A comprehensive introduction to the study of modern astronomy, covering planets—their origins, orbits, interiors, surfaces and atmospheres; stars—their formation, structure and evolution; and the universe—its origin, large-scale structure and ultimate destiny. This introductory course is for students who are planning to major in science or math. Prerequisite: MTH 111 or the equivalent.

An introduction to some of the major perspectives, themes, and issues in the field of Afro-American studies. Our focus is on the economic, social and political aspects of cultural production, and how these inform what it means to read, write about, view and listen to Black culture.

There are countless challenges in medicine that engineering can help to address, from the molecular scale to the level of the entire human body. This course introduces students to engineering problem solving approaches to explore important biomedical questions. We integrate our learning of underlying biological systems with developing engineering thinking to examine those systems. We use mathematical tools to interpret and model the behavior of various biological phenomena.

An examination and analysis of electoral politics in the United States. Voting and elections are viewed in the context of democracy. Topics include electoral participation, presidential selection, campaigns, electoral behavior, public opinion, parties and Congressional elections.

Topics course: This advanced seminar examines the political implications of treating environmental events and trends as matters of (inter)national security. It approaches the issue historically—examining the conceptual evolution of security over time and the relatively recent incorporation of environmental issues into security frameworks. Primary focus is devoted to climate change, but other ecological issues are examined as well: development, natural resource use, waste and pollution, biodiversity, etc. Prerequisite: 241, 242, 244 or 252

This class is a cross-sectional look at the Obama presidency, including his path to election, major domestic, national, and foreign policy debates, and the conflicts of those eight years. Enrollment limit of 20. (E)

Why and how do we hold elections? In this class, we study the rules that structure how we select leaders to represent us and the subsequent political behavior in response to those rules. Our examination of elections worldwide involves a global overview of modern elections, including those held in authoritarian regimes. By the end of the course, each student is an expert on an election of their choice. We have two questions motivating our journey in this course. First, do elections matter? Second, how should we hold elections?

A study of the leading ideas of the Western political tradition, focusing on such topics as justice, power, legitimacy, revolution, freedom, equality and forms of government—democracy especially. Open to all students. Entering students considering a major in government are encouraged to take the course in their first year, either in the fall or the spring semester.

Topics course.

This is a high-intermediate course that aims at increasing students’ ability to communicate comfortably in Spanish (orally and in writing). The course explores an array of issues relevant to the Spanish-speaking world, and prepares students to think more critically and in depth about those issues, with the goal of achieving a deeper understanding of the target cultures. Materials used in the class include visual narratives (film), short stories, poems, plays and essays. Enrollment limited to 25. Prerequisite: SPN 200 or the equivalent.