This seminar explores the potentially novel entanglements of 'race', 'nation' and 'gender' through the increasing transnationalization of scientific and medical practices, the mobility of practitioners and consumers, and the mobilization of scientific and medical knowledge by individuals and communities, as well as governmental and civil society organizations.

This seminar explores the potentially novel entanglements of 'race', 'nation' and 'gender' through the increasing transnationalization of scientific and medical practices, the mobility of practitioners and consumers, and the mobilization of scientific and medical knowledge by individuals and communities, as well as governmental and civil society organizations.

Climate change presents a global public health problem, with serious health impacts predicted to manifest in varying ways in different parts of the world. Through this course, we will investigate these health effects which include increased respiratory and cardiovascular disease, injuries and premature deaths related to extreme heat, weather, and other disaster events, and changes in the prevalence and geographical distribution of food- and waterbourne illnesses and other infectious diseases.

Human population is expected to surpass nine billion in the next century. As our population grows, so will our need for food. Land available to grow food will not increase and degrading environmental conditions will make adequate food production on this land increasingly difficult. We will focus on the challenges to meet the nutritional needs of a growing population as well as look at some of the possible solutions for the future from a scientific standpoint. These challenges/solutions will be investigated at both the world and local (northeast United States) scales.

Humans are increasing the amount of pollutants in the environment, particularly through the burning of fossil fuels and other industrial practices. This course will investigate the pollutants that cycle through the atmosphere. Key pollutants covered will include nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon compounds, particulate matter, mercury, and ozone. We will investigate where the pollutants come from, their presence in the environment, and the biological effects of these pollutants.

Is beauty useless, or does art serve a purpose? With the rise of literacy, accessibility, and democratization post-industrialization, this question gained new political and economic valence. This course combines readings in aesthetic philosophy with literary works to investigate art in a society of consumption. Does art merely preserve the old or can it disrupt economies of sufficiency? We will look at the politics of representation in the Western tradition that privileges certain bodies and ignores others.

This course examines social protests from the perspective of the visual. Examining cultural productions from 1948-2015 we will focus on the geographical specificity of planned and spontaneous protests that have mobilized people into action. We will use a black studies framework to engage the possibilities present in resisting disparate power structures of race, gender, sexuality, class, and region. Artists, musicians, activists, writers, and grassroots organizers of social movements have been ever cognizant of the role of the visual in subverting power structures.

This course examines fiction by some of the key British and Irish writers from the first half of the twentieth century (1900-1945). We will be interested in the ways in which the form and content of the novel and the short story have been impacted by changes in social and cultural contexts. The course will cover topics such as the end of empire, the influence of developments in science, philosophy, and psychology, and the pervasive influence of music on modernist writers.

What is the relationship between language and social and political power? This course is an interdisciplinary study of the global role of the English language. Migration, education, and identity are major themes of the course, and we look at how linguists, policy-makers, and individuals grapple with these complex topics. This course also focuses on students' development of their written and spoken communication skills and is open to students in all disciplines.

This course demystifies college by focusing on three areas: 1) benefits of undergraduate research, 2) how to capitalize on the college experience, and 3) how to prepare for post-baccalaureate opportunities. Specifically, this course will teach students the elements of a research proposal by guiding them with original research. Moreover, students will learn strategies to thrive as undergraduates by exploring interests as means to finding their passion. In addition, this course will decipher the graduate/professional school application process.