How do living things exist together? Ecology is the study of the relationships of living things to each other and their environment. With an emphasis on plants, this course will introduce students to community and landscape ecology, as well as explore broader socio-ecological perspectives, including conservation/restoration ecology, the effects of global change and political ecology. We will use a combination of primary scientific literature, popular science media, environmental literature, and textbook resources.

Physics I covers the fundamental principles of physics by teaching quantum mechanics, while emphasizing the correspondence to classical physics. The topics will include the essence of measurement, properties of elementary constituents of Nature (particles and probability waves), mechanics (motion and its causes), and fundamental interactions. Special focus will be placed on general principles, such as the conservation laws (energy, linear and angular momentum, spin) and the superposition principle.

In this course we will learn the fundamental chemical concepts of composition and stoichiometry, properties of matter, the gas laws, atomic structure, bonding and molecular structure, chemical reactions, and energy changes in chemical reactions. Considerable time will be devoted to learning the use of the periodic table as a way of predicting the chemical properties of elements. We will also emphasize application of those chemical principles to environmental, biological, industrial and day-to-day life situations.

Cancer is currently the second largest cause of death in the United States. One would think that science would have developed a cure for cancer by now, but it hasn't. Why is developing treatment options so difficult? This course will address the biology of malignancy and treatment including some traditional and cutting-edge strategies. We will cover some of the ethical and social justice considerations of disease research including some of the darker examples from cancer research's past. We will also work in the laboratory to study cancer first-hand.

This course will provide an overview of the science and issues surrounding substance-related addictions and the processes and mechanisms that underlie addiction. We will address both the genetic and environmental underpinnings of addiction and introduce the epidemiology and developmental course of addiction. Students will work in teams of 4-5 to investigate an area of interest in the science of addiction. The groups will use the primary scientific and medical literature in an effort to understand the use, effectiveness and limitations of the particular treatments or approaches selected.

This course focuses on the science of human genetic and biological variation. How does variation come about in evolution? What is the evolutionary explanation, distribution, and significance of human variation in, for example, sickle cell anemia, skin color, and sports performance? We will read primary literature and consider how individuals placed in group, how are differences studied, and to what purpose. This semester we will focus on the idea of race as a genetic construct versus a lived, social reality.

This course will explore the concept of color and its use in the visual arts from the perspective of a physicist. We will cover the basics of wave mechanics and the electromagnetic theory needed to describe light as an electromagnetic wave, the absorption and emission of light through quantum-mechanical processes and basic optics. We will then explore the relation between these physical principles and the fundamentals of color theory and its application in painting.

"The way to right wrongs," said journalist Ida B. Wells, "is to turn the light of truth upon them." Through close examination of works by artists, filmmakers, photographers, and cultural workers who have turned towards borders and boardrooms; fields and factories; habitats and playgrounds; wetlands and wilderness, this course will advance students' skills in reading and making images as they expand their understanding of environmental justice.

This course will explore the photographic techniques of cyanotype, platinum/palladium and carbon printing processes. Students will be introduced to historic and contemporary photographers using these and other alternative print processes. Workshops, readings, and critique will be integrating into the technical aspects of this class. While there will be an emphasis on technical application in this course, the overall objective is to explore alternative processes that will offer students handmade, creative options in their photographic practice.

A critique and discussion-based seminar for Division III Visual Art concentrators, this class will focus on the process and progress of art making. Students will be encouraged to think about their work in the larger context of their disciplines, society, place and history. Students will articulate their ars poetica orally through presentations and in writing.