Academic Departments and Programs 2025
Contact
Academic Programs and AdvisingWeyerhaeuser Hall, Room 215 651-696-6036
651-696-6075 (fax)
Department and Program Recommendations for First-Year Students
The information contained in this section is written specifically to address common concerns and interests of first-year students and to give general information about academic departments.
We encourage you to call or email the faculty members designated by each department with your specific questions about their course offerings, recommended sequences, or requirements for majors, minors or concentrations.
Questions?
For general questions, contact the Academic Programs and Advising Office at [email protected] or the Registrar’s Office at [email protected] or visit the Registrar’s webpage.
African Studies Interdepartmental Program
Macalester’s African Studies program gathers faculty from multiple departments (Anthropology, French, Geography, Geology, International Studies, Music, Political Science, Sociology, and more) to offer a range of courses and an interdisciplinary concentration focused on the diverse histories, cultures, and societies across the African continent and diaspora. Beyond this, the great majority of our concentrators study abroad in a program on the continent for a semester in their junior year.
Courses related to the concentration can be found on the concentration’s website. First-years should look to take courses at the 100 or 200 level. You may also direct questions to the African Studies program directors Lisa Mueller and Moustapha Diop.
Our website is https://www.macalester.edu/academics/africanstudies/
Contact:
Lisa Mueller
[email protected]
Moustapha Diop
[email protected]
American Studies
What is American Studies? At Macalester College, the American Studies program is so much more than a continuation of a high-school curriculum on U.S. civics, history, or literature. Our program first emerged out of student-organized demands for Ethnic Studies. Today, our courses focus on recognizing and analyzing systems of inequality and power, engaged learning, and public scholarship. We encourage a critical eye; we study problems from a variety of perspectives; and we work together to pose questions that connect back to communities and the people who comprise them. What explains racial differences and categories? How have borders been defined? What does it mean to be a good citizen? Who benefits from ideas of nation and empire? What makes crime a racialized topic?
At the start of the 21st century, the President of the American Studies Association, Michael Frisch, underscored the many forces that shape our interdisciplinary field. “…[M]ulticulturalism, ethnicity, race, class, and gender …[have] been recasting for several decades now the most basic outlines of American history and culture as a contested, interactive field of forces. It almost goes without saying, but not quite, that this has not simply altered our understanding of things “within” American culture and society, but has been leveraging our capacity to re-imagine the connections of the U.S. and its peoples to everything and everyone else in the world. . .”
In other words, contemporary American Studies pushes far beyond a traditional acceptance of U.S. exceptionalism and the American Dream. Moving freely across conventional texts, film and video, popular culture, theater, art, memes, and place, we seek to ground ourselves in the concerns of our day. Our research tools and methods are broad and varied, giving credence and value to the experience and knowledge of marginalized groups. Whether in the classroom, at internship sites across the Twin Cities, within clubs and organizations on campus, students who major or minor in American Studies develop the tools they need to debate and dialogue intelligently with others.
Department website: https://www.macalester.edu/academics/americanstudies/
Contact:
Karin Aguilar-San Juan, Chair
[email protected]
Anthropology
In the Fall of 2025 we will be offering one First Year Course.
ANTH 263-F1 : Things with Feathers: Birds in Science, Culture and Myth
M W F 8:30 – 9:30 am
Prof. Arjun Guneratne
Birds are among the most visible and colorful members of the natural world. Across societies and over time, that fact has generated considerable human engagement with and awareness of birds, which have been utilized for both utilitarian and symbolic purposes. This course introduces you to the knowledge that different cultures have of birds, and to their formal scientific study in modern times. The topics we will examine include the place of birds in myth and religion; indigenous ways to classify birds; how local traditions relating to birds can serve as models for conservation; the relationship of local and traditional knowledge to the development of modern ornithology; the colonial roots of ornithology; and the part played by amateur birders and other non-professionals in the emergence of ornithology as a science. The course includes a number of field trips, to birding sites to develop our own engagement with birds as wild things, and to museum collections, to understand the scientific value of birds as dead things.
For further information, see the department website: https://www.macalester.edu/academics/anthropology/
Contact:
Arjun Guneratne, Chair
[email protected]
Art and Art History
The Art and Art History Department at Macalester College is a dynamic community of artists and scholars dedicated to exploring the multiple pasts and presents of artistic expression. Inhabiting the intersection of the liberal arts, the diverse cultural and artistic traditions of our Twin Cities metropolitan location, and the vibrant natural environments of the upper Midwest, we foster interdisciplinary exploration, critical thinking, and hands-on making. Through collaborative teaching and learning, we engage with visual culture to interpret and contribute to the evolution of our multicultural, global society. Guided by a belief in the transformative power of art, we aim to spark enthusiasm and inquiry while serving and connecting with students, staff, faculty, and the broader community.
Our department offers two majors: Studio Art or Art History. Studio Art courses are offered in Painting, Drawing, Design, Printmaking, Sculpture, Photography and Ceramics, while Art History courses focus on the historical, social and cultural aspects of global artistic production. First year students and non-majors are welcome to take entry-level courses in any Studio Art medium or Art History area. Contact individual faculty to inquire about upper-level courses with prerequisites.
The Art and Art History Department will offer two First Year Courses in Fall 2025:
STUDIO ART – Art 235: Sculpture 1, taught by Professor Lela Pierce
ART HISTORY – Art 252: Gender, Sexualities, and Feminist Visual Culture, taught by Professor Joanna Inglot
Additional information can be found on our department website: https://www.macalester.edu/art/
Contact:
Megan Vossler
Associate Professor and Chair of Art and Art History
[email protected]
Asian Languages and Cultures
The Asian Languages and Cultures Department is home to students studying Japanese and Chinese language, literature, film, linguistics, media, and intellectual history. Our curriculum views East Asia not merely as an object of study but as a perch from which to think about contemporary and historical issues from race and gender to ethics, aesthetics, education, and more. Through studying China and Japan, students encounter perspectives very different from those prevalent in the U.S. And after two years of language study, students travel to Asia for immersive study in places like Beijing, Hangzhou, Taipei, Tokyo, or Osaka. Living abroad and interacting with local people prompts self-reflection. Students come to understand both Western and Eastern perspectives, to see through their differences, and to think beyond simple “East” versus “West” binaries. After students return from abroad, advanced coursework at Macalester helps them further refine the perspectives they have developed and guides them toward embracing a truly transnational and trans-regional perspective.
Updated June 2, 2025: A new section of 20th c Japanese Fiction and Film (JAPA 260) has been added, and is appropriate for incoming students. There are no prerequisites. China at the Dawn of Globalization (CHIN 294) also has availability, and similarly does not have prerequisites.
For more information on the faculty and the structure of each major see the department website.
Contact:
Arthur Mitchell, Japanese
[email protected]
Xin Yang, Chinese
[email protected]
Asian Studies
Asia has always been at the crossroads of humanity: the heart of a global system of commerce that tied the Old World together, and which brought Arabs, Europeans, Africans, and Chinese to the ports of the Indian Ocean to trade. Asia gave the world everything from yoga to gunpowder, from cinnamon to the printing press, from the idea of diplomatic immunity to the practice of religious tolerance.
Home to more than half of the global population, Asia in the twenty-first century is reclaiming the place it held in world affairs before the rise of Europe in the eighteenth century. The Asian continent contains some of the world’s largest economies as well as its largest cities, and Asia’s industrial production leads the world. Its societies are a wellspring of creative energy—the world’s largest film industry, for instance, is in India, and Japanese manga has had an enormous influence on global pop culture. In everything from the global economy to climate change, Asia’s sheer size makes it a force to reckon with in the dynamics that will shape our common future. A background in Asian Studies is essential to navigating the global spaces of the 21st century.
The Asian Studies major at Macalester is an interdisciplinary program that weaves together the social sciences, the humanities and the fine arts to introduce you to this dynamic region of the world. It brings multiple perspectives to bear on the challenges of understanding this vast continent and the cultural, political, economic and historical forces that have shaped it. It is an ideal major for students planning a career in Asia in any field but is also highly recommended for students seeking a handle on the region that is among the most significant for our common future.
