Explore New Offerings

Each semester, the Bryn Mawr Curriculum Committee and Bryn Mawr Faculty create and approve new courses to add to the curriculum. Fall 2023 courses are listed here with the course descriptions below.

Spring 2024

Course Descriptions here

 Full course descriptions

Full Course Descriptions

#BlackLivesMatterEverywhere; AFST-B204

#BlackLivesMatterEverywhere: Ethnographies & Theories on the African Diaspora is a interdisciplinary course closely examines political, cultural, intellectual, and spiritual mobilizations for Black Lives on local, global and hemispheric levels. We will engage an array of materials ranging from literature, history, oral histories, folklore, dance, music, popular culture, social media, ethnography, and film/documentaries. By centering the political and intellectual labor of Black women and LGBTQ folks at the forefront of the movements for Black Lives, we unapologetically excavate how #BlackLivesMatterEverywhere has a long and rich genealogy in the African diaspora. Lastly, students will be immersed in Black queer feminist theorizations on diaspora, political movements, and the multiplicities of Blackness. CC; CI

Black Latinx Americas: Movement; AFST-B206

This interdisciplinary course examines the extensive and diverse histories, social movements, political mobilization and cultures of Black people (Afrodescendientes) in Latin America and the Caribbean. While the course will begin in the slavery era, most of our scholarly-activist attention will focus on the histories of peoples of African descent in Latin America after emancipation to the present. Some topics we will explore include: the particularities of slavery in the Americas, the Haitian Revolution and its impact on articulations of race and nation in the region, debates on “racial democracy,” the relationship between gender, class, race, and empire, and recent attempts to write Afro-Latin American histories from “transnational” and “diaspora” perspectives. We will engage the works of historians, activists, artists, anthropologists, sociologists, and political theorists who have been key contributors to the rich knowledge production on Black Latin America. CC; CI

Politics of Public Art; ANTH-B356

In this class we will explore the politics of public art. While we will look at the political messaging of public art, we will also seek to understand how public art, through its integration into a social geography, has a political impact beyond its meaning. We will see how art claims public space and structures social action, how art shapes social groups, and how art channels economic flows or government power. By tracing the ways that art is situated in public space, we will examine how art enters into urban contest and global inequality. Class activity will include exploration of public art and students will be introduced to key concepts of urban spatial analysis to help interrogate this art. One 200-level course in Social Sciences, Humanities, or Arts fields, or permission of the instructor NOAPPR

Jordanian Dialect; ARAB-B100

Having studied Modern Standard Arabic in some depth before, this course will help you communicate in the Jordanian dialect while introducing you to an in-depth examination of the history and culture. This will take place through a variety of interactive exercises and real-life scenarios, possibly going shopping in one of the local stores, and/or similar field trips. In addition, the course will introduce and touch upon cultural norms of Jordan, some of it specific to the country and some shared by inhabitants of the Arab world. This course will helping you advance your understanding of the history and culture of Jordan, but also of the Arabic language and its usage on a daily basis. NOAPPR

Art & Arch of Central Asia; ARCH-B237

Exploring the rich and vibrant cultural heritage of Central Asia, this course delves into the region's history, art, and archaeology spanning from the third millennium BCE to the eighth century CE. Central Asia, constituting the territory between western China and eastern Iran, served as the heartland of the ancient Silk Road. Despite its significance, the region's history and culture often remain shrouded in mystery, largely unknown to the academic community. This course sheds light on topics related to Central Asia, such as state formation, nomadism, religious beliefs, trade, and arts and crafts production of Central Asia, while emphasizing the region’s interconnectedness with the broader world. IP; WA

World of Gilgamesh; ARCH-B247

This course explores how the people of ancient Mesopotamia perceive and comprehend the fundamental questions of human existence, such as the intricacies of life and death, gender and sexuality, the relationship between humans and the divine, and the definition of self-identity in relation to the outside world, through an examination of the literary works and archaeological remains from the ancient Near East. Guided by the epic tale of Gilgamesh, the legendary king of Uruk in Mesopotamian mythology, we will journey back to the mesmerizing world of the fourth and third millennium BCE, when human civilizations first emerged and thrived. This course offers an immersive experience, enabling students to unleash their intellectual creativity through dramatic performances and curation of a digital exhibit showcasing early Mesopotamian civilization. IP; ARCH

The Roman Empire in SW Asia; ARCH-B528

This course examines the impact – or lack thereof – the Roman Empire had on the visual and material culture in the Eastern Mediterranean and South-West Asia from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE. To understand the local response to Rome’s expansion, we study the complex political and social structures that were in place in these regions long before the arrival of Rome as well as the agents that continuously negotiated between Rome, local polities, and external factors (i.e., nomadic tribes). We will explore the multi-faceted world of the easternmost provinces of the Roman Empire with reference to archaeological, visual, and textual sources and adopt counter-narrative approaches to critically discuss the nature of colonial and imperial encounters.  

