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Intro to Black Geographies; AFST-B125
This course interrogates the relationship between Blackness and the social production (and imagining) of space and place across the Americas. Drawing on geography, history, ethnography, and other disciplines in the humanities, we will examine the tensions and possibilities that emerge when Black people are rendered “ungeographic" (McKittrick 2006) as a fundamental component of colonial-racial capitalism. We explore how Blackness across the diaspora is shaped by anti-Blackness but also by a continuous tradition of creating spaces of freedom.  Course Attributes: CC CI     

Black Beauty Cultures; AFST-B250
Why is Black beauty important, across different historical periods and geographies? This course answers this through a deep engagement with Black visual culture, from diaspora histories of Black hair cultures to anthropological studies of Black beauty salons to digital engagement with Black beauty culture on You Tube and Instagram. We’ll do comparative magazine analyses of 20th century Black fashion coverage and today’s celebrity-driven brands like Fenty. Black Beauty is foundational to how we understand the construction of value in art, politics,and society. We’ll also study different Black-studies approaches to visual culture including those from art history, museum studies, film & media studies, communication, popular culture, disability studies, performance studies, feminist theory, and queer studies. Students will walk away with strong training in visual and communication methods and in the aesthetic and political history of Black beauty. The course will culminate with a collective digital exhibition on Black Beauty Cultures that we assemble and annotate as a class. Course Attributes: CC CI     

Race and Reproductive Health; AFST-B320
This course will focus on the history, present, and future of race and reproductive health across the Black Diaspora. We’ll look at historical documents, literature, and historiography of the Early Americas to trace the development of Black reproduction and birth during chattel slavery and colonialism. Then we will turn to 20th and 21st century movements for reproductive justice, including the development of reproductive care in Nigeria, the contemporary push to address Black maternal mortality rates in the US, and the politics of assisted reproductive technology in relationship to race, gender, and sexuality. Medical studies, feminist studies, sociology, and anthropology will work alongside journalism, art, literature, and culture to illuminate and interpret Black reproductive health experience, including artists and writers such as Linda Villarosa, Angelina Weld Grimke, Wangechi Mutu, Octavia Butler, Tlotlo Tsamaase, LaToya Ruby Frazier, and Jamaica Kincaid. At the end of the course, students will be able to connect Black medical and cultural histories of reproduction, and they will develop research projects related to race and reproduction based on their own interests and expertise. 
Course Attributes: No Approach     

Islam in North America; ANTH-B289
How has Islam shaped and been shaped by North America? How do race, gender, and social class influence the practice of Islam in the United States? What can Muslims in North America teach us about Islam, North America, and religion more generally? These questions will guide our exploration of lived Islamic tradition in North America. This course focuses on the complex and diverse ways that Muslims in North America have enacted Islamic tradition in various times, places, and communities. Our course materials combine secondary scholarship with books, films, music, poetry, and digital media. In the process of learning about the history and practice of Islam in North America, you will also engage with a set of conceptual tools and research skills that will serve you in the classroom and beyond. This course will be especially useful for anthropologists specializing in religion and students interested in Islamic traditions and/or American studies. 
Course Attributes: No Approach     

Anthropology of Art; ANTH-B368
The idea that “art is what makes us human” has a long lineage and is a key concept of enlightenment philosophy. The anthropology of art historically drew inspiration from this idea, with anthropologists arguing that creative expression was a universal feature of human society – proof of universal human equality. But if art is evidence of humanity’s common creative drive, art has also often been a profound site of inequality – the development of art was closely connected to colonial exploitation, racial segregation, gendered violence, and contemporary gentrification. In this course we will draw on anthropological scholarship to investigate this tension between art as a feature of common humanity and art as a site for the production of difference. If art makes us human, does some art make some of us more human than others? Prerequisite: Sophomore standing (minimum of at least 8 units) or higher. Course Attributes: No Approach     

Medicine, Magic, and Science; ARCH-B258
Modern medicine is built on more than 5,000 years of history—an intricate and entangled story of how humans have tried to understand, heal, and transform the world around them. Along the way, the boundaries between medicine, magic, science, religion, and philosophy have constantly shifted. What does it mean to know something? Where does religion end and science begin? Course Attributes: CC     

