Topics course. Introduction to modern geometric approaches to classical physics. The essential idea is that the notion of symmetry can be used to simplify the analysis of physical systems. Topics may include Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, Noether's Theorem and conservation laws, quantization and special relativity. Prerequisite: MTH 280 or MTH 281. MTH 233 is suggested (possibly concurrently). No prior exposure to physics is necessary. 

Functions of several variables; vector fields; divergence and curl, critical point theory; implicit functions; transformations and their Jacobians; theory and applications of multiple integration; and the theorems of Green, Gauss and Stokes. Prerequisites: MTH 211 and MTH 212, or permission of the instructor.

Topics course. This course explores the history of lesbian/queer communities, cultures and activism. While becoming familiar with the existing narratives about lesbian lives, students are introduced to the method of oral history as a key documentation strategy in the production of queer histories. Our texts include secondary literature on late-20th-century lesbian culture and politics, oral history theory and methodology, a walking tour of Northampton, and primary sources from the Sophia Smith Collection (SSC).

Topics course. The course uses magic as a case study for exploring cultural transmission in the Middle Ages. We begin by examining Germanic and Greco-Roman occult traditions, and the way in which the medieval synthesis of these cultures effects understandings of the occult. The course follows the influence of the Arabic and Hebrew influences on western occultism of the High Middle Ages, and flowering of the Renaissance magical tradition. The course challenges and reshapes some of our basic understandings about Medieval society.

Topics course. This course examines the processes and organizations that govern foreign policy decisions in the United States. We view this topic through a variety of lenses, including theories of individual cognition and bias, small-group decision-making, bureaucratic politics, and organizational behavior. These different approaches are applied to several in-depth cases studies drawn from the last fifty years of U.S. foreign policy. Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing; GOV 241 (International Politics) or equivalent; and one college-level course in American politics.

Treatment of traditional and transitional China, followed by analysis of the political system of the People's Republic of China. Discussion centers on such topics as problems of economic and social change, policy formulation, and patterns of party and state power.

The fundamental problems in summarizing, interpreting and analyzing empirical data. Topics include research design and measurement, descriptive statistics, sampling, significance tests, correlation and regression. Special attention is paid to survey data and to data analysis using computer software.

The fundamental problems in summarizing, interpreting and analyzing empirical data. Topics include research design and measurement, descriptive statistics, sampling, significance tests, correlation and regression. Special attention is paid to survey data and to data analysis using computer software.

The fundamental problems in summarizing, interpreting and analyzing empirical data. Topics include research design and measurement, descriptive statistics, sampling, significance tests, correlation and regression. Special attention is paid to survey data and to data analysis using computer software.

The study of landforms and their significance in terms of the processes that form them. Selected reference is made to examples in the New England region and the classic landforms of the world. During the first part of the semester laboratories involve learning to use geographic information system (GIS) software to analyze landforms. During the second part of the semester laboratories include field trips to examine landforms in the local area. Prerequisite: 101, or 102, or 108 or FYS 103.