Our website is https://www.macalester.edu/asianstudies/about/
Contact Program Director:
Chuen Fung Wong
[email protected]
651-696-6520
Biology
There are three “core” introductory courses required for the major in Biology: Ecology & the Environment (BIOL 170), Biodiversity & Evolution (BIOL 180), and Genetics (BIOL 190). Each of these courses has an associated lab section that offers relevant hands-on experience. These courses may be taken in any order and have no prerequisites. Any one of them would be a perfect place to begin your Biology journey!
If you are considering majoring in Biology, the most important thing to do in your very first semester is to get started with chemistry. Most students interested in majoring in Biology should register for General Chemistry I (CHEM 111), which is only offered during the fall semester. This is especially important for students who are also considering the major in Neuroscience and/or a pre-health track.
If you have a strong high school chemistry background, you may consider two other possibilities:
1) you might instead enroll in CHEM 115, Accelerated General Chemistry, which compresses the usual two-semester introductory chemistry sequence into one semester; or
2) you could skip General Chemistry I (CHEM 111) and instead wait until the spring semester to enroll in General Chemistry II (CHEM 112), which is only offered during the spring semester.
You can place into CHEM 115 with a score of 4 or 5 on the Chemistry Advanced Placement test, a score of 5 or higher on either the higher or standard level Chemistry International Baccalaureate exam, or with a strong performance on the online chemistry placement test. Please contact Dr. Marc Rodwogin ([email protected]) for access to the placement test. Dr. Rodwogin can also answer questions about placing out of CHEM 111 and into CHEM 112 based on AP or IB scores.
For further information, see the department website www.macalester.edu/academics/biology
Contact:
Sarah Boyer , Chair
[email protected]
Chemistry
CHEM 111 (General Chemistry I) and CHEM 112 (General Chemistry II) together provide an in-depth introduction to modern chemical ideas. CHEM 115 (Accelerated General Chemistry) is a more advanced introductory course which covers key topics from both CHEM 111 and CHEM 112 in a single semester. CHEM 111 and 115 are offered only in the fall and CHEM 112 is offered only in the spring. We urge all entering students considering majors in chemistry or biology, or those seeking admission to medical school or another health profession graduate program, to take either CHEM 111 or CHEM 115 in their first semester. CHEM 111 is offered in two formats: In most sections, in-class time is used primarily for lecturing; practicing problem-solving is primarily outside of class. In one section, in-class time is used primarily for practicing problem solving; students watch lecture videos outside of class. Pedagogical format is noted on the course schedule, and you can register for a CHEM 111 section that matches your preferred learning style as course enrollments allow.
General Chemistry RISE (Refresher in STEM Education ) is a virtual, two week-long summer workshop open to all students considering taking CHEM 111. The workshop will include both pre-recorded videos exploring content as well as live, virtual problem-solving sessions where you will be able to work on the math skills necessary to be successful in General Chemistry with your future classmates led by peer mentors. You can read more about the program here. To register for the program, please fill out this Google Form by Aug. 5, 2025.
You can place into CHEM 115 with a score of 4 or 5 on the Chemistry Advanced Placement test, a score of 5 or higher on either the higher or standard level Chemistry International Baccalaureate exam, or with a strong performance on the online chemistry placement test. Please contact Dr. Marc Rodwogin ([email protected]) for access to the placement test. Please see the Chemistry Department web site (https://www.macalester.edu/academics/chemistry/) for more information.
Contact:
Katy Splan
Professor and Chair of Chemistry
[email protected]
The Classical Mediterranean and Middle East
We explore the languages, literatures, cultures, and archaeological remains of this region from Rome, across the Mediterranean basin, to the Middle East, Bactria and India and beyond. Here students learn Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, or Latin (all of which fulfill the Second Language Requirement), and together with faculty analyze and interpret ancient texts, societies, and material culture, as well as explore art and archaeology, myth, history, and the religions, political structures and ideas that arise from this part of the ancient world.
Courses that are particularly appropriate for first year students this fall are beginning languages: Elementary Arabic, Elementary Greek and Elementary Latin (Arabic – CLAS 113, Greek- CLAS 115 and Latin CLAS -111) Other introductory course for students interested in the field would be The Greek World (CLAS – 122) The Maghreb: History and Cultures of North Africa from Hannibal to 1492 (CLAS – 194) and our First Year Course, Classics in Film (CLAS – 201).
For further information on majors and minors, study abroad programs, and what faculty and students are up to in the Classical Mediterranean and Middle East, please see our website: https://www.macalester.edu/academics/classics/. Specific questions can be addressed to the department chair, Professor Nanette Goldman, at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you around the third floor of Old Main!
If you have studied Latin or Arabic previously, please consult the department website for how to place yourself into the right course: https://www.macalester.edu/academics/classics/majorsminors/wheretostart/.
Contact:
Nanette Goldman
[email protected]
Cognitive Science
Cognitive science is the study of how knowledge is acquired, stored, represented, and used by intelligent systems, both natural and artificial. The Cognitive Science concentration at Macalester exposes students to scientific studies of (the) mind and other intelligent systems from a variety of academic disciplines. The core of the concentration consists of rigorous coursework on the nature of such systems from the perspective of Philosophy, Psychology, Computer Science, Linguistics and Economics.
See https://www.macalester.edu/cognitivescience/ for more information.
Contact:
Brooke Lea
[email protected]
Community and Global Health
The Community and Global Health concentration brings together a variety of disciplines and perspectives to important issues in population health and applies these approaches to civic engagement projects, independent research, as well as in classroom settings. The concentration builds on the strong ties between the liberal arts and the core concepts of public health—a diverse, multidisciplinary field unified around the examination of health, illness, and healing in local and international communities.
For additional information, please consult our main website (www.macalester.edu/cgh), the senior projects page (2023 site, 2024 site) or the program’s director Ron Barrett ([email protected]).
Contact:
Ron Barrett
[email protected]
Critical Theory
Unless otherwise indicated, all critical theory courses offered in the fall semester are appropriate for first-year students. If in doubt, simply email the relevant instructor, finding their email on the Mac online directory.
A Critical Theory concentration consists of 20 credits selected from “Core” and “Elective” classes and one research paper (15-20 pages), typically written in the junior or senior year, in one of these courses or as part of the student’s major capstone or honors thesis.
For more information and specific courses offered, please see the Critical Theory website: Critical Theory.
For questions regarding the CT Concentration, please contact the director of the Program for 2025-26, Professor Kiarina Kordela.
Contact:
Kiarina Kordela
[email protected]
Economics
Economics is the study of how people make decisions and how these decisions apply to real-world problems. Economics can help us understand income inequality within and across countries, the quality of the environment, unemployment, poverty, crime, health care, financial crises, technological change, inflation and many more issues. Our Principles of Economics course introduces the basic tools that economists use to explore these topics and will cover fundamental economic concepts like scarcity, supply and demand, costs and benefits, trade-offs, and incentives.
Incoming students interested in economics should take Principles of Economics (ECON 119).
Students who already have significant experience in economics can receive credit for ECON 119 – Principles of Economics under one of the following conditions:
- Students must achieve a score of 5, or a combination of 4 and 5, on both the AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics exams.
- Students must score 6 or 7 on the Economics Higher Level Exam of the International Baccalaureate (IB).
If students receive credit for Principles of Economics, and are interested in taking additional economics courses, they should enroll in a 200-level group E ECON course in their second semester — 200-level group E ECON courses are not open to first year students in their first semester.
For more information about the Economics Department, please see the department website: www.macalester.edu/academics/economics
Contact:
Amy Damon, Chair
651-696-6862
[email protected]
Educational Studies
Educational Studies is an interdisciplinary field centered on social inquiry, imagination, and advocacy. The major includes participation in thematically related courses (32 credits), community and civic engagement experiences, and completion of an advanced integrative project. Students may select from one of two emphases – Teaching & Learning or Education & Society.
The Teaching & Learning emphasis is designed to support students interested in designing dynamic educational environments in both formal and non-formal learning contexts. Students may begin their teacher education at Macalester and then complete their preparation through a variety of different programs immediately after graduation. The Education & Society emphasis provides opportunities for interdisciplinary exploration of pressing social and educational issues on local, national, and international levels. Both emphases prepare students to engage in educational transformation through policy and practice.
