New England with its cold, wet winters can be a wonderful place to climb frozen water! Students will meet once a week and travel to local cliffs to practice winter climbing skills. Primary focus will be on steep ice and mixed climbing, and the use of tools and techniques for winter travel in the mountains. Class meets on Tuesdays 12:30pm - 6:00pm until Spring Break, 1/29-3/12. 5-College students will be graded pass/fail.

While the weather is still too bad to ride, why not put a few hours a week into fixing up and fine tuning your bicycle? Each week students will focus on an area of the bike and learn what is required to clean and maintain that part. At the end of each class, students will have done the maintenance and be able to depart with their bike intact. At the end of this seven week class, students will have rebuilt their bike and be ready for spring weather. Class meets Wednesdays from 3:30pm - 6:00pm from 1/23 to 3/13. 5-College students will be graded pass/fail.

This class will utilize various techniques to improve one's strength and conditioning without the use of weights. All experience levels are welcome. The class is especially good for those interested in improving strength for sports. Five college students will be graded pass/fail.

This course will give students background knowledge and first-hand experience in stretching, weight lifting, and aerobic conditioning. Students will learn the basics of flexibility training, using heart rate to guide aerobic conditioning, and assist in designing an individualized weight training program. Each class session will include stretching, running/walking, and weight lifting. People who have never been involved in a fitness program are especially welcome. 5-College students will be graded pass/fail.

The class will focus on improving foot, speed, agility, and explosiveness through drills and plyometrics. The class will meet Tuesday and Thursday from 3pm-4pm for 6 weeks. January 24 - March 7. 5-College students will be graded pass/fail.

This course addresses outdoor leadership from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Readings and discussions will focus on such topics as leadership theory, safety and risk management, legal responsibilities, group development theory, gender and social justice issues, and the educational use of the wilderness. Pratical lab sessions will cover such topics as safety guidelines and emergency procedures, trip planning, navigation, nutrition, minimum impact camping, equipment repair, and the instruction of specific wilderness activities.

This workshop is suitable for creative writers in the final semester of Division II, or just beginning a Division III. The goal is to ensure that, by semester's end, students have the tools required to complete a substantial creative project. Each student will propose an independent project (ex.: series of stories, novella, collection of shorts, work within a certain genre or form), setting out clear craft-related goals and a method to achieve these.

Life is full of hidden beauty. From the basic structures of biological compounds, to the movement of compounds within a cell, to the combined activities of tissues that contribute to the function of an organ, to the structures of complete organisms, the phenomena of life are both intellectually and aesthetically stimulating. This course will explore the complexities of life and use them as inspiration for creating art.

This course focuses on the science of human genetic and biological variation. How does variation come about in evolution? Which variations have adaptive and functional significance and which are "just differences"? What is the evolutionary explanation, distribution, and significance of human variation in, for example, sickle cell anemia, skin color and sports performance? How are individuals grouped, how are differences studied, and to what purpose? How did the idea of "natural" races arise, and how and why, despite key scientific flaws, does it persist?

In this course students will examine the function of the nervous system with particular focus on mechanisms at work in the brain. The course will link current advances in cell, molecular and developmental physiology research in the context of neuronal functional mechanisms. Topics may include neurotransmitter function and regulation, brain area function, integrative intracellular signaling pathways, neuroendocrine control.