By definition, TIDES is an interdisciplinary experience, driven by intellectual curiosity, active learning, and experiential education. Discover the exciting topics of this year’s TIDES below. Each class also has an accompanying peer mentor, an upperclass student paired with each section to offer academic and social support as you transition to campus.
Note: Courses for the upcoming Spring are posted in October.
TIDES courses marked with an asterisk (*) are Service Learning courses. Students in these courses must also register for the corresponding Service Learning component.
R 11:00-12:15p
This course examines the construction of race, gender, and orientation in several popular cultural ideological mediums. We will examine the construction and representation of race and gender in the superhero genre. We will discuss the intersection between the ideas of gaze and perspective. We will examine the representation of race and gender in the superhero cinematic genre. We will examine the intersections and relationships between race, gender, and economic class. We will theorize the economic impact of race and gender in the superhero film genre. We will consider the construction of the idea of the exceptional as it relates to the representation of race and gender in the superhero film genre. We will also include consideration of race, gender and orientation in a larger and more broad television audience.
John Proctor, Assistant Professor, Theatre & Dance | BIO
M 11:00-12:15p
The course looks at the main beliefs and ideologies prevalent in our culture. Ideas like the entrepreneurial self, celebrity, pleasure seeking, economic man, techno-optimism, God, nation, race, and family. These ideas are constantly hammered into us by the media, our friends, family and institutions, motivational speakers, business gurus, films, but also in the actions we take in our everyday lives and even more deeply in the experience of who we are. We will look at the origin of these ideas, their often-adverse societal effects and why they sometimes make us feel disempowered, anxious, and depressed. The course thus attempts to do two things at the same time. First teach students to critically think about their society and culture, and second help them achieve more personal freedom and wellbeing.
The course focuses on several key ideas such as the myth of the great individual and covers its expression from the Renaissance to Elon Musk. I will trace the political uses of individualism from toppling the feudal order to creating a culture of self-blame. I look also to another form of individualism, the utility maximizer. The utility maximizer is a conception of ourselves that is reinforced by our role as consumers and investors. I look at the pleasure seeking self and the way that it is mobilized by the market.
Ari Ofengenden, Professor of Practice, Jewish Studies | BIO
W 2:00-3:15p
The transition to university life can present challenges, as you juggle less structure, more demands, new roles, and increased pressures. The purpose of this TIDES course is to help you develop social and emotional skills; benefitting you in academic and work contexts, interpersonal relationships, and overall well-being. Explore the tranquil side of New Orleans and discover your best self through mindfulness and self awareness activities.This course is designed to help students develop strengths and assets that promote their social and emotional well-being as they transition to a higher education setting in New Orleans. Along the way, they will be introduced to social and emotional competencies that can help promote their personal and interpersonal awareness and competence which will help students navigate new and challenging academic, social, and emotional terrain. These competencies include: self-awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and responsible decision making.
Brooke Grant, Professor of Practice, Teacher Preparation & Certification Program | BIO
Erica Smith, Professor of Practice, Teacher Preparation & Certification Program | BIO
T 9:30-10:45a
This course explores the development of the modern United States presidential campaign, with an emphasis on mass media. Considering the development of new communications technologies, how has the presidential campaign changed over the last six decades? How has it remained the same? The class will consider the creation of narrative across radio, television and social media outlets.
Various forms of mass communication, including radio, television, and social media networks, will be considered as channels for political campaign development. The development of emerging technologies and media landscapes will be contextualized.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Aidan Smith, Administrative Assistant Professor, Newcomb Institute | BIO
F 1:00-2:15p
Health is influenced by factors beyond one's genetics. The social determinants of health - where we are born, raised, work, and play - contribute to our overall health. Inequities in these determinants lead to inequities in health. In this TIDES course we will look at New Orleans through the lens of social determinants of health and the health care institutions that have served the people in this community. We will explore the history of New Orleans to understand the social, economic, and racial disparities that impact our residents' health and wellbeing today. Finally, we will look to the future and see what's on the agenda for improving the health of New Orleanians.
Emily Harris, Clinical Instructor, Health Policy & Management | BIO
T 12:30-1:45p
Those interested in and pursuing STEM fields have often felt like they were exempt from the conversation on society. They have often been excluded from discussions regarding the ethical implications of the progress that they pay a key role in. In this class, we will use various lenses to view the technical advancements in big data, science and engineering, including those that you may be working on in the coming four years. We will examine the global, societal, economic, and environmental implications of subjects such as ethics of big data, AI, social media, digital media, large scale engineering projects, scientific research , medicine and big pharma, and more, focusing on examples found in the NOLA area. The topics will be brought to life by local guest speakers from local organizations such as Glass Half Full or Green Light NOLA as well as trips to one or more of the following: NASA Michoud, Mardi Gras World, the Superdome, and a Flood Abatement Pumping Station.