Students majoring in Educational Studies are also required to complete a supporting major relevant to either their interests in teaching or their selected integrative theme. A 20-credit minor provides opportunities for students to explore their interests in Educational Studies without committing to completion of a second major.
See the department website for more information www.macalester.edu/academics/education.
Contact:
Brian Lozenski
651-696-6028
[email protected]
English and Creative Writing
The English and Creative Writing department is offering two great First Year Courses this fall.
The first is ENGL 125-F1, “Writing Against the Machine,” which will explore the raw, existential power of creation—how it shapes us, challenges us, and connects us in ways automation never could. Professor Jim Dawes will be teaching that on Tuesday/Thursday from 9:40-11:10 am.
Our other First Year Course is ENGL 150-F1, “Introduction to Creative Writing,” taught by World Fantasy Award-winning author, Professor Emma Törzs. That’ll be on Tuesday/Thursday from 1:20-2:50 pm.
Either class would be an excellent introduction to the department. Other English and Creative Writing courses appropriate for first-year students include any in the 100-level sequence. These courses have no prerequisites and provide an introduction to college-level study of literature, with a heavy emphasis on the development of writing, critical thinking, and close reading skills, as well as deep reading in fascinating subject matter. Some 200-level courses also have no prerequisites, but we recommend first-year students wait until the spring semester to register for them.
Please note that if you are interested in taking creative writing classes at Mac, ENGL 150 is the prerequisite to all the other courses.
For more information about the English and Creative Writing Department, see the department website www.macalester.edu/academics/english
Contact:
Matt Burgess, Chair
[email protected]
Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary department that offers students the opportunity to develop a holistic understanding of environmental problems and solutions. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary tools and perspectives from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The program encourages depth of disciplinary knowledge, breadth of cross-disciplinary perspectives, and integration through core courses and a required off-campus internship. Students may major or minor in environmental studies. For more information see the department website www.macalester.edu/academics/environmentalstudies.
The first year course offered by the ES department this year is “U.S. Environmental History” (ENVI 234).
Other appropriate introductory courses for those interested in environmental studies include: Ecology and the Environment (ENVI 170), Political Ecology of Natural Resources (ENVI 217), Food Justice and Sustainability (ENVI 238), Environmental Hazards (GEOG/ENVI-258), Psychology of Sustainable Behavior (ENVI 270), Psychology and/of Climate Change (ENVI 273), Outdoor Environmental Education (ENVI 275), Indigenizing Ordway: Reclaiming (Hi)stories, Narratives, and Knowledge (ENVI 294-01), and Indigenous People and the Environment in Global Perspective (ENVI 294-05).
Contact:
Chris Wells, Chair
[email protected]
Food, Agriculture and Society
The interdepartmental program in Food, Agriculture and Society offers a six-course, interdisciplinary concentration involving core and supporting courses as well as an internship. The program exposes students to the social and biophysical aspects of complex food and agricultural questions. It aims to produce graduates who: 1) understand the fundamentals of food and agricultural systems; 2) have broad interdisciplinary training on the theme; and 3) are able to connect their interdisciplinary training on food, agriculture and society to real world experiences and application.
Recommended courses offered in the fall that would be appropriate for incoming first year students include the FYC GEOG/ENVI 232, Food, Agriculture and the Environment. Contact the Program Director with specific questions.
Contact:
Bill Moseley, Program Director
651-696-6126
[email protected]
French and Francophone Studies
The Department of French and Francophone Studies welcomes all students of French and offers the possibility of studying French at all levels in Fall 2025 (French 101, 102, 111, 203, 204, 305, or 306 and advanced courses). Students may enter the sequence at the appropriate level by demonstrating their proficiency in the language. If you have taken French in high school or elsewhere, your proficiency level is verified by the score attained on the Macalester language placement test. For advanced students, your level is verified by the score obtained on the French AP exam. If you are in an IB program, please consult the department chair or one of the professors listed below in Summer Contacts. For more specific placement information, including test scores, please refer to the guidelines on our website: https://www.macalester.edu/french/languageplacement/
In addition, in Fall 2025 we are offering a section of FREN 194-01 – Food in French and Francophone Cultures: the Local and the Global. This course is taught in English, fulfills the WA and INTL requirements, and counts toward the concentration in Food, Agriculture & Society.
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A major in French & Francophone Studies consists of a total of 9 courses, including:
FREN 204 (if student arrives at Mac and places below the 300-level)
FREN 306
Six advanced courses (300 and 400-level), if student begins in FREN 204, including one pre-20th century course
Seven advanced courses (300 and 400-level) if student begins in FREN 306, including One pre-20th century course
FREN 614 (senior capstone) or FREN 644 (senior Honors Thesis)
An immersive experience in French is required, such as a semester of study away on an approved program in a French-speaking region, or an internship.
A minor in French & Francophone Studies consists of a total of 5 or 6 courses:
FREN 204 (if student arrives at Mac and places below the 300-level)
FREN 306
Four advanced courses (300 and 400-level)
For more information on the French academic program, French House, study abroad, and other student opportunities, please visit our website: https://www.macalester.edu/french/#/0
Contact:
Julie Rogers, Chair
[email protected]
Geography
Macalester’s nationally and internationally recognized Geography Department is unusually broad in scope for an undergraduate liberal arts college. The department leads students through an exploration of human-environment interactions, urban geography and planning, health geography, cartography, geospatial analysis and remote sensing, land change science, and socio-economic development in various regions of the world. Students may major or minor in geography, or minor in Geography with an emphasis in geospatial science.
Geography, Environment, and Society: Global Issues and Local Patterns (GEOG 111) is a foundational course, which introduces students to issues of human settlements, land use, and political order. Food, Agriculture and the Environment (GEOG 232) and Urban Geography (GEOG 241) are being offered as First Year Courses in the fall and would likewise be excellent introductions to the department. Additionally, courses at the 200-level without prerequisites welcome incoming students, such as Introduction to Urban Ecology (GEOG 203), Earth and Environment: Elements of Physical Geography (GEOG 204), the Regional Geography of the U.S. and Canada (GEOG 242), Health Geography (GEOG 256), Environmental Hazards (GEOG/ENVI-258), and Geographies of Cultural Industries and Creative Cities (GEOG 294). Other upper division courses may be appropriate for students with the necessary background (such as AP Human Geography). Please reach out to the department chair with specific questions or see the department website at https://www.macalester.edu/geography/.
Contact:
Eric Carter, Chair
651-696-6704
[email protected]
Geology
The introductory courses in geology are designed to accommodate students interested in learning more about the geosciences and environmental sciences. They provide an appreciation of the scientific principles and techniques used to investigate the Earth, and inform students about the composition, materials, major processes, and history of our planet. Our introductory courses count toward the major and minor, and fulfill general education requirements in the Science/Math category. Many of our introductory courses satisfy part of the quantitative thinking requirement at Macalester, and some also satisfy writing requirements. We are offering two sections of Dynamic Earth and Global Change (GEOL160) and Geohazards (GEOL 105) in Fall 2025. These courses provide an excellent venue for exploring the department and the field!
See the department website for more information https://www.macalester.edu/geology/
Contact:
Ray Rogers, Chair
651-696-6434
[email protected]
German Studies
Three of the distinguishing characteristics of the Department of German Studies at Macalester are:
(a) that students can select their own interdisciplinary track combining German with a focus on “Language & Culture,” or “Art History” or “Critical Theory,” or “Environmental Humanities,” or “History,” or “Literature,” or “Media, Film, and Theater” or an individually designed focus;
(b) that our department offers a unique six-month immersion program in Berlin and Vienna, through which German majors achieve high-level proficiency in the language. To learn more, please visit our website.
(c) that German majors and minors can live in the German House practicing further their language proficiency in everyday situations, participating in communal meals and activities, as well as departmental events.