Dance Movement Therapy; ARTD-B256

In the fields of dance, embodiment, health, and movement, methodologies and practices of the being/body in motion are well-known as preventative art. This course will build a beginning understanding of dance/movement therapy or DMT. Through experiential exercises, lecture, discussion, and video presentations, students will explore contemporary structures of DMT and the intersection of DMT with social justice, psychology, and neuroscience, with a deep focus on the framework offered by anthropologist dancer Dr. Pearl Primus at the American Dance Therapy Conference in 1969. This course will review the historical roots of dance/movement as a healing art form prior to the western development of DMT, the origins of dance/movement therapy in the United States, and current theoretical frameworks and interventions of DMT. Critical analysis of theoretical structures will be applied in embodied practice throughout the course. This is a writing and dance attentive course. No dance experience necessary, just courage to move. CI; IP

Sensory Physiology; BIOL-B344

How do animals sense the world around them? How does an animal’s physiology shape its experience of the world? In this class, we will cover the processes underlying animal sensing, including the senses familiar to us – vision (seeing), audition (hearing), somatosensation (touch), olfaction (smell), and gustation (taste) – as well as those we lack, such as electroreception and magnetoreception. The course will focus on the structures and transduction mechanisms that convert sensory signals in the outside world to neural signals. We will highlight commonalities across sensory systems in divergent organisms, as well as examine how animals have evolved unique sensory systems suited to their particular environments. WA

History and Design Workshop; CITY-B340

This course combines historical and theoretical research with studio and design practice in architecture. It is project based and allows students to work collaboratively on research questions relevant to built environments. This iteration tracks the form and choices shaping three successive built landscapes over five centuries – from the agricultural communities of Quakers in Wales and the Welsh Tract in Lower Merion in the 17th and 18th centuries to the commuter suburb of the 19th and 20th. The course also looks ahead from this history as a studio collectively exploring key elements of a “New Bryn Mawr” as an idealized sustainable community of 1000 residents whose design specifically addresses environmental concerns, inequality, anxiety, joblessness, and spatial fragmentation. CITY

Queer and Deviant Classics; CSTS-B229

This course investigates the capacity of the ancient past to provide marginalized individuals and groups with a sense of identity and community. Using historical and literary records, we will examine modern countercultural receptions of ancient Greece and Rome, which often invited vehement opposition from academics and the broader public. This dynamic is exemplified by a clique of 1900's Parisian women calling themselves "lesbians" after the ancient poet Sappho; Vietnam veterans finding validation in Homer's portrayal of a war-weary Achilles; the use of Plato's philosophy in a landmark American gay rights case in the 1990's; the embrace of Cleopatra as an empowered African queen by Black American authors. In this endeavor we will amend the popular image of the study of classical antiquity, which is and has always been a diverse and inclusive enterprise. CI

Mysteries of the Ancient World; CSTS-B233

This course explores the Mysteries of the ancient Greco-Roman world, examining the evidence for the rituals and religious ideas associated with these often secretive and hidden practices. From the Mysteries for Demeter and Persephone in Eleusis, carried out by thousands of Athenians in a multi-day festival, to the Bacchic revels for Dionysos celebrated by mountain-roaming maenads or sedate civic associations, to the secret rites for the Persian god Mithras, performed by Roman soldiers in cave shrines throughout the empire, these mysterious rituals have exercised their fascination over the centuries, playing an outsized role in the depictions of polytheistic religion in the ancient Mediterranean world. CI

Advanced Statistical Inference; DSCI-B315

What are the different ways in which we can derive conclusions (and certainty of those conclusions) from the same sample of data? This course provides an introduction to the logic and application of statistical methods for analyzing data relevant to fields in data science utilizing two popular perspectives: the traditional Null Hypothesis Significance Testing (NHST) or Frequentist approach as well as the more contemporary approach of Bayesian inference. In doing so, we will tackle two of the most predominate ways of drawing conclusions about the world and gain important insight into quantifying uncertainty in our conclusions. Topics covered include data management and screening; methods for describing and presenting data; t-tests; analysis of variance; advanced applications of the general linear model (i.e., regression) including moderator analyses; and generalized versions of the general linear model such as logistic regression. Some of these topics may be seen as a review from the NHST perspective; however we will jump straight into modeling these parameters using the more flexible general linear model. This is an applied course in statistics. Thus, the emphasis is not on learning math (i.e., doing statistical analyses by hand). Rather, the major objectives of this course are for you to gain a conceptual understanding of statistical inference from both Bayesian and NHST perspectives, learn how to implement statistical analyses using both approaches on a computer using R (a free, open-source program), interpret R output, and communicate the results of statistical analyses in clear and compelling language. No prior knowledge of the R statistical platform is required. Prerequisites: BIOL 215 Biostatistics with R, or PSYC 205 Research Methods and Statistics, or SOCL 265 Quantitative Methods or A comparable statistics course in the BICO (e.g., PSYC H200). NOAPPR