Egyptomania Then & Now; ARCH-B264
The pyramids, tombs, and mummies uncovered in Egypt’s earliest excavations conjured a dazzling—if romanticized—vision of the “Land of the Pharaohs.” Today, archaeology continues to peel back the layers of myth, revealing not only pharaohs and temples but also the daily lives of workers and Egypt’s far-reaching Mediterranean connections. This course explores how both early and modern excavations have shaped our understanding of the “Gift of the Nile,” while reminding us that many mysteries remain. To situate these discoveries, we will trace the reception of ancient Egypt across time: in its original setting, through the eyes of early explorers and antiquarians, and as imagined by modern audiences. Along the way, we’ll test how Egypt has been re-packaged in film clips, video games, and even VR experiences—asking why Egypt continues to capture the global imagination, and what that fascination reveals about us today. Course Attributes: IP     

Money in Antiquity; ARCH-B354
In this course we shall investigate the ancient world through one of its most fundamental institutions: money. We will learn about different types of ancient money, including coinage, bullion, grain and credit, the various coins used by the Greeks and Romans (as well as other groups, such as ancient Mesopotamians, Persians, Indians and Jews), and about the different methods used to study them. The seminar takes an interdisciplinary approach to major topics in the history of money, including the origins of coinage, monetization, imitations and forgeries, debasement, trade, and the politics of issuing coins. We shall think about economics and social history, as well as the role played by coins in archaeology, and the complex ethical (and legal) issues surrounding the modern practice of coin collecting. Course Attributes:   No Approach     

Amarna in Context; ARCH-B358
This seminar explores the ancient Egyptian city of Amarna as a case study in how we construct, contest, and sometimes overstate claims about the ancient past. Often hailed as a city of radical reform— both a religious and social 'revolution', Amarna offers a rich but problematic archive. Through close engagement with archaeological evidence, texts, spatial analysis, and broader comparative material, students will assess whether the city truly marked a break from ancient Egyptian tradition or simply reshaped old ideas in new clothes. Topics include urbanism, ideology, monumentality, daily ritual, economy, identity, and landscape. Additionally, we will investigate how modern narratives, from popular media to scholarly literature, have sustained the myth of Amarna’s uniqueness, while reflecting on the consequences of historical myth-making. Open to students across ancient studies, the course invites critical reflection on how knowledge is produced, and how cities, ideologies, and people get flattened into historical “firsts”. Course Attributes:  No Approach     

Money in Antiquity; ARCH-B554
In this course we shall investigate the ancient world through one of its most fundamental institutions: money. We will learn about different types of ancient money, including coinage, bullion, grain and credit, the various coins used by the Greeks and Romans (as well as other groups, such as ancient Mesopotamians, Persians, Indians and Jews), and about the different methods used to study them. The seminar takes an interdisciplinary approach to major topics in the history of money, including the origins of coinage, monetization, imitations and forgeries, debasement, trade, and the politics of issuing coins. We shall think about economics and social history, as well as the role played by coins in archaeology, and the complex ethical (and legal) issues surrounding the modern practice of coin collecting. Course Attributes:   No Approach         

Money in Antiquity; ARCH-B554
In this course we shall investigate the ancient world through one of its most fundamental institutions: money. We will learn about different types of ancient money, including coinage, bullion, grain and credit, the various coins used by the Greeks and Romans (as well as other groups, such as ancient Mesopotamians, Persians, Indians and Jews), and about the different methods used to study them. The seminar takes an interdisciplinary approach to major topics in the history of money, including the origins of coinage, monetization, imitations and forgeries, debasement, trade, and the politics of issuing coins. We shall think about economics and social history, as well as the role played by coins in archaeology, and the complex ethical (and legal) issues surrounding the modern practice of coin collecting. Course Attributes:  No Approach           

Amarna in Context; ARCH-B558
This seminar explores the ancient Egyptian city of Amarna as a case study in how we construct, contest, and sometimes overstate claims about the ancient past. Often hailed as a city of radical reform— both a religious and social 'revolution', Amarna offers a rich but problematic archive. Through close engagement with archaeological evidence, texts, spatial analysis, and broader comparative material, students will assess whether the city truly marked a break from ancient Egyptian tradition or simply reshaped old ideas in new clothes. Topics include urbanism, ideology, monumentality, daily ritual, economy, identity, and landscape. Additionally, we will investigate how modern narratives, from popular media to scholarly literature, have sustained the myth of Amarna’s uniqueness, while reflecting on the consequences of historical myth-making. Open to students across ancient studies, the course invites critical reflection on how knowledge is produced, and how cities, ideologies, and people get flattened into historical “firsts”. Course Attributes:   No Approach         