The Department of German Studies offers all levels of German language, as well as high-level courses in German literature, culture, and intellectual history, taught in German. We also offer interdisciplinary courses in English in topics that range from critical theory, philosophy, politics, and the environment to literature, cinema and the media. Although new courses are often introduced, recurrent titles include “Cinema Studies,” “A Kafkaesque Century,” “Migration, Then & Now,” “The Fairy Tale: From Grimms to Disney,” “Spinoza’s Eco-Society,” “Freedom and Its Discontents,” “Metaphysics in Secular Thought”—with partial focus on political theory—“Value”—with partial focus on aesthetic theory—and various courses on Marx.
In Fall 2025 we are offering the first-year course GERM 194: “Our Cyborgs, Ourselves,” which takes as its point of departure in Donna Haraway’s statement: “We are all cyborgs”: fabricated hybrids of machine and organism, and increasingly so in the digital age. This course explores the porous boundary between the human and the parahuman in literature, film, and popular culture. Robots and androids, puppets and marionettes, living statues and Doppelgänger, prosthetic devices from artificial limbs to canes and eyeglasses are just some of the phenomena that inhabit and traverse the border between wo/man and machine, the natural and the artificial. How does culture figure the border between the human and its others? How does this border shift through history? How are parahumans gendered? How natural and how artificial is gender? Texts that we are reading include Goethe, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Tieck, and Heine; films and television series by Fritz Lang, Rainer Maria Fassbinder, and others.
Language Placement: Students with no background in German should register for German Studies 101; students who have had minimal German in high school or studied another foreign language may alternatively register for German Studies 110: Accelerated Elementary German. Students with any prior training in German or any extended exposure to the language must take the placement test. Advanced students (scoring above 550 on the placement test) should consult with Prof. Ross Shields <[email protected]>, about which course is best for them. Some possibilities are German Studies 308: German Cultural History: Failed and Successful Revolutions; and German Studies 309: Culture and the Capital: Urban Experience in Berlin and Vienna.
For more information, see the department website www.macalester.edu/academics/german
Contact:
Kiarina Kordela, Chair
[email protected]
Health Professions Advising
Advisors: Mary Montgomery (Interim Director of Health Professions Advising, Biology), Ron Barrett (Anthropology), Kelsey Boyle (Chemistry), Kristi Curry Rogers (Biology), Robin Shields-Cutler (Biology), Katy Splan (Chemistry), Jaine Strauss (Psychology)
Students interested in premedical studies should consult one of the premedical advisors very early in their first year for academic advice and join the Health Professions mailing list, and the student organization, Health Professions Student Coalition.
Premedical students at Macalester may major in any discipline and concurrently complete all premedical requirements. A science major is not a prerequisite for admission to medical school. Most medical schools require the following courses as prerequisites. At Macalester these courses are: CHEM 111 – General Chemistry I, CHEM 112 – General Chemistry II, CHEM 211 – Organic Chemistry I, CHEM 212 – Organic Chemistry II, two to six courses in Biology (we recommend at least BIOL190 – Genetics and BIOL200 – Cell Biology), two semesters of Physics, either PHYS126 – Introductory Physics I and PHYS127 – Introductory Physics II OR PHYS226 – Principles of Physics I and PHYS227 – Principles of Physics II, and two courses in English. At a number of medical schools, the “English” requirement can be satisfied by various writing or literature courses and need not be listed as an English course. BIOL351 – Biochemistry I is either a required course or is a strongly recommended prerequisite at a large number of medical schools. Most medical schools also require a course in the behavioral sciences; we recommend either PSYC100 – Introduction to Psychology or SOCI110 – Introduction to Sociology. Additional courses in the humanities and mathematics (we highly recommend taking a statistics course) may also be required for admission to some medical schools. These requirements vary so you should consult your premedical advisor before deciding about courses to take to satisfy the premedical requirements.
Premedical advisors work carefully with students throughout their preparation, both individually and in group sessions, to assist in program planning that will best meet the individual needs of students. Regular forums and seminars are presented on appropriate topics in research, ethics, application procedures and interview skills. There are a variety of summer opportunities that enable students to conduct research and explore health professions.
For more information, go to https://www.macalester.edu/hpa/.
Contact:
Mary Montgomery
[email protected]
History
How does the past continue to influence the present? How can we distinguish between what really happened versus what is invented? To answer these questions, historians practice what we study: We re-construct events and cultures of the past using a broad range of written, visual, oral and material evidence. These approaches increase our understanding of how, and why, humans constantly reshape narratives about people and events, while at the same time trying to preserve their original essence. In this spirit of rooted reinvention, the Macalester College History Department has recently refashioned itself around two new currents in the profession: decolonization and indigeneity in global history. These themes emphasize zones of interaction rather than individual areas or discrete time periods; it highlights trans-regional and chronology-busting phenomena such as migration, conquest and trade. Students and professors of history at Macalester therefore have the shared opportunity to study multiple times, places and sources in addition to choosing one or two avenues of specialty to pursue in detail. This wider-ranging comparative approach allows us to address the contradictory and often clashing presence in the human record of conflict as well as consensus, trauma as well as triumph, difference as well as similarity, fact as well as fiction, and discontinuity as well as pattern.
For further information on the department and course offerings, please consult the department website at https://www.macalester.edu/academics/history/about/
Incoming students are welcome to enroll in 100- and 200-level classes.
Contact:
Duchess Harris, Chair
[email protected]
Katrina Phillips
[email protected]
Human Rights and Humanitarianism Interdepartmental Program
This concentration provides students an opportunity to engage in the interdisciplinary study of human rights and humanitarianism. The objectives of the concentration are to cultivate in students:
- a familiarity with major developments in the history of human rights and humanitarianism;
- an understanding of the institutional frameworks governing human rights and humanitarianism, including international law, international organizations, and civil society movements;
- an understanding of the theoretical and philosophical debates about the meanings of human rights and humanitarianism;
- a capacity to understand and evaluate practical debates over the methods, motivations, and consequences of human rights and humanitarian action, including but not limited to questions of policy-making, fieldwork, and media and artistic representation;
- a familiarity with a range of current and past global (including local, national, and international) human rights problems.
Given that students and faculty approach the study of human rights and humanitarianism from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, the program permits students to complete this concentration in conjunction with a wide array of majors.
A concentration in Human Rights and Humanitarianism consists of five courses selected from two lists: Framework Courses and Specialized Courses. Of these five courses, at least two courses must come from the list of Framework Courses and one from the list of Specialized Courses. The HRH concentration also includes an optional 2-credit Senior Colloquium.
Students in the HRH program are encouraged to pursue internships and take study away courses in the areas of human rights and humanitarianism. These may be counted toward the completion of the concentration with the approval of the program coordinator.
Contact:
James Dawes
[email protected]
651-696-6809
International Development
The International Development concentration examines long-run transitions in social, economic, political, and cultural institutions that have accompanied industrialization in modern states, particularly focusing on states in the Global South. The field seeks to understand how these historical and contemporary shifts affect people’s welfare and opportunities and how change has affected patterns of wealth and resource distribution within and between countries.
A concentration in International Development requires six courses. These six courses must come from at least three different departments and no more than three courses may come from any single department with no more than two courses coming from a department in which a student is majoring. In addition, a student completing a concentration, minor, or major in an area studies department or program may include no more than two courses from that area studies plan on an International Development concentration plan.
For more information see www.macalester.edu/academics/internationaldevelopment
Contact:
Lisa Mueller
Associate Professor in Political Science, Director of the Concentration in International Development
[email protected]
International Studies
International Studies is one of Macalester’s enduring and flagship majors, and is configurable – often in conjunction with other majors, minors, and concentrations – for a vast range of purposes and interests. It focuses on the interdisciplinary confrontation with globalization, across all regions and in many domains. We offer introductory courses (any of INTL 110-114) that explore key questions in today’s international life and introduce students to our department. Each version has its own focus, and students may choose any of them. There are no prerequisites: thus anyone interested in internationalism and global life at Macalester is warmly welcomed to enroll. Our 200-level courses (especially those on human rights and public health) are suitable for first-years with some prior familiarity with, and/or very keen interest in, their specific subject matters.
For more information about the International Studies Department see: https://www.macalester.edu/internationalstudies/
Contact:
Ahmed Samatar
[email protected]
Latin American Studies Program
Students with an interest in Latin American Studies (LAS) should follow these steps:
- Send a brief email to LAS Director Ernesto Capello ([email protected]) communicating your interest in Latin American Studies. This will allow you to be informed about opportunities to meet Latin American Studies students and attend LAS events.
