Taken your first semester on campus, Simpson Colloquium is designed to immerse you in the college's academic culture of engaged citizenship and introduce you to others new to campus.
Grow personally and intellectually as you transition into the collegiate environment
Your Simpson Colloquium will familiarize you with the tradition of a liberal arts education through focused study of important issues, and give you a solid foundation for future academic success by focusing on essential skills like writing and critical thinking.
First-year students: SC 101
The Simpson Colloquium (SC 1010) is a four-credit, full semester course limited to 18 students each. The professor will be your academic advisor for most of your first year of college. Exemplary current students also serve as your peer mentor SC leader and as your writing tutor. Together, they'll help you transition to college life and expectations.
You'll meet students in your SC 101, your SC leader and your professor at summer registration in April or June, when they'll also help you register for your other fall classes. For more information contact Simpson Colloquium Director, Mark Gammon, at 515-961-1685 or via email.
Joss Whedon has played a part in the creation of two Avengers movies, the original Toy Story, and TV shows such as Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His shows are known for playing out difficult cultural issues in fantasy-world settings. Real problems people face become literal monsters in his shows. We will critically examine how Joss Whedon’s work applies to the metaphorical monsters in our own lives. Topics include gender roles, addiction, class, sexuality, bereavement, family, relationships, and how we find our own place in society.
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Documented since ancient times, music's ability to influence the emotions and actions of listeners has been used by propagandists, politicians, artists, storytellers, and others to manipulate others. We will critically explore examples of music as manipulation in historical and current contexts. Topics will include music's use in nationalistic movements, film, and drama, advertising, crowd control, sacred contexts, and other areas. Our ultimate goal is to be able to tap into music's power of influence and be able to recognize when it is being used to influence you. Formal training in music performance is not a prerequisite for this class.
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Mike Eckerty - I am the director of instrumental music at Simpson. I teach band, orchestra, conducting, and music education. I am also a professional bassoonist and have taught band in elementary, high school, and college for over twenty years. As a teacher/musician, I want to help share my love of music with everyone I come in contact with. I also want students to question the world and not accept what we tell them on face value, but to truly develop their own focus on life. I am not interested in creating mindless clones who think like me. Personally, I have a deep appreciation for obscure knowledge and am constantly trying to learn and share new perspectives art, science, literature, and all aspects human.
Are you a bomb-thrower or a suck-up? Don’t like those choices? This course might help you to re-phrase the question. Conformity and rebellion are not polar opposites: we sometimes conform thinking we are rebelling, and vice-versa. Arguably, a free community demands some level of both conformity and rebellion. But what level? When should we conform, and when rebel? How much tolerance should we grant other people’s rebellion (or conformity)? This course asks you to think deeply about conformity and rebellion in the context of case studies from different cultures and historical eras. Buckle-up: we will take a close look at war, rape, genocide… and school.
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Mark Freyberg -
I come from the most conservative place. Appleton, WI was the birthplace of Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the center of his political base; it now is the international headquarters of the John Birch Society. I remember it fondly, but not for its politics. In the 1960s and 70s, all us working-class kids assumed we would end up in the paper factories. While America heaved and twisted under protest and reaction, I begged my parents to move the family to Madison. I did finally leave Appleton, but my ticket out was a tour in the U.S. Navy: it seemed the only way I could obtain the money I needed to go to college.
The Navy, of course, changed me. I visited South America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle-East. I pushed-away shoeless beggars, then returned home to supermarkets with 90 brands of breath mints. And then I noticed the lines of early-risers gathered in Jacksonville to sell their blood plasma for $15 and noticed how much they resembled the beggars overseas. I’m too selfish to be called a humanitarian, but I knew something needed to change.
I studied international development at UW-Green Bay, then social change at the U. Michigan. What I learned is that fiery leaders and radical policies and new technology can bring change, but the nature of those changes will depend on how large masses of ordinary people understand and react to their everyday world. Hence a course in conformity and rebellion: it all starts with us. Do you want to be free? Free your neighbor.
Have you ever taken a forest bath? When was the last time you unplugged and went on a walk in the woods? Did you know hugging a tree might lower your blood pressure and improve your mood? Current neuroscience research is taking us back, far back in time and suggesting a multitude of cognitive and physiological benefits to immersion in nature. Following the work of Dr. Eva Selhub and Dr. Alan Logan from their work Your Brain on Nature, we will look at the effects that both nature and technology have on the brain's functioning and one's overall well-being. Your Brain on Nature offers an antidote to technology addiction through scientifically proven, nature-based methods for reducing stress, improving cognitive powers, and boosting the efficiency of exercise. And, we'll go on hikes (without our digi!) (CRITTHINK, WRITCOM).
