Having a plan helps you achieve more and stress less. Learn how neuroscience can inform goal-setting and time-management strategies to help you create an effective first-year plan focusing on balance, productivity, and well-being.

Images abound. They fill our social media feeds, they are staged to convey our aspirations for ourselves, and they increasingly hold powerful sway over our cultural discourses. Critic Sean O'Hagan has called photography ?the medium of our time, not just defining our globally connected digital image culture, but propelling it.? In this class, we will practice Dr.

The primary goals of this course are to introduce First Year Students to the ideas behind some of the neuroscience and psychological ideas surrounding why we think the things we think. I hope to broaden your perspective regarding how to interpret our thoughts. Just because we think something doesn?t make it true. There are evolutionary reasons for some thoughts we have and also there are life experiences that shape our thoughts, and in both cases, it is possible to understand WHY we think the way we do and the CHANGE the way that we think.

This course, How Learning Happens, provides an in-depth exploration of the habits and practices that will make you a successful college student. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, readings, and practical activities, students will engage with the educational psychology underlying those habits and practices including how to get the most out of lectures, how to read hard texts, how to prepare for a test, and how to manage academic anxiety. The course aims to equip students with the executive function skills that are essential for any field of study.

In this class, we will learn about LGBTQIA+ issues as they relate to children and young adults at school - from preschool to college. This is a broad topic, but we will narrow it down based on your interests as we move through the semester. We will also share "college tips" to help you successfully navigate your first year at UMass.

The sciences are defined by those who push past the bounds of human knowledge and break down the thought barriers of their time. This seminar will explore the stories of women scientists who changed the world and will celebrate their inspiring discoveries which upended our understanding of the cosmos, the planet and ourselves. These pioneers paved the way for future generations of women scientists and explorers. By learning about their lives, we seek to understand the cultural attitudes, historical forces and social realities that made science what it is today and what it will be tomorrow.

Pompeii has been the testing ground for archaeological methods since the first excavations in 1748. Naturally, the introduction of the personal computer at the end of last century and the internet revolution at the beginning of this century have had a profound impact on how we do archaeology at Pompeii and how we understand what we find there. This class is a virtual field trip; it addresses recent technological advances and introduces students to the field of archaeology, cutting edge digital research techniques, and the ancient city of Pompeii itself.

Through readings and short films, we'll learn about the gladiatorial combats and animal fights staged for large audiences in amphitheaters of the Roman Empire. We'll consider the Romans' perspective on violent entertainment along with modern parallels. Weekly reading or viewing response notes will guide weekly small group and full class discussion. Since this is a First-Year Seminar, we will also discuss strategies to support academic success, allow time for talking about our own experiences, and familiarize ourselves with campus resources.

Art and Culture at UMass looks at the lively and vibrant arts and culture of UMass, including museums and galleries, rare books and manuscripts, one of America?s foremost literary magazines, innovative and historic architecture, a major international film archive, and other cultural resources on campus. The seminar will offer a history of the arts, writing, and design at UMass, and will include on-campus field trips to all the places and resources we learn about.

This course is for prospective Biology undergraduate researchers who are interested in conducting undergraduate research or creative endeavors. Students who have not already started an independent research project with a research mentor will learn valuable skills to prepare for and find research opportunities. During the semester students will visit research labs and core facilities that support research and receive environmental health and safety training. Students will discuss research experiences with juniors and seniors working in research labs.