- Register for a 100- or 200-level Latin American Studies course.
- Register for an appropriate Spanish or Portuguese course.
Visit Latin American Studies Program to learn more.
Contact:
Ernesto Capello
[email protected]
Legal Studies Program
The Legal Studies Program offers students a variety of curricular and co-curricular opportunities for students who have interests in law—whether as a career or an intellectual pursuit. In the curriculum, the Legal Studies concentration provides students a course of study that places law within the tradition of the liberal arts, encouraging students to develop a deeper, lasting engagement with Macalester’s mission and their future work. As an interdisciplinary concentration, students find sustained engagement of law-related issues from a variety of perspectives intellectually stimulating and rewarding. As a six-course concentration, it is not essential for students to begin a legal studies concentration during the first year; however, we often find that first year students really enjoy our courses and that they build on these course experiences throughout their time at Macalester.
Students interested in taking a Legal Studies-qualified course in their first semester could seek to take one of the courses at the 100 or 200 level that qualify for the concentration. In Fall 2025, these courses include:
ENVI 294-03 (12838) Zoned Out!: Assessing the Impacts and Future of Zoning (Tony Siebenaler-Ransom)
HIST 137-01 (12449) From Confederation to Confederacy: US History from Independence to Civil War (Linda Sturtz)
HIST 225-01 (12457) Native History to 1871 (Katrina Phillips)
HIST 256-01 (12459) Transatlantic Slave Trade (Linda Sturtz)
HIST 271-01 (12461) Uses and Abuses: Drugs, Addiction and Recovery (Amy Sullivan)
PHIL 121-01 (12627) Introduction to Ethics (Sumeet Patwardhan)
POLI 294-03 (12668) Moot Court and Constitutional Argumentation (Patrick Schmidt)
SOCI 190-01 (12752) Criminal Behavior/Social Control (Erik Larson)
SOCI 294-02 (12758) Decrees, Dictators, and Democratic Deficits: A Comparative Approach to Rule Without Law (Alisha Kirchoff)
There are no required courses and no single path through the concentration, so you may want to begin in an area close to your background, interests, or even explore something new, and then build outward in later years.
For additional information about courses that are part of the Legal Studies concentration, please consult www.macalester.edu/academics/legalstudies .
If you have questions about any of the courses offered for Fall 2024 or the concentration, please contact one of the Co-Directors of Legal Studies.
Contact:
Patrick Schmidt, Professor of Political Science
651-696-6147
[email protected]
or
Erik Larson, Professor of Sociology
651-696-6309
[email protected]
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language, the medium in which we do almost everything.
Here are a few introductory courses suitable for first year students. These courses have no prerequisites.
Ling 100: An Introduction to Linguistics
The aim of this course is to make you aware of the complex organization and systematic nature of language, the primary means of human communication. In a sense, you will be studying yourself, since you are a prime example of a language user. Most of your knowledge of language, however, is unconscious, and the part of language that you can describe is largely the result of your earlier education, which may have given you confused, confusing, or misleading notions about language. This course is intended to clarify your ideas about language and bring you to a better understanding of its nature. By the end of the course you should be familiar with some of the terminology and techniques of linguistic analysis and be able to apply this knowledge to the description of different languages. There are no prerequisites, but this course is the prerequisite for almost every higher level course within the linguistics major.
Ling 104: Sounds of World’s Languages
In this course you will be trained to produce and recognize (almost) all the speech sounds which human languages make use of, and to develop a systematic way of analyzing and recording them. Since sounds are perceived as well as produced, you will also be introduced to the acoustic analysis of speech, learning how acoustic signals of frequency, amplitude, and duration are translated into visible, quantifiable images. You will learn the art of decoding these spectrograms into sounds and words and sentences. The linguistics laboratory contains several different programs for practicing and listening to sounds from many of the world’s languages. This course is recommended for students of foreign languages, drama, music and anyone who wants to become more aware of their (and other people’s) pronunciation.
Ling 194: Introduction to Computational Methods in Linguistics
This course will introduce practical skills for carrying out linguistic research with computational methods. Students will learn to utilize corpus software, regular expressions, Python, and large language models for language data processing and dataset creation. They’ll also explore computational methods for data interpretation. The course will cover various language data types, including text corpora, social media content, and speech data. While a basic understanding of linguistics and Python programming will be beneficial, it is not a prerequisite.
For more information, check out our webpage: https://www.macalester.edu/academics/linguistics/
Contact:
Christina Esposito, Chair
[email protected]
Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science
Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science (MSCS) has faculty expertise and course offerings in theoretical math, applied math, statistics, data science and computer science. Being in a single department allows us to take advantage of the interconnections between these disciplines, and to build synergies among them. The MSCS Department offers four different majors ー Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, and Computer Science ー and four minors ー Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, and Computer Science. Course descriptions, information about our majors and minors, advice on course selection and placement information can be found on our department website, www.macalester.edu/academics/mscs.
MATHEMATICS: The most common starting place in mathematics is in our calculus sequence: Applied Multivariable Calculus (AMC) I, II, or III (Math 135, 137, and 237). Incoming students who have taken high school calculus are typically ready to start in AMC II or AMC III. See www.macalester.edu/mscs/wheredoistart/ for placement information. Another popular starting place in the mathematics curriculum is Discrete Mathematics (MATH 279).
STATISTICS and DATA SCIENCE: The most common starting places in the statistics and data science curriculum are Introduction to Statistical Modeling (STAT 155) and Introduction to Data Science (STAT / COMP 112). STAT 155 is substantially different from AP statistics; thus even students with AP statistics experience take that course. Also consider entry-level courses in Computer Science or Mathematics.
COMPUTER SCIENCE: The most common starting place in the computer science curriculum is Core Concepts in Computer Science (COMP 123), though students with prior experience such as high school AP Computer Science may be able to start in Object-Oriented Programming and Abstraction (COMP 127) or in Data Structures (COMP 128); consult with CS faculty for the best placement.
In Fall 2025, incoming students have two MSCS first-year course options. COMP 194-F1 (Introduction to Computer Science through Computer Vision) taught by Prof. Susan Fox is suitable for a wide range of student experience levels. MATH 137-F1 (Applied Multivariate Calculus II) taught by Prof. Taryn Flock is a special version of the AMC II course, aimed at students with one year of high school calculus.
Contact:
Alicia Johnson, MSCS chair & Statistics chair
[email protected]
Shilad Sen, Computer Science chair [email protected]
Lori Ziegelmeier, Mathematics chair [email protected]
Brianna Heggeseth, coordinator for Data Science [email protected]
Media and Cultural Studies
The Media and Cultural Studies major analyzes the history, politics, and production of media texts, in alignment with the College’s commitment to internationalism, multiculturalism, and civic engagement, using theories and methods drawn from the humanities.
The department offers an innovative ten-course major that includes opportunities for students to combine analysis, history, criticism, and production. The major provides students with a working knowledge of historians and critics of new media, film, newspapers, radio, and television; helps students develop an ability to explicate a specific body of culture or type of media in depth; and provides students with opportunities to appreciate different kinds of media and to produce original work.
A major in Media and Cultural Studies consists of 10 courses, distributed as follows:
Three (3) Foundational courses:
- MCST 110 – Texts and Power: Foundations of Media and Cultural Studies
- MCST 128 – Film Analysis/Visual Culture
- MCST 160 – Culture Power Difference
Methods course:
Senior capstone:
Five (5) Electives:
- In addition to the five (5) required courses the major plan will include five (5) electives
- At least three (3) of these electives are courses offered by the department
- Up to two (2) of these electives can be earned from a Study Away/Study Abroad program, courses cross-listed from other departments, or internships (MCST 621 – 624: Media Internship)
The media studies minor is for students interested in journalism or media studies or a combination. It requires five courses, including one of our three foundational courses and four electives. The minor concentrates on media studies and offers opportunities for critical research as well as for pre-professional experience in media production.
The Twin Cities is a vibrant and creative urban area, and students in the department have found opportunities for internships with arts and other nonprofit organizations and with media companies. Graduates have found employment in the media, in government, and in social and cultural institutions as well as opportunities for further study in doctoral programs and professional schools.
