This is an introduction to philosophy that explores a range of issues pertaining to religious conviction, knowledge, mind, freedom, ethics, and value. This exploration will take place through critical engagement, via reflection, writing, and conversation, with written work – some classical, some contemporary – in the philosophical tradition.

Research in an area relevant to neuroscience, under the direction of a faculty member, and preparation of a thesis based upon the research. Full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Committee.

(Offered as PSYC 325 and NEUR 325) In this course we will examine the ways in which drugs act on the brain to alter behavior. We will review basic principles of brain function and mechanisms of drug action in the brain. We will discuss a variety of legal and illegal recreational drugs as well as the use of psychotherapeutic drugs to treat mental illness.

(Offered as BIOL 214 and NEUR 214) An introduction to the structure and function of the nervous system, this course explores the basic functions of neurons and synapses as well as neural mechanisms of sensation at molecular, cellular, circuit and system levels. Basic topics in neurobiology and neurophysiology will be covered with emphasis on neuroscience history and understanding how neuroscientists approach the study of the nervous system. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191. Limited to 45 students. Fall semester. Professor Roche.

Independent reading course. A full course.

Fall and spring semesters.

The music industry is quickly changing. Over the last year, the concert touring industry has been devastated, as concerts have been cancelled en masse due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, increasing attention has been placed on the racial inequality of the music industry, an industry where white artists and executives over the last century profited from unfairly compensating black musical expression. How are artists and record companies making money in our contemporary moment, and how does that compare to the past?

Immersive composition projects according to the needs and experience of the individual student, deepening the experience gained in courses of study like Music 269. One class meeting per week and weekly private conferences. Guest composer presentations in a workshop environment and discussions on compositional topics. This course may be repeated; topics and projects change each semester. Music 387 and Music 388 need not be taken in order.

Course will be taught synchronously over Zoom and the course website.

This course will explore compositional techniques continually growing from the numerous traditions that filter thorugh Western art music styles. Innovative works by twentieth and twenty-first century composers that generate new approaches to these traditions (through melody and scale, rhythm and meter, harmony, instrumentation, and musical structure) will be examined and practiced to the best of our collective abilities. The course will employ improvisation as a source of ideas for written compositions and as a primary compositional mode.

This is an upper-level musicianship course designed for majors or students with experience analyzing and performing music. This course may be used to fulfill the second required musicianship course (in addition to MUSI 241) for the major.

How does music’s harmonic language work? What principles influence harmonic choices in different styles of music, and what do Amy Beach’s compositions, Rihanna’s songs, and Chopin’s etudes have in common? How do composers and musicians manage the intricate relationship between harmony and melody? In this course, we’ll develop a deeper understanding of conventions of tonal harmony in music from popular and classical traditions, among others.