Intro Movement Cultures; ARTD-B135
This course introduces and integrates a range of dance techniques, foundational movement skills, and various genres, styles, and forms of dance based on faculty expertise. Each semester students will experience 2-3 combinations of movement cultures such as jazz, modern, contemporary, step, house, afro beats, folk, hip-hop reggae, traditional, ballet, improvisation, freestyle, and/or experimental, etc. The culminating aim is to cultivate burgeoning cross-genre and cross-cultural embodiment for artistry and performance. All students must meet the attendance requirement, and students registered for academic credit (ARTD) must also complete 2-3 reflection assignments as requested by their faculty. No dance experience is necessary to join this course, although enthusiasm and courage are critical for learning. This course is primarily focused on those at the beginning stages of their dance journey and welcomes dancers at all experience levels. Offered on a pass/fail basis only. Course Attributes: CC     

Contemporary: Adv Technique; ARTD-B359
Advanced level technique courses continue to expand dance vocabulary by integrating complex movement combinations, phrases, and repertory. The advanced contemporary course focuses on both intellectual and kinesthetic understanding of movement, artistic inquiry, and embodied/performance research currently relevant in the field of concert dance. Students will be evaluated on their openness and commitment to the learning process, increased understanding of the techniques, and demonstration in class of their technical and stylistic progress and accomplishment. This course will be taught by 2-3 faculty members who specialize in varied styles, genres, or forms. This course is suitable for students who have advanced intermediate or advanced levels of experience in dance. For placement, students attend the first week of classes.  Course Attributes:  No Approach     

Playwriting: Adaptation; ARTT-B214
What is an adaptation? In what ways are adaptations in conversation with source materials? How does one articulate a politics of adaptation? This course explores the theory and practice of dramatic adaptation. Students will study texts, representations, and receptions of adaptations. Building on this dramaturgical foundation, students will write their own adaptations.  Course Attributes: CI WA     

Animal Behavior; BIOL-B265
This course explores how animal behavior evolves within both physical and social environments. We will investigate how animals forage for food, attract mates, avoid predators, and ensure the survival of their offspring. By examining how particular behaviors provide evolutionary advantages, and how multiple strategies can persist within a population, we will gain insight into the diversity of behavioral adaptations. We will do this by both studying the primary scientific literature and designing, conducting, and analyzing our own experiments during the lab portion of the class. Prerequisites: BIOL B111 or BIOL B220 or permission of instructor.  Course Attributes: SI WA     

Plasticity and Evolution; BIOL-B385
The ability to respond adaptively to challenges posed by the environment is a fundamental feature of life, but such responses often occur within short, non-evolutionary timeframes, without genetic change. From predator-induced defenses to seasonally induced changes in behavior or morphology, all are examples of phenotypic plasticity. In this seminar we will explore the genetic and developmental basis of plasticity, how plasticity evolves, and how plasticity affects evolutionary change. Prerequisite(s): BIOL B201, or BIOL B216, or BIOL B236, or BIOL B271. Course Attributes: WA     

Qualitative Methods; CITY-B218
This course offers a hands-on introduction to qualitative research methods for urban planning and policy analysis. Students will work on a real-world research project to develop the practical skills needed to design, conduct, and analyze original research at the complexity of a thesis-length project. The course teaches research design (crafting strong research questions and selecting appropriate methods), qualitative methods (semi-structured interviews, ethnographic observation, and document analysis), and data analysis (qualitative coding and data analysis using NVivo). Additionally, students will engage with both the philosophical foundations and real-world best practices of ethical research. Course Attributes: No Approach     

Urban Theory; CITY-B361
Urban theory is a tool with which to critique existing cities, a position from which to imagine cities yet to come, and a structure with which to generate interventions in the space between. This course will trace the intellectual lineages of contemporary critical and postmodern urban theory and put the ‘-isms’ into practice to help make sense of the forces that differentiate and segregate individuals – and those that bring us together as urban citizens. Prerequisite: CITY B185 or prior course work in social theory. 
Course Attributes:   No Approach     