Students who enroll as majors or minors are invited to department events and notified of internships, conferences, and other off-campus opportunities. While enrolling as a major or minor requires a tentative course selection, students may change their selections before their last semester, provided they remain within major or minor requirements. More information is available at: Media and Cultural Studies.
Contact:
Morgan Adamson
[email protected]
Middle Eastern Studies and Islamic Civilization Interdepartmental Program
This concentration provides students with an opportunity to engage in the study of the Middle East and the broader Islamic world. Some of the objectives of the concentration include: A) Developing a basic familiarity with the cultures and religions, politics and history, geography and economy of the Middle East and Islamic world. B) Students will want to obtain some understanding of the major methodological approaches involved in the study of MESIC; MESIC students will gain a deep appreciation of the social, political, and cultural diversity and complexity of the Middle East and broader Islamic World. In this concentration students will find ways to engage in difficult dialogues and tackle some of the major issues of the day and region. Developing the capacity to engage thoughtfully and constructively in some of the more contentious issues affecting the region is a vital feature of MESIC at Macalester. Students are strongly encouraged to learn at least one of the languages spoken by people of the Middle East or Islamic world.
Given that students and faculty approach the study of Middle East and Islamic civilization from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, the program permits students to complete this concentration in conjunction with a wide array of majors. The program promotes breadth by requiring that students complete courses (in several departments) dealing with both the Middle East and the wider Islamic world; it promotes depth by requiring a capstone project focused on a relevant topic.
For more information, go to www.macalester.edu/academics/mesic
Music
All students may participate in the Music Department, which offers courses, ensembles, and lessons in a variety of musical traditions. There is one first-year course for Fall 2025, “World Music” taught by Prof. Chuen-Fung Wong. This course will be appropriate for any student interested in studying music as well as for any general student at Macalester. Students considering the major or minor in music will need to take MUSI 113 Musicianship, preferably early on. A range of other courses, together with performance participation, also are required for the major and minor. Students are encouraged to explore (and possibly audition for, if required) any of our ensembles—African Music Ensemble, Asian Music Ensemble, Macalester Concert Choir, Macalester Chorale, Macalester Orchestra, Wind Symphony, Mac Jazz Band, Jazz and Popular Music Combos, Pipe Band, Early Music Ensemble, Chamber Music Ensembles—at the beginning of each semester. Private lessons are available for an extra fee to all Macalester students. Registration for lessons and ensembles takes place during the first week of classes through the department office.
See the department website for more information www.macalester.edu/academics/music
Contact:
Mackenzie Stern, Department Coordinator
[email protected]
Mark Mandarano, Professor of Music and Department Chair
[email protected]
Neuroscience
Macalester’s Neuroscience Program provides a rigorous introduction to the study of the nervous system that is, like the field itself, rooted in biology and psychology. Students interested in majoring in Neuroscience should plan to complete Chemistry 111 (General Chemistry I), Chemistry 112 (General Chemistry II), Biology 190 (Genetics), and Psychology 100 (Introduction to Psychology) during their first year. The Neuroscience program does not offer a first-year course, and students are encouraged to use their first-year course to explore their non-science interests.
See https://www.macalester.edu/neuroscience/ for more information.
Contact:
Darcy Burgund
[email protected]
Philosophy
This fall the Philosophy Department is pleased to offer two First Year Courses:
PHIL 100-F1: Introduction to Philosophy: Love and Friendship (Prof. Geoffrey Gorham)
Description: The Philosopher Aristotle said “without friends no one would choose to live, though they had all other goods”. (Nicomachean Ethics, 1055a 5-7). It is not clear exactly what Aristotle means by this, but the high value he gives to friendship and love is shared by many other ancient Greek and Chinese Philosophers, such as Plato, Epicurus, and Confucius. This class will begin with an overview of central themes in ancient and contemporary philosophy — epistemology, metaphysics and ethics — and then undertake a detailed investigation of friendship and love: Why are friendship and love valuable? How do we become friends, and when should we break off friendships? With whom can we be friends: family members? pets? on-line friends? AI? Is ‘romantic’ love real or merely a social construction? Should we love only one other, or many, or everyone? Could it be good for us to have no friends, or should we have as many friends as possible? What role, if any, does gender play in friendship and love? What, if anything, do we owe to our friends and lovers? We will consider texts by Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Sappho, Confucius, Montaigne, Kant, Emerson, de Beauvoir, Sartre, as well as several contemporary philosophical perspectives on friendship and love. We will also read works of literature, such as Shakespeare’s Sonnets, and love poems of Emily Dickinson, and view together several films, such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Your grade will be based on three short papers, two ‘take-home’ examinations, reading responses (‘convos’), and attendance/participation.
PHIL 121-F1: Ethics (Prof. Sumeet Patwardhan)
Description: How should you live your life? This course is dedicated to exploring that BIG question. One dimension of that question is: what is good for you? Or in other words, what makes a life go well? Is it all dependent on the amount of pleasure and pain that you experience? All about how many desires of yours are satisfied? Or something else? However we answer such questions, we might also wonder – is morality just about self-interest? If not, what else is it about? And so another dimension of the question of how to live is: what makes an action morally right or wrong? Is it all about the consequences – for you or other people? Is it about treating people as more than just a means to get what you want? Is it about virtue? About caring for others? Is morality a messy combination of all of these things, and more? No matter what we think morality is, we can all admit: sometimes we morally mess up. And so we must wonder: what do we do in the wake of wrongdoing? Should we express blame? If so, when, and how? If I myself am the wrongdoer, can I ever forgive myself? This course is about questions like these. Along the way, we’ll consider myriad real-world ethical issues – how to treat animals; how to live a life with meaning; whether we have obligations to donate to charity; what it means to give consent to sex; how to feel about and respond to our complicity in various structural injustices; and more. Readings will include not just philosophical papers, but also films, short stories, and popular essays. If you want a chance to reflect deeply on how to live – a chance to work together to explore the big questions in life – this course is for you.
Non-FYC sections of both PHIL 100 and PHIL 121 are also available.
Other courses suitable for first year students include:
PHIL 111-01 and -02: Introduction to Symbolic Logic
Description: An introduction to formal methods for evaluating deductive arguments. Topics include formal fallacies, decision procedures, translation of arguments to argument forms, and natural deduction proofs in propositional and predicate logic.
PHIL 201-01: Modern Philosophy
Description: A study of influential 17th and 18th century philosophers, such as Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Hobbes, Cavendish, Cockburn, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, and Shepherd. The course considers issues regarding knowledge, freedom of the will, personal identity, space and time, the mind-body problem, ethics and the good life, and the relation between reason and faith. About one-half of the philosophers studied are neglected women philosophers and philosophers of color.
PHIL 294-01: Sex on Screen: Philosophy of Sex through TV and Film
Description: This course will consider various topics in the philosophy of sex – with a twist! We’ll focus primarily on watching films or sets of TV episodes, paired with brief excerpts from philosophical texts. Topics we will discuss include: the nature of sexual activity; the politics of sexual desire; the ethical complexities of depicting sex on screen, especially as these depictions relate to sexual objectification; and more.
Hope to see you in a philosophy class at Macalester in the fall!
Contact:
Samuel Asarnow
[email protected]
Physical Education
The department of physical education provides students the opportunity to learn about sport and develop or improve skills in a variety of activity classes. Students may earn a maximum of four credits toward graduation for participating in four different physical education activity classes. Each class is one credit and all activity classes are graded S/N based on meeting the determined participation criteria for that course. Consult the Fall Schedule for current options.
Contact:
Steve Murray
[email protected]
Physics & Astronomy
The Department of Physics and Astronomy will offer one first-year course (FYC) in 2025. Prof. James Heyman will teach PHYS 194-F1 (FYC) “Nanoscience”. Nanoscience is the science of matter on the nanometer length scale. This interdisciplinary field sits at the convergence of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Materials Science and Electrical Engineering. Our course will discuss objects at the nanometer scale: their properties, how they are made and what they can be used for. This quantitative course will use mathematics at the introductory calculus level, and high-school physics and calculus are recommended. Assignments will include readings, problem sets, short papers and a research paper.
