Critical introduction to American welfare programs, past and present. Analysis of why programs change over time and of the effects of those changes on the people that welfare purports to "help."

Contrary to the associations with superheroes and children at play, comics can demonstrate a sophisticated use of visual language that can illuminate relationships between seemingly unrelated concepts. This course will explore comics as a unique and robust communication form, with an emphasis on understanding comics by the process of "making." We will take a multifaceted approach to analyzing the medium, from examining the various genres across the globe, to delving into the formal elements and interdisciplinary connections.

This course examines the use of diagnostic laboratory procedures in the field of hematology, blood chemistries, urinalysis, and cytology. Lectures will make use of online work in addition to in person and will cover the theories on which the tests are based and the correlation of the laboratory results with pathological conditions. The collection, handling, and storage of laboratory specimens and general laboratory management procedures including safety and quality control, will be discussed.

How does your life intersect with plants? In this seminar we will engage this question using essays, popular media, and our own observations to illuminate historical and contemporary connections between plants and humans. Inside the classroom and in the outdoors, we will carefully examine our own plant awareness, develop our critical thinking, and challenge our perceptions of the impacts and roles of plants throughout human history.

In this class, students will acquire hands-on experience in diverse aspects of the research process in any field of Biology, from familiarizing themselves with a research topic, generating interesting questions, designing experiments, acquiring technical skills, collecting and analyzing data, to writing and/or presenting their results. To inquire about enrollment, students should fill out the application survey available on the departmental website or on my.mtholyoke.