Quest for Knowledge First Year Seminars

New beginnings can also bring challenges as you navigate a new environment. Join fellow first-year students in a Quest for Knowledge course. These courses were created to help you master those challenges and launch your success by teaching you how to:

• Take charge of your learning inside and outside of the classroom in new and exciting ways
• Leverage campus resources to help you succeed
• Navigate the New College academic program and use it to support your goals

Quest for Knowledge 2024 Courses

Behavioral Economics

Dr. Tracy Collins

This course provides an introduction to the issues covered and methodologies employed in the field of Behavioral Economics. Behavioral Economics adds insights from psychology, sociology, and anthropology to the rational economic model. In so doing, it looks beyond the standard neoclassical model of how people make decisions; examining ways in which behavior is not consistent with strict rational self-interested decision-making. This includes what is considered to be “irrational” behavior, and the fact that people often make decisions that are not optimal. It also includes social preferences- where people care about how their decisions will affect others/the environment and not just themselves out of concerns for fairness or altruism. Frequently, we will review how standard economic theory predicts people will behave in a given situation and compare that to what experiments actually show us about human behavior. Behavioral Economics is an interdisciplinary field in economics that has continued to grow in popularity and relevance. It applies the tools of economics to explore social issues. Behavioral Economists study the effects of psychological, social, cognitive, and emotional factors on the economic and non-economic decisions of individuals and institutions and their consequences. In this course, you will learn about the most important principles of behavioral economics that will enable you to evaluate the different real-world applications of the concepts we will study in class.

Chinese Martial Arts Films

Dr. Fang-yu Li

In this course, we will watch martial arts films from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Hollywood. We will examine the visual effect and genre construction from a global perspective and discuss topics such as the characterization of hero/heroine, the spiritual cultivation and moral codes in Confucian and Daoist tradition, the pursuit of social justice and national defense, and the construction of “Chineseness” in the context of imperialism and globalization. We will introduce the two main subgenres—the “kungfu” films and the “wuxia” films, and compare with Hollywood martial arts films. All films have English subtitles, and all reading materials are in English. No prior knowledge of Chinese required.

Data and You: Surviving the Information Age

Dr. Tiago Perez

Ever wondered how a company could learn what makes you tick by having one of your friends (not you!) install an app? How Target knows you are pregnant before your parents do? Is your password really “strong”? Are all those google searches really anonymous? In the Information Age that we are living in, knowing the basics of Data Science and Computer Security have become fundamental to protect your data, your privacy, and even your money. No experience with programming, or background in computer/data science needed.

Human Flourishing in a Mathematical World

Dr. Vlad Serban

It is not far-fetched to say that our world is becoming increasingly data-driven, or even mathematical. But how does the practice and implementation of mathematics in our everyday lives enhance said lives (if at all)? How do these pursuits interact with our desires for beauty, meaning and justice, among others? Do they help individuals and communities to flourish? In this course, using fun puzzles, reading, exploration and group discussion, we will discover how smart people have historically as well as more recently thought about these questions. You may experience both the satisfaction of a solved puzzle and the desire to examine further some of the topics we will touch on using the tremendous resources available at New College. The class will conclude with a small project where you get to do just that and get to dive deeper into a subject of your choice mentioned in class.

Introductory Psychology Seminar: Memories: True, False, and Distorted

Dr. Michelle Barton

Memories are an essential aspect of everyday life, whether we are recounting a family trip to a best friend, finding our car keys, or remembering to meet a friend at the cafe. For these tasks, we rely on our memories to be accurate, and most of the time they are. But because memory is a reconstructive task, rather than a verbatim recording of the past, it can be prone to forgetting, as well as distortions and interference from other information. In more extreme cases, memory can be vulnerable to suggestion that may to lead to vividly recalling events that never occurred. This Quest for Knowledge seminar will examine the factors that affect the creation and recall of our memories, as well as how our memories can shape our expectations of ourselves, of our social partners, and of our new experiences. We will use the topics of this class to reflect on our past, our present and our future selves. (This seminar is a foundation course in Psychology that meets the Intro Psych prerequisite for our intermediate level psychology classes.)

Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing 

Dr. Jennifer Wells

This course introduces students to rhetorical concepts and audience-centered approaches to writing including composing processes, language conventions and style, and critical analysis and engagement with written texts and other forms of communication. Student Learning Outcomes:

•  Students will apply rhetorical knowledge to communicate for a range of audiences and purposes.
• Students will employ critical thinking to analyze forms of communication.
• Students will engage in writing processes that involve drafting, revising, and reflecting.

Mathematical Thinking: Patterns, Puzzles, and Exploration

Dr. Chris Kottke

This course introduces means of mathematical thinking through the exploration of problems not found in a typical math class. Rather than lecture, the class is built around student exploration of the material, in order to discover and understand mathematical concepts organically, while at the same time building general transferable problem solving and teamwork skills. We also investigate sociological aspects of mathematics, breaking down some of the harmful preconceptions about who is suited for mathematical thought.

Science of Light and Color

Dr. Mariana Sendova

Why are sunsets brilliantly red and orange? Have you ever set your heart on bringing the stars closer? We will expand your horizon by exploring light. Light is the primary medium of our natural world. Through the study of light, we understand the composition of stars and galaxies that are light years away, while simultaneously we watch microscopic processes of living cells in vivo. In this class, you will be invited to: 1) Follow your passions while learning about light and our colorful reality. 2) We will guide your curious and artistic minds to observe light and meld the source with poetry, photography, and scientific inquiry. 3) You will ponder, brainstorm, and participate in creating light ‘magic’ to share with your peers.

Writing About Writing

Dr. Jennifer Wells

Writing about Writing is an introductory Rhetoric and Writing course that invites students to reflect on their own relationship with writing in order to identify the origins of their beliefs about writing/themselves as a writer. Once they can name their own beliefs, they are encouraged to reflect on how those beliefs can lead to behaviors, some of which may have served them well in high school but may not continue to do so in college. From there, students experiment with different strategies and tools to support their relationship with writing. While this class is focused on writing, there are clear parallels with other types of academic skill development, and many of the strategies and tools are meant to be used in other classes or areas of college life. Knowledge transfer is the overarching goal of this class.

Pathways to Health Sciences 

Professor Amy Bohan

Interested in a career in medical research, medicine, or veterinary medicine? Come learn about these fields and develop skills that will help you be successful in pursuing careers in biomedical fields. We’ll explore principles of biomedical science, anatomy and physiology, and topics in veterinary medicine. As we explore these areas, you’ll be equipped with skills that will help you on your journey to health-related fields such as study strategies for science coursework, writing abstracts, creating scientific posters, journal clubs, and much more!

Introduction to the Marine Biology of Sarasota Bay

Dr. Samantha Levell

In this course, students will learn about Sarasota Bay Marine Biology through immersive field experiences paired with quantitative laboratory analyses. Students will work together to gain a better understanding of the processes happening in our bay, both natural and human-involved. Students will meet Sarasota Bay Estuary Partners, who have broad experiences with the issues facing our bay as well as active restoration and preservation efforts. Through these experiences, students will start their development as knowledgeable ambassador’s of our local marine ecosystem.