Skip Sub Menu
2025 Fall FYS Courses
FYS 001 (CRN 2931) - Money or Mission?
Natalie Adkins
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
For too long the narrative around business has centered around making money, but businesses have a responsibility to do more—to be a force for good. In this FYS, we will discover how and why businesses—and business leaders—add value to society and transform the lives of everyone, everywhere. By exploring the principles of cause-related marketing, CSR (corporate social responsibility), UNSDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals), and ESG (environmental, social, and governance), hearing from business executives, gauging consumers’ support of “business with a purpose,” and reflecting on our own values and choices, we will identify pathways to a triple win….a win for businesses, a win for society, and a win for you as future business leaders and consumers.
FYS 002 (CRN 12738) – Magic, Monster and Medievalism
Gabe Ford
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
Where did the fantasy novel come from? Why does it focus so intently on kings, knights, wizards, and dragons? What does our fascination with fantasy heroes and monsters tell us about ourselves?
FYS 003 (CRN 6453) – Transformative Texts
Natalie Bayer
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
This course will invite students to grapple with some of the central questions and concerns of the humanities and social sciences by engaging with texts that have had a profound effect on how humans have thought about those questions and concerns. The questions we will attempt to answer may include, "What is the nature of justice?" "Under what conditions, if any, is political authority legitimate?" "How should we understand our relationship to the natural world?"
"What do spiritual or religious aspirations reveal about human beings?" "What is the source of meaning and value?" The primary learning goal is to help students develop the ability to engage with complex and challenging ideas critically, creatively, and empathetically.
FYS 006 (CRN 6456) - Meet the Leaders
Tom Buckmiller
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
In this First-Year Seminar, students will engage with various campus leaders through interviews and analyze different leadership styles and strategies.
FYS 007 (CRN 1129) – Self-Compassion: A Superpower for College & Life
Jill Batten
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
Self-compassion includes three primary tenets: 1) self-kindness, 2) mindfulness, and 3) common humanity. These three practices or principles will serve as the foundation for understanding and building self-compassion through the FYS. We'll explore self-kindness through positive self-talk/writing, touch, and movement, and providing and protecting behaviors. Class will begin each day with a mindfulness exercise and short reflection exercise (e.g., writing prompt, think-pair-share, etc.), and we'll also engage in savor and gratitude activities throughout the course. We'll work to expand our understanding of common humanity by exploring and defining communities to which we belong. As students develop a deeper understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of self-compassion and are provided opportunities to practice, we'll explore issues often impacting students' academic success (e.g., time management, self-efficacy, motivation), well-being (e.g., stress, anxiety), and sense of community (e.g., belonging). Written communication, as a foundational learning outcome for the course, will focus predominantly on reflective writing. Students will engage in a research project around a personal challenge/transition and self-compassion, gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing open web, print, and academic journal sources. We'll also have multiple opportunities to practice oral communication skills. To align with the Civic Connection Learning Community, we'll either design a campus service project and/or participate in a service activity of the class's choosing and complete it together.
FYS 008 (CRN 12367) - Wicked: Defying Gravity and Authoritarianism
Deb DeLaet
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
Wicked, the contemporary musical fantasy film, offers a revisionist account of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Frank L. Baum’s 1900 novel, and its 1939 film adaptation. The course compares the original and reimagined stories to explore themes of freedom, otherness, populism, and authoritarianism in both interpersonal relationships and politics.
FYS 010 (CRN 6481) – Conversation
Amy Letter
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
Students in this course will read books about building strong conversations despite a highly polarized society, and experience many in-person conversations, as an active participant in frequent classroom discussions; especially by taking time to analyze those conversations as examples of our subject (metacognition: thinking about thinking). Understand “conversation” as an activity that takes place in-person among individuals, and across time and space among members of a society, via writing, including written digital communications like texting and social media, but also plays, books, films, songs, and other acts of “communicative creation.”
FYS 011 (CRN 11065) - Almost Famous Women
Carrie Dunham-LaGree
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
In this course, we will explore fictional depictions of real women, conduct research into the real women, and engage in analysis comparing course texts to research.
FYS 012 (CRN 6967) - Superhero Comics and Contemporary Culture
Jeff Karnicky
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
This course will focus on Marvel comics characters Vision and The Scarlet Witch. We will read comics and discuss their political, social, and cultural importance.
FYS 013 (CRN 6484) – History and Performance Art: How a significant event in history is reflected in plays, musicals, and movies.
