Fall 2017 Class Schedule

The main objectives of this introductory course are: to explore the historical construction of racial categories in the United States; to understand the systemic impact of racism on contemporary social processes; to consider popular views about race in the light of emerging scholarship in the field; and to develop an ability to connect personal experiences to larger, collective realities. We will engage several questions as a group: What are the historical and sociological foundations of racial categories? When does focusing on race make someone racist? What is white privilege, and why does it matter? All students will be asked to think and write about their own racial identity. This course, or its equivalent, is required for majors and minors. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In this discussion-based and residential course, we will explore the paradox of a society in which people are increasingly aware of patterns of racism and yet still unable to see or explain how those systems and patterns are connected to everyday life. As awareness increases, why are we not able to develop effective or meaningful responses?

Our interdisciplinary and integrative approach will employ multiple methods of inquiry and expression, including: self-reflective essays and maps; a scavenger hunt along University Avenue; library research; and deep, critical analysis of arguments about race/ethnicity/assimilation/multiculturalism.

We will practice engaging in open-ended conversations so that we might discover the questions that truly matter to each of us. To fulfill the WA general education writing requirement, this course will invite you to produce at least 20 pages of college-level writing through various assignments. Each writing assignment will strengthen your use of evidence and argumentation, and will involve drafts, feedback, in person conference, and revision.
Class meets MWF, 9:40 am - 10:40 am in Neill Hall 111
Writing designation: WA
Living arrangements: Single gender rooms, co-ed floor.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will introduce students to interdisciplinary research approaches to the study of race, ethnicity, and other categories of difference. Students will learn to conceptualize and design research projects, and will obtain hands-on experience in executing different methods. The course will also consider the critiques of systems of knowledge production and research approaches that have been informed by scholars from fields such as African American history, gender studies, and critical race studies, as well as from the disciplines. The goal is to develop an understanding of the assumptions embedded in many fields of inquiry, and to learn to apply critical approaches to important research questions.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Americans, at least since the Founding era, have cherished the ideal of political equality. Unlike European nations, the United States did not inherit economic class distinctions from a feudal past. But time and again, American social reformers and mass movements have highlighted inconsistencies between the value of equality and the actual practice of democracy. Through the extension of rights to citizens who were previously excluded or treated as second-class citizens, such as women and African Americans, the polity has become more inclusive. But over the last three decades American citizens have grown increasingly unequal in terms of income and wealth. The central question posed by this course is the implications of such vast economic inequality for American democracy. Do these disparities between citizens curtail, limit, and perhaps threaten the functioning of genuinely representative governance? In this course will 1) Explore what other social scientists, mostly economists and sociologists, know about contemporary inequality, particularly in terms of its causes, manifestation, and socio-economic effects; 2) Consider the concept of inequality in political theory and in American political thought, and; 3) Examine the current relationship between economic inequality and each of three major aspects of the American political system: political voice, representation, and public policy. Cross-listed as Political Science 203. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In Motion is an introduction to modern African American History from slavery to contemporary times. In Motion emphasizes the idea that both African Americans and the stories of their lives in the United States are fluid, varied and continually being reinterpreted. Rather than a strict chronological survey, this course is organized thematically. Some of the important themes include movement/mobility/migration; work/labor; resistance to systems of oppression; gender/sexuality/culture/performance; politics/citizenship; and sites of (re)memory. While the course is geographically situated in the United States, we will also consider African American life, culture, thought and resistance in global perspectives. In this course, students will read important historical texts, both primary and secondary, engage in discussion, and write essays that ask them to critically engage the history of African Americans in the US. Cross-listed with History 219. 4 credits.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course examines traditions of 20th century African American women’s activism and the ways in which they have changed over time. Too often, the narrative of the “strong black woman” infuses stories of African American women’s resistance which, coupled with a culture of dissemblance, makes the inner workings of their lives difficult to imagine. This course, at its heart, seeks to uncover the motivations, both personal and political, behind African American women’s activism. It also aims to address the ways in which African American women have responded to the pressing social, economic, and political needs of their diverse communities. The course also asks students to consider narrative, voice and audience in historical writing, paying particular attention to the ways in which black women’s history has been written over the course of the twentieth century. Cross-listed with History 229 and Women's and Gender Studies 229. 4 credits.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This survey course will explore history, policy, and pedagogy as they relate to race, ethnicity, and culture as education. K¿12 public education will be the primary focus with topics including desegregation, standardized testing, multi-cultural and ethnocentric pedagogy, the teacher's role and experience, and significant historical events in education. The course will culminate by analyzing current trends and future expectations in education. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is built at the crossroads between critical race studies and urban sociology, and draws on important strains within cultural studies, WGSS, and critical/postmodern geography. We will investigate our own personal cognitive maps and social locations, including our complicity in dominant spatial and racial logics. Lectures, assignments, and activities encourage an understanding of the creation and on-going production of space and scale, and develop insight into racialized communities and identities as sites of conflict, struggle, and potential solidarity rather than fixed categories of representation or consumption. A segment of the course will focus on St. Paul and the impact of the Vietnam War, looking particularly at the construction of Hmong and other Southeast Asian American communities and identities. This course requires prior exposure to at least one of the following areas: American Studies, human geography, sociology of race/ethnicity, or urban studies.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is an overview of the development of theatre by and about Black Americans. It examines the historical, social, political, and cultural context of African-American Theatre. After investigating the roots of African-American Theatre in African culture, performance modes, and social values, it focuses on a study of plays written by Black Americans in the 19th and 20th centuries. Cross-listed with Theater 263. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to theories and practices of Public History – the ways that people understand and make use of the past in our everyday lives – by focusing on one topic, that of African American History.

Public History now encompasses museum studies, archival management, historic preservation, historical archaeology, oral history, and cultural resources management; but on a larger scale Public Historians acknowledge the multiple ways that we all preserve knowledge about the past and make meaning from the sources we use in our everyday lives. Expressions of historic memory occur in popular historical forms like community celebrations, archival collections, commemorative sites, family reunions, museum exhibits, and even video games, among many others. In this course, students learn about the ways that Public History is practiced, the rationales for undertaking this study, and the skills available to them in meeting their goals.

With the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture during the past year, the Public History of African Americans has attracted sustained attention in the popular press, in museum circles, and in academic disciplines. In this course, students will examine the theory and practice of Public History, including museum work, archives, public memory, and oral history. They will then proceed to consider how African American History has been presented (or omitted) from the larger narrative of North American/U.S. History. The course will include an examination of the politics of creating and building the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and the interpretive dimensions of presenting that History to the wider public.

