Summer Programs for High School Students
Pre-College Program
College Credit Courses
Note: The roster of summer courses is subject to change. Students will be enrolled in specific courses after admission to the program and advising from the Academic Director. Some courses have pre-requisites. We will make every attempt to register students in the course(s) of their choice, but cannot guarantee enrollment in a specific course.
Ancient Rome
ANCH 027
MTWR 2:40pm-4:15pm
The Roman Empire was one of the few great world states-one that unified a large area around the Mediterranean Sea-an area never subsequently united as part of a single state. Whereas the great achievements of the Greeks were in the realm of ideas and concepts (democracy, philosophy, art, literature, drama) those of the Romans tended to be in the pragmatic spheres of ruling and controlling subject peoples and integrating them under the aegis of an imperial state. Conquest, warfare, administration, and law making were the great successes of the Roman state. We will look at this process from its inception and trace the formation of Rome's Mediterranean empire over the last three centuries BC; we shall then consider the social, economic and political consequences of this great achievement, especially the great political transition from the Republic (rule by the Senate) to the Principate (rule by emperors). We shall also consider limitations to Roman power and various types of challenges, military, cultural, and religious, to the hegemony of the Roman state. Finally, we shall try to understand the process of the development of a distinctive Roman culture from the emergence new forms of literature, like satire, to the gladiatorial arena as typical elements that contributed to a Roman social order.
Introduction to Human Evolution
ANTH 003
TR 6:00pm-9:10pm
An introduction to the conceptual framework and orientation of physical anthropology regarding problems of human variation, past and present.
European Art & Civilization after 1400
ARTH 102
MW 1:30pm-3:40pm
The great epochs of art and their relation to corresponding phases of Western political and sociological history. For the student who desires an introduction to the arts as well as for those who seek a foundation for more specialized study in the field.
Survey of the Universe
ASTR 001
MTWR 2:40pm-4:20pm
A general survey, designed for the non-major, of the facts and theories of the astronomical universe, from solar system, to stars, to galaxies and cosmology. Topics include planets, satellites, small objects in the solar system, and extraterrestrial life; stars, their evolution, and their final state as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes; galaxies, quasars, large structures, background radiation, and big bang cosmology. Elementary algebra and geometry will be used. This course is not recommended for physical-science majors or engineering students.
Introduction to Brain and Behavior
BIBB 109
MWF 10:00am-12:00pm, T 10:00am-11:00am (lab)
(1 credit unit; no supplemental charge)
Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders. Familiarity with elementary physics and chemistry may be helpful.
Introduction to Biology
BIOL 101
MTWRF 8:30am-10:00am; WF 10:00am-1:00pm (lab)
(1.5 credit units, supplemental charge applies)
Viruses, bacteria, protozoa and plants, and the general principles of biology that have been established by studies of these organisms. Emphasis will be on cell and molecular biology, genetics, development, diversity of adaptations and evolution.
Writing Seminar in Cinema: Classical Tales, Hollywood Retelling
CINE 009
MTWR 2:40pm-4:15pm
This course will view a series of mainstream films through the lens of Classical literature. Students will read a number of well-known texts from antiquity and pair them with films that in some way translate their themes, ideas, or genres. Pairings will include Homer's Odyssey and the action adventure blockbuster, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and film noir, and Ovid's Metamorphoses and the post-modern musical. Students will be expected to view films outside of class as part of their homework. Assignments may include short responses, op-ed articles on current cinema, and a film review suitable for Podcasting.
Topics in Film Practice: Film Noir: From Page to Screen
CINE 201
TR 6:00pm-9:10pm
This course will explore a number of canonical films noirs and the novels or short stories on which they are based. The primary lenses through which we will view these works surround issues of adaptation, genre, and historical contexts. Is film noir a genre and how are various generic conventions and themes translated from literature to film (and back again)? How does the process of adaptation transform and alter these texts in relation to formal and technological issues of medium? What are the specific cultural and social contexts for these works and how do they engage with their historical moments as well as with more trans-historical conventions of genre and narrative form? Pairs of works may include: Ernest Hemingway’s “The Killers” and Robert Siodmak’s The Killers (1946); Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon and John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon (1941); James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity and Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity (1944); Raymond Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely and Edward Dmytryk’s Murder, My Sweet (1944); David Goodis’s Down There and Francois Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player (1960); Jim Thompson’s After Dark, My Sweet and James Foley’s After Dark, My Sweet (1990); and Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men and the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men (2007).