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The United States places a high importance on the pursuit of happiness, yet in study after study, many other countries outrank the U.S. on measures of happiness. In this course, we will examine global happiness from many different cultural perspectives, ranging from “happiness is boredom” in Switzerland to “happiness is not thinking” in Thailand to “happiness is home” in America. Through readings, videos, simulations, and activities, we will discover the wide variety of routes to happiness. Do you think you know what will make you happy? You might be surprised!
As a Simpson Colloquium, this course will establish a tone for your lives as students at Simpson. It will invite you to approach the world with curiosity, compassion, and joy. Your experiences in this class will provide you with a foundation for the learning you go on to do in your general education classes and in courses for your majors. The goal of a Simpson education is to prepare you to engage fully with the world beyond college.
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CoryAnne Harrigan - CoryAnne Harrigan teaches courses on British and western literature with a special focus on authors such as Chaucer, Sidney, Spenser, and Shakespeare. She has served as the faculty sponsor of Simpson PRIDE, the LGBTQIA student organization, and Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society. Her current research focuses on international film adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
Moving decade by decade, this course examines the last 100 years of American Broadway Musical Theatre. It offers insight and inside information about the artistic approaches various composers, lyricists, and directors have taken; how those approaches have changed over time; and what social and historical forces continue to shape musical theatre today. Particular attention is placed on diversity and how it is an essential part of this art form as it moves forward. Treating musical theatre as an irreplaceable piece of American history this course demonstrates how it reflects the social and political conditions of its time.
Texts and resources for this class will include:
Strike Up the Band, by Scott Miller
Broadway: The Musical. PBS film by Michael Kantor
Various CDs and DVDs of individual productions and performances
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Matthew Lau - I first saw The Wizard of Oz in first grade and have been hooked on American musical theatre ever since. Live theatre was thriving in Michigan City, IN, where I grew up, and I took full advantage. My undergraduate degrees are from Indiana University in both theatre and in music, while my Masters of Music Performance is from The Eastman School of Music. I have enjoyed a long international opera career and have earned two Grammy Awards for my work. Living in New York City for more than 30 years, I found work in both opera and musical theatre. When not on the road performing, I was in line for discount tickets to the best that Broadway had to offer. In addition to teaching musical theatre at Simpson, I also teach private voice, vocal literature, and music history. Additionally, I continue an active performing career with recent performances in St. Louis, New York, Pensacola, Milwaukee, and Cedar Rapids. In my free time, I am an amateur artist working in oils, acrylics and fiber arts.
Have you ever thought about how the stories you read and loved during childhood have affected your identity, interests, and ways of seeing the world? Do you remember what happened when they gave that moose the muffin? Or how happy you were when Stella Luna got safely home to her mother? Or just how hungry was that caterpillar? This course focuses on the vital role that stories play in the growth and development of children and, yes, even adults! The characters we read about often become like friends and the storylines draw us back again and again as we discover new meanings. In this course, you will look at the children's books of your youth to see what life lessons you learned and how those lessons may have changed now that you are an adult. Through the use of children’s books, we will explore and identify your physical, intellectual, emotional, and social stressors to create a balanced approach to reducing and managing stress as well as a multitude of other life lessons.
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For the second time in 70 years, the Galaxy has lost its legislature. And, for the second time in 70 years, Emperor Palpatine has been defeated. His defeat does not instantly establish peace and a new government. The remnants of the First Order remain and the Resistance struggles to transition into a governing organization. A handful of systems decide to send representatives to Canto Bight to establish a reconstituted senate. They face a number of complex issues, including:
- Trying stormtroopers for war crimes.
- Addressing issues of gender among alien species and cultures.
- Condemning the terroristic tactics of the Resistance.
- Managing relations with the Jedi.
- Emancipating droids.
- Dealing with crime syndicates.
- Designing a permanent new government.
This course will involve role-playing as representatives from systems around the galaxy. We will begin the semester by reading Bloodline, which describes Leia’s experiences with galactic politics before Episode VII. As the semester progresses, we will read a number of other texts, which should allow us to draw parallels between the issues we face in the Star Wars universe and those we face in the contemporary world.