Participants must commit to a four-day field trip to Washington, D.C. during fall break and to some outside of class, on-site activities during the semester.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Throughout African American history, people of African descent in the United States have always utilized the tools at their disposal to resist oppression. This includes music. Music heals, empowers, and exposes--joy, pain, love, anger, happiness, suffering and hope. Using a black feminist, intersectional lens, this course is a topical introduction to various traditions within African American music from the enslavement period until the present. Not meant to be exhaustive, the course will examine the connections between music and major turning points in African American social, cultural, and political history. The course also pays special attention to the ways in which race, class, gender, and sexuality impact the creation, interpretation, performance, and reception of black protest music.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This political theory course examines how revolutionary movements in political thought intersect with and inflect revolutionary moments in history. Taking "revolutionary" to be descriptive of both events and theoretical frameworks, the course will study how political actors have articulated and enacted abolitionist, feminist, egalitarian, and anti-colonialist revolutionary perspectives. Topics covered will include: the American, French, Haitian, Bolshevik, Indian, and Iranian revolutions, as political events and occasions for political thought. Also under consideration will be contemporary revolutionary movements like #Occupy, the Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, and prison abolition; and revolutions in political theories of gender, race, and (dis)ability.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This Junior Seminar in civic engagement offers upper-level students an opportunity to study - through internships and reflection - and to actively engage with the problem of racialized mass-incarceration on a local, regional, and national scale. During any given semester, the seminar may focus on a specific aspect of the problem, such as: ex-felon disenfranchisement, families and juvenile justice, restorative justice, political prisoners, or prison art and literature. This course requires prior exposure to American Studies (preferably including a critical methods course). Note: The seminar will run concurrently with optional internships specifically created for this course, and a required reflection "lab" period. Placement in these internships is highly recommended. Students must obtain permission to enroll in these internships. Fall semester only. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an interdisciplinary discussion of the Latino experience in the United States with a focus on Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban- Americans. Using fiction, poetry, films and critical essays, we will examine issues of race and ethnicity, language, identity, gender and sexuality, politics, and immigration. Course cross-listed with Hispanic Studies and Latin American Studies. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The Mellon Seminar is for students who are the recipients of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. The course is interdisciplinary, in order to meet the needs of students across the Mellon-designated fields. They will develop their academic interests to the fullest, with the intent to enter of Ph.D. programs, and careers in higher education. We will cover topics such as "contemporary issues in higher education," "the politics of knowledge production," and "preparing to apply to graduate school." This course is designed to train students who will purse PhDs and subsequent careers in academia in selected core fields in the Arts and Sciences. Our objective is to prepare for the Professoriate. May be repeated for credit when topic differs. Graded S/SN only. (2 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

An overview of contemporary approaches to media as culture, a determining as well as determined sphere in which people make sense of the world, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, identity, and social inequality. Students develop tools for analyzing media texts and accounts of audience responses derived from the international field of cultural studies and from the social theory on which it draws. Analysis emphasizes specificity of media texts, including advertisements, films, news reports, and television shows. Experience in cooperative discussion, research, and publication. (4 credits) Cross-listed with Media and Cultural Studies 334.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The great African American writer Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is best known as the poet laureate of the Harlem Renaissance. But his career was vaster still. He was a Soviet screenwriter, Spanish Civil War journalist, African literary anthologist, humorist, playwright, translator, social critic, writer of over 10,000 letters, and much more. This course engages Hughes's full career, bridging race and global issues, politics and art, and makes use of little-known archival materials. Cross-listed with English 384 and International Studies 384. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The border region between the United States and Mexico exists as both a physical space and an ideological construct. This seminar uses literary and filmic narratives to explore issues of identity, opportunity, and violence that arise from this contested space. How does the border shape individual and cultural identities? In what ways does the border create opportunities for both advancement and exploitation? How do these works engage conflicts and tensions of race, nationalism, gender, and power? The course will include writers and filmmakers from both countries, and we will read original texts both in Spanish and English. Cross-listed with Hispanic Studies 445 and Latin American Studies 445. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to the discipline of anthropology as a whole. It presents students with a theoretical grounding in the four major subfields: archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics. In this class the emphasis is on the holistic nature of the discipline. Students will be challenged with some of the countless links between the systems of biology and culture. They will explore key questions about human diversity in the past, present, and future.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Introductory Course

Open to first year students. The cultural perspective on human behavior including case studies, often illustrated by ethnographic films and slides, of non-Western and American cultures. May include some field interviewing. Includes the cross cultural treatment of economic, legal, political, social and religious institutions and a survey of major approaches to the explanation of cultural variety and human social organization. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Language loss is accelerating at alarming rates. In fact, Linguists predict that only five percent of the six thousand languages currently spoken in the world are expected to survive into the 22nd century. In this course, we will examine the historical, political, and socio-economic factors behind the endangerment and/or marginalization of languages in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. We will also concentrate on the globalization of English (and other major languages), which plays a primary role in language endangerment and marginalization. Additional topics include: linguistic diversity, language policy, multilingualism (in both nations and individuals), global language conflict, and language revitalization. Students will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about these issues by interviewing speakers of an endangered and/or minority language. Cross-listed with Linguistics 206. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

An introduction to ethnographic field interviewing learned in the context of individually run student field projects. Focuses on the anthropologist-informant field relationship and the discovery of cultural knowledge through participant observation and ethnosemantic interviewing techniques. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The study of the human skeletal system is basic to the disciplines of biological anthropology, forensic science, medicine and even archaeology. This class will examine the fundamentals of osteology. It will also explore numerous pathological conditions associated with both infectious and non-infectious diseases in addition to those caused by traumatic events. Students will learn to identify and analyze human bone and pathological conditions of the skeleton to aid in the reconstruction of life histories from human remains. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course explores the relationship between self, culture and society. We will examine and discuss critically the broad array of methods and theories anthropologists use to analyze personality, socialization, mental illnes and cognition in different societies. Our aim is to address questions related to the cultural patterning of personality, the self and emotions and to understand how culture might shape ideas of what a person is. We will also seek to understand how cultures define behavior as abnormal, pathological or insane, and how they make sense of trauma and suffering. Cross-listed as Psychology 243. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This writing-intensive seminar uses anthropology to situate the experiences of refugees and other forced migrants within a global framework of conflict and humanitarian response. Through analysis of select case studies, we will probe the complex interplay of social, historical, political, and economic factors that are invoked to explain modern refugee-producing conflicts. We will consider how refugees act and are acted upon in these settings and in their aftermath. We will examine critically the ways refugees are defined and described qualitatively and quantitatively, as such discourse determines access to certain entitlements and influences humanitarian and governmental responses. We will consider how refugees are defined in terms of time and space, yet simultaneously redefine time and space as transnational actors. Once we have a better understanding of the nature of the collective experience of war and its effects on refugees and others, we will consider issues of power, ethics, and human rights embedded in humanitarian responses to conflict by examining the roles of those who engage in humanitarian work in U.S. and international settings. Our scope of inquiry includes humanitarian workers broadly conceived, including journalists, human services providers, government workers, researchers, faith-based organizations, and others. In addition to probing the ways that outsiders react to refugee concerns, we will also examine indigenous institutional coping mechanisms—such as family and religion—that facilitate social reconstruction in times of transition. The format of the course will be in-depth discussion, lectures, guest speakers, films, and a field research project that will involve cultural life history interviews with an individual engaged in humanitarian work. This course fulfills the Internationalism and Writing (Argumentative) general education requirements. It also counts a Foundational course for the Human Rights and Humanitarianism Concentration, as a Tier II course for the African Studies Concentration, and as an elective for the minor or major in Anthropology. The course may count as an elective for other Interdisciplinary departments.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an overview of issues related to refugees and humanitarian response in U.S. and international settings. Students explore the meaning of "humanitarian" and inherent issues of power, ethics, and human rights in responses to conflict by examining the roles of those who engage in humanitarian work. Offered occasionally. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to the diverse lifeways of Muslims around the world, looking at how understandings and practice of Islam are shaped by social, economic, and political factors. It examines the Qur’an and hadith, and other authoritative texts that ground Islamic jurisprudence, and explores the diverse ways in which Muslims have understood and interpreted these teachings in locations across the world—such as Indonesia, the Middle East, South Asia, Europe and the United States – and at various points in history. The specific focus may vary with each offering, responding to instructor expertise and focus, emerging and volatile situations worldwide, or new advances in the field.
Cross-listed with International Studies 253. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The goal of this course is to develop an anthropological understanding and critique of development. It aims to examine both the discourse of development and its practice. The course focuses on the construction of the Third World as an "underdeveloped" area, and discusses the dominant theoretical paradigms of development and modernization. It assesses the reasons for the general failure of development programs based on these models to bring about meaningful and substantive change in societies in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and discusses possible alternatives to "development" as it is currently practiced. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