Race and American Film
CINE 202
MW 5:30pm-8:40pm
What is “whiteness”? How did American cinema both contribute to and develop around constructed categories of race? Using current critical race studies as a lens, this course will examine and interrogate the concept of “whiteness,” comparing it with film formulations of Asian, Native, and Black American life. Theoretical selections (for example, Toni Morrison’s Playing in the Dark) would be supplemented by brief historical passages by W.E.B. Du Bois, Theodore Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, and Lyndon Johnson, among others. We will watch historical films like D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation (1915) Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul (1925), John Ford’s The Searchers (1956), Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) and John Sayles’s The Brother From Another Planet (1984), as well as more contemporary films like Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989), Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile (2002), Tony Kaye’s American History X (1998), John Landis’s The Blues Brothers (1980), and John Waters’ Hairspray (1988). We will also analyze current pop culture including The Simpsons, Margaret Cho’s I’m the One I Want (2000) and Chappelle’s Show (2005). Students will be expected to view approximately 10 films. Evaluation will also include a research paper and a final exam.
Ancient Theater
CLST 141
MTWR 1:00pm-2:35pm
This course will introduce you to the "roots" of the western dramatic tradition by surveying a number of well-known tragedies and comedies from Greco-Roman antiquity. Although the syllabus varies slightly from year to year, students can expect to read such influential works as Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" and Aristophanes' "Clouds." In addition to reading the plays themselves, students will gain insight into the reception of dramatic performances in the ancient world. Individual authors and works will be presented within their historical contexts and we will attend to matters such as staging of drama, the evolution of theatrical performance, and interpretation of ancient drama as social and/or political commentary.
Introduction to Communication Behavior
COMM 125
MTWR 1:00pm-2:35pm
This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of communication behavior. It focuses on social science studies relating to the processes and effects of mass communication. Research reviewed includes media use behavior and media influences on knowledge, perceptions of social reality, aggressive behavior, and political behavior.
Children and the Media
COMM 225
TR 6:00pm-9:10pm
This course examines children's relationship to media in its historic, economic, political and social contexts. The class explores the ways in which "childhood" is created and understood as a time of life that is qualitatively unique and socially constructed over time. It continues with a review of various theories of child development as they inform children's relationship with and understanding of television and other household media. It next reviews public policies designed to empower parents and limit children's exposure to potentially problematic media content and simultaneously considers the economic forces that shape what children see and buy. The course concludes with a critical examination of research on the impact of media on children's physical, cognitive, social and psychological development.
Introductory Economics: Microeconomics
(Two sections offered)
ECON 001
MTWR 1:00pm-2:35pm
ECON 001 921
MTWR 9:00am-10:35am
Introduction to economic analysis and its application. Theory of supply and demand, costs and revenues of the firm under perfect competition, monopoly and oligopoly, pricing of factors of production, income distribution, and theory of international trade. Econ 1 deals primarily with microeconomics.
Global English
ENGL 011
MTWR 10:40am-12:15pm
This course is intended for multilingual students who would benefit from a focus on American university writing conventions and additional practice in speaking and writing American English. As with all writing seminars, English 011 emphasizes critical thinking, writing, and collaborative skills. This seminar takes as its topic the notion of "world Englishes" and explores the issues and politics of a language that is now spoken and written in various dialects and to various ends by over half the world's population. English 011 meets an additional hour each week to help students improve their fluency in standard American English and fulfills the writing requirement for all undergraduates.
Irish Literature
ENGL 058
TR 5:30pm-8:40pm
Study of an Author: Shakespeare
ENGL 101
MW 5:30pm-8:40pm
This is an introduction to literary study through the works of a single author--often Shakespeare, but some versions of this course will feature other writers. (For offerings in a given semester, please see the on-line course descriptions on the English Department website.) We will read several works and approach them--both in discussion and in writing--from a range of critical perspectives. The author's relation to his or her time, to literary history generally, and to the problems of performance, are likely to be emphasized. Some versions of this course will also serve as an introduction to other members of the English faculty, who will visit the class as guest lecturers. This course is designed for the Generally Requirement and is ideal for the student wishing to take an English course but not necessarily intending to major. See the English Department's website at www.english.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.
