While the Asian American community has received a lot of attention and scrutiny over the years but in many ways, still
remains largely misunderstood. This course examines the many histories, experiences, and cultures that shape and
define the Asian American population through introducing students to developing and applying your `sociological
imagination? -- a combination of theory, concepts, methods, and results of systematic and critical inquiry -- to explore
historical, demographic, political, economic, and cultural themes, patterns, and experiences related to the Asian

The experience of looking at the night sky and? wondering? is a common one, but nonetheless, has prompted uncommon physics. This seminar will give students the opportunity to learn (accurately) about cosmology, black holes, and a taste of string theory.

Discovery and development of antibiotics and vaccines revolutionized healthcare in the 20th century and with it, changed the impact of once deadly infectious diseases. The 21st century marked the dawn of genomics which holds similar promise to revolutionize our understanding of health and disease. The course will discuss the tools used to understand what is coded in our DNA as well as how this genetic plan is modified throughout our lives by exposures that define the ?epigenetic? instructions --- the modifiable script in our DNA.

Unattractive people are less likely to be hired and promoted, and are assumed less likely to be good, kind or honest. Indeed, the global investment in beauty is approaching $200 billion. This course examines body appearance including weight, shape, and size as an area of human difference subject to privilege and discrimination that intersects with other systems of oppression based on gender, race, class, and age. It employs a multi-disciplinary approach spanning the social-behavioral social sciences and humanities.

As the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase, we are coming to experience a world of ?ecological surprises.? Climate change in fact changes everything, prompting us to re-examine our ideas about what is natural, what is inevitable, and what is just. Besides learning the facts, there is a lot to think about, and this weekly freshman seminar will encourage students to reflect critically about what is happening in their world and their personal response to it.

Performance anxiety or stage fright is one of the most common phobias in the United States today. For many, the very thought of speaking in front of a crowd of people initiates the familiar symptoms: sweaty palms, dry mouth, racing heart beat, shallow breathing, shaking limbs, etc. Anyone whose career has the potential to place them at the attention of an audience, whether it?s an important sales pitch or by leading a business meeting, will benefit from learning how to overcome their fears of performance.

Globally, approximately 3 billion people, 40% ofthe earth's inhabitants, live on less than US $3.00 per day. This course introduces students to the real ity of poverty and the "bottom of the pyramid". Students are also presented with narratives of poverty from individuals' lived experience, macro approaches to poverty reduction and business strategies to address poverty. The issues of interest are also reviewed in different environmental contexts to provide insight into the broad diverse landscape of global poverty.