The writing of songs based upon a study of song forms in a variety of styles, including blues, rock, Tin Pan Alley, American folk song, and more. A composition course with much individual attention. Significant class time will be spent discussing student compositions, with occasional meetings with the instructor outside of class hours. Special attention will be paid to the interactions of African American, Latin American, and European American musical traditions in American popular song. The creation of lyrics will also be considered. Two class meetings per week.
An introduction to the evolution, ecology, and behavior of organisms and how these relate to the diversity of life. Following a discussion of the core components of evolutionary theory, we'll examine how evolutionary processes have shaped morphological, anatomical, physiological, and behavioral adaptations in organisms that solve many of life's problems, ranging from how to find or acquire food and avoid being eaten, to how to attract and locate mates, and how to optimize reproduction throughout a lifetime.
An introduction to the techniques of observational astronomy, with emphasis on optical and infrared observations. Students will use the Python computing language to reduce real astronomical data. Topics covered include: astronomical software, observation planning, coordinate and time systems, telescope design and optics, instrumentation and techniques for imaging and photometry, astronomical detectors, digital image processing tools and techniques, and statistical techniques for making astronomical measurements.
This course will introduce students to how to observe and understand a variety of phenomena in the daytime and nighttime sky. The lecture portion of the course will focus on the history of our understanding of the universe and how observations of celestial phenomena provided clues at each stage of this journey, which continues to this day. The nighttime laboratory portion of the course will focus on naked-eye, telescopic, and photographic observations of the sky. The course will make use of Amherst’s on-campus observatory on the roof of the new science center.
