Science as Culture

What is science? The progressive discovery of Nature's laws? The process of honing claims about the universe? Is science the act of postulating and testing hypotheses? Or is it tinkering, experimentation? This course offers an advanced introduction to cultural and anthropological studies of science. Through careful readings of work in areas such as the sociology of scientific knowledge, actor-network theory, feminist science studies, and affect theory, we will explore the sciences as complex systems of cultural production.

Abnormal Psych: Clinical Pers

This course surveys the psychological field of abnormal psychology. We will explore historical foundations, theories, research, assessment, and treatment as they relate to diagnoses included in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition . Throughout the course, we will critically examine the concept of abnormality and its intersection with societal and cultural contexts.

Social Psychology

This course covers a range of information within social psychology, including theory, research, and applied contexts. Areas of interest will include self and social perception, attitudes, stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, group dynamics, interpersonal attraction and relationships, among others.

Research Methods in Psychology

This course provides an introduction to the skills necessary for becoming good producers and consumers of psychological research. Students learn to develop research questions, survey related literature, design rigorous and ethically sound studies, and collect, analyze, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data. Students build on their computer skills relevant for psychological research and learn to read and critique original empirical journal articles. The course culminates in an original, collaborative research project, a final paper, and an oral presentation.

Statistics

Statistical procedures are powerful tools for analyzing and interpreting findings and are necessary for accurate reading and understanding of research findings. This course provides an introduction to the most frequently encountered techniques for describing data and making inferences in psychological research. A variety of computer applications are used.

Introduction to Psychology

How do we make decisions, form attachments, and learn a language? Can we inherit schizophrenia? Why are we fearful of some situations and not others? What factors influence the way we form attitudes or develop prejudices? This course addresses such questions to provide an overview of current research in psychology.

Cyberpolitics

For many, the "cyber-revolution" has fundamentally altered all aspects of human existence through the creation of a new space of interaction: cyberspace. This course asks whether and to what extent cyberspace has revolutionized the nature of international politics. Are traditional understandings of sovereignty, deterrence, and diplomacy bunk? Rather than engaging in speculation, this course will cover the history of the development of both cyberspace and the beliefs that it will revolutionize politics.

Machine Learning

How does Neflix learn what movies a person likes? How do computers read handwritten addresses on packages, or detect faces in images? Machine learning is the practice of programming computers to learn and improve through experience, and it is becoming pervasive in technology and science. This course will cover the mathematical underpinnings, algorithms, and practices that enable a computer to learn. Topics will include supervised learning, unsupervised learning, evaluation methodology, and Bayesian probabilistic modeling.

International Security

This course focuses on the recasting of global security concerns after the end of the cold war. It pays special attention to the problems of economic and ecological security; the relationship between security and democracy; humanitarian intervention; nuclear proliferation; and terrorism. The course concludes with analysis of specific initiatives for achieving both common and comprehensive security.
Subscribe to