Academic Expo (Sample Classes)

Learn about Gonzaga's Excellence in Teaching. 

The Academic Expo has two sessions with most classes offered during both sessions (those that aren’t are identified below). Explore the list of offerings below (sorted by academic program) and choose one sample class for the first session and one for the second session.

• Session 1: 3:20 - 3:50 p.m. PDT
• Session 2: 3:55 - 4:25 p.m. PDT

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Schedule

Swipe right if you are on mobile to view Zoom links

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Course Descriptions

The Gonzaga Bacteriophage Discovery Program

Biology
Marianne Poxleitner

All students in Gonzaga's Introductory Biology Labs isolate and purify novel bacteriophages, which are viruses that infect bacteria. This class highlights phage biology and how the student research program impacts the scientific community. 

Accounting and Technology

Business - Accounting
Matthew Hoag

A brief overview of how technology is changing the accounting profession. The class will also provide a snapshot of Gonzaga's highly ranked accounting programs.

Make it Sticky - How to Persuade and Inform with Sticky Stories

Business - Entrepreneurship
Christopher Stevens

This class will focus on a key question in entrepreneurship - how do we get people interested in our ideas?  Using examples, we'll figure out what makes a story "stick" and provide some rules that will help you inform others, persuade them, and create stories that stick with them.

Introduction to Finance

Business - Finance
Yelin Zhang

In this class, students are introduced to different areas in finance and the topics we examine in corporate finance.

Interview Questions - from the Other Side of the Desk

Business - Human Resource Management
Molly Pepper

Why do job interviewers ask questions like "what are your greatest strengths?" or "If you were a color what color would you be?" This sample lecture will describe what is going on behind the scenes of a job interview.

The API Economy - Why building modern information systems is like using legos

Business - Management Information Systems
Tim Olsen

When Uber launched ten years ago, it utilized 3 main components -- none of which were actually built by Uber: A map, a text message, and credit card billing. Like Uber, the vast majority of the parts used in Toyota and Tesla cars are built by other companies. In this sense, information system development is starting to look similar to building a car. We describe the implications of this development -- and get hands on experience with an API to send text messages.

Marketing + Psychology Applied

Business - Marketing
Dr. Richard Vann

We will explore how marketing and psychology work together in marketing practice and discuss Gonzaga's marketing options.

Supply Chain Management: Beer Game Simulation

Business - Operations Management
Scott Hedin

Students will learn about Supply Chain Management. First they will be assigned to teams of four to play a simulation called the Beer Game Supply Chain. Next we will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on supply chains. The lecture will conclude with a discussion explaining the advantages of studying supply chain management at Gonzaga University.

DNA Damage: Applying Classroom Knowledge in the Research Lab

Chemistry & Biochemistry
Shannen Cravens

Did you know that your DNA, the very molecule that makes you who you are, is damaged about 10,000 times each day? Even the slightest change to our DNA can prove deadly, so how is it possible for us to be alive? Well, our bodies have developed an incredible defense mechanism to protect us and that's what we'll be discussing. You'll learn about the dangers of DNA damage and the basics of how it is repaired. You'll get to see how this content is introduced in our biochemistry curriculum, partake in a virtual tour of a research lab, and hear from current Gonzaga students how they are using this foundational knowledge to explore their research projects.

Catalysis in Action

Chemistry & Biochemistry
Wilson Bailey

Catalysts are an essential part of our chemical industry, the chemical transformations that occur in nature, and even the chemical reactions that occur in our bodies! Catalysts come in different shapes and forms, but their impact is the same: they speed up chemical reactions, and often times produce less waste which makes them a key part of environmentally friendly chemistry. In this sample class, we talk about the theory behind how catalysts work in chemistry, and then look at some real-life examples and reaction demos. Get ready for some exciting reactions!

Environmental Engineering: Sustainable Solutions to Environmental Pollution

Civil Engineering
Kyle Shimabuku

Apply science and math to protect public and environmental health through environmental and water treatment engineering.

Sustainable Structures

Civil Engineering
Joshua Schultz

Using basic concepts of engineering we will look at efficient and sustainable design of structures.

Argumentation and Debate

Communication Studies
Glen Frappier

Debates occur every day in a wide variety of situations in both formal and informal settings and arguments are the building blocks of those exchanges. This course will examine how to effectively engage in those debates and navigate them across a variety of contemporary contexts. We will focus on the role of debate as a forum for civic engagement in both public and private spheres. 

Fun with Cryptography, the Science of Privacy

Computer Science
Paul De Palma

depalma@gonzaga.edu

Perfect secrecy is possible over the internet, despite what you might have heard.  This class is about the 2000 year quest to send secure messages over insecure media, and how its solution in 1976 enabled Jeff Bezos to become the richest man on earth.  Bring a pencil and a pad of paper.  You'll need them to encrypt your messages. Come to class with a pencil and paper.

