STEP 1: DISCOVER (DSC 101)
DSC 101 First-Year Seminar
This 3-credit course is one of your University requirements. University requirements are common elements of every student’s Marymount education, no matter what their major.
DSC 101 is an inquiry course (INQ). You will take three additional INQ courses in your major, as you progress through your program of study here at Marymount. In your INQ courses you will actively engage in investigating questions and problems, some of which have no one answer. DSC 101 helps you to begin to develop the skills and abilities to do this, while helping you make the transition from high school to college and sharpen your academic skills for success at Marymount.
Each section of DSC 101 has a theme that is selected by the course instructor, but in all sections you will:
- Learn how to engage in inquiry learning
- Locate and use information from online sources, the library, and field trips
- Write and make oral presentations about a variety of topics
- Get connected with Marymount resources that can help and support you
- Explore your career interests and skills to create an electronic portfolio
Choosing Your DSC 101 Section
Every DSC 101 section meets twice each week for 75 minutes. Some sections meet at the Ballston Center; others on Main Campus.
You may also browse DSC 101 Sections by Interest Area to find sections organized by broad themes. This may help narrow your search for a section theme that interests you.
Once you have reviewed the DSC101 courses and have found some that you are interested in taking, you may move on to the next step:
>> STEP 2: Directed Self-Placement (DSP)
DSC 101 section A
Ambassadors in Training: Encountering the Middle East and North Africa around Washington, DC
Marymount brags about its “capital location,” and we’ll put that boast to the test. What can we discover about the strategically located region known as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) here, without hopping on a jet?
In this course, we’ll learn with and from each other as we explore the region’s many cultural resources. Field trips and “passport assignments” will take you to embassies, think tanks, museums, restaurants, and other venues. You may even dance the dabka. Writing WordPress blog posts and delivering “minute presentations,” you’ll practice research and communication skills essential for your future as a Marymount student and a global citizen/diplomat. Marhaba and welcome!
Instructor: Professor Sylvia Whitman
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DSC 101 section B
Expressing Creativity in Art and Language
We will explore human creativity by engaging in creative activities. The assignments and activities are designed to inspire you to explore you own creativity. We will use award-winning picture books as examples of creativity by examining their art, language, styles and formatting. Some of these books are poems that appeal to adults and others appeal to children of all ages. You will apply several creativity techniques to produce your own picture book or digital book/ movie. In groups, we will visit museums, art galleries, libraries, bookstores and events on campus.
Instructor: Professor Ana Lado
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DSC 101 section C
We Are What We Eat: The Sociology of Food
Have you ever wondered how our culture influences trends in diet, exercise, obesity and health? Why do you like cake and hate broccoli? Does the rise of McDonalds tell us something about our social values? What does it say about you when you order a salad on the first date? This semester we will examine how food choices are influenced by economics, gender, and the environment, and how food choices influence health. Through asking good questions -- and searching for answers -- you will see how food has shaped -- and continues to shape -- our culture.
Instructors: Professors Stephanie Ellis and Liane Summerfield
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DSC 101 section D
Using Films to Understand Ourselves and Others
Curious about why people do what they do? Curious about why you do what you do? Let's watch some movies and find out! You'll learn about our Capital Location and explore the city, while you learn more about yourself and others with classic and contemporary films.
Instructor: Professor Kate McCauley
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DSC 101 section E
Going Green
Interested in protecting the environment? In this course you will look at ways everyone can lessen their impact on the environment and promote sustainability. We will visit different organizations and hear from experts in government, business, and nonprofit organizations to explore current “green” issues. We will also explore career opportunities in environmental fields.
Instructors: Professors Nancy Furlow and Srinivasan Raghavan
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DSC 101 section F
Going Green
Interested in protecting the environment? In this course you will look at ways everyone can lessen their impact on the environment and promote sustainability. We will visit different organizations and hear from experts in government, business, and nonprofit organizations to explore current “green” issues. We will also explore career opportunities in environmental fields.
Instructor: Professors Nancy Furlow and Srinivasan Raghavan
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DSC 101 section G
Hobbits, Heroes and Hunger Games: Investigating the Hidden Order of Societies Real and Imagined
For Katniss Everdeen, the Capitol provides a pretty clear incentive for
hunting down her competition in the Hunger Games: kill or be killed.
Fantasy and science fiction portray extreme worlds, but these imaginary
societies operate on principles remarkably similar to those that govern our
lives in the "real world." Characters in these stories face a
variety of incentives that influence their actions. What motivates you? How
does the state shape your choices? Moving from hobbits in Middle-earth to
millennials in 21st-century America, this course investigates how institutions
and incentives affect individual behavior.
