The 2014 United Nations Survey Report on the role of women in development makes a strong case for linking gender equality and sustainable development. Neither concerns about gender equality nor sustainability are new, but are re-emerging as part of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda. This class examines perceived and existing links between economic development, women, and gender from various perspectives.

This course will explore a rich array of canonical and contemporary texts that highlight the nuances of Black Feminisms and analyze the strategies Black women use to articulate their lived experiences. This course explores the implications of gender, race, class, sexuality and other social differentiators on the lives of Black women. While an emphasis is placed on the U.S., the course is global in scope and will consider writings from African-descended women throughout the Diaspora. Some questions we will consider include: What constitutes a Black Feminist literature?

The class immerses students in Latinx theatre pedagogies (Boal, Teatro Campesino, the Nuyorican poetry movement, Latina performance art) by having them read the philosophies behind these movements, practice their exercises, and get trained to facilitate the exercises. The class will be made up of both undergraduates at UMass and Latinx high school students. Students of all levels will work together, perform together, and create art together. The goal is understanding and enacting social justice work through theatre. No prior theatre experience is needed.

In this course we will cover some of fundamental ideas from analysis, statistics, and optimization that are relevant to methods in machine learning and statistical inference. The class will cover not only the most well known linear methods, but also the more recently developed nonlinear methods that use the intuition from classical topics in PDE and the calculus of variations, such as the theory minimal surfaces, optimal transport, and gradient flows.

This course will explore how historical archaeologists in the United States draw on material culture, documents, and the landscape to better understand the past and present. Through readings, in-class discussion, and exercises, students will develop an understanding of the key questions that have propelled the field and the methods historical archaeologists use to address those questions.

The capacity for plasticity in the brain is particularly remarkable early in life. How does the surrounding environment shape brain function during this period? From filial imprinting to social isolation, this course will integrate molecular/cellular biology with systems neuroscience to explore canonical critical periods and their influence on brain development. Particular emphasis will be placed on the regulation of experience dependent changes in neural circuits as a basis for learning.

This seminar course explores selected topics in the area of brain and behavior, especially as related to the molecular, cellular, physiological and psychological properties of pharmacological agents acting within the central nervous system, with a focus on the pathophysiology and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Addresses the history of contemporary art since 1980 from a western perspective, but in a global context. Introduces students to major issues in contemporary art and criticism such as conceptualism, new media, earth art, postmodernism, neo-expressionism, institutional critique, identity politics, political interventions, installation art, ecology, globalization, relational aesthetics, and the role of consumerism and the art market.