This class is designed to provide an introduction to the field of global health intervention. We will first acquire some historical and analytical tools, including familiarity with a set of social theories to help us identify relevant issues and understand the complexity of situations we will examine over the course of the semester.

Coral reefs are among the most diverse and important ecosystems in the world's oceans. Yet they face a multitude of stressors leading to their decline in both structure and function -- including ocean warming, acidification, coastal development, and land-use change. This course provides a detailed exploration of coral reef ecology, physiology, and biogeochemistry including reading, interpreting, and analyzing of primary literature.

In this student-centered, discussion-based seminar, we will explore current hypotheses about the evolution of human variation, trace the history of how biology has been used in the construction of racial ideologies, and delve into the impacts of racial categorization on human health. We will investigate these themes through readings, videos, class discussions, student expert panels, and research papers.

We share planet Earth with an unimaginable number of "invisible" microbial life forms. In this course we will explore the structure, metabolism, genetics, and ecology of microbes, most prominently bacteria. Other microbes, including archaea, eukaryotic microbes, and viruses will also be considered. Whenever possible, the relationship between microbes and humans will be highlighted. Other goals will be for students to become comfortable with scientific primary literature and to hone their communication skills through discussions and written assignments.

Latin America has undergone massive political, economic and cultural transformations since the end of the Cold War. Indeed, during the final decades of the twentieth century, much of the region embraced neoliberal governance and free market capitalism. However, by the turn of the millennium, many Latin American governments had made a sharp "turn to the Left," as states began to intervened more directly in the economy, promote alternative imaginings of modernization, and recognize greater rights for Indigenous and Afro-descendent peoples.

In this class we will learn about the functions of human organ systems and their relationships with each other in health and disease, at both the cellular and tissue levels. We will study the mechanisms that regulate a variety of organ systems and learn how these mechanisms respond to the changing needs of the individual. Because a purely reductive approach often misses important determinants of body function, we will also consider how human health and disease unfold in a person's particular social and cultural context.