Shayne Mims
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
This course will be an examination of how a piece of performance art was inspired to tell a story of a true significant event or how the play or movie commented and responded to the event. This will be an examination of how this media influenced culture.
FYS 014 (CRN 11066) - Religions of Des Moines
Timothy Knepper
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
This FYS seminar introduces students to religion as lived in Des Moines, focusing on the world’s six largest religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. In addition to traditional classroom learning, we will go on site visits to these religious communities, working with local inter-religious and inter-cultural organizations.
FYS 015 (CRN 6515) - Well-being in Career and Everyday Life
Malgorzata Kolotylo-Kulkarni
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
The course discusses (1) the concepts of happiness and well-being; (2) their relationship with core human needs, with a particular focus on agency; and (3) their relationship with goal achievement, productivity, and success. The course also examines practical techniques and tools that can be used to support one’s well-being.
FYS 016 (CRN 6486) – Composing the Female Body
Yasmina Madden
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
In this seminar, we will analyze the ways that contemporary literature and popular culture compose or construct the female body and what these various narratives and depictions reveal to us. Students will read critical and creative texts, and the various writing assignments will include both critical and creative writing.
FYS 017 (CRN 12370) – Legacy of the Salem Witch Trials
Lisa West
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
This FYS would be modeled after the course that I teach on the Salem Witch Trials; students who take this FYS would still be able to take the upper-level course since we will use different documents. The course introduces students to the historical record related to the Salem Witch Trials - and to the challenges associated with that record. We will also read/watch The Crucible and at least one other adaptation to discuss the role of historical fiction or drama. Students will gain some experience in primary research and also in thinking about citation and secondary research.
FYS 018 (CRN 11067) - Aesthetics of Computation
Andrei Migunov
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
Study of the nature of beauty as it relates to computation - in programming, in art, in literature, in AI, in mathematics. Emphasis on a phenomenological approach: what's it like? Emphasis on writing to defend a claim, to be honest and convincing.
FYS 019 (CRN 6964) – Call the Road Your Own: Explore Travel Journalism
Jennifer Wilson
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
When you think of a travel journalist, you probably envision the rugged explorer in a multi-pocketed vest, navigating hidden corners of the planet for readers more comfortable adventuring from an armchair. That’s actually kind of true. Travel is part of our timeless quest to understand the world, and writing about it the ultimate service journalism, providing detailed advice and smart itineraries with context along the way. We’ll start our journey right here, on campus, by studying the basics of building a travel itinerary, then adding context to a place through research. We’ll also explore a place through its food (pizza, to be exact), and learn the skill of informed critical writing then practice it. Finally, we’ll put these planning skills and perceptions to work by writing a travel feature, exploring familiar places with a traveler writer’s curious eye (without ever leaving campus). To build your skills throughout this course, you’ll practice sensory and immersive writing, and produce and present a multimedia cultural project. You’ll study and discuss with the class examples of great travel writing, which nudges us out the door with confidence and appetite, and then explore the mindset of saying yes to new experiences while developing a curiosity about people and culture. Along the way, you may become a better tour guide in a world that needs them more than ever. (Multi-pocketed vest optional.)
FYS 020 (CRN 6507) - Conspiracy Theories, Misinformation & Other Bullshit
Bart Schmidt
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
Throughout history, Americans have embraced conspiracy theories to explain the sometimes un-explainable. We will explore conspiracy theories, as well as misinformation and bullshit in everyday life. Students will be exposed to the language, rhetoric, and logic of conspiracy theories and be given the tools to identify trustworthy information.
FYS 021 (CRN 12811) – SCIENCE IN SPORT
Nathan Newman
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
Science and sport are two common fields of interest in the American culture. They can coexist without each other. However, combining these two fields together has produced a variety of successes and failures that have furthered the knowledge, enjoyment, and experiences of many in the two fields. Concussions, performance enhancing drugs, genetic testing, and career longevity are some of the areas where science and sport have more recently overlapped. These areas will be focused on in this class while introducing students to critical thinking, college writing, and the liberal arts.
FYS 023 (CRN 4098) – Transformative Texts
Martin Roth
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
This course will invite students to grapple with some of the central questions and concerns of the humanities and social sciences by engaging with texts that have had a profound effect on how humans have thought about those questions and concerns. The questions we will attempt to answer may include, "What is the nature of justice?" "Under what conditions, if any, is political authority legitimate?" "How should we understand our relationship to the natural world?" "What do spiritual or religious aspirations reveal about human beings?" "What is the source of meaning and value?" The primary learning goal is to help students develop the ability to engage with complex and challenging ideas critically, creatively, and empathetically.
