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 may have prerequisites. 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
MW 6:00pm-9:10pm

How did humans evolve? When did humans start to walk on two legs? How are humans related to non-human primates? This course focuses on the scientific study of human evolution describing the emergence, development, and diversification of our species, Homo sapiens. First we cover the fundamental principles of evolutionary theory and some of the basics of genetics and heredity as they relate to human morphological, physiological, and genetic variation. We then examine what studies of nonhuman primates (monkeys and apes) can reveal about our own evolutionary past, reviewing the behavioral and ecological diversity seen among living primates. We conclude the course examining the "hard" evidence of human evolution - the fossil and material culture record of human history from our earliest primate ancestors to the emergence of modern Homo sapiens. You will also have the opportunity, during recitations, to conduct hands-on exercises collecting and analyzing behavioral, morphological, and genetic data on both humans and nonhuman primates and working with the Department of Anthropology's extensive collection of fossil casts. 

Ancient Civilizations of the World

ANTH 139
TR 1:00pm-4:10pm

Anthropology 139 is designed to complement Anthropology 001, Introduction to Archaeology, which deals with the earliest societies that lead up to the development of complex urbanized communities. Although there will be some overlap with Anthro 001, the emphasis in this course will be on “civilizations." Much of the reading and discussion will involve the descriptive evidence for urbanization in the Old World and the New World. To understand the processes that lead to complex civilization, we will also discuss the origins of agriculture and theoretical issues involving cultural evolution.

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. 

Introduction to Visual Culture in the Islamic World

ARTH 217
MW 4:30-7:40pm

A one-semester survey of Islamic art and architecture which will examine visual culture as it functions within the larger sphere of Islamic culture in general. Particular attention will be given to relationships between visual culture and literature, using specific case studies, sites or objects which may be related to various branches of Islamic literature, including historcal, didactic, philosophical writings, poetry and religious texts. All primary sources will be available in English translation. 

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. 

Mortal Bioethics: Issues in the End of Life

BIOE 209
TR 10:00-12:30pm

This course will examine the way controversial end-of-life issues are portrayed in TV and movies (Law & Order, ER, and Hollywood films.) Topics include ethical issues related to physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia, withholding and withdrawing care, as well as important legal cases, from Quinlan to Schiavo.

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. Note: Previous high school Biology experience is required. 

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. 

Study of an Author: Shakespeare

ENGL 101
MW 5:30-8:40pm 

This is an introduction to literary study through the works of a single author. 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 versins of this course will also serve as an introduction to other members of the English faculty, who will visit the class as guest lecturers.

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. 

American Folklore

FOLK 201
TR 9:00am-12:10pm

This course examines American expressive culture including everyday speech, narrative, foodways, religion, medicine, and material arts through an exploration of the multiple and changing avenues of diversity in the U.S. Folklore can be considered the unofficial culture that exists beneath and between the institutions of power that we read about in our history books, and that is what will be studying: the 99% of American life that goes unseen and unnoticed in other college courses. Special topics in 2009 include the international impact of American food cultures, tattooing and make-up as body art, and the adaptation and commodification of folk culture in film, television, and comics.

American Popular Culture

FOLK 231
TR 9:00am-12:10pm

The course will explore the history and practice of popular culture and culture studies in the United States. We will begin by challenging the concepts of “folk,” “mass” and “popular,” as well as “American” and “culture.” We will interrogate various media such as television, film, music, comics, and popular romance to understand the conditions for the reproduction of social relations. We will explore how and why people actively negotiate and interpret popular materials, and consider how traditional expressive forms are reinterpreted in popular culture. This class will situate popular culture within a larger social, cultural, and political framework. Some areas we may investigate include video games, Barbie, advertising, disaster jokes, professional sports, graphic novels, Hollywood movies, and television, and there will be room for students to explore other areas. We will end by looking into the exportation of American popular culture and its reception, interpretation, and adaptation around the world.