Creative Non-fiction Writing
ENGL 135
MTWR 1:00pm-2:35pm
What is creative nonfiction? In our reading and writing, we'll explore the fascinating and productive tension between the two poles: what we imagine, and what "really" happened. We'll respect our memories and let our imaginations work in high gear as we learn ways to retrieve material, and shape it into surprising pieces of writing. We'll read, and re-read, a small number of contemporary essays, mining them for ideas and useful structures. You'll complete three significant pieces. One will be a profile of a person (a friend, an ex-friend, a relative, a coach, teacher, neighbor - someone who got under your skin and/or into your heart.) You'll also do a "profile" of a place that you know well. This could be your workplace, your block, your gym, your studio- any place that has its own characters and obsessions. Finally, you'll do a very personal essay, on a subject absolutely of your choice. Much of our work in class will be collaborative. We'll look at big ideas and at short sentences, offering advice and asking questions. If you have questions, please feel free to email dburnham@english.upenn.edu
Painting I
FNAR 231
MTWR 4:30pm-7:30pm
United States History 1865 to Present
HIST 021
MTWR 1:00pm-2:35pm
This course covers the social, political, and economic history of the nation from the Civil War to the present. Topics to be discussed include the causes and course of the Civil War, Reconstruction, politics in the Gilded Age, late nineteenth-century urbanization and immigration, Populism, Progressivism, the sociology and politics of the twenties, the New Deal, post-World War II America, the turbulence of the sixties, and contemporary affairs.
Islam & the West
HIST 317
MTWR 2:40pm-4:15pm
Surveys in some detail the images of Islam in the West, as well as pre-modern Muslim perceptions of Europe and the changing character of these perceptions in modern times, now including the larger western world. Particular attention is paid to the medieval period, that extending from the rise of Islam in the seventh century to the Muslim conquest of Constantinople and the end of Muslim rule in Spain in the fifteenth. Lying at the core of the course is a deep historical irony: the massive process of the transmission of knowledge and intellectual and cultural attitudes from the Greek world into Islam and from Islam into the Latin West on the one hand, and the phenomenon of "Orientalism" on the other, the latter embodying a doctrine of an essential Islam-West dichotomy. Readings include Dante's Divine Comedy, selections from the Arabian Nights, and modern Iranian polemics against the western world.
Elementary Italian
ITAL 110
MTWRF 10:00am-12:00pm
For students who have never studied Italian or who have had very little exposure to the language. Students who have already studied Italian are required to take the placement test. Class work emphasizes the development of speaking and listening comprehension, reinforced by work in reading and writing. Course includes an introduction to aspects of Italian culture. Out-of-class homework requires work with the Internet, audio and video materials.
Introduction to Sociolinguistics
LING 102
MW 10:00am-1:10pm
Human language viewed from a social and historical perspective. Students will acquire the tools of linguistic analysis through interactive computer programs, covering phonetics, phonology and morphology, in English and other languages. These techniques will then be used to trace social differences in the use of language, and changing patterns of social stratification. The course will focus on linguistic changes in progress in American society, in both mainstream and minority communities, and the social problems associated with them. Students will engage in field projects to search for the social correlates of linguistic behavior, and use quantitative methods to analyze the results.
Introduction to Calculus
MATH 103
MTWR 10:00am-12:10pm
Introduction to concepts and methods of calculus for students with little or no previous calculus experience. Polynomial and elementary transcendental functions and their applications, derivatives, extremum problems, curve-sketching, approximations; integrals and the fundamental theorem of calculus.
Calculus, Part I
MATH 104
MTWR 10:00am-12:10pm
Brief review of High School calculus, applications of integrals, transcendental functions, methods of integration, infinite series, Taylor's theorem. Use of symbolic manipulation and graphics software in calculus.