Details about the physics major and required courses can be found at https://www.macalester.edu/academics/physics/majorsminors/.
Contact:
James Doyle
[email protected]
Political Science
Political Science is offering two First Year Courses.
POLI 194: Ways of Thinking, Ways of Being (Patrick Schmidt)
Politics is a social science: It means trying to solve the problem of how to live with other people in a society. This course will take inspiration from some of the big puzzles about our struggle to live together. What are the advantages of thinking ideologically and thinking pragmatically? How do we build power to do good things but also control it? How should we be governed? How skeptical should we be of utopian thinking? Topics will include power and cooperation, democracy and its alternatives, different scales of government (from local to global), the construction of national identity, and constitutions and rights. Readings will range from theory, to history, to social science research; class periods will mix discussion, dialogue, and lecture. This course qualifies as a “Foundations” course, a required element in the Political Science major.
POLI 140: Foundations of Comparative Politics (Paul Dosh)
In Comparative Politics, we use comparison to analyze political outcomes within and across countries. Why do Mexican political parties organize around conservative and liberal policy preferences, whereas Nigerian parties tend to organize along ethnic and religious divides? In Germany, how has the far-right reshaped the party system? Facing repression in Russia and Singapore, why do some LGBTQ activist groups conform while others resist? And when confronted with protests in their cities, do state security forces in China and the United States respond with similar methods or do they differ? Through comparative analysis, students will learn to describe diverse political institutions, to propose explanations for divergent outcomes, and to evaluate scholarly and popular arguments about politics.
The department also reserves places for entering students in our introductory courses, including Foundations of U.S. Politics (do NOT register if you’ve taken AP US Government), Foundations of Comparative Politics, Foundations of International Politics, and Foundations of Political Theory. New students are welcome to enroll in any of the more focused courses that we offer at the 200-level. For more information, visit: https://www.macalester.edu/academics/politicalscience/ or contact the department chair, Lisa Mueller.
Contact:
Lisa Mueller
[email protected]
Psychology
First year students are welcome to enroll in PSYC 100 – Introduction to Psychology. This course provides an excellent overview of the field of psychological science — the study of behavior and mental processes. It surveys the major subdisciplines of the field, including such topics as the brain and neuroscience, behavioral genetics, cognitive and social development, perception, learning, memory, decision-making, language, consciousness, emotions, motivation, psychological disorders, social identity, interpersonal interactions and group and cultural processes. Students also participate in a weekly hands-on laboratory experience.
Advanced placement: If you scored a 4 or a 5 on the AP exam in Psychology, received a 5, 6, or 7 on the IB higher level Psychology exam, or submitted qualifying GCE A-level grades, you may get credit for PSYC 100 and are welcome to take any intermediate-level class in the psychology department (courses number 202-294). If you ultimately decide to major in psychology, you will get placement credit for introductory psych but you will still take 11 courses for the major.
For more information, go to www.macalester.edu/academics/psychology
Contact:
Cari Gillen-O’Neel
651-696-6086
[email protected]
Religious Studies
Religious Studies is a broadly interdisciplinary investigation that takes its place among the humanities and social sciences. The department works with students who wish to focus on the academic study of religion, as well as those who seek courses in religion to help them frame and interrogate issues provoked in other academic areas. As a key part of human culture and history, Religious Studies encourages critical thinking about cultural, moral, and ethical processes unfolding in the world. Majors bring this perspective with them when they enter fields as diverse as journalism, law, medicine, education, professional life in the parish ministry/rabbinate, and community activism.
Introductory courses are broad in scope, even as they seek to be selective enough to allow an in-depth encounter with source documents situated within their historical, literary, and social contexts. Methods of instruction include not only lectures and small group discussion, but also opportunities for independent study and research, one-on-one engagement with faculty, and site-specific projects in the Twin Cities and beyond.
Courses Suitable for First Years, and Those New To Religious Studies
Students frequently seek advice on which classes in a program are “best” for them to begin with, as introductions to the field. In Religious Studies, many classes are accessible to students with or without prior experience in Religious Studies, and our course numbering frequently indicates intensity of engagement rather than merely difficulty of material. If you are interested in a more “advanced” course, we encourage you to reach out the professor and ask if that course would be appropriate for you!
There are nevertheless several 100-level courses that are excellent ways to begin in Religious Studies, offered in Fall 2025:
RELI-111-01/ASIA-113-01 – Introduction to Buddhism – Erik Davis
Buddhism is increasingly well-known in the USA, but what is it, and how does Buddhism encourage people to organize and think about their lives? Organized on the basis of the Eightfold Noble Path, with a focus of ’morals, the Buddhist psychology of mind, and meditation,’ this course offers an introduction to the personalities, teachings, and institutions of Buddhism. Beginning in India at the time of the Buddha, this course focuses on Theravada Buddhism, asking students to think historically, philosophically, and anthropologically. Many Friday sessions will be dedicated to an exploration of the variety of Buddhist meditative techniques.
Humanities, GER: Internationalism, Writing (WP)
RELI-121-01 – Jesus, Peter, Paul, and Mary – Susanna Drake
This course examines the diverse literature of the New Testament along with some other early Christian texts that did not become part of the Christian “canon.” We will employ historical-critical approaches in order to situate New Testament texts in their social, political, and historical contexts. We will pay special attention to how the various authors of the New Testament produced Jewish-Christian difference and how they understood the role of women within their communities. Contemporary modes of interpretation will be employed to explore the formation of identity in the first and second centuries of Christianity.
Humanities, GER: US Identities and Differences
RELI 136 – World Religions and World Religions Discourse – James Laine
Our goal will be to make an effort to comprehend just what cultural literacy would mean when studying the major religious traditions of the world, while at the same time developing an appreciation of some of the blind spots and problems in this enterprise. To a large extent, we will do some serious construction before we feel ready for de-construction. Every couple of weeks, we will cover one of five major areas (South Asia, East Asia, Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and each student will read a different author’s treatment of this material.
Humanities, GER: Internationalism
For more information, go to www.macalester.edu/academics/religiousstudies
Contact:
Erik Davis, Chair
651-696-6152
[email protected]
Russian Studies
Russia and the former republics of the Soviet Union comprise the vast geographic space called Eurasia. The former Soviet Union is composed of Russia, the Central Asian republics, the Caucasus nations and Siberia, and the Baltic states. Current events tell us that becoming familiar with that region is imperative; but in the longer term, its cultural and historical riches alert us to the benefits of exploring the post-Soviet world. Macalester students and faculty have keen interest in regions like East Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe – and countries such as China, North Korea, Iran, and Afghanistan. Only the former Soviet Union borders all of those regions and countries, and Russian is spoken throughout that space. The speaker of Russian can travel from St. Petersburg to Beijing, confident that they will be understood.
Russian scholars in literature, history, anthropology, politics, cultural and postcolonial studies are fully engaged in globally important comparative studies of race, ethnicity, class, gender, world culture, and more. Studying Russian is an integral part of Macalester’s internationalism, and is the first step toward connecting with the 200+ million Russian speakers around the world.
Our courses explore Russia’s language, literature, history, visual arts, and film; we offer comparative courses on such topics as revolution, food history, and the theory and practice of translation. Most of our courses are taught in English, and students at all levels of preparation are welcome.
In Fall 2025, we will be offering a First Year Course (crosslisted with History) titled “Making History: Russian Cinema as Testimony, Propaganda, and Art.” We will also be offering Elementary Russian I, ideal for first-year students who are interested in starting the language (Intermediate and Advanced Russian will be an option as well) and courses taught in English that have no prerequisites and are open to first-year students, including “Rise and Fall of Tsarist Russia,” “Culture and Science in the Cold War,” “Food History,” and “RUSS 294-03: Community, Identity, and Engagement”. This unique course offers a bridge between academic studies and community engagement, while building skills in teamwork, communication, and project design.