Intro to Behavioral Economics; ECON-B209

This course will introduce you to behavioral economics - the subfield of economics that uses economic models coupled with insights from psychology to understand better and model human behavior. The broad goal of the course is to apply these insights to understand individual decisions in risky scenarios, strategic scenarios, cooperation, attention, and more. Prerequisite: ECON B105 NOAPPR

Nature and Freedom; FREN-B333

When referring to Rousseau’s political theory, the conjectural state of nature first described in his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (1755) has frequently been identified with native societies as observed in America since 1492. Many scholars have been opposing this primitivist interpretation of his second discourse and showed that Rousseau might instead be considered the father of all ‘social construct’ theories. But in spite of this scholarly consensus, Graeber and Wengrow still tend to assume Rousseau’s state of nature is mostly inspired by the encounter of Europeans with native people. Why is this confusion still informing the way we read Rousseau? How did considerations on the so-called ‘noble savage’ taint his political theory? How can we assess the role an ‘indigenous critique’ played in defining Rousseau’s state of nature? And incidentally: how ‘indigenous’ is this ‘indigenous critique’? Answering to Graeber and Wengrow’s (mis)reading of Rousseau will allow us to cast a new light not only on Rousseau’s ‘unnatural’ anthropology, but also on Graeber & Wengrow’s broader claims on human nature and political freedom. Our end goal is not to offer a scholarly take on either Rousseau’s discourse of Graeber and Wengrow’s book, but to answer this pressing question: should/could we discard the very notion of nature to regain political agency here and now? Authors include: Léry, Montaigne, Hobbes, Rousseau, Lévi-Strauss, Serres, Graeber and Wengrow. NOAPPR  

Local Histories Modern America; HIST-B341

If "all politics is local," then so too is all history. This course takes a local approach to the history of the United States, focusing on the nearby Philadelphia suburbs as a microcosm of modern American society and culture. Paying particular attention to Delaware County, students will investigate local history and local cultural sites and integrate them into a broader historical context. NOAPPR

Topics in Health Studies; HLTH-B303

This is a topics course. Course content varies. WA

Italian Society in Film; ITAL-B238

This course will introduce students to contemporary Italian history and culture by viewing and discussing those films produced in Italy that most reflect the diversity of its nation and society, from the Unification to today. Group work, in-class discussions, and academic readings will foster students’ visual analysis, cross-cultural reflection, and critical thinking skills on topics such as organized crime, gender inequality, masculinity, racial and ethnic discrimination, migration, mental disability, and queer identities. Students will familiarize themselves with renowned directors such as Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, and Marco Tullio Giordana, in addition to acquiring an interdisciplinary understanding of Italian cinema. Taught in English, with an additional hour in Italian for students seeking Italian credit. Cross-listed with Film Studies. CC; CI

Elementary Korean; KORN-B102

An intensive introductory course in modern spoken and written Korean. Six hours a week of lecture and oral practice plus one-on-one sessions with the instructor. This is a year-long course; both semesters are required for credit. Requires attendance at class and drills. NOAPPR

Travelers through the Mid East; MEST-B305

This course will critically approach the various ways that people have traveled to and within the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa in the medieval and modern periods. It will explore the many reasons that induced people to travel by looking at travelogues produced by these various travelers, the material culture of travel (e.g. pilgrimage scrolls, architecture and infrastructure that facilitated travel and lodging, movement of commodities, postcards, etc.), and scholarly work on travel, tourism, and migration more broadly. This course will include travels by merchants, pilgrims, adventurers, scholars, conquering armies, imperial powers, oil tycoons, and refugees. NOAPPR  

Data Ethics in Social Media; PHIL-B258

From sharing our life experiences to reading the news, social media permeates our daily lives. It affects how we communicate, what we buy, and who we vote for. It also generates an immense amount of data, which is eagerly collected by individuals, corporations, and governments. In this course we will investigate some of the threats (and promises) of this data. We will ask questions like: What is the value of privacy online, and how might it be protected? Are we being manipulated by algorithms? Are the algorithms that generate and moderate content biased? What are some of the ways online data can be used for good? Students will investigate these questions through practical and theoretical approaches. Course materials will be drawn from diverse sources including philosophy, data science, sociology, legal theory, and the Internet. Visiting speakers will enrich our discussion by offering academic and professional perspectives on the uses and misuses of data. CI