World Musics and Cultures
MUSC 050
TR 5:30pm-8:40pm
This course examines how we as consumers in the "Western" world engage with musical difference largely through the products of the global entertainment industry. We examine music cultures in contact in a variety of ways-- particularly as traditions in transformation. Students gain an understanding of traditional music as live, meaningful person-to-person music making, by examining the music in its original site of production, and then considering its transformation once it is removed, and re-contextualized in a variety of ways. The purpose of the course is to enable students to become informed and critical consumers of "World Music" by telling a series of stories about particular recordings made with, or using the music of, peoples culturally and geographically distant from the US. Students come to understand that not all music downloads containing music from unfamiliar places are the same, and that particular recordings may be embedded in intriguing and controversial narratives of production and consumption. At the very least, students should emerge from the class with a clear understanding that the production, distribution, and consumption of world music is rarely a neutral process.
Ethics
PHIL 002
MTWR 1:30pm-3:05pm
An investigation of some of the central questions about the nature of morality: Are moral judgments objective and justifiable? Can moral disagreements be resolved rationally? How are we to understand the idea of a good life, and what is the relationship between a good life and morality? To what extent can we be held responsible for our conduct? Readings will be from both contemporary and historical sources, and will concern both practical problems (e.g. abortion, euthanasia, or resource conservation) and theoretical issues.
History of Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 003
MTWR 3:00pm-4:35pm
A survey of classical Greek approaches to questions about knowledge, the nature of the world, the soul, ethics, and politics. Will focus on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
The Social Contract
PHIL 008
MTWR 12:00pm-1:35pm
This course examines the role of social contract doctrine in Western culture. Focus is on the works of Hobbes, Locke, J. J. Rousseau, and John Rawls. Lectures will be accompanied by discussions, led by faculty from other departments, including Economics, Psychology, History and Political Science.
Introduction to Game Theory
PPE 111
MTWR 4:20pm-5:55pm
This is a first course designed to examine theories of human decision making that use simple numerical methods of frame problems. The course will provide an introduction to objective and subjective probabilities, and then describe how rational decision making uses probabilities to predict outcomes. Students will be introduced to the theory of choice, utility, and subjective utility maximization, in static and dynamic frameworks. Students will be taught how to draw decision trees. We will also examine paradoxes of choice and departures from rational decision making. Extensive use will be made of examples.
International Politics
PSCI 050
MTWR 10:40am-12:15pm
The purpose of this course is simple enough: to familiarize you with the major problems and dilemmas of contemporary international politics, and in the process to enhance your understanding of a range of complex issues ranging from the evolving nature of international conflict and rivalry to the revival of nationalism; to provide an informed acquaintance with the determinants of foreign policy; to encourage (and prod) thinking about national security and foreign policy at a time of revolutionary changes and explore a variety of perspectives from which they may be viewed and evaluated; and, in particular to examine more closely the role of moral considerations in political choices. There are no prerequisites for the course, which is intended as much for the politically illiterate as for the politically informed. However, students must be prepared to read, to be critical, and to examine their own position of issues that have no easy or apparent solutions.
Introduction to Experimental Psychology
PSYC 001
TR 5:30pm-8:40pm
Introduction to the basic topics of psychology, including learning, motivation, cognition, development, abnormal, physiological, social, and personality.
The Brain Rewired
PSYC 009
MTWR 10:40am-12:15pm
The brain is an amazing organ. In addition to creating our mind, imagination, and behavior, it has the unique capability to be plastic—to wire and rewire itself. The brain is flexible in infancy and early childhood, but plasticity can be seen in the mature brain as well. To provide a focus for our writing we will approach brain plasticity from several directions. First, we will examine how increased use—through practice (e.g., learning to play a musical instrument) or behavioral therapy—can result in cortical reorganization. Next, we will explore how recovery from injury can set off events in the brain that may or may not be beneficial. Finally, we will consider plasticity in brain development from a systems level and examine the effect of socioeconomic status on brain function. Readings will include current articles from journals such as Science as well as clinical case studies from writer-practitioners like Oliver Sacks. Students will draft and revise written work to create a final portfolio.
Christian Origins
RELS 135
MW 10:00am-1:10pm
Christianity did not begin in a vacuum - indeed it emerged from the complex Jewish world of which we catch a glimpse in the "Dead Sea Scrolls" and it blossomed into various forms among the "mystery religions" of the Greco-Roman world around the Mediterranean Sea and farther east. In this course we will explore those developments in the first two centuries of the Common Era, with special focus on the evidence preserved in the earliest surviving Christian writings, including the "New Testament" collection. The goal of the course is neither conversion nor its opposite, but understanding as best we can from this chronological and geographical distance what the participants in the various developments thought was happening, and how they shaped and were shaped by their worlds. We will get very involved in discussing what can be known about the period, and how much we as interpreters contribute to any resulting "historical" picture.
