True, a picture is worth a thousand words, but how do we know which words to use exactly? In this seminar, we will focus on the work of language in relation to the visual arts, and learn to distinguish between different kinds of writing, including art history, art criticism, poetry and fiction. We will visit the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum and the Skinner Museum, and develop provocative ideas about original works of art. We will practice critical thinking and writing on our own, and work collaboratively on various projects.

Sex evolved multiple times in nature and is the most common way to reproduce in eukaryotes. This class will explore the diversity of sexual strategies that have resulted in over 500 million years of evolutionary history, diving deeply into mechanisms of sexual differentiation, and the resulting phenotypes. The second half of the class will focus on an exploration of sexual systems that rely primarily on two mating types: female and male.

Video games are not only engaging to play, but challenging and fun to program. Many games are in fact simulations: they define a game world, and model that world and the interactions of elements in it. To program games, one must excel at this type of modeling while simultaneously handling real-time input and output to create a compelling experience. This project-based course explores techniques at the heart of game programming.

Life for the visually impaired and blind (VIB) can be very challenging. Both low-tech devices, such as white canes, and high-tech devices, such as Siri, can help VIB people overcome some of these challenges. In this course, we will read about, discuss, and experiment with devices across the low tech to high tech spectrum, to understand how they work and how effective they are. We will also look at technology being created to support VIB programmers, data scientists, and other professionals in their work.

The aim of this class is to underscore the significance of Black perspectives and contributions within the field of anthropology. Black anthropology, and especially Black feminist anthropology, has historically been sidelined within anthropological discourse. In this course, we will collectively challenge this historical erasure by centering the work of Black ethnographers. By delving into works spanning continental Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States, students will begin to understand the vast impact Black ethnographers have had both in and outside the field of anthropology.

The aim of this class is to underscore the significance of Black perspectives and contributions within the field of anthropology. Black anthropology, and especially Black feminist anthropology, has historically been sidelined within anthropological discourse. In this course, we will collectively challenge this historical erasure by centering the work of Black ethnographers. By delving into works spanning continental Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States, students will begin to understand the vast impact Black ethnographers have had both in and outside the field of anthropology.

This course focuses on the biological and cultural components of childbirth through evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives. From the evolution of the pelvis to how nutrition, growth and development, health, trauma and cultural contexts can affect successful childbirth, we explore the birth process in the ancient world, historical trends, and recent dialogues surrounding the technocratic model of birth, to understand the changing focus of birth as female centered to a medical condition.

This class takes a ~look~ at the components of racial representation in audio-visual media: How can ideas and theories be conveyed or communicated through a visual mode? What ethical concerns emerge when representing others in different media? Drawing from written texts, documentaries, graphic novels, and artwork, we will explore the myriad ways media creatives construct racial representations, and question the perceived boundary between research and art.

How do the topics of abolition and textiles come together? Marginalized communities have historically used folkloric, textile arts and material culture to amplify abolitionist causes. From secret quilt codes of the Underground Railroad to an abolitionist community sustained by a silk mill in Florence, Massachusetts how might thinking with textiles intervene on patriarchal systems rooted in rigidity, isolation and punishment?

How do the topics of abolition and textiles come together? Marginalized communities have historically used folkloric, textile arts and material culture to amplify abolitionist causes. From secret quilt codes of the Underground Railroad to an abolitionist community sustained by a silk mill in Florence, Massachusetts how might thinking with textiles intervene on patriarchal systems rooted in rigidity, isolation and punishment?