Impostures; COML-B208
In an age defined by identity politics and narcissism (both online and “in real life”), identity theft and impersonation are perceived as crimes that threaten the very fabric of society. Fiction allows us to explore the many faces of imposture, and thus to better understand this (post)modern anguish. Why are there impostors in the first place? Is their motivation purely criminal? Why do we fall for it so easily? Is there a real distinction between fiction and lies? Authors include: Sciascia, Segalen, Molière, Cercas, Highsmith, Larsen, and Rousseau. Course Attributes: CC CI     

Political Journalism; CRWT-B220
This course examines the role of journalism in shaping political discourse, public opinion, and governance. Students will analyze how journalists cover elections, policy, and political movements by studying historical and contemporary political reporting. The course will explore ethical considerations, media bias, investigative reporting, and the impact of digital media on political journalism. Students will develop their political reporting skills through news writing, op-eds, and multimedia projects while discussing press freedom, misinformation, and the evolving relationship between the media and democracy. 
Course Attributes: No Approach     

Feeling Greece & Rome; CSTS-B362
Feeling Greece & Rome is about emotions—what they are to us, to ancient people, and how we can study them in Greek and Latin texts. In Weeks 1–7 of this course, we explore theoretical paradigms—of emotion, its history/ies, and its presence in ancient texts and in classical scholarship. In the second half of the course, class sessions become more like workshops to facilitate flexibility and an active posture toward our material. Each Week from 8 on revolves around a particular feeling—anger, desire, grief, and so on. Everyone reads a theoretical or philosophical take on that particular feeling, as it’s experienced or evoked. Then, students are assigned to a pair of readings, either A, B, or C. A/B/C texts are classics-related, and each group includes one piece of scholarship and one Greek or Latin case study to think it with. The case study may be philosophical; involve characters that express feeling/s in-text; and/or they may seek to stimulate or suppress feeling/s in their audience. The case study/scholarship pairs won’t be directly related to encourage their readers to imagine how our sources can constellate. Prerequisite: At least one 200-level CSTS course or permission of instructor. Course Attributes: No Approach     

Feeling Greece & Rome; CSTS-B662
Feeling Greece & Rome is about emotions—what they are to us, to ancient people, and how we can study them in Greek and Latin texts. In Weeks 1–7 of this course, we explore theoretical paradigms—of emotion, its history/ies, and its presence in ancient texts and in classical scholarship. In the second half of the course, class sessions become more like workshops to facilitate flexibility and an active posture toward our material. Each Week from 8 on revolves around a particular feeling—anger, desire, grief, and so on. Everyone reads a theoretical or philosophical take on that particular feeling, as it’s experienced or evoked. Then, students are assigned to a pair of readings, either A, B, or C. A/B/C texts are classics-related, and each group includes one piece of scholarship and one Greek or Latin case study to think it with. The case study may be philosophical; involve characters that express feeling/s in-text; and/or they may seek to stimulate or suppress feeling/s in their audience. The case study/scholarship pairs won’t be directly related to encourage their readers to imagine how our sources can constellate. Course Attributes:    No Approach     

Python for Data Science; DSCI-B103
This course is an introduction to programming in Python for Data Science Students. It introduces basic programming skills in Python, and the most common data and file formats for acquiring, wrangling, and storing data. It introduces the essential Python libraries for Data Science: Numpy (useful for storing data in arrays, doing descriptive statistics, and numerical analyses fof data); Pandas (a useful library for data analysis); and Matplotlib (a library for plotting and visualizing data). The use of these libraries will be illustrated with examples of data exploration, analysis, and visualization in several contexts. This course will be considered equivalent to the courses listed in Fundamentals of Computing bucket for the Data Science Minor. Course Attributes:   No Approach     

Data Analytics & Modeling; DSCI-B211
This course covers several data analysis and modeling techniques: regression, classification, clustering, and time series analysis. The course will be taught using the Data Science Learning Platform (DSLP) developed explicitly for those who do not have a background in computer programming. Students will get hands-on experience with using existing and their own datasets to do analysis and modeling. This course fulfills the Data Analytic Approaches requirement for the Minor in data Science. Course prerequisites: Any course listed in the Fundamentals of Computing requirement for the Minor in Data Science: DSCI B100, Introduction to Data Science; CMSC B110. Introduction to Computing; CMSC B113, Computer Science I; or BIOL 115, Computing Through Biology. 
Course Attributes:     No Approach     

