This course explores the underlying organic chemistry of biosynthetic pathways and thereby seeks to build a framework for understanding molecular-level biological transformations from the perspective of mechanistic organic chemistry. Beginning with common biological mechanisms, and drawing parallels with their sophomore organic chemistry counterparts, a broad overview will be constructed of the pathways by which key classes of biological molecules are assembled, modified, and consumed. Several classic biosynthetic pathways will be dissected as seminal examples in the field.

This course provides an overview of the fundamental principles of physical chemistry with an emphasis on their application to the study of biological molecules and processes. Topics will include statistical mechanics, thermodynamics and enzyme kinetics. Discussion of applications will relate commonly used experimental techniques -- such as spectroscopy and calorimetry -- to the fundamental principles on which they are based. In addition, students will gain experience and confidence in the use of mathematical models to describe biochemical systems.

This course is an in-depth examination of DNA and RNA structures and how these structures support their respective functions during replication, transcription, and translation of the genetic material. Emphasis is on the detailed mechanisms associated with each step of gene expression. Discussions incorporate many recent advances brought about by recombinant DNA technology.

RNA is believed by many to have been the first macromolecule to evolve. In a hypothesized "RNA world," RNA would have simultaneously served the roles of carrying genetic information and catalyzing chemical reactions within early cells. The past three decades have been a renaissance for RNA biology, as researchers have uncovered the critical role RNA plays in eukaryotic and bacterial gene regulation and defense, as well as the potential for RNAs to perform catalysis.

This seminar explores Romance languages, literatures and cultures through the prism of translation. By comparing translations from Spanish, Catalan, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian between each other and into English, we will map out the boundaries, intersections and middle grounds of this language family. Students will engage with the different traditions of translation studies in these languages and critically analyze translators' paratexts.

This course examines the histories and cultures of Latin America and the Caribbean from the sixteenth century to the present, using an interdisciplinary approach. Students explore confrontations and transformations among Indigenous, African, and European cultures. The course provides insight into contemporary political, economic, social, cultural, and artistic realities. By analyzing cultural products, we address colonization, nation formation, geography, the environment, immigration, migration, race, ethnicity, and gender in these societies.