Introduction to MIDI and computer music synthesis. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

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.

HFA - Major Investigation is a seminar designed for students who are searching for a major or who have declared a major but aren't sure what they might do with that major after college. Through activities and class discussion we'll explore what makes you "you." We'll investigate what you love and what you want out of a job/career. You'll discover the academic opportunities UMass offers and learn how to customize your UMass experience. This course requires self-reflection and a willingness to share your thoughts with the class.

Everyone wants to be happy and satisfied with their life. But what does this mean? How do you obtain happiness, wellbeing, and satisfaction, or if you have those things, how did you get them? Can we identify practices in our daily lives that will bring us more of these valuable mental states? This first-year seminar will explore both the science and the philosophy of the good life. We will investigate the nature of the good life through philosophical readings, and we will attempt to improve our lives through the application of psychological theory.

Ever read a land acknowledgement and ask yourself "but what else can I/we do?" In this course we will explore the UMass campus and surrounding area with Indigenous knowledges. Together as a class and a community, we ask: what happens when we approach and experience our surroundings with different understandings? Over the course of a semester, we will visit sites on campus and discuss how we have given meaning--and can give new meaning--to the environment, animals, plants, stars, and even community.

Do you find it hard to imagine a future that is not some version of that disaster movie you watched a couple of years ago? The Covid-19 pandemic, global warming, mass migration, and wars make it difficult to feel hopeful about what is to come. In this course, we will look at current world events and think about the way people move to respond to the problems that affect their lives. We will consider how these relocations affect our lives as much as the problems that cause people to move. How do we imagine our future(s)?