Data Science and Machine Learning w/Python

Computer Science
Gina Sprint

In this sample class, we will perform hands-on demos of data science and machine learning topics using the Python programming language. No programming experience is necessary to see some neat machine learning in action and to learn about in-demand data science skills we teach at Gonzaga!

User Interface and User Experience Design - SESSION TWO

Computer Science
Daniel Olivares

User Interface / User Experience Design (Human-Computer Interaction) focuses on key principles and concepts for designing human-computer interfaces, along with the theories of human perception, cognition and learning that underlie them. The goal is a human-centered (or user-centered) software design processes. Web development greatly benefits from understanding and applying the key concepts of HCI and the human-centered software design process.

Intro to DevOps

Computer Science
Aaron Crandall

Recent changes in software development strategies have given rise to a new approach known as Development Operations. This is a fusion between software dev and systems deployment where continuous testing and scripted server rollouts are used to support software product development. This field of DevOps is in high demand among the tech industry today, with ramifications for many related technology fields. This short course will introduce the key DevOps concepts and demonstrate how software product deployment is an extension of the software development process instead of a separate effort.

So, You Wanna Talk about (Critical) Race (and Ethnic Studies)?

Critical Race and Ethnic Studies
Cassandra Dame-Griff

In this class, we'll be discussing some of the key frameworks of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, with a focus on one central question: Why do we need to talk about race? We'll cover the social construction of race and ethnicity, and discuss how this impacts lived experience, power, and policy in the United States.

Economics and Everyday Decisions

Economics
Ryan Herzog

How economics informs everyday decisions.

March Madness and Poetry

English
Ingrid Ranum

We'll be reading and discussing a poem about love and basketball.

Internet Memes and Digital Cultures

English
Chase Bollig

How do you analyze an internet meme? In this preview class, we'll explore rhetorical and cultural frameworks for close reading viral pop culture.

Environmental Ethics

Environmental Studies
Brian Henning

In this session we will explore some of the ideas covered in ENVS 358: Environmental Ethics, a class required for all Environmental Studies Majors and Minors.

Teaching and Learning Indigenous Early America

History
Ann Ostendorf

This presentation will describe how the disciplines of History and Native American Studies are taught and learned at Gonzaga. The presentation will introduce students to these two disciplines, provide brief sample content from an Indigenous Early American History course, give examples from a student experience of History and Native Studies courses, and culminate in a student research presentation at the intersection of historical and indigenous scholarship. There will be ample room for questions and conversations related to this work.

Analyzing Photographs

Integrated Media
Matt McCormick

Photography is a powerful medium that allows the photographer to create creative and informative images. But if we are going to create truly moving photographs, we must first understand how images communicate.  In this workshop we will analyze some famous images to better understand what makes them so effective, which will in-turn allow us to create better photographs ourselves.

Intro to International Studies

International Studies
Fr. Dan Mai, SJ

This course provides an introduction to the multi-disciplinary field of International Studies.

Mathematics in Modern Medicine

Mathematics
Melody Alsaker

From modeling the COVID-19 pandemic to the design of amazing medical imaging technologies, mathematics underlies the cutting edge of modern medicine. In this class, two GU math faculty will describe how mathematics is used to advance exciting innovations in medicine.

Fun and Games with Mathematics

Mathematics
Eric Hogle

GEL weekend math presentation: Fun and Games with Mathematics

Materials Engineering

Mechanical Engineering
Pat Ferro

Metallurgical Investigations of the RMS Titanic

Heat Transfer Engineering

Mechanical Engineering
Tailian Chen

This class is about heat transfer fundamentals and its industry applications. 

Undergraduate Research in the GU Tribology Lab

Mechanical Engineering
Harman Khare

This is a brief tour of the GU Tribology Research Lab and the projects GU undergraduates in the lab are working on.

Tense? Moody? You Must Be A Verb - Modern Languages demo

Modern Languages and Literature
Christina Isabelli

Come see how we deliver our engaging modern languages classes in a way that helps develop your skills but also builds on your intercultural knowledge and competency!

Concert Choir

Music
Tim Westerhaus

Join 55 students of Gonzaga's Concert Choir for a live-demo of a dynamic choir class, learn about creative choral programming at Gonzaga, and ask questions of current GU Choirs students.

Introduction to Music Composition

Music
Shuying Li

Graphic notation composition is a system of creating sounds and notating them with graphic markings to introduce music creativity and composition. The system is simple in design and execution, especially concerning performance skill and music literacy knowledge (theory and harmony). This unique method works in any classroom for any age and allows all students to experience creativity. With help from the music teacher, students with limited musical knowledge can create musical soundscapes that can be turned into fully-notated compositions. Some improvisational performance will be instructed while creating a graphic score collectively by all students.