For detailed information about the Russian Studies faculty, course offerings, the structure of the major and minor, study abroad, and opportunities to get involved with the Russian-speaking community in the Twin Cities, see the department website at https://www.macalester.edu/russian
Contact:
Julia Chadaga
[email protected]
Sociology
A piece of advice to first year students: Discover sociology at Macalester early. Many students who take their first course in the department during their junior or senior year regret not having the earlier exposure. Why? Because studying sociology:
- Provides new insights about your life and the world around you;
- Builds a range of important skills, related to the variety of evidence we use (from richly detailed accounts based on observing people as they go about their daily lives to analysis that reveals broad patterns that might otherwise remain invisible);
- Fosters creativity by providing a variety of perspectives on the topics that we study; and
- Involves learning about interesting and relevant topics, including how inequalities emerge and affect people’s lives; how practices of social life affect interaction and ideas; how distinct ways of arranging activities matter; and how organizations operate.
The department has reserved and/or open seats for incoming students in the following courses, none of which require prior experience, for Fall 2025:
SOCI 110-01 (12751) Introduction to Sociology
SOCI 190-01 (12752) Criminal Behavior/Social Control
SOCI 194-01 (12753) Children and Childhood in Times of Crisis
SOCI 258-01 (12754) Immigrant Voices in Times of Fear
SOCI 294-02 (12758) Decrees, Dictators, and Democratic Deficits: A Comparative Approach to Rule Without Law
SOCI 294-03 (12759) Eat, Pay, Leave: Power and Politics of Food and Eating
For further information, we invite you to visit our webpage: https://www.macalester.edu/academics/sociology/index.html
Contact:
Erik Larson, Chair
[email protected]
651-696-6309
Spanish and Portuguese
The Department of Spanish & Portuguese welcomes students into dynamic language courses in elementary and intermediate Spanish and Portuguese, as well as advanced courses in literature, cultural studies and linguistics, all taught in Spanish or Portuguese. All of our courses emphasize active language acquisition and application within meaningful, contemporary contexts. We believe that language is the pathway to true understanding of culture.
We will be offering a course in fall 2025 that may be of special interest to first-year students. Professor Ernesto Ortiz Díaz will teach a first-year course (FYC) titled Soultracking Brazil: Shuffling Through the Sounds of a Musical Nation (PORT 194). What binds together a continental-sized country, stretching across both hemispheres and four time zones, made up by a wide array of landscapes and climates, encompassing half of the population of South America and with a society that is the quintessence of racial diversity? In this course, students will study how the idea of Brazil as a nation rests upon the ongoing creation of a popular soundtrack that brings the country’s different cultural regions closer through a melody of sounds, rhythms, and musical genres. Every week, the class will shuffle through the national musical archive to look for the soul of Brazil to the beats of samba, bossa nova, modinha, xote, forró, lundu, choro, frevo, carimbó, maxixe, maracatu, among many others. As the class explores the musical richness of Brazil, it will also reflect on how concepts like gender, identity, race, ethnicity, and class have informed the national music scene. This course will be taught in English.
In addition, first-year students may be interested in studying Portuguese language, with our intensive Portuguese sequence. PORT 111, Accelerated Beginning Portuguese, is the first course in the two-course sequence and is open to first-years with no background in the language. For students who come in having studied Spanish in high school, our Spanish 305 course: Advanced Oral and Written Expression, may be a good fit (appropriate level can be determined by taking our online placement exam). Its main objective is to improve oral and written communication in Spanish while strengthening grammatical skills and deepening knowledge of Hispanic cultures. Conversations and written essays are based on cultural and literary themes presented in class readings, including literary works and supporting videos and films. This course also satisfies the WA general education requirement (Argumentative Writing) and counts toward the Spanish major or minor. And finally, for those students who grew up speaking Spanish at home, Spanish 306, Spanish for Heritage Speakers might be the right choice. Leaning on all of their previous experience with the language, the course seeks to enrich and complement the students’ linguistic repertoire by further developing their communicative abilities in Spanish, both verbal and written, especially in an academic context.
If you have questions about satisfying the foreign language requirement through Spanish or Portuguese, or about majoring or minoring in Spanish or minoring in Portuguese, please contact Cynthia Kauffeld, Chair ([email protected]), or visit our website: www.macalester.edu/spanish
Contact:
Cynthia Kauffeld, Chair
[email protected]
Theater and Dance
Welcome to the Theater and Dance Department!
Our department offers small academic and studio courses in which students are closely mentored by expert faculty. Our curriculum includes intermediate and advanced classes for those interested in pursuing a career in the performing arts. We encourage students without previous experience to try a beginning course in acting, dance, design, performance technologies, or playwriting. Always make sure to contact the instructor if you do not meet prerequisites for a given course; oftentimes, first-year students have past experience that will ease them into such learning opportunities.
THDA courses, except for dance technique, fulfill the Fine Arts distribution requirement. Many also fulfill graduation requirements in United States Identities and Differences (USID), Internationalism, Quantitative Thinking, and Writing (argumentative writing – WA; writing as craft -WC; or writing as practice -WP).
In the fall 2025, the Theater and Dance Department will offer two sections of the First Year Course (FYC) THDA105, Seeing Performance in the Twin Cities (Fine Arts, USID, WA). Several of our courses are appropriate for first-year students.
Theater Audition Information
While preference is given to Theater and Dance majors and minors, first-year students are regularly cast in theater productions and dance concert pieces—auditions are open to all Macalester students. Additional information about the audition process and the productions will be on our website, and available here.
This fall, our theater production of The 39 Steps will be directed by NTT Senior Instructor Bob Rosen, and will be performed November 7-9 and 14-16, 2025.
Auditions for first-year students for the fall theater production will be on Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7 with callbacks later in the day on Sunday September 7. Auditions and callbacks will be on the Mainstage Theater T121, Janet Wallace Fine Art Center. Time slots are available here.
Another fall performance opportunity for first-year students are the two sections of THDA120, Acting, when acting students learn from faculty and also collaborate with advanced students in THDA350, Directing for the Stage in a showcase.
In the spring 2026, THDA will produce Romeo and Juliet. Students interested in acting in this production should enroll in THDA220, Voice in Performance: Shakespeare in the fall. Auditions for this show and other dance and theater performances will be held in January.
Theater and Dance Department Open House
There will be a Department Open House on the first Friday of classes at 5:00pm on the Mainstage Theater, T121, in the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center. Meet faculty, returning students, tour our state-of-the-art facilities, and get information on auditions, backstage crew opportunities, the curriculum and courses, and special events.
For more information:
Visit our website: https://www.macalester.edu/theater-and-dance and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Contact:
Professor Mina Kinukawa – Chair
[email protected]
Urban Studies Interdepartmental Program
Urban Studies is a concentration designed for students who are interested in an interdisciplinary exploration of urbanization and urbanism. Urban Geography (GEOG 241) is being offered as a First Year Course in the fall. Latin America: Art & Nation (HIST 292), Wakanda Forever (HIST 194), and Geographies of Cultural Industries and Creative Cities (GEOG 294) are also being offered in the fall and provide coursework in the urban studies program appropriate for first-year students. Please see the website for further information: https://www.macalester.edu/academics/urbanstudies/
Contact:
Lesley Lavery
651-696-6321 | [email protected]
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) as an academic program grows out of a history of real-life struggles by gendered, sexualized, racialized, classed, and other minorities for social and political justice. Prof. Myrl Beam covers issues relating to queer trans identities and social movements; WGSS faculty analyze culture, media, and political activism in the context of neoliberal capitalism and globalization. Based on a historical understanding of injustices and ongoing struggles, WGSS classes prepare students to better understand and see how systems of oppression as well as liberation are interlocked and connected. Students in WGSS develop practical and theoretical skills for understanding and engaging the social, cultural, economic, and political contexts shaping our world, in order to prepare to participate in post-Macalester professional lives.
If you are interested in taking a WGSS course in your first semester, we recommend WGSS100 (“Transnational Perspectives on Gender, Race, Class and Sexuality”), which will provide a great foundation for later courses in the major, and ultimately, the WGSS capstone. This culminating experience links theory and practice, and is based on your experience with campus and off-campus communities, or a topic that you really want to pursue in academics as well as in your post-Macalester career. Please see the WGSS website for course descriptions and more exciting information about our major and minor, honors and internships, and much more! (www.macalester.edu/wgss).
Contact:
Myrl Beam, Chair
[email protected]