With approximately 60% of the population (and over 600 million people) under the age of 25, Africa is undoubtedly the world’s youngest continent. Much has been made of this “youth bulge,” which is alternately referred to as a ticking time bomb of political and economic instability, or a unique advantage for those wishing to tap new markets or accelerate development. Rather than just explaining or evaluating the merits of Africa’s young population, however, this course challenges students to learn from the lived experiences of Africa’s young people, who are important and creative social actors (at home, in school, on the job, and in popular culture, art, and politics!). They are also, however, compelling objects of intensive intervention (especially those efforts aimed at girl children, orphans, and victims of famine and war), and we will consider some of the many ways efforts to “save” African young people variably empower, limit, or otherwise complicate their lives. We will approach children and youth not as fixed categories, but as open questions—fluid designations that differ over time and place, identities that are flexible and strategically claimed. Drawing on ethnographic sources, memoirs, fictional accounts, film, and popular representations, this course is also designed to help students think critically about the dynamic and problematic connections through which Africa’s young people are shaping and being shaped by the rest of the world. Children and Youth in Africa also counts as a Tier 1 African Studies course.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the broad range of explanations for social and cultural phenomena used by anthropologists since the emergence of the discipline in the 19th century. The course focuses on the development of three broad theoretical approaches: The American school of cultural anthropology, British social anthropology, and the French school that emerged from the work of Durkheim and his followers. The course also examines theoretical approaches such as cultural materialism, and symbolic and interpretive approaches to the study of culture. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This studio course is an introduction to a variety of drawing media and techniques. Students explore a variety of themes and subjects, including still life, architecture, figure drawing, portraiture, and imagination. Formal elements explored include: line, value, volume, space, proportion, perspective, markmaking, and surface. Theoretical components include group critiques and slide lectures. In critiques and discussions, we consider composition, representational accuracy, emotional expression, content, and intention. Two three-hour periods per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This studio course is an introduction to a variety of drawing media and techniques. Students explore a variety of themes and subjects, including still life, architecture, figure drawing, portraiture, and imagination. Formal elements explored include: line, value, volume, space, proportion, perspective, markmaking, and surface. Theoretical components include group critiques and slide lectures. In critiques and discussions, we consider composition, representational accuracy, emotional expression, content, and intention. Two three-hour periods per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This introductory course will provide a supportive studio environment for the exploration of diverse approaches to the ceramic field, ranging from investigation of utilitarian object making to sculptural practice. Techniques and applications for both handbuilding and wheel throwing will be presented. Emphasis is placed on development and understanding of strong three-dimensional forms as well as the relationship with surface decoration. Content-based assignments allow for individual expression through creative problem solving. The course goal is to present students with a historical perspective and the understanding of contemporary ceramics, building an appreciation for the spirit of the hand-made object as well as preparing students for upper level self-directed work. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques and gallery/museum visits will supplement studio work. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolio production and review, along with class participation. Three two-hour periods per week. $100 materials fee is required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course considers the production and reception of multiple visual culture forms, from standards of fine art practice such as painting and sculpture to mass media including TV, film, advertising, and the Internet. Students will learn different theoretical paradigms and techniques for visual analysis in order to understand how visual media inscribes power, difference, and desire as it mediates numerous social, economic, cultural and political relationships. We will investigate diverse types of visual culture through lectures, exhibitions, guest lectures, film, historical art and media, and, of course, those proliferating images that define our daily experiences. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course surveys the visual and material culture of Europe and the Middle East from the Paleolithic through the late Medieval period. We consider the material remains of Prehistoric Europe, the Ancient Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, Greece, Etruria, and Rome; early Christianity, Judaism and Islam; and Early Medieval, Romanesque and Gothic Europe from a contextual perspective, in order to recover the meanings of works of art within the cultures that produced them. A special focus is placed on the appropriation of these objects and images in later Western culture. Cross-listed with Classics 260. 4 credits

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces the art and visual culture of China from the Neolithic era to the twenty-first century. Through this survey, students will engage with a broad array of media, from jade carvings, Buddhist cave painting, calligraphy and monumental landscape paintings to ceramics, modern graphic media, and contemporary installations. Lectures and readings will teach methods of formal visual analysis as well as the historical context of each work. While examining the specific cultural, social, economic, and political functions of Chinese art and objects, we will think critically about different ways in which scholars write the artistic history of China. Fall semester. (4 credits) Course cross-listed as Asian Studies 170.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces conceptual, technical, and historical aspects of digital photography within a fine-arts context. The emphasis throughout is on photography as creative medium and narrative medium and will introduce strategies and methods related to this goal through assignments and class activities. Students will learn the foundational aspects of digital photography from manual camera operation to the editing of images through Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Along the way, students will be introduced to digital workflow, color management, and how to take their images from screen to print. Historical presentations and assigned readings will help students develop the critical skills needed to understand how photographs function in society and culture. $75 materials fee will be charged. A digital SLR camera is required for this course. Offered every semester