Phys of Computers; PHYS-B110

Modern computers and computing hardware are the direct result of the successful development of the physics of both quantum mechanics and complex materials over the past 120 years and continued innovation has lead to the invention of the Quantum Computer. Computing has become ubiquitous in our society as the performance of computers have improved. Computers and computing have many applications which influence our lives such as social media, large language models, cryptocurrency, and scientific research. The complexity of these topics leads to many natural questions. How do classical and quantum computers function? What key physics principles allow modern computers to operate? How powerful can computers be and what are their current limitations? What are the implications, such as scientific innovation or environmental impact, of large scale computing? How will quantum computers revolutionize computing? This conceptual course will explore these types of questions and provide opportunities to work with such technologies. SI

Plasma Phys; PHYS-B220

This is a half-unit introduction to basic plasma physics including an overview of plasma systems, single particle motion, waves and instabilities, and applications of plasma particularly its connection to the development of fusion energy. Prerequisite: MATH B102. NOAPPR

Helping Skills: Theory & Prac; PSYC-B320

What does it mean to help someone? What specific skills can we use to help people feel seen, heard, and understood? This course provides students with in-depth exposure to theories and research regarding effective helping relationships, with a focus on applications to counseling and psychotherapy. Students will learn skills used to assist others in exploring feelings and thoughts, gaining insight, and taking action. Students will practice helping skills with each other and will conduct research projects evaluating their helping skills. This course will also emphasize students' explorations of their own and others' biases, beliefs, and stigmas related to sociocultural and social justice issues that affect helping skills. WI

Perestroika; RUSS-B226

RUSS226 examines the last decade of the Soviet Union and its political, social, and cultural issues. You will learn about Brezhnev’s last years in the Politburo, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the summer 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Perestroika, or “rebuilding,” which began with Mikhail Gorbachev’s rise to power in 1985, shifted every aspect of living in the Soviet Union, including the economic situation, censorship, and ethnic tensions in the Soviet republics, and eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Empire. Through prominent films and writing of the 1980s, you will gain an understanding of the Soviet system in its final stage. All texts and class interaction will be in Russian. Prerequisite: RUSS B201 or permission of instructor. CC; IP

SW Practice in Schools; SOWK-B572

This course is the core course for the School Social Work certificate program that is in application to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and will replace the previously named Home School Visitor Program. More details are forthcoming.

The course presents advanced knowledge and skills essential to providing effective school social work interventions. Students will learn to identify, select, and apply evidence-based prevention and intervention methods for use with individuals, groups, families, school personnel, and communities to enhance student learning, personal development, and school success. In keeping with the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research’s commitment to trauma informed practice through an integrated perspective on theory, practice, policy, research, and ethics, and a commitment to advancing social and economic justice, the curriculum will focus on the skills needed to effectively practice as a school social worker to enhance student learning and achievement. The content will include social justice practice skills; models of positive behavioral supports for school wide programs and individuals; crisis prevention, planning, and intervention; school-based counseling skills with individual students, groups, and families; and mediation, conflict resolution, and collaborative problem-solving methods. Specific interventions to support students with the range of diagnostic presentations and disabilities covered under the Individuals with Disability Education Act will be addressed. Ways to promote family engagement and collaboration will be explored as well as a focus on effective measures to promote youth advocacy. Skills to enhance collaboration and consultation between teachers, families, and other school personnel will be addressed. School social worker intervention methodologies will include ways to help schools develop climates that are inviting, inclusive, and foster equity.

All students across macro and clinical practice are welcome to enroll, without being in the Certificate Program.  

Latinoamérica en shuffle; SPAN-B244

The sacred book of the Quiché nation (present-day Guatemala), the Popol Vuh (circa 1544), begins as follows: “This is the account of how all was in suspense, all calm, in silence; all motionless, still, and the expanse of the sky was empty” (Recinos 81). The soundtrack of the beginning of the world, for the Quiché people, was silence. Almost five centuries after the Popol Vuh was written, the soundtrack of the world for Ulises, the protagonist of the Mexican film Ÿa no estoy aquí" (Frías 2020), is made up of the slowed-down cumbias he listens to in his MP3 as he crosses the U.S.-Mexico border. Beginning with Popol Vuh, and ending with "Ya no estoy aquí," this class will examine the uses of sound, silence, noise, and music in Latin American literature, film, paintings, and performance. During class, we will spend time examining the creative uses of sound, and the following questions will guide our readings: What is the sound of social interactions such as protests, insults, speeches, jokes, and mockery? Is silence a tool for policing, or a tool for escaping? What is the relationship between sound and the representation of gender, race, and ethnicity? How does technology shape the way we listen? Is noise a frontier between the human and the non-human? At the end of the semester, students will choose between curating a thematic playlist in Spanish using Spotify, producing a podcast about a work of literature/film/performance not studied in the course, or adapting a work examined during the semester using the radionovela format. Prerequisites: SPAN B120. CC; CI