet negatively? How were nuclear weapons developed? Is it feasible to design a reliable defense against nuclear weapons? What are the benefits and drawbacks of nuclear energy? Could the widespread use of nuclear energy eliminate some of our current energy problems?

IDC 200: The Impact of Trauma on Development

·         Prof. Jennifer Sinski

·         TWTh 9:00-11:30

·         Course Description: The Effects of Trauma on Development will examine specific incidences of trauma and the impact trauma has on the learning process.   Students will explore current research on trauma and its effect on brain development as well as applications in the learning setting.   Many scientific studies have indicated that trauma causes long term damage to portions of the brain that control learning and behavior, causing both learning and emotional disabilities.  Parents and educators must find the key to address individual children’s needs, and when many of these children have experienced both large and small scale traumas, a special understanding must help guide the curriculum.  “No Child Left Behind” mandates achievement goals for all children regardless of a parent’s death, long term illness, physical/sexual abuse or other trauma that occurred in that child’s life.