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Eduardo Magalhaes - Even though I have a very unusual name, I was actually born in Peoria, Illinois, but when I was fourteen my family moved back to my father’s home town in Brazil, where I lived for two and a half years. I moved back to the US to live with my grandparents and finished high school in Kewanee, Illinois (the hog capital of the world!). From there I went to Monmouth College in Illinois and majored in Government and Psychology. I met my wife Terri at Monmouth and because she is from Iowa, I went to the University of Iowa for grad school in Political Science, where I got my Ph.D. in 1991. Since then I have been teaching Political Science at Simpson. I teach a broad range of courses at Simpson in comparative politics, international relations, minority politics, and American government. My wife and I and three of our four kids (Nathan 21 and Elliot 19 who are students at Simpson, and Ryan 17 who attends Indianola High School) live on a small acreage west of Indianola. Our daughter Lydia graduated from Simpson and is now teaching High School math in Ottumwa, Iowa. We love traveling (visiting National Parks, presidential graves, and State Capitols), movies, and the Iowa State Fair, among other things.
Is it better to stick to your first impulse than go back and change multiple choice test answers? Do you learn better by rereading your notes or by quizzing yourself on the material? Are distractions always bad or can they help you learn? Is it better to drill your knowledge of one topic or work on several different topics at the same time? In this course, we will discuss what scientific research has to say in answer to questions such as these. You will discover that many people believe things that just aren’t true, and you’ll learn how to critically evaluate evidence to determine what the truth is. In addition, you will have the opportunity to apply the research on learning and memory to your own lives, and you will thus be able to discover which study strategies are most effective for you.
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Sal Meyers -
I am a social psychologist, and I do research on psychological factors associated with student learning and success in college.
I came to Simpson because I love teaching. I didn't want to work at a large university where students often have more contact with graduate students than with faculty. I wanted to be at a school that emphasizes teaching and learning, a school that focuses not only on academic performance but also on the personal growth of students. I enjoy being at Simpson because this attitude is common among everyone who works here.
Although my excitement about teaching and my dedication to students are two important characteristics about me, I do have other interests. I have five cats and two hamsters. The cats are named after Klingons: Belanna, Miral, Gowron, Mogh, and L’Ton (who goes by the nickname Louie). The hamsters serve as kitty TV.
Can theatre comfort the suffering and heal the wounded? Can it rehabilitate the prisoner and reduce the chance of reoffending? While theatre performances are happening on Broadway, in community theatres, and on college campuses, performances are also taking place in prisons and on military bases. This course will explore how theatre can be a powerful instrument for transformation and recovery for at-risk communities.
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Jennifer Ross Nostrala -
I have been directing and teaching theatre for thirty years. I am currently chair of the theatre arts department and an active member of our women’s and gender studies program.
Recent directing credits with at Simpson College include The Magic Flute, Kiss Me, Kate, Tartuffe, and Comedy of Errors. In the spring of 2016, I directed a play that I also wrote, Knowing Joan. In the play, a young songwriter, Yolande, is trying to find a way to move forward with her life when she finds herself haunted by Joan of Arc.
Over the past few years I have worked with the Agents of Change on campus to create It's On Us, a performance for first-year orientation that deals with sexual assault and harassment on college campuses
Directing credits off-campus include A Doll's House and The Cake with Iowa Stage Theatre Company. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Venus in Fur, and The Shape of Things at StageWest Theatre in DesMoines. I directed the premiere of The Quiet Man at The Winterset Stage and Fat Pig at the Des Moines Social Club.
I have an MFA in directing from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. with majors in theatre and art from Simpson College. I live in Indianola with my husband, artist, and professor Justin Nostrala. We have two sons, Seth and Caleb.
In this course, students will investigate contemporary art practices, especially the way in which newer art has been used to investigate, document and illustrate political, social and/or historical concerns. Various art media will be reviewed such as mixed-media installation, video installation, photography, and performance art. Specific contemporary artists who practice this media will also be studied.
After the general review of contemporary art practices, the bulk of the class will consist of each student learning to think about and represent concepts in open-ended, abstract ways. Students will then use contemporary art media (sound installation, abstract video, filmed performance, etc.) to give the body to their ideas. The overall culmination of these practices will result in a larger, final work of art created by each student that represents their ancestral history, family background, and life experiences as a means toward defining personal identity.
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Justin Nostrala -
In 1986 I received a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with a focus in Painting from Simpson College. Between 1986 and 1995 I lived in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota and New York City. I occupied an art studio at each of these residences.
After returning to Iowa, I enrolled in the Graduate Painting Program at The University of Iowa where I received a Masters of Art degree in 1998 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1999.
Upon graduation from The University of Iowa, I taught design, art history, and photography in a one-year appointment at Simpson. After this assignment, I taught in another one year-appointment at Mount Union College, in Alliance Ohio. Since 2001 I have been teaching art as a full-time instructor at Simpson College.
I currently lead and teach in the Department of Graphic Design. I am also a practicing artist. My current, primary artistic practice uses digital imaging to produce figurative prints.
