The goal is to develop the nuts and bolts for a theory of meaning. The techniques to be learned are ones that are in wide use today within the tradition of generative grammar; the goal is to acquire a basic level of competence in applying these techniques. Active group work and class presentations will be key forms of evaluation.

This social psychology course will provide a broad perspective on stereotyping (thoughts), prejudice (feelings), and discrimination (actions) against others based on group identity. Groups can be defined broadly but we will focus on race, ethnicity, biological sex, sexual orientation, and ability. Social psychologists who studies these topics relied on empirical research, thus class readings will draw heavily from original research articles, research reviews, and some text book excerpts.

This course focuses on the relationship between minds and bodies, and the nature of mental phenomena such as thoughts, desires, and qualia (qualitative states such as the experience of seeing red or tasting a peach). If we assume that minds are physical or material entities - an assumption prevalent today - then we must ask how typically mental features such as thoughts, sensations, emotions and consciousness can emerge out of the seemingly unthinking, unfeeling grey matter of the brain.

The field of Statistics aims to interpret large data sets that contain random variation. Baseball is a simple game that contains a high degree of randomness, and because professional baseball has been played since the 19th century, a large amount of data has been collected about players' performance. In this class we examine key concepts in Statistics and Data Science using baseball as a motivating example, and students will learn how to use the R programming language to analyze data. Assignments will consist of weekly problem sets, two class presentations, and a short final project.

This course uses the framework of stop motion animation to build a fundamental skill set for creating any type of animation. Students begin by creating wire-armatured puppets using a technique called "foam buildup," which is a common technique most famously utilized by Ray Harryhausen in King Kong. The puppets the students create in the first weeks of class will provide them with both a canvas and a brush to explore their personal style by animating specific movements and analyzing each other's work.

This introductory social psychology course will explore foundational theories and empirical research. Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think, feel, and behave in social contexts. Thus, class readings will draw heavily from original research articles, research reviews, and some text book excerpts. Many readings will require some basic knowledge of scientific methods. The course will address classic research on topics such as conformity and persuasion but also include recent research on the role of emotion regulation, implicit attitudes, and other topics.

This course offers students a broad introduction to the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. We will explore a sampling of the ways Psychologists study these from different theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. For example, we will examine the interplay between the biological, psychological, and social aspects of human behavior. Content areas covered will include the brain, sensation and perception, memory, development, language, social psychology, and psychological disorders, among others.

This course is designed to give students a strong introduction to computer programming, with an emphasis on their developing their own projects by the end of the semester. As a course that can provide a strong foundation for further computer science courses, this class will expose students to input/output operations, if-else structures, loops, functions, objects, and classes. The course will also introduce students to the use of Python libraries developed by the Open Source community in order to incorporate advanced features into their own programs.

Beer brewing is a complex process encompassing the manipulation of four essential raw materials: barley malt, brewing water, hops and yeast. Hops contribute significant attributes to the final beer and an understanding of the impact is crucial for the brewer and brewing scientist. Hop chemistry is only about 100 years old and after a flurry of activity in the early years, the focus of many brewing scientists has largely turned to other issues. There remain many hop-related questions of interest to the brewer that have not yet been addressed.

Race is at the same time both a misguided way to think about human biological variation and a core socio-political idea, with profound effects on wealth and health. Race is both a biological myth and a tangible reality. Human biological variation is not reducible to race, yet the idea of race continues to "do work" in helping to maintain a racial-class economy. To understand race, and the work that it does, we will critically study both its historical construction from the 1800's forward and the evolving science of human biological variation.