There's more than one way to find success in college and the path to getting there is different for every student. Our goals in this course are to connect with fellow students and the instructor as you become a contributing member of the community, both at UMass and beyond; start planning your individual academic goals and pathways toward achieving them; explore the different majors in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and start thinking like a social scientist.

There's more than one way to find success in college and the path to getting there is different for every student. Our goals in this course are to connect with fellow students and the instructor as you become a contributing member of the community, both at UMass and beyond; start planning your individual academic goals and pathways toward achieving them; explore the different majors in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and start thinking like a social scientist.

What is happening in the world of computing today? What does cutting-edge research look like? In this seminar, students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on projects, hear from faculty and other researchers in computer science about their work, and explore what it means to be a researcher in computer science.

Are you interested in making video games and making a positive impact on the world around us? In this class, we will discuss the status of video games in society, play some games, explore social justice aspects we are interested in, and create our own video games that promote positive change. No prior technology skills required!

When we talk about "artificial intelligence," what do we mean? The idea is everywhere. It recommends playlists, optimizes shipping networks, and even crashes a few cars. We've been writing about it in fiction for decades, but those texts talk about much more than just AI. Exploring the intelligences we make is a way of exploring the intelligences that we are. In fiction, robots and sentient computers are blank slates that allow us to dream up other ways of being or reimagine ourselves, revising everything from sexuality to mortality to humor. Writers from Mary Shelley to Philip K.

In this course we will study one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, through its film, musical, performance, visual art, and novel adaptations. We will consider questions such as what is an adaptation? What counts as an "original" vs. an adaptation? What is Shakespeare's role in our contemporary context? How can we learn more about Romeo and Juliet by studying how it has been represented and retold in new contexts and through new genres? How do adaptations or retellings critique and/or reaffirm norms and power structures?

In this course we will study one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, through its film, musical, performance, visual art, and novel adaptations. We will consider questions such as what is an adaptation? What counts as an "original" vs. an adaptation? What is Shakespeare's role in our contemporary context? How can we learn more about Romeo and Juliet by studying how it has been represented and retold in new contexts and through new genres? How do adaptations or retellings critique and/or reaffirm norms and power structures?

This first-year seminar examines the racial conditions and activism that account for the rise of #BlackLivesMatter since the 1960s, and explores some of the major people, goals, struggles, and victories from the Black Power era to today's Black Lives Matter generation. In the process, this course will evaluate the role of art, music, fashion, and media as tools that African Americans have used to assert their agency in the struggle for racial justice and racial pride.

This first-year seminar examines the racial conditions and activism that account for the rise of #BlackLivesMatter since the 1960s, and explores some of the major people, goals, struggles, and victories from the Black Power era to today's Black Lives Matter generation. In the process, this course will evaluate the role of art, music, fashion, and media as tools that African Americans have used to assert their agency in the struggle for racial justice and racial pride.

Topics in Advanced Turkish VI focuses on developing advanced reading, writing, and speaking skills, expanding vocabulary, and improving the ability to describe/narrate in detail and support opinions. Topics are chosen in consultation with the program director. The course format includes small group conversation sessions and individual tutorials. Students studying Turkish develop speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural etiquette skills needed for study abroad in India and to support course work in Middle Eastern studies.