Hollywood on Hollywood; ENGL-B105
How did Hollywood become a global powerhouse of cultural production? How have Hollywood films responded to technological and political change? What, frankly, does Hollywood think about itself? This class will provide an introduction to the history of Hollywood film production through the stories Hollywood has told about itself, from the golden age of the studio system, to the trailblazing directors of New Hollywood, to the contemporary world of franchises and streaming. By watching movies about movies, we will consider Hollywood as a land of both enchanting dreams and deadly nightmares, populated with forgotten film stars, maniacal directors, aspiring outsiders, and insufferable studio executives. In so doing, students will learn how to watch movies critically, considering their thematic content and their historical conditions of production, and gain an understanding of and appreciation for Hollywood’s history and its connection to American and global politics. Likely films include Singin’ in the Rain, Sunset Boulevard, The Player, and Mulholland Dr. Course Attributes: CI     

Indigenous Middle Ages; ENGL-B222
This course reads Middle English texts via Indigenous Studies, asking how we might analyze medieval depictions of sovereignty, landscape, animal life, and time through Indigenous vocabularies and epistemological frameworks. How might we understand settler colonial politics and aesthetics in the Middle Ages? Course Attributes: CI IP PIJ   

Senior Essay Workshop; ENGL-B397
This course will provide students working on their 399 senior essay with a weekly meeting for discussing and workshopping their essays as they unfold across the semester. Students will read one another's work and engage one another's primary and secondary sources. Students will be expected to read deeply in each other's fields and work closely with both workshop faculty and one another on the revision process. Course Attributes: No Approach     

Organizing for Climate Action; ENVS-B330
To win climate action, you need more than good science, accurate data, and bold ideas. You need power. Behind the scenes of social movements, organizers are setting clear goals, building relationships, and creating meaningful opportunities for others to express their values together. A central premise of this class is that policymaking and social change takes strategic campaigning. Whether you aim to lead campus organizations more effectively, influence public policy, or grow a grassroots movement for a more just and sustainable future, this course will help you develop practical skills for mobilizing collective action. Course Attributes: No Approach     

Les Monstres; FREN-B230
Nous examinerons comment la peinture de la monstruosité physique et morale a peu à peu constitué une nouvelle esthétique littéraire en France, du XVIIème au XXIème siècle. Pourquoi préférer la peinture de la difformité physique et morale à l’idéal classique de la beauté ? Quels sont les effets affectifs et esthétiques recherchés : horreur, indignation, sentiment du sublime ? Comment les écrivains s’emparent-ils de l’histoire (Néron, Révolution Française) et de certains « faits divers » pour dépeindre des figures monstrueuses ? Il s’agira aussi de se demander si, en retour, la littérature accroît notre compréhension de l’histoire et de la violence (extra)ordinaire. Auteurs étudiés : Racine, France, Barbey d’Aurevilly, Slimani, Genet, Baudelaire. Prerequisite: FREN B102 or B105 or French Placement (200 level or higher) or course at 200 level 
Course Attributes: CI IP     

Topics in Greek Literature; GREK-B650
pen only to advanced undergraduates, this course includes a weekly seminar and a translation session. Three-quarters of the reading will be from primary sources. 
Course Attributes:   No Approach     

LGBTQ+ History in the U.S.; HIST-B219
This course traces the history of LGBTQ+ identities, relationships, and politics in the United States from the late 18th century to the present. We will consider, in particular, the shifting meanings of sexual and gender variance and LGBTQ+ identities; changing forms of romantic and sexual relationships; the emergence and policing of LGBTQ+ communities, as shaped by class and race; the history of LGBTQ+ activism and its intersections with broader movements for social and economic justice; and the relationship between LGBTQ+ people and the state. Students will learn to read and analyze a range of historical scholarship, as well as primary texts in the history of gender and sexuality including memoirs and letters, periodicals, photographs, and political manifestos. 
Course Attributes: IP PIJ     

360 Synthesis Course; INDT-B460
360 Cluster synthesis and project 
Course Attributes:    No Approach     

Numerical Analysis; MATH-B528
This course focuses on the analysis and implementation of numerical methods to solve linear systems. Topics include matrix norms, orthogonality, matrix factorization, least-squares problems, conditioning and stability of algorithms, eigenvalues, iterative methods, and numerical solutions of differential equations. Prerequisites: MATH B203 and either MATH B301 or B303. Course Attributes:  No Approach           