This course is one of two sections that form a common course.
FYS 024 (CRN 6962) - This American Life
Laura Shell
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
This American Life (podcast) broadcasts personal and powerful stories to more than 2 million people each week. They do this with “a little effort and curiosity.” In this FYS, we’ll practice writing our stories in a way that connects with others – both through common threads and through unexpected connections.
FYS 026 (CRN 6593) - HOLLYWOOD IN THE 1930'S
Dina Smith
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
This seminar poses questions without clear answers. Exploring the limits of human knowledge and the scientific method, students will engage in interdisciplinary inquiry, debate, and critical reflection, learning to embrace uncertainty and think deeply about the unknown.
FYS 028 (CRN 3006) - Chocolate is Life: The Economics, Sustainability, and History of Chocolate
Carl Vieregger
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
This course will explore the business and economics of chocolate; the ethics and sustainability of chocolate; and the culture and history of chocolate—while also exploring the business, ethics, and culture of living a good life. And we’ll be tasting chocolate!
FYS 029 (CRN 7907) - The History of Hip Hop
Janalyn Phillips
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
Ready or Not, Walk this Way! This class will discuss everything ‘Hip Hop’ from A to Jay-Z. The influences, the legends, the culture, the celebrations, the rivalries and the art (in so many forms) will be explored through presentations, readings, writings, and through the media. Oh yes, and there will also be plenty of music!
FYS 030 (CRN 6963) – Gender in Fiction
Beth Younger
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
This FYS will read classic and contemporary literature, with attention to additional identity markers such as race, sexuality, class, ability, and privilege. Our emphasis will be on close readings of and thoughtful engagement with the primary works.
FYS 031 (CRN 7002) - Beyond the Search Bar: Exploring Unanswerable Questions
Bret Sikkink
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
This seminar poses questions without clear answers. Exploring the limits of human knowledge and the scientific method, students will engage in interdisciplinary inquiry, debate, and critical reflection, learning to embrace uncertainty and think deeply about the unknown.
FYS 032 (CRN 6973) - What's in Your Water?
Claire Hruby
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
In this course, students will learn about local and international water quality issues. Students will visit local water bodies, take samples, learn about the effects of contaminants on human health and ecosystems, and report on their investigations in writing and via various media.
FYS 039 (CRN 6977) - A Small Dose of Toxicology
James Sacco
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
Rapid advances in science and technology have produced enormous benefits but have also created undesirable dangers that impact human health and the environment. How do we deal with products that make our lives better but that also harbor a potential for harm? Why are we still confronted, on a daily basis, by toxins in our food, air and water?Through selected readings and movies, class discussions, and presentations, students will study and research the controversial impact of poisons on our society.
FYS 044 (CRN 7058) - This Ain't no Disco: The Alternative and Electronic Music of the 1980s
Geoff Wall
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
The popular music of the 1980s revolutionized the music in the following decades and had impacts on social, political and fashion trends of the time. Through documentaries and listening and analysis we will explore this music and its connection to music today.
FYS 045 (CRN 12762) - BAD RELIGION: HOW GOOD RELIGIONS GO BAD
Brad Crowell
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
Most of the controversial religions of the 20th and early 21st century began as unassuming communities practicing a standard form of their faith. Over time these small groups of believers began to innovate and change that standard religion into something radical and, for many observers, dangerous. Bad Religion will examine some of the most controversial religious movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. The semester will end with examinations of more recent groups and religious movements that some understand as Bad Religion.
FYS 046 (CRN 12763) - BAD RELIGION: HOW GOOD RELIGIONS GO BAD
Lynne Cornelius
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
We need to look at the social and environmental factors that continue to contribute to harmful situations on college campuses. In this course, we will take a nuanced approach to the age-old conversations of sexual relationships and consent. We will also examine personal and social concepts of healthy sexual relationships.
FYS 047 (CRN 12787) - ADAPTATION: READING FILMS BASED ON OTHER SOURCES
Nick Renkoski
MW 12:30-1:45 PM
More than half of current Hollywood movies are based on other sources but what is the process of bringing a story from page or stage to the screen? What things are gained, and what things are lost? This FYS examines the range and forms these transformations can take.
FYS 048 (CRN 12786) - LISTENING TO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
Dana Sloter
TR 12:30-1:45 PM
As more characters are introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the potential for team-ups grows exponentially. Each team’s specific flavor is supported by its musical soundtrack and score. This course will introduce concepts from film music and music research so we can explore the power of music in onscreen storytelling.
University Calendar 
University News