Introduction to Islam
RELS 143
MW 5:30pm-8:40pm
A comprehensive introduction to Islamic doctrines, practices, and religious institutions in a variety of geographic settings from the rise of Islam in the seventh century to the present. Translated source materials from the Qur'an, sayings of Muhammad, legal texts, and mystical works will provide an overview of the literary expressions of the religion. The major emphasis of the course, however, is to view Islam as it is lived today: a session with a local imam in his mosque; introduction to Islamic websites; biographies of an Egyptian feminist in the 1s and of a progressive South African Muslim activist; influential figures in American Islam; identity, nationalism and religious tradition; jihad and the prospects of militant groups. The last evening will be devoted to what some scholars call the new Islamic reformation—stirrings of reform and renewal, particularly with regard to the intersection of theology and law in dialogue with global concepts of democracy and human rights.
Introduction to Sociology
SOCI 001
MTWR 4:20pm-5:55pm
In this course, we will look at human behavior through the lens of sociology. All human behavior and attitudes are profoundly influenced by the social structure around them. In this course, we will first examine the theoretical perspectives underlying sociological research, as well as the research methods used to systematically uncover social problems. We will then turn our attention to more substantive areas of the field, looking at how one’s position in the social structure is related to individual outcomes. Individuals are influenced by both individual attributes (such as race, class, gender, and age) and institutional arrangements (such as the government, religion, and families). In addition to gaining a broad understanding of patterns in social life, students will learn to think critically about the world around us.
Sociology of Bioethics
SOCI 118
MTWR 10:40am-12:15pm
This course is a study of the field of bioethics using the tools of sociology. The study of bioethics as a discipline and as a profession will be explored by addressing a series of topics that have been prominent in the field. We will use sociological concepts and theory to investigate American bioethics, rather than conduct a study of the merits of the debates themselves. This approach will consider the cultural, social, political, and symbolic meanings of these bioethical issues. We will address questions about the stakeholders in the debates, the timing of the debates, the rise and fall of certain issues, and the charismatic influence of key players. A key component in the readings will be the connections to bio-medicine and issues of treatment versus enhancement. Readings will be drawn from philosophy, bioethics, sociology, feminist studies, and sociology of medicine.
Law and Society
SOCI 135
MW 6:00pm-9:10pm
After introducing students to the major theoretical concepts concerning law and society, significant controversial societal issues dealing with the law and legal systems both domestically and internationally will be examined. Class discussions will focus on issues involving civil liberties, the organization of courts, legislatures, the legal profession and administrative agencies. Although the focus will be on law in the United States, law and society in other countries of Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America will be covered in a comparative context. Readings include research reports, statutes and cases.
Technology and Medicine in Modern America
STSC 162
TR 5:30pm-8:40pm
Medicine as it exists in contemporary America is profoundly technological; we regard it as perfectly normal to be examined with instruments, to expose our bodies to many different machines, and to have knowledge produced by those machines mechanically or electronically processed, interpreted and stored. We are billed and prompted to attend appointments technologically. We often buy technologies to protect, diagnose, or improve our health, such as HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaners, blood pressure cuffs, pregnancy testing kits, blood sugar monitors, and thermometers. Yet even as recently as a century ago, medical technologies were scarce and infrequently used by physicians and medical consumers. In this course, we will examine how technology came to center stage in medicine, and what impact this change has had on medical practice, institutions and consumers--in other words, on all of us!
Urban Neighborhoods
URBS 255
TR 1:00pm-4:00pm
The last several decades have witnessed a dramatic acceleration in the interconnection of cities around the world. The globalization of the economy, the spread of communications technology, major migrations between urban locations, and the wider dissemination of products of the culture industry have all contributed to this process. This course will examine these transformations by focusing on the changing relationships between urban neighborhoods in the United States and elsewhere in the world. In particular, class readings and discussions will explore the wide range of ways (political, social, cultural; organized and informal) that individuals and institutions in urban neighborhoods have reacted to global transformations and what effects and consequences those reactions have precipitated.