Khaled Adjerid, Professor of Practice, Biomedical Engineering | BIO
R 5:00-6:15p
Management is the coordination and administration of tasks to achieve a goal. The functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. In the Art of Management, we will review and discuss these four functions using text, case studies, and simulations. We will explore companies that are run well and those who messed up along the way. Learning from the mess ups has the best growth opportunities.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Ashley Nelson, Professor of Practice, School of Business | BIO
M 9:00-10:15a
Welcome! As a member of the Tulane community, you are also now a part of the larger New Orleans community. In a city with such rich cultural roots, there is a vast expanse of health and wellness options throughout the city. From access to nutritionally complete foods or more esoteric resources, such as mind-body connections, this course is designed to introduce students to overall health and wellness needs and availabilities across New Orleans. In addition to exploring health and wellness resources, we also delve into facilitated discussions surrounding the experiences of a first-year college student, such as vulnerability, connection, self-awareness, mindfulness, and integrity.
**This course includes an optional service learning component**
Elizabeth Abboud, Professor of Practice, Cell & Molecular Biology | BIO
R 12:30-1:45p
What is an archive, and how do we make them? From the selfies we take or the ticket stubs we treasure to the cultural institutions we visit, we are surrounded by different means of documenting our past and present for the future. This TIDES course investigates the concept of the archive through a wide array of archival networks available from personal, local, and even global perspectives. Following a brief grounding in the history of collecting artifacts/art as a means to fashion the self or formulate an identity, we will focus on how subsequent archival spaces are created – from the intimate to the expansive, from the tangible to the ephemeral/digital – and the issues at stake when developing the narrative that an archive relays. We will question the voices both resonant and silent in archival practice through guided reading and discussion as well as through visiting speakers and corresponding visits to local institutions to make connections across campus and across the city of New Orleans. Students will be encouraged to consider their own voice in this documentary process as they develop their own personal archive in a capstone project woven through the course.
Alexis Culotta, Professor of Practice, Art History | BIO
M 4:00-5:15p
Over the course of the next year students will develop an understanding of why young adults engage in high-risk health behaviors. During the first semester attention will focus on the social processes thought to underlie young adults' uptake of behavior patterns which expose them to unnecessary health risks. Among the wide range of high risk behaviors to be covered over the course of the year will be drinking, drugging, smoking, eating, speeding, unsafe sex, and other risky choices. Participants will develop an understanding of how one's family, friends and peers come to shape high-risk health behavior patterns. New Orleans provides an excellent vantage point from which to scientifically explore a culture in which exhibiting high risk health behavior patterns is almost normative. Students will work up epidemiological comparisons between their hometowns and New Orleans based on a wide range of available Internet databases. Students do no direct observations or participation in any high-risk behavior patterns as part of the course.
Reginald Parquet, Clinical Assistant Professor, Social Work | BIO
R 2:00-3:15p
Compelling storytelling lies at the heart of success across fields. From a business person pitching a new product to a research scientist vying for a competitive grant, the ability to tell a captivating story gives you an advantage. Storytelling skills serve you when interviewing for internships or jobs, networking, or even just making new friends in college. Whether your ultimate goal is a TED Talk with a million views or just a kick ass toast at your best friend’s wedding one day, this class will give you concrete tools to improve your public speaking and storytelling skills. In this experiential class, we will create a supportive environment where you will discover your personal communication style and how to leverage your strengths to gain more confidence in your ability to tell a great story. Our class will culminate in a story-telling event where each student tells a personal story from their lives in front of an invited audience.
Jenny Mercein, Associate Professor, Theatre & Dance | BIO
T 3:30-4:45p
Many students have been drawn to Tulane for its heavily touted commitment to community, but what does this mean and look like in actuality and from the perspective of the New Orleans community? This course introduces students to concepts around community engagement at an individual level and at Tulane, the components of ethical service, the dynamics of entering a community that may be new to you, and an introduction to a specific community within New Orleans via service with a partner organization that will engage with the course throughout the semester.
The class will partner with two main community partners (Pointe-au-Chien Tribe and Mardi Gras Indian Chiefs Council) and also serve with various partners that work on recycling, re-using, and restoration, to overall learn how conservation measures impact communities.
**This course includes a service learning component**
Jelagat Cheruiyot, Professor of Practice, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology | BIO
W 5:30-6:45p
As the concept of local foodways becomes entrenched in the growing “foodie” culture of the United States, local food and local dishes become an ever more important marker of place. Whether justified or not, Creole and Cajun food and, of course, the ubiquitous Cocktail, are perceived by many as synonymous with New Orleans. In this course, we will explore the myths and realities of these three key concepts as they apply to food and drink in New Orleans.
Amy George, Senior Professor of Practice, Spanish & Portuguese | BIO
