Engineers change the world we live in every day by developing and improving nearly every aspect of our lives. In this course, we will study the interaction of technology and society and how the engineering design process helps shape the world we live in. Engineering comprises many disciplines, but one common theme is the engineering design process: research, problem definition, feasibility, conceptualization, prototyping, and testing.

Ethnography, the signal methodology of anthropology, is now a widespread research method, taken up by scholars across disciplines seeking to understand social processes in everyday life. Queer scholars in the United States pioneered the use of ethnographic methods within the US, arguing that queer communities constituted 'subcultures' that should be studied in their own right. This course begins with these earlier works, from the 1970s and 1980s, and will quickly move to a survey of contemporary queer ethnographic work.

Why did universities build concrete buildings during the 1950's - 1970's and why are they both loved and hated? This course will explore Brutalist architecture at public universities and will use the UMass Amherst campus as a case study in how culture, technology and civic values are reflected in the architecture of its most iconic buildings.

This course introduces the discipline of health informatics and data science to prepare our students as forerunners of the future of digital health care systems. Followed by an overview of the health informatics industry, it covers a broad range of introductory topics related to the context of health care systems, such as the structure of current health care systems, various types of health data, theoretical framework and practice use of quantitative analytic methodologies, and ethics.

Description not available at this time

Students interested in independent study in dance (Dance 295) must provide convincing reasons for pursuing independent work and be self motivated and directed in their work. Students are responsible for choosing and receiving approval from a faculty advisor, with whom workload expectations, meeting times, and outcomes will be mutually negotiated and set for the semester. Credit load (1-4) will reflect the workload level and outcomes of the proposed study (e.g., a 2-credit independent study requires a minimum of 2-4 hours of outside work each week.

Students interested in independent study in dance (Dance 295) must provide convincing reasons for pursuing independent work and be self motivated and directed in their work. Students are responsible for choosing and receiving approval from a faculty advisor, with whom workload expectations, meeting times, and outcomes will be mutually negotiated and set for the semester. Credit load (1-4) will reflect the workload level and outcomes of the proposed study (e.g., a 2-credit independent study requires a minimum of 2-4 hours of outside work each week.