From insects to primates, animals communicate in a variety of ways using signal modalities such as vibration, vocalizations, colors, scents, and gestures. This course focuses on the evolution of communication signals with an emphasis on both signal function and mechanism. We will explore communication in various animal groups, but examine vocal learning in birds in depth as a focal example in this class. Topics will range from communication theory, signal transmission, and the cultural evolution of learned signals (to name a few).

From popular media to policy discussions, academic analyses to activist calls to action, we are continually presented with gendered images of victimized Muslim women and violent Muslim men in the Middle East. Anthropological accounts of the lived experiences and subjective narratives of Muslims in this region complicate and confound such Orientalist stereotypes. In this course, we will critically analyze and compare ethnographies that examine Muslim lives in various Middle Eastern contexts.

In this class, students will be introduced to the main concepts and central problems of cultural anthropology. Anthropology helps us understand common global issues --- issues of power and social change -- through the investigation of the culturally particular and local meanings in people's daily lives. In this course, we will explore these issues through close reading of ethnographies and careful viewing of ethnographic films on a range of topics (including class, race, gender, and migration).

This course is an overview of linguistics, the scientific study of the structure, function, and importance of human language. Students will be introduced to the main structural aspects of language: sounds (phonetics and phonology), words (morphology), sentences (syntax), and meanings (semantics). We will also examine how language allows interaction between individuals in specific contexts (pragmatics), in cultural settings (anthropological linguistics), and in the society at large (sociolinguistics). Finally, the course will take a closer look at the Quechua languages of South America.

In this course, we will explore the explicit and implicit assumption that learning occurs in museum spaces. Many museums (art, science, etc.) and designed museum-like spaces such as aquariums, sculpture gardens, and historical centers, often collectively called "informal learning institutions," frequently include educational components in their mission statements or goals. Yet, how are these components enacted or realized? Several questions will drive our inquiry: How do we define learning in these settings? How do we measure learning in these settings?

In this introductory course, students will explore the history, practices, career options, and problems of environmental education - educational efforts promoting an understanding of nature, environmentally responsible behavior, and protection of natural resources. Shifts in environmental education research foci, relationships to current and past environmental challenges (e.g., air pollution, species loss, climate change), and differences between U.S. and international efforts will be discussed.

In this course, students will be introduced to various programming concepts by making digital games. We will work in Unity using C# and JavaScript to create playable computer games of increasing complexity throughout the semester. This course will provide a foundation for advanced computer science courses and will expose students to comments, variables, conditionals, loops, functions, and object oriented programming concepts.

In this course, students will learn the fundamental concepts of game design and how they apply to games, any designed experience, and our daily lives. Students will be exposed to many different types of games and explore game design themes across genres. Students will also develop and hone personal game design skills through practice and more practice. Frequent critiques will increase students' ability to give and receive thoughtful feedback, which is a key skill for game designers (and for life).

Students participate in various outdoor activties and learn about the seven principles of Leave No Trace, Wilderness Ethics, and local land issues. Students will learn techniques for disseminating low impact skills for backpacking, rock climbing, canoeing and more. Successful graduates of this course will gain skills to teach Leave No Trace techniques and ethics to their clients, friends and family. This class includes one overnight trip where students will hike, camp, and climb. Completion of this course will allow participants to teach Leave No Trace Awareness classes.

Spoken by the largest number of Jews for the longest period of time in the most countries all over the world of all Jewish languages, Yiddish is the key to understanding Eastern European Jewish life. This course will provide an introduction to Yiddish language and culture. Students will develop basic speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Yiddish, using textbook materials, original texts, audio-visual sources, and group work emphasizing student participation. The course will also introduce students to the history of the Yiddish language and the breadth of Yiddish culture.