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

An introduction to the studio practice of painting, using oil paint on a variety of supports ranging from paper, board and canvas to non-traditional painting surfaces. Exploration of the practical techniques and mechanics of painting as well as a consideration of content and meaning. Readings and class discussions of historical and contemporary painting practices and issues will develop a visual vocabulary as well as critical/theoretical knowledge to complement technical skills. Slide lectures, critiques and a gallery/museum visit will supplement studio work. Three two-hour periods per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This hands-on, studio class serves as an introduction to the rich and diverse field-of-inquiry we call sculpture. Over the course of the semester we will investigate a variety concepts, materials, and fabrication methods employed in the realization of sculptural works. Examples of fabrication methods include basic woodworking techniques, cold-working metal techniques, welding, “non-traditional” techniques, and possibly even metal-casting. Studio assignments are primarily self-selected from prompts, encouraging personal investigations based on individual interests and ideas. In addition to considering the formal and spatial aspects of the sculptures we create in the class, we will view our works through the lenses of endurance, ephemerality, tactility, temporality, commemoration, process, and play. Slide presentations, short readings, critiques, group discussions, and a gallery/museum visits will supplement our studio research. This class is ideal for any and all curious students interested in play, thinking with the hands, and reflecting on the results.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A hands-on introduction to original printmaking in the media of relief, etching, lithography and handset type. Included are discussions of aesthetics, the impact of printed imagery on our society, printmaking practices from around the world and field trips to local exhibits and museum collections. Emphasis is on individual expression and appropriate techniques for the content.Drawing (Art 130) is recommended as an introduction to the studio courses in the department.Two three-hour periods per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A series of two-dimensional projects through which the components of design are examined and applied. Discussion includes philosophical, cultural and design topics and theories. Both manual and computer generated projects are expected. Three two-hour periods per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will examine the issues of gender, sexuality and feminist visual culture in the 20th century and contemporary art. Through different case studies, the course will examine the intersections of race, class, ethnicity, nationality with gender and and sexual orientations. Throughout the course we will try to discern several major themes and subjects explored by feminist artists throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. While much of the course will focus on the history of feminist art in Europe and the US, we will also discuss transnational feminist theory and emerging feminist artists in many other parts of the world, including Africa, India, the Middle-East, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course explores major developments in European and American art from the 1900s to the 1980s, including Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, Dad, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop, Minimalism, Post-Minimalism and postmodern art trends. It will examine the key figures and works of Modernist period and the critique of Modernism formulated by its contemporaries and the postmodern discourse. Throughout the semester we will trace the unfolding of different avant-garde practices, both in the early decades of the twentieth century and in the post-World War II period, and analyze them vis-a-vis the politics and historical catastrophes of World War I and World War II, and with regard to ever increasing powers of capitalism and mass culture. Theoretical models used by critics and art historians to study artistic production of the twentieth century will be also addressed. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The development of art and identities in China over the last 400 years has been, literally, revolutionary. This class explores the inherent relationship between material practices and shifting subjectivities, that is the resonance between the physical external world and internal, thinking subject. During this time, ranging from the Manchu rule of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) to the 21st century, we see the dynamic development of modern subjectivities, evolving cultural connoisseurship, ethnic tensions, new definitions of citizenry, and counter-movements led by cynical agitators. Art and design played a critical role in these developments, functioning as a symbolic language through which identities and communities could form. This class draws on themes such as gender, sexuality, militarism, ethnicity, and commodity culture as well as theories of embodiment by scholars such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Paul Crowther to delve into the rich resonance between representation and identity formation. Students will not only learn to look closely at and write critically about a variety of media including paintings, calligraphy, prints, films, posters, performance art, and installations, but will also relate this historical cultural production to contemporaneous artistic, social, and political discourses. In the process, we will complicate notions of “Chinese” art and “Chinese” identity in Asia and on the global stage.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

From the Greek Archaic Period to the Late Antiquity, cities around the Mediterranean were decorated with images portraying the sovereigns in the guises of warriors, gods or religious leaders. Politicians, kings, and emperors were the primary patrons of art and architecture in major political centers such as Athens, Alexandria and Rome. This course will explore the art and architecture of the Greco-Roman world as a venue through which political ideology in its various forms was disseminated across the society. While surveying various forms of public and private art such as portraiture, monumental public art and murals, we will analyze how artistic production was closely manipulated by ruling elites of the Greek city-states, Hellenistic kingdoms and the Roman empire to modify the public view about the ruler and the state.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This hands-on, studio class serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of organizing forms in three dimensions. Over the course of the semester we will work both collectively and independently to solve basic formal and spatial problems encountered in fields such as sculpture, architecture, and industrial design. We will develop a technical working vocabulary (e.g. line, plane, form, space, volume, mass, shape, scale, and proportion), and we will think critically about the formal, spatial, structural, and tactile qualities of the works we create. Slide presentations, short readings, critiques, group discussions, and a gallery/museum visits will supplement our studio research. This class is appropriate for any and all curious students interested in play, thinking with the hands, and occasionally building things in order to find out what it takes to break them.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this advanced course, students will learn how to effectively develop independent projects, through step-by-step strategies for idea development, working with their own individual ideas and interests. Open-ended prompts will introduce a range of approaches to content. Students may work in traditional drawing media or in an expanded approach to drawing that may include installation, sculpture, animation, video or other mixed-media forms.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A continuation of Art 234, expanding both technical and critical/theoretical knowledge through projects which demand the development of each student's individual interests. Required projects will encourage increasing self-direction and development of the students' own artistic vision. Readings will supplement students' art historical critical, theoretical understanding of contemporary or postmodern art practices. Weekly group discussions and critiques. Three two-hour periods per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is a continuation of Art 236, focusing on individually generated projects. There is an introduction of new techniques appropriate for content such as monoprint, collograph, screenprint, photo-printmaking and computer-based processes. Field trips, and arranged meetings. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is for students with a passion for clay! Designed to engage and build on student’s previous ceramic experiences, advancing their knowledge, techniques and concepts of contemporary ceramic art. Course content will be both assignment based and self-directed whether created on the wheel or through handbuilding. Through thoughtful discussion, critical examination and evaluation of concepts and ideas the class encourages students to develop a better understanding of their relationship to the rich tradition of ceramics and ceramic sculpture. Students will develop an understanding of glaze and clay materials while also taking on responsibilities for electric, gas and raku kiln firings. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques and gallery/museum visits will supplement studio work. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolio production and review, along with class participation. May be taken without an introductory class with instructor’s review and approval. Can be taken for credit up to three times. Three two-hour periods per week. $100 materials fee is required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces the cultures and societies of China, Japan and Korea from the earliest times to the present day. Primarily an introductory course for beginners in East Asian civilization, this course considers a variety of significant themes in religious, political, economic, social and cultural developments in the region. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course introduces the art and visual culture of China from the Neolithic era to the twenty-first century. Through this survey, students will engage with a broad array of media, from jade carvings, Buddhist cave painting, calligraphy and monumental landscape paintings to ceramics, modern graphic media, and contemporary installations. Lectures and readings will teach methods of formal visual analysis as well as the historical context of each work. While examining the specific cultural, social, economic, and political functions of Chinese art and objects, we will think critically about different ways in which scholars write the artistic history of China. Fall semester. (4 credits) Course cross-listed with Art 170.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Like Latin and Greek in Europe, Sanskrit is a highly inflected language of scholarship and revered as the perfect medium for discourse on everything from science and sex to philosophy and religion. It flourished in its classical form after the age of the Buddha (5th century BC) and served as a scholarly lingua franca in India until the Islamic period. This course serves as an introduction to the grammar an script of Sanskrit, and we will advance to a point of reading simplified texts from the classical epic Ramayana.Students will be expected to attend class regularly and spend at least ten hours a week outside class studying the grammar and vocabulary. Without this sort of effort, no progress is possible in such a complex language. In addition to the rigorous study of the language, we will consider both the role of the language in classical Indian culture and religion, and some texts from the Ramayana, looking at both English translation and Sanskrit originals. Cross-listed with Classics 202, Linguistics 236 and Religious Studies 236. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course surveys the history of Japanese film from the "golden age" of Japanese cinema to the contemporary transnational genre of anime. While introducing methodologies of film analysis and interpretation, it develops knowledge of how major works of Japanese film and animation have expresed and critiqued issues of modern Japanese society. In doing this, we trace the development of two related archetypes: the middle-class salaryman and the adolescent girl (shojo). These figures - as well as their incarnations as cyberpunks and mecha-warriors, sex workers and teen rebels - help us explore Japanese film's engagement with the strictures of middle-class society, the constrained status of women, fantasy and escapism, sexuality and desire. Weekly screenings and discussion will be supplemented by readings in film theory and cultural criticism. Directors include Ozu Yasujiro, Akira Kurosawa, Oshima Nagisa, Miyazaki Hayao, Anno Hideaki, and Hosoda Mamoru. No prior knowledge of Japanese required. Cross-listed as Japanese 254. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

