Emory University News Release

Release date: Nov. 21, 2003

Take a Look Inside the Emory University Classroom

Passionate teaching, innovative research and interdisciplinary study pack the schedules of Emory University students. From a study of anthropology via coffee and chocolate to stalwart courses like chemistry and psychology taught in fresh ways, Emory students encounter a rigorous learning environment that plants the seeds for future careers and life-long interests. Below is a sample of what's going on in Emory classrooms -- the teaching, research and learning that shape students' experiences.

Table of Contents:
1. Coffee and Chocolate Keep Students Focused
2. Emory Professor Makes Learning Chemistry an Organic Experience
3. Students Devote Study to Loyalty in Emory Seminar
4. Showcasing Scientific Discoveries Ignites Interest Among Freshmen
5. Students See Social Ills First-Hand During Intensive Field Trip
6. Emory Students Get in the Game of Mathematics
7. Race and Ethnicity Class Goes Beyond Black and White

For more information on these classes, see links below, or contact Nancy Seideman, director of Emory's Office of University Media Relations, 404-727-0640, nseidem@emory.edu.

1. COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE KEEP STUDENTS FOCUSED
For many, coffee and chocolate are more than just consumable commodities -- they are virtually essential for life itself. These two enormously popular foods make up the menu for an "intellectual feast" in an Emory University freshman seminar, providing the fuel for a deep immersion in the interdisciplinary field of anthropology. "The class was an incredible introduction to the field of anthropology by looking at it through the lens of coffee and chocolate," says Nidhi Jain, a junior anthropology and human biology major. Click here for more.

2. EMORY PROFESSOR MAKES LEARNING CHEMISTRY AN ORGANIC EXPERIENCE
Organic chemistry has tripped up many a would-be doctor on the path to medical school, but at Emory one teacher has sought to turn what is typically a universally dreaded requirement into a fulfilling learning experience. Matthew Weinschenk, a senior lecturer in chemistry, has devoted his career to sharing his passion for the discipline and unraveling the mysteries of what is an extremely challenging subject for many. Tiffany Hodges, a neuroscience and behavioral biology major, took the chemistry course last year and loved Weinschenk's class so much that she now is a mentor for students tackling the course this year. "Dr. W is an excellent professor. He makes science cool," says Hodges.
Click here for more.

3. STUDENTS DEVOTE STUDY TO LOYALTY IN EMORY SEMINAR
With the United States involved in an international war on terror and a contentious presidential election looming on the horizon, students in Emory professor Harvey Klehr's freshman seminar titled "Loyalty" have found a topical subject to explore by looking at various kinds of allegiances, and how one makes decisions when they conflict. "I want my students to understand how complicated loyalty is, how many different kinds there are, and that often they are not congruent," says Klehr, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Political Science.
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4. SHOWCASING SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES IGNITES INTEREST AMONG FRESHMEN
Some college students may see science courses as a frustrating requirement to get out of the way or simply the path to med school, but Emory chemistry professor David Lynn is working to change that attitude by bringing the excitement of scientific discovery directly to undergraduates. "Origins of ORDER" -- which stands for "On Recent Discoveries by Emory Researchers" -- is a new freshman seminar created by Lynn that allows some of Emory's top scientists and graduate students to share their recent research while introducing students to broad interdisciplinary scientific concepts. The seminar is Lynn's first major step toward establishing a new training program for undergraduate students since he was named one of 20 inaugural Howard Hughes Medical Institute professors last year.
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5. STUDENTS SEE SOCIAL ILLS FIRST-HAND DURING INTENSIVE FIELD TRIP
Students in an Oxford College course titled "Social Problems" will observe the subject matter first hand during a weeklong field trip Jan. 4-12 into a slice of Atlanta not found in tourism brochures: the state's death penalty chamber, addiction centers and more. For the past 22 years, Michael McQuaide, a professor of sociology at Oxford College, a two-year-undergraduate division of Emory University, has brought his "Social Problems" class into Atlanta for a week to observe in reality what the students had before only seen in textbooks.
Click here for more.

6. EMORY STUDENTS GET IN THE GAME OF MATHEMATICS
Poker, backgammon and point spreads are all part of an Emory University freshman seminar on game theory that takes a somewhat literal approach to this sub-discipline of mathematics. In the course, students learn about mathematics from the areas of probability, game theory and combinatorial design theory by investigating topics from the world of sports, competitive games of strategy, casino games, lotteries and the mathematical theory of games. "The class has been challenging and thought-provoking, but an incredible amount of fun as well -- not what you would expect in a math class," says Kelly Kristal, a first-year student from San Francisco.
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7. RACE AND ETHNICITY GOES BEYOND BLACK AND WHITE IN EMORY CLASS
The complexities of race and ethnicity around the world are tackled with gusto by Emory University sociologist Regina Werum in a course that pushes students to go outside their personal paradigms and see race and ethnicity beyond black and white. Students who have taken the class say Werum's in-depth knowledge and passion for the subject, in addition to her perspective as a German, make for an exceptional class. "Each lecture challenges my perceptions of the world," says Colleen Brady, a junior biology and women's studies double major.
Click here for more.