Performance study - individual instruction.

Performance study - individual instruction.

The enlargement of the European Union (EU) to Central and Eastern European countries has generated new neighbors to the east and south - the Western Newly Independent States (WNIS) of Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine, and Southern Mediterranean countries (SMCs) Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. Europe's new neighbors make up 410 million inhabitants, but their GDP capita is barely one tenth of the European Union's. This has brought problems for the EU, including migration pressures, human trafficking, and refugees.

Following the collapse of the USSR and the Gulf War, Central Asia and the Caucasus became new centers of geopolitical rivalry. The new states are a source of energy (oil and gas) for Western powers and a vital transit corridor between Eastern Europe and China. While a new 'Great Game' is being fought between Western, Far Eastern, and Middle Eastern powers for control over energy pipelines, the region is threatened by environmental catastrophe and water shortages. Is the new oil industry a source of prosperity or an instrument for exploitation, corruption, and instability?

Perhaps no other novelist has delved as deeply into the psychological and metaphysical dimensions of evil as the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. This course will be devoted to a close reading of Dostoevsky's landmark novel of murderous passion and parricide, The Brothers Karamazov. Why should crime and transgression be a privileged avenue of access into the human interior? How is psychology tied to the metaphysical aspect of human existence? What are the sources of evil--and redemption?

Emphasis on increasing active command of grammar while focusing on conversational topics. Readings include poetry, short stories, and magazine and newspaper articles. Students watch and discuss Russian films. Classes are conducted mostly in Russian.

Continuation of Russian 101. A four-skills course, with increasing emphasis on reading and writing, that completes the study of basic grammar. Major topics include: predicting conjugation patterns, unprefixed and prefixed verbs of motion, complex sentences, time expressions, and strategies of vocabulary building. Students watch Russian films, read and discuss authentic texts.

Continuation of Russian 101. A four-skills course, with increasing emphasis on reading and writing, that completes the study of basic grammar. Major topics include: predicting conjugation patterns, unprefixed and prefixed verbs of motion, complex sentences, time expressions, and strategies of vocabulary building. Students watch Russian films, read and discuss authentic texts.

Biology of Neurological Diseases will explore the molecular and cellular basis of neurological diseases. We will investigate the biological mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. We will focus on animal models used to investigate pathogenic mechanisms and the biology underlying therapeutic strategies. This class will rely heavily on primary research articles and in-class discussions.

Recently, the development of novel technologies for probing neurobiological questions has proceeded at a dizzying pace. This course focuses on three broad fields in neurotechnology: optical methods for examining neural activity and structures, innovations in electrophysiology, and mind-machine interfaces. Specific topics may include: optogenetics, 2-photon microscopy, 'brainbow' imaging, methods for single ion channel recording, and neuroprosthetics. Presentation, discussion, and critique of research articles will form the core of the course.