From Kongfu Panda to the Great Wall, “China” is imagined in a variety of (problematic) ways in transnational cinema. What contribute to the global imagination of China? This course is an overview of China on the silver screen. It examines how Chinese films represent the development and transformation of Chinese identity. Topics under discussion include: how masculine and feminine virtues became emblems of a nation striving for modernity; how films were politically appropriated for socialist construction; how the revolutionary past has been cinematically framed, remembered and critiqued in the post-Mao era; and how China’s deep tradition was consciously or unconsciously re-created and revised as a spectacle to engage the curious gaze of the global market.The course starts from the silent film period and extends to the fifth generation directors, underground filmmaking, and the revival of martial arts genre in the greater China area. Feature films from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong will be screened and discussed. Secondary articles and books are also assigned in conjunction with the films. The course is organized thematically and moves chronologically. No prior knowledge of China or Chinese is required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The development of art and identities in China over the last 400 years has been, literally, revolutionary. This class explores the inherent relationship between material practices and shifting subjectivities, that is the resonance between the physical external world and internal, thinking subject. During this time, ranging from the Manchu rule of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) to the 21st century, we see the dynamic development of modern subjectivities, evolving cultural connoisseurship, ethnic tensions, new definitions of citizenry, and counter-movements led by cynical agitators. Art and design played a critical role in these developments, functioning as a symbolic language through which identities and communities could form. This class draws on themes such as gender, sexuality, militarism, ethnicity, and commodity culture as well as theories of embodiment by scholars such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Paul Crowther to delve into the rich resonance between representation and identity formation. Students will not only learn to look closely at and write critically about a variety of media including paintings, calligraphy, prints, films, posters, performance art, and installations, but will also relate this historical cultural production to contemporaneous artistic, social, and political discourses. In the process, we will complicate notions of “Chinese” art and “Chinese” identity in Asia and on the global stage.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is designed to explore Chinese music—broadly conceived to include the musical sounds of mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the minorities, and diasporic communities—by closely studying selected genres, musicians, and styles in various temporal and geographical localities. Course contents cover the musical procedures and performance practices of such genres as operas, chamber instrumental music, folk singing, pop and jazz, film and theatrical music, modern orchestra, propaganda songs, and ancient court music. Assigned readings address issues of modernization, nationalism, ethnicity/race, socialism, gender, among others, and are complemented by a list of audio examples for critical listening. Students will also develop skills to read three major types of Chinese notations: cipher notation, gongche solfège, and jianzipu tablature. There is no pre-requisite; previous knowledge of musical instrument, notation, or Chinese languages is helpful but not required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Our perception is greatly influenced by the language we use. Without knowing, we limit ourselves to thinking that our current perspective is the only way by which to view ourselves and the world. By analyzing Japanese, students can experience perceptual and cultural systems that are different from their own. At the same time, students may also discover that there are certain qualities that are common even in "exotic" languages such as Japanese. What is the function of the topic marker? Why can't you translate "he is cold" into Japanese word for word? Why are there so many different personal pronouns in Japanese? How do you express your feelings in Japanese? What is the relationship between your identity and gendered speech? This course provides opportunities to discuss these questions that students of Japanese commonly have. Students will also experience examining authentic Japanese data. Japanese Language and Culture majors who are juniors and seniors may count this course as their capstone experience. Cross-listed with Japanese 335 and Linguistics 335. 4 credits.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course's main goal is to introduce evidence of the major crimes and atrocities during World War II in East Asia such as the Nanjing Massacre, biochemical warfare (Unit 731), the military sexual slavery ("comfort women") system, the forced labor system, and inhumane treatment of POWs. The course will also help students understand the contemporary geo-political and socio-economic forces that affect how East Asians and Westerners collectively remember and reconstruct World War II. (4 credits) Cross-listed with History 378

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course deals with unfamiliar, mysterious, beautiful, grotesque, and overlooked animals all around us: the invertebrates. We will explore animal evolution and focus on the biology of creatures such as sponges, jellyfish, insects, and corals. In addition, we will discuss the cultural role of animals as curiosities - as specimens in cabinets and museums, or the subjects of phobias and urban legends. Drawing on topics in marine biology and entomology, students will learn about the ecology, life cycles, and anatomy of major groups of animals through lectures, observation of live animals, and dissections. Two 1-hour lectures and one 1-hour lab per week. Students must complete two fieldtrips outside of class time. This course counts toward the biology minor, but not toward the major.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, is also home to numerous streams and rivers. In this course we will examine the nature of these aquatic ecosystems; exploring their ecology, geology and chemistry. We will also investigate human impacts through such practices as agriculture, urbanization and industrialization, on these important ecosystems. Students will complete projects exploring various aspects of local waterbodies, especially the Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix Rivers. Course cross-listed as Environmental Studies 144.
(4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An intensive exploration of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell structure, chemistry, and function with an emphasis on laboratory methods, data analysis, and experimental design. Using the same tools used to advance our understanding of modern cell biology and genetics, this lab requires students to become familiar with a mixture of biochemical, cytological, and genetic techniques as they develop testable hypothesis related to topics such as enzyme function, inheritance patterns, genome structure and gene expression, and cell-to-cell signaling. 2 credits.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An intensive exploration of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell structure, chemistry, and function with an emphasis on laboratory methods, data analysis, and experimental design. Using the same tools used to advance our understanding of modern cell biology and genetics, this lab requires students to become familiar with a mixture of biochemical, cytological, and genetic techniques as they develop testable hypothesis related to topics such as enzyme function, inheritance patterns, genome structure and gene expression, and cell-to-cell signaling. 2 credits.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An intensive exploration of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell structure, chemistry, and function with an emphasis on laboratory methods, data analysis, and experimental design. Using the same tools used to advance our understanding of modern cell biology and genetics, this lab requires students to become familiar with a mixture of biochemical, cytological, and genetic techniques as they develop testable hypothesis related to topics such as enzyme function, inheritance patterns, genome structure and gene expression, and cell-to-cell signaling. 2 credits.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the principles of genetics, including topics from classical Mendalian concepts to the contemporary molecular biology of the gene. Three lecture hours per week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the principles of genetics, including topics from classical Mendalian concepts to the contemporary molecular biology of the gene. Three lecture hours per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the molecular and cellular processes of living organisms. Special attention is paid to problems faced by living cells in the acquisition of energy, growth and repair, reproduction and communication with other cells. Recent advances in biotechnology are also discussed. Three lecture hours. Prerequisite: CHEM 112 or 115. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