Europe in a Wider World 

HIST 002
MTWR 1:00pm-2:35pm

This entry-level survey course, suitable for both history majors and non-majors, examines European civilization in the modern era and its interaction with the non-Western world. Through lectures and readings students define and explain the great eras known as the Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Exploration, Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, State-Building, the French Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Nationalism, Imperialism, World Wars, and Cold War. The skeleton of the narrative is political history, but social, economic, and cultural history flesh it out.

Technology and Medicine in Modern America 

HSOC 152
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/electronically processed, interpreted and stored. We are billed technologically, prompted to attend appointments technologically, and often buy technologies to protect, diagnose, or improve our health: consider, for example, HEPA-filtering vacuum cleaners; air-purifiers; fat-reducing grills; bathroom scales; blood pressure cuffs; pregnancy testing kits; blood-sugar monitoring tests; and thermometers. Yet even at the beginning to the twentieth century, medical technologies were scarce and infrequently used by physicians and medical consumers alike. Over the course of this semester, we will examine how technology came to medicine’s center-stage, and what impact this change has had on medical practice, medical institutions, and medical consumers – on all of us!

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.

Introduction to Philosophy

PHIL 001
MTWR 1:30pm-3:05pm 

In this class we will reflect on the following fundamental questions: What is the nature of underlying reality? What are the scope and limits of human knowledge? Does God exist? What is the ultimate nature of persons? Do we have free will? These are questions which have been asked since ancient times. As we shall see, they do not have obvious or uncontroversial answers. Perhaps this is why they are still with us. We shall examine a range of answers to these questions, and students shall develop analytic thinking skills to defend and develop their own answers to these questions.

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. 

Political Philosophy

PHIL 076
MTWR 1:30pm-3:05pm 

An introduction to some central issues in social and political philosophy: liberty, equality, property, authority, distributive justice. Readings from Hobbes, Locke, Mill, Marx, Rawls and Nozick. 

Introduction to Decision Theory

PPE 110
MTWR 5:30pm-7:00pm

The course will provide an introduction to models of human decision making. One of the primary purposes of the course is to provide a set of basic tools that will help the student translate qualitative uncertainty into numbers. A substantial amount of the course will deal with the theory of rational choice in the presence of objective and subjective uncertainty. Rational choice under uncertainty is by far the most used theory of decision making, and its applications are widespread in economics, finance, political science, law, managerial decision making, the economics of health care,and artificial intelligence. The course will use examples heavily from each of these fields (and also fun “paradoxes” such as the Monty Hall Puzzle) in providing an introduction to the basic foundations of decision making. We will also look at the shortcomings of the theory: both from intuitive and empirical perspectives. Two alternative theories – Prospect Theory and decision making using the Dempster-Shafer rule will be discussed which address some of these concerns. No mathematical prerequisites are necessary beyond high school algebra and arithmetic. 

International Relations in Theory and Practice

PSCI 150
MTWR 10:40am-12:15pm

This course is designed to introduce students to theories of international politics and to survey the contemporary international system. It will begin with an overview of the major theoretical visions of international relations and a survey of important historical periods. We will then use these theoretical lenses to examine major international events and issues confronting states in the international system today. Topics will include the emergence of the Cold War, the breakdown of the Soviet Union, the rise of the European Union, the spread of nuclear weapons, the economic development of Third World states, the impact of international trade, the violation of human rights, and the degradation of the global environmental. Requirements will include short written assignments, a midterm, and a final exam. 

American Political Thought

PSCI 183
TR 6:00pm-9:10pm

This course surveys American political thought from the colonial era to the present. Required readings are drawn mainly from primary sources, including writings of politicians, activists, and theorists. Based on the assigned readings, we will discuss the role of race, gender, and class in American politics as well as questions about the nature of American government, its relationship to the American people and its role in the world. The course will proceed historically, beginning with American revolutionary thought and ending with theoretical reflections about the meaning of the election of America’s first black president. Two core questions will guide the examination of American political thought. How were political ideas shaped by historical, social and political circumstances? And how did political ideas influence American government and politics? Finally, the course is supposed to encourage students to reflect on how political thought is relevant to the problems America faces in the 21st century. 