Instructor: Professor Brian Hollar
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DSC 101 section H
Great Sports Rivalries
Redskins vs Cowboys. Yankees vs Redsox. Army vs. Navy. Heat vs. Lakers. Come learn about these and other great rivalries in collegiate athletics and professional sports. Re-live the famous games, meet the craziest fans, and get ready for the next showdown even as you try to figure out the "why's" behind the hype.
Instructor: Professor Robert Otten
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DSC 101 section I
DC Museums: Every Picture Tells a Story
The visual arts, like poetry and narrative, should somehow connect with the viewer. In this class, we will tour a selection of the art museums in the nation’s capital, to experience that connection. We will visit not only the larger public museums like the National Art Gallery, but also the smaller “off the beaten track” sites, such as the American art collection at the DAR. In class, we will examine how these images tell stories about their makers, and how they connect with us individually.
Instructor: Professor Carroll Hauptle
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DSC 101 section J
Using Films to Understand Ourselves and Others
Curious about why people do what they do? Curious about why you do what you do? Let's watch some movies and find out! You'll learn about our Capital Location and explore the city, while you learn more about yourself and others with classic and contemporary films.
Instructor: Professor Kate McCauley
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DSC 101 section K
Culture Vultures: Passport to DC
In this course you will experience diversity in our society by going on cultural field trips, viewing foreign language films and tasting a variety of foods. Through participation in these activities you will be better informed and develop a positive attitude towards multiculturalism. With your own lens you will engage in inquiry learning and develop intellectual skills to overcome social challenges presented in the ever changing demographics. We will use our experiences to write a paper comparing and contrasting the cultural experiences.
Instructor: Professor Usha Rajdev
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DSC 101 section M
Global Issues and Volunteerism
Interested in learning about global social and health issues? In this course you will examine global issues that confront the East and West. You will explore and visit local and international volunteer service organizations to better understand their activities and roles. Field trips and videos will enhance your classroom experiences.
Instructor: Professor Fatma Youssef
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DSC 101 section N
Learn to Play Acoustic Guitar
Have you always wanted to learn to play the guitar? Now’s your chance! Students in this course will explore a variety of musical genres from folk to classical for the acoustic guitar. Classes will vary in structure from learning about and playing the guitar to researching and presenting on influential musicians. The culminating experience has the class organize and host an event on campus. Access to an acoustical guitar for class and personal study is required (if you do not have a guitar but really want to take this class, we can help you get one!).
Instructor: Professor Michael Nordvall
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DSC 101 section O
Be the Change…
What role do you play in your world? Do you have interest in service or social justice issues? This class uses the Social Change Model of Leadership to help students learn about themselves, Marymount University, and their global community. As part of this class, students will be expected to participate in ongoing, organized service in the Arlington Community.
Instructor: Professor Anne Aichele
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DSC 101 section P
How Is My Stock Market Investment Doing?
Learn about the basic operation of the stock market. You will evaluate the overall performance of the stock market by analyzing the three major stock market indexes. You will create your own investment portfolio, using virtual dollars, and apply recommended investment strategies in shaping your investment decisions.
Instructor: Professor Teresia Wansi
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DSC 101 section Q
From Gangstas to Grad Students: The Freedom Writers Story
How did a group of at-risk students overcome gang violence, drugs, low
expectations, poverty, and hopelessness to stay alive, stay in school, and
eventually earn college degrees? This course will focus on the
bestselling book, The Freedom Writers Diary, and the movie based on it,
to reveal themes about teaching hope, diversity, equitable education, and
tolerance. A miraculous story about how one first year teacher, Erin Gruwell,
and a 150 students transformed their lives and have inspired educators and
students around the world.
Instructor: Professor Doug Ball
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DSC 101 section R
To Be Announced
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DSC 101 section S
Who Are You? Finding You in the College Experience
During the college experience who you become is as important as what you learn. Forming an identity has been described as the ultimate act of creativity. This course will explore the multiple dimensions of identity, how identity may evolve through the college experience, and how to best benefit from the diversity of the college experience.
Instructor: Professor Pamela Moreno
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DSC 101 section T
Digital Storytelling
Take part in a photography and video jam session of self-expression and reflection. Tell stories through an online media diary. Experience the Marymount Washington, D.C. community and gain a social conscience while learning creative digital storytelling.
Instructor: Professor Barry Erdeljon
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DSC 101 section U
Moral Panic: Are You a Zombie or Vampire?
Are you a Zombie or a Vampire in your ethical decision making process? Do you have a "one- track" mind when it comes to making ethical choices, or do you thirst for a clear and practical way through an ethical dilemma? Werewolves need not apply, as we begin to look at just what moral panic is through history, the arts, and practical case studies. Does the infection of moral panic exist in our modern world?
Instructor: Professor Louis Frisenda