Genghis Khan & Mongol Legacy; MEST-B202
This course examines the political, intellectual, and social history of Genghis Khan, the Ilkhanid Mongols, and their successors in the Middle East and Central Asia from the thirteenth century to the sixteenth century CE. We will consider the formation of new political norms, changing trends in trade, and an increasingly hybrid cultural and artistic production that characterize this period. Course Attributes: CI IP     

Intro to Neuro; NEUR-B100
Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand the structure and functions of the nervous system. This course includes topics on the broad history of behavioral neuroscience, parts of the nervous system, and a cursory overview of imaging/recording/histology. We also cover basic neurophysiology/chemistry of action potentials and neurotransmission (with some neurobiology of drug effects). Lastly, we explore sensorimotor processing (i.e. reflex arcs), basic sensory transduction and neuroanatomy of perception (sensory pathways from periphery to primary sensory cortex). Prerequisite(s):  This course is not open to students who have previously taken HC Psych 217, HC Psych 260, or BMC Psych 218 
Course Attributes: SI     

Dance Ensemble: Screendance; PE-B143
Dance ensembles are designed to offer students significant opportunities to develop dance performance skills at an introductory professional level. For this course, faculty and/or a guest artist will introduce cast members to a unique approach to choreography in collaboration with film, media, and video artistic technologies. Students are assessed based on their overall participation in the course, demonstration of committed openness to a choreographic process, dedication to collective building of a performance work, and progress as a movement-based performer. Students must commit to the full semester and be available for rehearsals, technical/dress week, and performances in the BMC Dance Program’s Spring Dance Concert. If participating in a fall ensemble, students must also commit to scheduled rehearsals in the spring semester. Most ensembles require dance experience. For this course, no dance experience is necessary to join, however students must attend the first week of classes to survey movement experience levels and other artistic potentials the cast community may offer to the final performance as well as readiness to engage in dance as a research practice. In addition to a willingness to perform movement, this course welcomes students who act, write, sing, create visual art, make jewelry, sew, woodworkers, and/or play instruments. This course is suitable for courageous creatives ready to collaborate. 
Course Attributes:   No Approach     

Contemporary: Adv Technique; PE-B159
Advanced level technique courses continue to expand dance vocabulary by integrating complex movement combinations, phrases, and repertory. The advanced contemporary course focuses on both intellectual and kinesthetic understanding of movement, artistic inquiry, and embodied/performance research currently relevant in the field of concert dance. Students will be evaluated on their openness and commitment to the learning process, increased understanding of the techniques, and demonstration in class of their technical and stylistic progress and accomplishment. This course will be taught by 2-3 faculty members who specialize in varied styles, genres, or forms. This course is suitable for students who have advanced intermediate or advanced levels of experience in dance. For placement, students attend the first week of classes. 
Course Attributes: No Approach     

Goodness and Governance; PHIL-B261
In order for a good society to arise, do the individuals who live in that society first have to be good themselves? Alternatively, are individuals so shaped by their societies that they can never be good before their societies are? What if both these views seem correct: if social goodness depends on individual goodness and individual goodness depends on social goodness, then is there a real path toward either one? We will consider these and related questions by engaging with historical thinkers who took them particularly seriously: the early Aristotelians, the early Confucians, and their critics. Course Attributes: CI IP     

Science and Democracy; PHIL-B264
Champions of science claim that, in addition to being our best source of truth and our most effective lever for progress, science is also a crucial aid to good governance. For the past century, scientists—in the role of “experts”—have helped to shape public policy in the United States. Both early advocates for and contemporary defenders of this model argue that the objectivity of science makes it especially well-suited to democratic societies, in which it is essential that policy decisions not reflect the interests or prejudices of any one group. However, recent debates (e.g., about social equity, climate change, and vaccine safety) have surfaced questions about just how democratic science and scientific governance really are. Progressive critics argues that science reflects the interests and biases of scientific inquirers, such that making science democratic requires ensuring that differing identity groups are fairly represented among scientists. Until this is done, they argue, scientific governance cannot be democratic. Populist critics argues that scientists, just in virtue of being scientists, have prejudices and interests all their own—that the interests of scientists are different from and even opposed to the interests of non-scientists. For this reason, their argument suggests, “experts” can never be impartial contributors to democratic governance. In this course, we will examine science and democracy from a philosophical point of view, develop a rigorous conceptual framework to make sense of the so-called “science wars,” and take a tour of key issues in both the philosophy of science and political theory. Course Attributes: CI     

