Bianca Falbo

Lafayette College

New FYSes for Fall 2025

The faculty approved 8 new FYSes to be offered for the first time this coming fall.   Many thanks to Nandini Sikand, Yingying Huang, Courtney Ryan, Jen Rao, Mathieu Smith-Perrot, Christian Lopez, and Gabbi Kelenyi for their efforts to develop these courses.

FYS 103 | Images of Resistance | Prof. Sikand

What is an image of resistance? How have images aided liberatory struggle and how are they implicated in the web of capital flows and imperialism? Drawing widely from history, anthropology, literature, and film and media studies, and case studies from Palestine, Southeast Asia, the United States and Latin America this course is a class of discovery, an opportunity to learn how images have been used for social movements and freedom struggles in a variety of geo-political contexts.

FYS 115 | The Monkey King | Prof. Huang

This course invites students to embark on a journey across the Globe with the Monkey King, a figure with Hindu and Chinese folkloric origins, who appears across a variety of movies, TV series, manga, anime, and video games worldwide. By comparing literatures and arts across cultures, this course explores topics such as religions and folklore, evolutionism, racial othering, cultural exchange, and transnational productions.

FYS 119 | Plants in Performance | Prof. Ryan

Plants run the planet, but they rarely get the spotlight in TV, film, theater, and social media. In this course, we’ll shine some light on plants in performance, considering an array of perspectives on how plants biologically perform and how they are (mis)represented in the arts. Together, we’ll get the chance to think like a plant, analyze plant performances, and create our own plant art.

FYS 135 | Factory Farms:  The True Cost of Meat | Prof. Rao

As of 2020, it is estimated that in the U.S. 1.6 billion animals live on 25,000 factory farms, also known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). And yet most people know little about them. This course will explore the history of farming in the U.S. that led to CAFOs and their impact on health and the environment. We will question the ethics of farm animal treatment and the concept of what a farm is.

FYS 149 | The Boring Class | Prof. Smith-Perrot

Through readings from thinkers such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, Beckett, Blanchot, and Pessoa, along with studies on boredom’s role in education, psychology, and digital culture, this course examines boredom as both a barrier and a bridge to knowledge. Is boredom universal or a symptom of modernity? How is it portrayed in literature, film, and art? Is it an affliction to escape or a state to embrace? Students will rethink boredom’s implications for society, creativity, and personal growth

FYS 159 | What’s Inside ChatGPT? | Prof. Lopez

This seminar demystifies Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a focus on Large Language Models, like ChatGPT, Claude, and others. Through interdisciplinary exploration of historical texts, news articles, science fiction films, and modern documentaries, we will examine how AI systems work, their limitations, and ethical challenges. Hands-on experiments and reflective writing will equip you with the skills to evaluate and integrate emerging AI tools responsibly, preparing you to navigate an increasingly digital and AI-driven society.

FYS 170 | Running | Prof. Kelenyi

Running is many things to many people: sport, exercise regimen, mental health practice, hobby, profession, punishment, conditioning—the list goes on. This interdisciplinary seminar focuses on how and why running is so widely celebrated and hated. Running is how some people do their best thinking and sometimes very little thinking at all. Others consider running the most accessible sport on offer or the worst cardio option in the book. This course asks, What running is to you?

For a full list of FYSes offered in the fall, please visit the Welcome page for our incoming students.

Interested in offering a new FYS for fall 2025?

First-Year Seminars are the centerpiece of the first-year experience and introduce beginning students to college-level reading and writing through exploration of “big” questions in the liberal arts and sciences.   The College Writing Program (CWP) and First Year Seminar Program (FYS) invite all interested tenure-track faculty and full-time lecturers to join us for one of two information sessions taking place on Monday, December 2 and Thursday, December 5 in Pardee 319 from 12pm – 1pm (lunch will be provided beginning at noon and the session will formally begin at 12:15pm).  CWP and FYS admin will provide in formation about the course development process, including recommendations for how to pitch ideas for new courses that also meet FYS goals.  Also hear from  instructors about why they continue teaching in this exciting and innovative program.

Visit this link to RSVP at the following google form. Contact FYS Director and Interim CWP Director Bianca Falbo with questions.

Faculty WA Requests for Spring ’22

The College Writing Program is currently accepting requests for writing associates (WAs) for spring courses. If you would like to have a WA affiliated with your course next semester, please fill out our online request form at cwp.lafayette.edu/for-faculty/request-a-writing-associate/ or scan the QR code.