Native Americans and Sports - SESSION ONE

Native American Studies
Laurie Arnold

This sample class will explore one of the most popular topics in Native American Studies at Gonzaga: Sports! Surfing and lacrosse are sports which originated in Indigenous communities and are enjoyed around the world today. Native and Indigenous athletes, including Olympians, have excelled in sports as diverse as track, basketball, baseball, rodeo, rugby, and more. This brief overview will provide students with new ways to understand some of their favorite pastimes. Gonzaga University resides on the ancestral homelands of the Spokane Tribe of Indians--join this class and learn ways Native American Studies personifies Gonzaga's mission and values.

Native American Culture and Food Sovereignty - SESSION TWO

Native American Studies
Laurie Arnold

Are you interested in clean food and sustainable food practices? Native American Culture and Food Sovereignty will explore ways Native and Indigenous peoples are restoring traditional foods to their communities and their diets. Gonzaga resides on the ancestral homelands of the Spokane Tribe of Indians and Native peoples of this place practiced seasonal harvest of wild foods, fish, and game animals for more than 9000 years before Spokane existed. This overview will feature Native people discussing the importance of ancestral foods for contemporary nutrition as well as preservation of cultures and languages.

Nursing Simulation and Skills Lab Introduction

Nursing
Susan Edwards

There will be a live demonstration of nursing simulation by nursing students followed by an opportunity to ask questions.

Jesuits, Philosophers, and BatKid

Philosophy
Dr. Timothy Weidel

What do we owe to one another?  How much "good" should we be doing in our world?  And how do we go about discerning where to direct our efforts in a world where so many people are vulnerable?  Are some causes more worthy than others?  In this sample class, we will engage with these fundamental questions through the lens of both moral philosophy and the Jesuit pedagogical tradition. 

Waves and Quantum Physics

Physics
Adam Fritsch

In this class, we will discuss how waves are an essential aspect of understanding quantum physics.  Wave demonstrations will be done and compared to what happens inside of the atom.  No previous background in physics or math is at all expected.  All interested people are welcome!

International Organizations

Political Science
Stacy Taninchev

The term "global governance" has been used to refer to a variety of processes and structures meant to control transnational activities and outcomes.  Cooperation between states to solve problems by creating IGOs is not easy.  States come to the table with different interests and wielding different degrees of power.  In this particular class session, we will explore why cooperation is difficult to achieve in order to understand why IGOs are created.

Problems of Rising Income Inequality and Why "Churning" Would Help

Political Science
Michael Treleaven

Inequality has policy causes, and income and wealth "churning" will help reverse the social, ethical, and political ills of inequality.  A talk with Q&A.

The Curious Case of the Preschool Mind - SESSION 1

Psychology
Anna Marie Medina

Little kids are weird...they say and do the darndest things because they understand the world in a fundamentally different way than school-age children.  We'll look at some of the odd errors they make and talk about how developmental psychology does - and doesn't - understand the nature of these errors.

Psychology as a Behavioral Science - SESSION 2

Psychology
Paul Romanowich

A brief tutorial on how Psychology can help us understand why we behave in certain ways, and how we can use this information to make the world better.

Eve, Genesis & the Birth of Gender

Religious Studies
Elizabeth Goldstein

Reading the creation stories of Genesis in English is the way most of us read the Bible, but there are some priceless clues that studying the Hebrew yields to our understanding of stories we thought we knew.  Find out why "the man" might be better translated as earthling and why he might have been created at the same moment as the woman, even in Genesis 2.

Isaiah 6 as First-Year Seminar Prototype

Religious Studies
Scott Starbuck

This brief virtual class explores the metacognitive transformation of the prophet Isaiah through archaeology and iconographic exegesis. Participants will discover that this 8th century BCE prophet had his own “First-Year Seminar” experience that shaped the rest of his life. 

Know Your Rights!

Sociology and Criminology
Vikas Gumbhir

The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution protects you from "unreasonable searches and seizures."  What exactly does this mean?  What happens when your Fourth Amendment rights are violated?  The answers may surprise you.

Exercise & Sport Psychology

Sport & Physical Education
Nichole Calkins

Using Psychological Skills to Enhance Performance: How athletes and students can use psychological skills to improve the amount of flow they experience and increase their opportunity for peak performance.

Social and Emotional Learning

Teacher Education
Deborah Nieding

This session will include some hands on participation.  Those attending will need to have paper and pens.

Contemporary Dance Class

Theatre & Dance
Karla Parbon

The Gonzaga Dance Program will be providing a short contemporary dance class led by Professor Karla Parbon. Participants will learn a short combination and there will be a time for a Q&A. This is a chance for prospective students to learn more about the Dance Program and all it has to offer!

Costume and Fashion Design

Theatre & Dance
Leslie Stamoolis

Learn the basics of the visual storytelling process through garments.