From so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved. So concluded Charles Darwin in The Origin of the Species. His final words are an apt description of this course, which focuses on the diversity of life on Earth and the evolutionary processes that influence this variety. We will track the evolution of life, from the first single-celled organisms to the varied flora and fauna of the modern world. We will draw upon recent findings from fields as diverse as molecular genetics, developmental biology, and paleontology to decipher the long and spectacular history of life on earth.
The laboratory component of this course includes hands-on interaction with data, from our own microbiomes, to the fossil record, to living organisms. The class includes local field trips that highlight ancient and modern biodiversity. Students in this course should be ready to explore the evolution of life on earth, and can expect to participate in class discussions, and work together on a larger project that will include a written report (with revisions) and an oral presentation. This course is residential, is one of four required core courses for students majoring in biology, and is a WA course.
Class meets MWF, 10:50 am - 11:50 am in Olin Rice 270. Lab meets T, 1:20-4:30 pm in Olin Rice 273.
Living arrangements: Single gender rooms, co-ed floor.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the diversity and history of life. This course surveys the major groups of organisms (their morphology, physiology, reproductive cycles) and their evolutionary origins and relationships. Using recent findings from such diverse fields as molecular phylogenetics, developmental biology, and paleontology, this course introduces students to the major branches on the tree of life. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the diversity and history of life. This course surveys the major groups of organisms (their morphology, physiology, reproductive cycles) and their evolutionary origins and relationships. Using recent findings from such diverse fields as molecular phylogenetics, developmental biology, and paleontology, this course introduces students to the major branches on the tree of life. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the diversity and history of life. This course surveys the major groups of organisms (their morphology, physiology, reproductive cycles) and their evolutionary origins and relationships. Using recent findings from such diverse fields as molecular phylogenetics, developmental biology, and paleontology, this course introduces students to the major branches on the tree of life. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the study of ecological theory and processes. The subject of this course is the natural world and the current and past processes that have shaped it. Taking a systems approach, major ecological patterns and processes are described and proposed underlying mechanisms are investigated through readings, field and laboratory studies. The impact of humans on natural systems is also examined. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week. Cross-listed with Environmental Studies 285. (4 semesters)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the study of ecological theory and processes. The subject of this course is the natural world and the current and past processes that have shaped it. Taking a systems approach, major ecological patterns and processes are described and proposed underlying mechanisms are investigated through readings, field and laboratory studies. The impact of humans on natural systems is also examined. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week. Cross-listed with Environmental Studies 285. (4 semesters)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the study of ecological theory and processes. The subject of this course is the natural world and the current and past processes that have shaped it. Taking a systems approach, major ecological patterns and processes are described and proposed underlying mechanisms are investigated through readings, field and laboratory studies. The impact of humans on natural systems is also examined. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week. Cross-listed with Environmental Studies 285. (4 semesters)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

The study of freshwater organisms and their environments. Students are introduced to the ecology of lakes, streams, and ponds, especially those of Minnesota. Through lectures, field trips and laboratory experiments, students will learn to identify aquatic plants and animals and will study their interactions. Additional topics include water chemistry and environmental pollution of freshwater systems. Three lecture hours and one four-hour laboratory per week. Cross-listed with Environmental Studies 344. Fall semester. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

The study of freshwater organisms and their environments. Students are introduced to the ecology of lakes, streams, and ponds, especially those of Minnesota. Through lectures, field trips and laboratory experiments, students will learn to identify aquatic plants and animals and will study their interactions. Additional topics include water chemistry and environmental pollution of freshwater systems. Three lecture hours and one four-hour laboratory per week. Cross-listed with Environmental Studies 344. Fall semester. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of the evolution, ecology, geography, and taxonomy of vascular plants. Students learn the principles of plant classification and, through first hand experience the techniques of plant identification, collection, and preservation. Through field trips, students will become familiar with many of the local trees, wildflowers, and ferns. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of the evolution, ecology, geography, and taxonomy of vascular plants. Students learn the principles of plant classification and, through first hand experience the techniques of plant identification, collection, and preservation. Through field trips, students will become familiar with many of the local trees, wildflowers, and ferns. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, elements of physical biochemistry, the structure of proteins, the mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and selected topics in intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to vertebrate immunity. Its evolution, cellular and molecular mechanisms, health and disease functions and therapeutic manipulations are explored through approaches including lectures, clinical case studies, extensive reading of the primary literature, problem-solving and an intensive focus on scientific writing. The course typically includes a civic engagement component where students work with health organizations and schools in the Twin Cities area. The course laboratory uses guided exercises and independent projects to focus on current immunological techniques including flow cytometry, magnetic cell sorting and antibody assays. Three hours of lectures and four to six hours of laboratory per week. Junior or senior standing required. (4 credits).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to vertebrate immunity. Its evolution, cellular and molecular mechanisms, health and disease functions and therapeutic manipulations are explored through approaches including lectures, clinical case studies, extensive reading of the primary literature, problem-solving and an intensive focus on scientific writing. The course typically includes a civic engagement component where students work with health organizations and schools in the Twin Cities area. The course laboratory uses guided exercises and independent projects to focus on current immunological techniques including flow cytometry, magnetic cell sorting and antibody assays. Three hours of lectures and four to six hours of laboratory per week. Junior or senior standing required. (4 credits).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to the subdisciplines of microbiology: virology, bacteriology, immunology, parasitology and mycology. Emphasis is given to our efforts to understand and control microbial growth processes. Additional focus will be on the effect of microbes on humans, especially as relates to disease processes. The laboratory emphasizes determinative microbiology. Three hours of lecture/discussion and four to five hours of laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to the subdisciplines of microbiology: virology, bacteriology, immunology, parasitology and mycology. Emphasis is given to our efforts to understand and control microbial growth processes. Additional focus will be on the effect of microbes on humans, especially as relates to disease processes. The laboratory emphasizes determinative microbiology. Three hours of lecture/discussion and four to five hours of laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

The structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system, with a focus on the human nervous system, will be explored through analysis of human brain specimens and sections, and artistic photographic and computer graphic representations of nervous system structures at both the microscopic and systems levels. This course is designed to provide an understanding of both the peripheral and central nervous system with a focus on brain, brainstem, and spinal cord structure and function through observation and study of normal brain tissue and discussion of clinical cases. This course is intended for student with a strong interest in neuroscience. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

The structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system, with a focus on the human nervous system, will be explored through analysis of human brain specimens and sections, and artistic photographic and computer graphic representations of nervous system structures at both the microscopic and systems levels. This course is designed to provide an understanding of both the peripheral and central nervous system with a focus on brain, brainstem, and spinal cord structure and function through observation and study of normal brain tissue and discussion of clinical cases. This course is intended for student with a strong interest in neuroscience. Three hours lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the science of invertebrate zoology. The vast majority of animals are invertebrates, including beautiful and charismatic organisms such as corals and butterflies, and also pests and parasites such as mosquitoes and tapeworms. Students will become familiar with all major and some minor phyla of marine, terrestrial, and freshwater animals. Through lectures, discussions, field trips, dissections, and laboratory observations of live organisms students will learn to identify invertebrates and understand their anatomy, life cycles, and evolutionary history. Students will complete independent projects involving field collection and identification of either insects or shells (mollusks). Three hours of lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the science of invertebrate zoology. The vast majority of animals are invertebrates, including beautiful and charismatic organisms such as corals and butterflies, and also pests and parasites such as mosquitoes and tapeworms. Students will become familiar with all major and some minor phyla of marine, terrestrial, and freshwater animals. Through lectures, discussions, field trips, dissections, and laboratory observations of live organisms students will learn to identify invertebrates and understand their anatomy, life cycles, and evolutionary history. Students will complete independent projects involving field collection and identification of either insects or shells (mollusks). Three hours of lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to human physiology. The course focuses on the major physiological systems of the human body (e.g., circulatory, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital and the nervous system). A special emphasis is placed on homeostatic mechanisms and the role of the endocrine and nervous system in this process. Lecture/discussion will span the basic structure and function of these systems as well as the underlying cellular mechanisms. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to human physiology. The course focuses on the major physiological systems of the human body (e.g., circulatory, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital and the nervous system). A special emphasis is placed on homeostatic mechanisms and the role of the endocrine and nervous system in this process. Lecture/discussion will span the basic structure and function of these systems as well as the underlying cellular mechanisms. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to human physiology. The course focuses on the major physiological systems of the human body (e.g., circulatory, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital and the nervous system). A special emphasis is placed on homeostatic mechanisms and the role of the endocrine and nervous system in this process. Lecture/discussion will span the basic structure and function of these systems as well as the underlying cellular mechanisms. Three hours of lecture and one three-hour lab each week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers a rigorous, foundational treatment of atoms and molecules. We study the nature of chemical bonding and how bonding gives rise to the three-dimensional structure of matter. We explore how the macroscopic properties of substances can be interpreted in terms of atomic and molecular structure. We also learn mathematical and conceptual tools for quantifying chemical equilibrium, with an emphasis on the reactions of acids and bases. Laboratory work reinforces concepts in lecture, and also provides a review of fundamental topics, such as stoichiometry, gas laws, and solution-phase reactions, that are essential for future course work in chemistry. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course combines topics from both Chemistry 111 and 112 and is meant to be an accelerated one-semester version of General Chemistry. The course begins with a rigorous treatment of atomic and molecular structure, and explores various modern models of chemical bonding. These ideas are applied to a thorough discussion of chemical thermodynamics and kinetics. Conceptual and mathematical methods for quantifying chemical equilibrium are also explored, with particular emphasis on the chemistry of acids and bases. Some knowledge of calculus is recommended. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course combines topics from both Chemistry 111 and 112 and is meant to be an accelerated one-semester version of General Chemistry. The course begins with a rigorous treatment of atomic and molecular structure, and explores various modern models of chemical bonding. These ideas are applied to a thorough discussion of chemical thermodynamics and kinetics. Conceptual and mathematical methods for quantifying chemical equilibrium are also explored, with particular emphasis on the chemistry of acids and bases. Some knowledge of calculus is recommended. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Lab fee of $12 required. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course develops a broad understanding of the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry. Molecular orbital theory and valence bond resonance theory are invoked to describe and explain the ramification of covalent bonding in organic molecules, as well as to rationalize fundamental noncovalent associations. Thermodynamic considerations of 3-dimensional molecular shape are discussed. Contemporary instrumental techniques for the assignment of molecular structure are a key focus. Modern mechanistic theory of organic chemical reactions is developed in the context of acid-base, nucleophilic substitution, elimination, and electrophilic addition reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. (4 credits) Prerequisites: CHEM 112 with a C- or better OR CHEM 115 with a C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course develops a broad understanding of the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry. Molecular orbital theory and valence bond resonance theory are invoked to describe and explain the ramification of covalent bonding in organic molecules, as well as to rationalize fundamental noncovalent associations. Thermodynamic considerations of 3-dimensional molecular shape are discussed. Contemporary instrumental techniques for the assignment of molecular structure are a key focus. Modern mechanistic theory of organic chemical reactions is developed in the context of acid-base, nucleophilic substitution, elimination, and electrophilic addition reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. (4 credits) Prerequisites: CHEM 112 with a C- or better OR CHEM 115 with a C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course develops a broad understanding of the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry. Molecular orbital theory and valence bond resonance theory are invoked to describe and explain the ramification of covalent bonding in organic molecules, as well as to rationalize fundamental noncovalent associations. Thermodynamic considerations of 3-dimensional molecular shape are discussed. Contemporary instrumental techniques for the assignment of molecular structure are a key focus. Modern mechanistic theory of organic chemical reactions is developed in the context of acid-base, nucleophilic substitution, elimination, and electrophilic addition reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. (4 credits) Prerequisites: CHEM 112 with a C- or better OR CHEM 115 with a C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course develops a broad understanding of the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry. Molecular orbital theory and valence bond resonance theory are invoked to describe and explain the ramification of covalent bonding in organic molecules, as well as to rationalize fundamental noncovalent associations. Thermodynamic considerations of 3-dimensional molecular shape are discussed. Contemporary instrumental techniques for the assignment of molecular structure are a key focus. Modern mechanistic theory of organic chemical reactions is developed in the context of acid-base, nucleophilic substitution, elimination, and electrophilic addition reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. (4 credits) Prerequisites: CHEM 112 with a C- or better OR CHEM 115 with a C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course develops a broad understanding of the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry. Molecular orbital theory and valence bond resonance theory are invoked to describe and explain the ramification of covalent bonding in organic molecules, as well as to rationalize fundamental noncovalent associations. Thermodynamic considerations of 3-dimensional molecular shape are discussed. Contemporary instrumental techniques for the assignment of molecular structure are a key focus. Modern mechanistic theory of organic chemical reactions is developed in the context of acid-base, nucleophilic substitution, elimination, and electrophilic addition reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. (4 credits) Prerequisites: CHEM 112 with a C- or better OR CHEM 115 with a C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course develops a broad understanding of the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry. Molecular orbital theory and valence bond resonance theory are invoked to describe and explain the ramification of covalent bonding in organic molecules, as well as to rationalize fundamental noncovalent associations. Thermodynamic considerations of 3-dimensional molecular shape are discussed. Contemporary instrumental techniques for the assignment of molecular structure are a key focus. Modern mechanistic theory of organic chemical reactions is developed in the context of acid-base, nucleophilic substitution, elimination, and electrophilic addition reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. (4 credits) Prerequisites: CHEM 112 with a C- or better OR CHEM 115 with a C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course develops a broad understanding of the theoretical concepts of organic chemistry. Molecular orbital theory and valence bond resonance theory are invoked to describe and explain the ramification of covalent bonding in organic molecules, as well as to rationalize fundamental noncovalent associations. Thermodynamic considerations of 3-dimensional molecular shape are discussed. Contemporary instrumental techniques for the assignment of molecular structure are a key focus. Modern mechanistic theory of organic chemical reactions is developed in the context of acid-base, nucleophilic substitution, elimination, and electrophilic addition reactions. Three lectures, four hours laboratory per week. (4 credits) Prerequisites: CHEM 112 with a C- or better OR CHEM 115 with a C- or better.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Presentations on current topics in the molecular sciences by campus visitors, as well as by Macalester students and faculty. Students may be expected to prepare for the presentations by reading, and in some cases, discussing the work of a speaker in advance of his/her seminar presentation. Chemistry majors will make two oral presentations over four semesters. All students will submit a written synopsis for three seminar presentations each semester. One hour per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course covers topics in macroscopic physical chemistry dealing with the bulk properties of matter and energy. These topics include the properties of gases, the First and Second Laws of thermodynamics and their application to physical and chemical systems, phase and chemical equilibria, rates of reactions and chemical kinetics, and x-ray diffractometry. Three lectures and three hours laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course covers topics in macroscopic physical chemistry dealing with the bulk properties of matter and energy. These topics include the properties of gases, the First and Second Laws of thermodynamics and their application to physical and chemical systems, phase and chemical equilibria, rates of reactions and chemical kinetics, and x-ray diffractometry. Three lectures and three hours laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course covers topics in macroscopic physical chemistry dealing with the bulk properties of matter and energy. These topics include the properties of gases, the First and Second Laws of thermodynamics and their application to physical and chemical systems, phase and chemical equilibria, rates of reactions and chemical kinetics, and x-ray diffractometry. Three lectures and three hours laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course covers topics in macroscopic physical chemistry dealing with the bulk properties of matter and energy. These topics include the properties of gases, the First and Second Laws of thermodynamics and their application to physical and chemical systems, phase and chemical equilibria, rates of reactions and chemical kinetics, and x-ray diffractometry. Three lectures and three hours laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, physical biochemistry, structure of proteins, mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and introduction to intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, physical biochemistry, structure of proteins, mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and introduction to intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A study of biological processes at the molecular level with an emphasis on the chemistry of biological molecules, physical biochemistry, structure of proteins, mechanisms and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions, and introduction to intermediary metabolism, including the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Three lecture hours and one three-hour laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Selected topics in organic chemistry, including stereochemistry, reaction mechanisms, modern methods of organic synthesis and spectral methods of identifying organic compounds. Laboratory emphasis on spectral, chromatographic and synthetic methods. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course examines how modern theories of chemical bonding are applied to an understanding of the chemistry of the elements of the periodic table. Students explore chemical structures, reactions and spectra on the basis of molecular symmetry and group theory. Topics covered include chemical periodicity, coordination compounds, and organometallic complexes. Three lectures and three hours of laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course examines how modern theories of chemical bonding are applied to an understanding of the chemistry of the elements of the periodic table. Students explore chemical structures, reactions and spectra on the basis of molecular symmetry and group theory. Topics covered include chemical periodicity, coordination compounds, and organometallic complexes. Three lectures and three hours of laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course examines how modern theories of chemical bonding are applied to an understanding of the chemistry of the elements of the periodic table. Students explore chemical structures, reactions and spectra on the basis of molecular symmetry and group theory. Topics covered include chemical periodicity, coordination compounds, and organometallic complexes. Three lectures and three hours of laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to Chinese language and culture. It offers instruction and practice in basic sentence patterns and conversational expressions to enable students to speak and write in Chinese. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to Chinese language and culture. It offers instruction and practice in basic sentence patterns and conversational expressions to enable students to speak and write in Chinese. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to Chinese language and culture. It offers instruction and practice in basic sentence patterns and conversational expressions to enable students to speak and write in Chinese. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to Chinese language and culture. It offers instruction and practice in basic sentence patterns and conversational expressions to enable students to speak and write in Chinese. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to Chinese language and culture. It offers instruction and practice in basic sentence patterns and conversational expressions to enable students to speak and write in Chinese. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Confucius said, “If I point out one corner of a square and the student can't come back with the other three, I won't show him again." Hillel opined, “The shy one cannot learn, and the impatient one cannot teach.” Cultures ancient and modern have reflected on the responsibilities of teachers and students, and grappled with what constitutes an effective teacher or a successful student. What are the virtues—and perils—of discipleship? Of charisma? Should a teacher be gentle or forceful? Strict or lenient? Are teachers creators or conduits of tradition? This seminar will explore these questions in a range of contexts, Chinese and Western, historical and modern. Genres studied will include literature and film, as well as philosophical and religious texts.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of characters and begin to work with short texts. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of characters and begin to work with short texts. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of characters and begin to work with short texts. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of characters and begin to work with short texts. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of characters and begin to work with short texts. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