Due to current budget constraints, we may not be able to meet every request.  Deadline for requests is 12/3/21.

If you’re not sure whether a WA is right for you course, Tim Laquintano and I will be happy to talk further  with you.  If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at ext. 5243 or by email (falbob@lafayette.edu).  

 

Upcoming Meetings for FYS Faculty

14 August, 12-3pm, Pardee 102 B

 
Informal, introductory meeting for all FYS instructors.  The first half of the meeting (12-1:30) will be devoted specifically to FYS matters:  I’ll provide you with some updates about the current state of the program, remind you about the various kinds of support around the College available to FYS faculty, and speak about a couple new initiatives for this year.  I will also be happy to answer any questions you have about getting started with your course.  The second half of the meeting (1:45-3) will be devoted to discussion of the summer reading.  If you are planning to meet your FYS section during orientation to discuss Hidden Figures, I  invite you to stay and swap approaches and ideas with your FYS colleagues.
 
If you cannot attend, but have questions or want feedback on FYS course materials, send me an email and we will find a time to meet.  If you are interested specifically in the summer reading discussion, the Office of the Dean of Advising is holding another discussion on 23 August.   Look for an invitation (and RSVP request) in your email inbox.
 
21 August, Pardee 102 B.  9:30-4pm for those teaching a new FYS, 1-4 for everyone else.
 
The morning session will be focused on the needs of new instructors, but anyone who wants a refresher on writing pedagogy is welcome to join us for part of all of the afternoon session (1-4 in Pardee 102 B).
 
Light refreshments will be served at both meetings.  Email me if you would like to attend.  (New faculty need not reply for Aug 21—you are all set.)

Designing Better Writing Assignments

Could your writing assignments use some updating? There are two events happening next week that can help you!

My Favorite Writing Assignment is back!  On Wednesday, March 21, 12-1, join Han Luo (Foreign Languages and Literatures), Khadijah Mitchell (Biology), and Jorge Torres (Music) for a discussion of their favorite assignments for teaching writing and critical thinking. Gendebien Rm.  Light lunch provided.  Open to all faculty.

And on Thursday March 22,  don’t miss the second installment of CWP’s four-part workshop series on designing a writing-intensive class.  Thursday’s topic is assignment design. You might consider attending if you are thinking about teaching a writing-intensive course in the future, or if you are interested in adapting a current course into a W course.   In addition to “Assignment Design,” upcoming topics include “Feedback” and “Assessment.”   Email Tim Laquintano (laquintt@lafayette.edu) if you are interested.

The Changing Face of Humanities Research

Thanks to my colleague Patricia Donahue for sharing a link to this article published last October in The Guardian about current Humanities research.  Here’s an excerpt:

… humanities research teaches us about the world beyond the classroom, and beyond a job. Humanities scholars explore ethical issues, and discover how the past informs the present and the future. Researchers delve into the discourses that construct gender, race, and class. We learn to decode the images that surround us; to understand and use the language necessary to navigate a complex and rapidly shifting world.

Read more…

 

CWP Summer Updates

  • CWP is holding a few WAs in reserve for faculty who missed the spring deadline to request WA help for a fall course.  Anyone interested kindly email me asap.
  • I am available and happy to meet with faculty over the summer to discuss writing plans for  fall courses.
  • FYS faculty, please remember to add the St. Martin’s HB to your required reading list.  You need not order copies.  The bookstore will have enough for all FYS sections.

Faculty WA Requests for Spring 2014 Classes

The College Writing Program is currently accepting requests from faculty for Spring 2014 Writing Associates. Please note: your course does not have to have the W designation for you to work with a Writing Associate. All that’s really required is (1) a willingness on your part to meet with your WA to explain assignments, criteria for evaluation, grading policies, and disciplinary conventions, and (2) a commitment to schedule, at regular intervals across the semester, four mandatory conferences between the Writing Associate and every student in the class.

If you would like to work with a WA for any course next semester, please visit the CWP website, or click on the link below to go directly to our online request form:

http://cwp.lafayette.edu/for-faculty/request-a-writing-associate/

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more, please contact Christian Tatu at tatuj@lafayette.edu. He will be happy to answer your questions via e-mail or set up an appointment to discuss how a Writing Associate can help you and your students achieve your course objectives.

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