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other (John F. Kennedy). What is leadership? What leadership opportunities are available for me? How can I develop my leadership skills? In this course, we will investigate these questions, and critically examine theoretical and popular approaches to leadership. We will also explore issues of power, gender, culture, and ethics in leadership. Course materials will have a great range from theoretical perspectives to what we can learn from Santa Claus about leadership. Readings, experiential exercises, and self-reflection will aid students in understanding and articulating their personal values, practical definition, and philosophy of leadership. Students will apply their refined leadership skills in leading themselves, others, and their communities.
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Barb Ramos - Barb Ramos brings her experiences as an elementary teacher and elementary counselor to her work with students. She believes that teaching and learning should be a fun, collaborative, and engaging experience. This is her sixteenth year at Simpson and she enjoys guiding first-year students as they make the transition to college life. She also enjoys reading a good murder mystery, Netflix marathons, and outlet malls.
Storytelling is the social and cultural sharing of ideas and experiences. It is one of the most memorable ways that we connect. In this course, we will examine what makes for a compelling story and how to become better storytellers using different media. We will write narratives, capture oral histories and maybe try our hands at video, memes or a podcast. Get ready to go beyond "Once upon a time" and realize no great story ever ends simply with "happily ever after."
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This class will explore the convergence of the three fields of biology, design and architecture. The predominant focus of this course is on the concept of biomimetic design or biomimicry. Principles of biomimicry rely on forms and functions in nature to find solutions for complex human problems. Historically speaking, these problems range from the mechanics of human flight to designing self-healing polymers. This course will emphasize the following components of biomimicry: a) Architecture that seeks a solution for sustainable spaces using forms and mechanics within nature. b) Engineering design-systemic study of processes and structures of organisms and their living conditions to design products for human use. The ultimate goal of this course is to bring to the forefront:
1) The significance and urgency in finding solutions from biology for a sustainable lifestyle.
2) Human-centered design. Design thinking is a process, mindset, and approach to solving complex problems. Also known as human-centered design, it is a philosophy that empowers an individual or team to design products, services, systems, and experiences that address the core needs of those who experience a problem.
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Does my vote matter? Should we really be voting this way? How do we make sure voting is fair? Big questions abound in the politics and mathematics of voting, many of them front and center in the news today. In this course, we will dive into the math behind voting schemes, apportionment and gerrymandering, polling, and other topics. Through readings, discussion, guest speakers, and our own hands-on experiences, you will gain insight into our political processes and learn to critically evaluate political numbers and news.
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Ross Sweet - After completing a Ph.D. at Boston University and a teaching postdoctoral position at Northwestern University, in 2017 Ross Sweet moved back to his hometown of Des Moines and joined the Simpson College Mathematics Department as an Assistant Professor. Ross is interested in math education, algebraic geometry, topology, and data science, and enjoys working closely with all students, from preservice education majors to math and actuarial science capstone students. He is proud to be a member of the Simpson faculty and the community of math educators in the Iowa Section of the MAA.
What does the future hold? Will individual freedom be crushed by an all-powerful government or a ruthless corporation? Will disease or medical experiments gone awry create a desperate society of biological haves and have-nots? Will technology enslave us – or distract us so much that we don’t realize we’re enslaved? All of these grim scenarios have been imagined by writers and filmmakers who created dystopias: fictional visions of a troubled world set somewhere in the near future. In this class, we will explore some of the classic dystopian visions of the 20th century, including Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. We will also examine how filmmakers have created dystopian visions in movies like V for Vendetta and Children of Men. As part of our exploration of dystopian worlds, students will have the opportunity to conceptualize, research, and create their own fictional dystopia.
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Judy Walden -
I’ve been at Simpson since 2009 after teaching for several years in a small liberal arts college in Arkansas. At Simpson, I teach a range of classes in the History department, focusing primarily on modern European and Asian history. In addition to History, I teach in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and I’m also active in study abroad, leading several May Term study abroad courses to England, Ireland, and India, and spending Fall 2015 in London as the Faculty Directory of Simpson’s London semester. For me, history is like travel – the more you learn about the past and the rest of the world, the better you understand your own world.
When I’m not teaching, you might find me cycling the central Iowa trails, planning my next travel adventure, visiting family in Minnesota or Wisconsin, singing in a community chorus, or curled up with a good book.
We will utilize mass media, TV shows, and social media content to explore topics such as how to create and use budgets, to purchase/lease a car, how to rent or buy a home, how to buy major appliances, how to choose and insurance/investment broker, and how to plan/pay for major life events like marriage, education, and retirement. Mastery of the course material will enable the student to more intelligently make financial decisions within their life.
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