Phys of the Cosmos; PHYS-B125
What can we discover about the Universe, and our place in it, from observations of the night sky? What is the James Webb Space Telescope looking for? What is dark matter and dark energy? Are we alone in the Universe? This course is a survey of topics in astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology. We embark on a cosmic journey through space and time, where we examine our solar system, our galaxy, the Universe, and the concepts in physics that allow us to describe the cosmos. 
Course Attributes: QR SI   

Interpretive Research Poli Sci; POLS-B275
This course introduces students to interpretive research in political science, an approach that centers meaning-making, context, and the lived experience of political life. Rather than focusing on hypothesis testing or causal inference, interpretive methods ask how political realities are made, experienced, and contested by individuals and communities. Prerequisites: Any Intro level course in Political Science. Course Attributes: CI     

Thorne School Practicum; PSYC-B215
This is a 1-credit Praxis II course that requires 3 hours of weekly fieldwork in any of the five Phebe Anna Thorne School programs (Nearly 3s, Younger and Older Preschool classes, Language Enrichment Preschool Program, Kindergarten). In addition to their fieldwork, students will meet as a group once each week with the course instructor. This praxis course is distinguished by dynamic interaction between hands-on fieldwork and collaborative in-class academic learning. Students will integrate their fieldwork experiences with literature on child development and early childhood education, including scholarly evidence that underpins the Thorne School’s commitment to play-based, social-emotional learning. The course also provides an opportunity for students to learn from each other and deepen their understanding of development in early childhood, as they will share their diverse experiences from the five different Thorne School programs serving children from ages 2 to 6. 
Course Attributes: No Approach     

Neurosci. Adaptive Decisions; PSYC-B358
How do humans and animals make adaptive decisions? What cognitive and neural mechanisms help us choose well, and what constraints get in the way? In this course, we will explore models of optimal decision-making and examine when, why, and how real-world choices deviate from them. We will consider how psychological, neuroscientific, and computational approaches each shed light on how decisions unfold in different contexts. Students will read and discuss peer-reviewed articles, connect theory and empirical data, and frame new questions through a theoretical lens. Prerequisite: Research Methods and Statistics (PSYC B205 or PSYC H200) and either PSYC B265 (Computational Neuroscience) or PSYC B212 (Human Cognition) or PSYC B218 (Behavioral Neuroscience) or permission from instructor. Course Attributes: No Approach     

Translational Psychology; PSYC-B360
Psychological scientists engage with research questions spanning human cognition, emotion, and behavior. Many insights we learn from laboratory research can be leveraged to the real world to improve public health, promote sustainability, enhance well-being, reduce bias, and boost academic achievement, to name a few. This course introduces students to intervention science: applying psychological principles to address pressing social issues. We’ll take a methods-focused approach, exploring diverse ways to design interventions, from subtle, single-session designs, to intensive school-based curricula, to large-scale “megastudies” that test dozens of theories simultaneously. Students will also grapple with the ethical considerations that arise when applying psychological principles outside the lab, such as who gets to decide when, where, and with whom to intervene; and consider how issues of equity, culture, and representation shape both the design and impact of interventions. By the end of the course, students will design and pitch their own intervention in the form of a grant proposal. Prerequisite: Introductory Psychology, Research Methods & Statistics, and at least one of the following: Clinical, Social, Developmental, or Cultural psychology. Completion of at least one psychology lab course is preferred, though not required. Course Attributes: No Approach     

Experimental Literature; RUSS-B233
Stuck in a reading rut? Is the strange, the peculiar, the mind-shattering, the paradigm-shifting calling? Texts that imagine and generate changed perspectives, cultures, and lives? Reading a wide variety (multiple literatures, 20th- and 21st-centuries), we’ll investigate—gravely and playfully—what experimenting with/in literature means as well as experimental literature’s capacity in representing cultural margins. In particular, in which ways can experimental literature intersect with atypical attitudes and values, alternative lifestyles, and issues such as nature and land, Indigeneity, and gender? What makes the experimental enter the mainstream, and can they interact fruitfully? What happens at the very margins when writers use unusual techniques and styles? Let’s get weird. (Catch the Oulipo constraint in here?) Note: Taught in English. No knowledge of Russian language/culture necessary. Open to all. Course Attributes: CC CI     