Introduction to Experimental Psychology

PSYC 001
MTWR 1:00pm-2:35pm

Introduction to the basic topics of psychology, including learning, motivation, cognition, development, abnormal, physiological, social, and personality. 

Religions of Asia

RELS 001
TR 5:30pm-8:00pm 

Introduction to the major religious traditions that originated in Asia, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and the religions of China and Japan. Attention to sacred scriptures, historical development, and modern expressions.

Introduction to Islamic Religion

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 course aims, as well, to view Islam in the immediacy of everyday life. Among the topics to be covered are: The Qur'an as scripture and as liturgy; Conversion and the spread of Islam; Muhammad in history and in the popular imagination; Concepts of the feminine; Muslim women; Sectarian developments; Transmission of religious knowledge and spiritual power; Sufism and the historical elaboration of mystical communities; modern reaffirmation of Islamic identity; and Islam in the American environment.

Sociology of the Family 

SOCI 004
MTWR 4:20pm-5:55pm  

This course examines the contemporary family in the United States from a sociological perspective. What is the family and how do we define it? What purpose do families serve in our society? How and why is the family changing over time? We attempt to answer these questions by studying the family as an institution rooted in historical and social context. Among the family issues and behaviors we'll discuss are dating and relationships, marriage and cohabitation, divorce, parenting, family structure, gay and lesbian families, domestic violence, and the division of household labor. Throughout the course, we will consider how race and class shape diversity in family experience.

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.

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, increasing disparities between rich and poor, the dramatic growth of the "culture industries", and the increasingly popular quest for "place making" through urban design have all contributed to this process. This course will examine 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.

Transnational Families 

WRIT 011
MTWR 10:40am-12:15pm  

Transnational individuals sustain close communication with family members who live in a country other than the one in which they reside. According to Elizabetta Zontini, “Transnational families have members spread out across nation states but still maintain a sense of collective welfare and unity. Their kinship networks cross at ‘residential nodes’ in two or several countries.” In this seminar, students will write about how multilingual migrants and immigrants, including children, serve as conduits connecting donor and recipient cultures and languages. Your writing will explore tales of transnational lives in literature and cinema revealing how English integrates with other languages; authors and directors will include Gregory Djanikian, Rose Cohen Gollup, Guillermo Reyes, Bina Sharif, and Wayne Wang. Via drafting and revision, peer review, and collaborative writing, students will have the opportunity to polish their writing skills in academic and professional American English.

In the Zone

WRIT 025
MTWR 2:40pm-4:15pm  

The ancient Greeks immortalized their athletes in praise poems and marble sculptures, whereas we tend to use film, play-by-play commentary, and talk radio to celebrate, describe, or critique feats of physical wonder. In this course, we will explore the links between writing and doing, between the mind and the body. We will examine a range of films (possible titles include The Natural, Raging Bull, and Any Given Sunday), along with a few essays and/or news articles. We will try not to be distracted by unreasonable coaches, love interests, and other extraneous plot elements to question the problem of “translating” physical form, motion, and experiences into images and words. Students need not be athletes to enroll, but personal experience may form the basis of several writing assignments.

The 'Burbs' 

WRIT 039
MTWR 10:40am-12:15pm   

Suburban neighborhoods are often like autonomous colonies with their own identities and values the inhabitants seem to share. This course will study texts and films that view the world through the suburban scope. We will discuss the collected narrator in Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides and the attack on suburban ideals in the film, The Burbs. Students will read about suburbaban development and examine the relationship between suburban communities and the surrounding environments. Students will write from their own views on suburban culture, either as residents or outsiders. Course requirements will include drafts and revisions of several short essays, peer review, as well as mid-term and final portfolios.