History of 'western' science would be incomplete without the inclusion of Arab and Muslim contributions in the Middle-ages. In this course we will explore some of the reasons behind the outstanding growth of scientific reasoning in the Islamic world, including the motivation for translating Greek works and the role of religion in the early progress of science.

This class will cover research methods for observing, coding, and analyzing animal behavior. We will practice behavior sampling and recording techniques on both domestic animals at the farm and wild animals in the campus woods. Behaviors observed will include social behavior, foraging and communication behavior. Students will carry out independent team projects on a species either in the Hampshire woods or the Farm, and will be expected to consult the primary scientific literature to learn about their species. We will examine how to summarize, analyze, and present data.

This course can be summed up as: everything you wanted to know about aliens but were afraid to ask (a scientist). The course will explore the topic of extraterrestrial intelligence from the perspective of several different fields. We will look at the history of UFO sighting claims and analyze the reliability of eye-witness testimonies, explore psychological & sociological reasons behind claims of alien abductions, and analyze the current state of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) from the perspective of astronomy and planetary research.

Philosophers through the ages have asked about the nature of happiness and its contribution to 'the good life.' It's something we all want, but what is it? And why do we all want it so much? Are some people naturally happier than others? What makes us happy and why? This course will examine happiness from a number of different perspectives. We will look at what philosophers have said about the nature and importance of happiness in our lives, as well as recent positive psychology literature.

In this course, students will learn the fundamental concepts of game design and how they apply to games, any designed experience, and our daily lives. Students will be exposed to many different types of games and explore the game design themes across genres. Students will also develop and hone personal game design skills through practice and more practice. Frequent critiques will increase students' ability to give and receive thoughtful feedback, which is a key skill for game designers (and for life).

The problem of explaining how the brain enables human conscious experience remains a great mystery of human knowledge. This course is an introduction to cognitive neuroscience in which we will attempt to examine the neural underpinnings of the mind's complex processes, paying particular attention to vision, attention, and memory. Cognitive neuroscience incorporates elements of physiological psychology, neuroscience, cognitive psychology and neuropsychology.

In this course, students will focus on workflow and techniques for creating polygonal surface models for game assets, character models and 3D environments for animation and video games, as well as 3D prototyping for physical game assets. This class will focus on poly resource management, modeling workflow and the creation of 3D assets from conception/reference art through modeling, basic materials, lighting and rendering.

Can androids fall in love? Could a planet have a mind of its own? How might we communicate with alien life forms? Will it ever be possible for two people to "swap minds"? How about a person and a robot? Might we someday be able to buy memories, record dreams, or "read" books by eating pills? Cognitive science research can shed light on many of these questions, with answers that are often as strange and as wonderful as the inventions of science fiction authors.