Modernizing China; SOCL-B336
Today, China is the world’s second-largest economy and a major contender for the global superpower status to the United States. Yet, China was once one of the world’s poorest countries in the mid-twentieth century. How did China modernize itself from the “Sick Man of Asian” to an emergent global economic, cultural, and political superpower? How are these changes impacting Chinese society and the world? At what/whose cost? This course takes a sociology of development lens to understand contemporary China’s modernization projects. We will critically examine various modernization projects, including the “Great Leap Forward,” the post-socialist market reform, and “One Belt One Road.” Together, we will also consider how these measures create sweeping social changes in every fabric of Chinese social life—from the shifting relationship between the state and society, the one-child policy, to profound changes in family, kinship structure, and the most intimate aspects of life. Through examining and reflecting on various modernization projects in China, students will be able to critically analyze how social policies generate both intended and unintended consequences to social life. Prerequisite: One course in the Social Sciences or permission of instructor. Course Attributes: No Approach     

Digital Sociology; SOCL-B365
How do digital technologies shape who we are and how we connect with others? This seminar examines the sociological dimensions of digital media, focusing on how new technologies influence identity formation, community, and social relationships. We will explore how different groups use digital platforms to create belonging, resist or reproduce inequality, and build alternative forms of social organization. Particular attention will be paid to how marginalized communities leverage digital technologies for survival, community care, and cultural production. Prerequisite: Once course in the Social Sciences or permission of instructor. Course Attributes: No Approach     

Women writers in contemporary; SPAN-B205
The course will focus on fiction written during the 20th and 21st century by women writers in Spain. We will study how the female subject is represented and constructed in these texts along historical events that have changed the country. Taking into account the political and social paradigms that dominate Spanish modern history and culture, we will explore how twentieth and twenty-first-century women writers negotiate the female subject in relation to earlier models of narration, identities (both self and regional), and social relationships. We will also look how these models have been challenged by a new wave of immigration and how it affects the social landscape of Spain. We will bring into the analysis and discussion of literary texts some of the issues addressed by feminist literary theory, such as language, canon formation, gender, and class. Finally, we will pay attention to the recovery of the country’s feminist tradition, as well as current topics of social and political conflict that concern women in Spain. Course Attributes: CI IP PIJ WI   

América Central y sus modernis; SPAN-B313
How have artists used formal composition and experimentation to make sense of Central American crises and possibilities at different moments in time? This seminar introduces students to the interdisciplinary study of modern and contemporary Central American art and literature, through select case studies of the 20th and 21st century: from modernismo and avant garde fictions, to the Latin American Boom, then testimonial literature and visual culture, including Third World Cinema, followed by post-war novels, and lastly, contemporary art. Students will be asked to discuss through the course materials how artists at different moments in time contest the meanings of global phenomena, like war and development, but also, of artistic forms and genres from around the world. Course taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: one 200-level Spanish course. 
Course Attributes: PIJ WA     

Spain is different!?; SPAN-B334
The slogan "Spain is different" was coined during Franco's dictatorship in the 1960s as a promotional claim to market an exoticized parody of Spain's diverse culture—reduced to flamenco dancers, bullfighters, paella, and siestas—aimed at attracting northern European tourists. Since there was no democratic control over tourism development, construction took place without urban planning, causing damage along the entire Spanish Mediterranean coast. This trend was perpetuated by subsequent democratic governments and has shaped the economic, urban, and ecological landscape of Spanish society today. In recent years, there has been a shift in Spanish society, which no longer views tourism as a source of wealth but rather as a driver of economic precariousness, urban gentrification, and environmental destruction. In this course, combining critical analysis, historical inquiry, and postcolonial and ecocritical approaches, we will read novels and watch films from the second half of the 20th century to the present that serve as a cultural response to the social dangers of overtourism. Prerequisite: 200-level SPAN course. Course Attributes: WI     

The Teaching of Writing; WRIT-B280
This Praxis II course is designed for students interested in teaching or tutoring writing at the high-school or college level. The course focuses on the relationship between theory and practice and how writing instruction differs in different contexts. Students will examine foundational composition theories and explore current issues in the teaching of writing. In the second half of the course, students will apply what they have learned by designing teaching materials for a context of their choice or developing a learning module for use by ESem students and instructors. Course Attributes: No Approach