From Kongfu Panda to the Great Wall, “China” is imagined in a variety of (problematic) ways in transnational cinema. What contribute to the global imagination of China? This course is an overview of China on the silver screen. It examines how Chinese films represent the development and transformation of Chinese identity. Topics under discussion include: how masculine and feminine virtues became emblems of a nation striving for modernity; how films were politically appropriated for socialist construction; how the revolutionary past has been cinematically framed, remembered and critiqued in the post-Mao era; and how China’s deep tradition was consciously or unconsciously re-created and revised as a spectacle to engage the curious gaze of the global market.The course starts from the silent film period and extends to the fifth generation directors, underground filmmaking, and the revival of martial arts genre in the greater China area. Feature films from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong will be screened and discussed. Secondary articles and books are also assigned in conjunction with the films. The course is organized thematically and moves chronologically. No prior knowledge of China or Chinese is required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Continuation of CHIN 204. While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of characters and expand work with texts. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Continuation of CHIN 204. While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of characters and expand work with texts. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Continuation of CHIN 204. While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of characters and expand work with texts. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is designed for students who have achieved general proficiency in all aspects of Chinese language learning, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. They are considered beyond the levels of proficiency of their 3rd year counterparts and are ready to delve deeper into more sophisticated textual readings, including short works of fiction, periodical readings and more frequent use of primary reference materials. Students will work to improve their listening skills while working with TV, movie, and news scripts and give greater attention to developing a more sophisticated writing style in Chinese. This course is conducted completely in Chinese. May be repeated for credit. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This two-term sequence introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Students learn through reading adapted passages, by breaking down grammatical structures into recognizable patterns, and through tutorials and drills. We aim to cover all basic grammar by the end of the year. In the second semester, students begin to read easy Latin such as the Bible, Pliny, Cornelius Nepos and/or Caesar. (4 credits each semester)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-term sequence introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Latin, the language of the ancient Romans. Students learn through reading adapted passages, by breaking down grammatical structures into recognizable patterns, and through tutorials and drills. We aim to cover all basic grammar by the end of the year. In the second semester, students begin to read easy Latin such as the Bible, Pliny, Cornelius Nepos and/or Caesar. (4 credits each semester)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. (4 credits each semester)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. (4 credits each semester)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this two semester program, students learn to read, write and converse in Modern Standard Arabic, the form of Classical Arabic used in contemporary news media, documents, literature, education and religious practice in the many countries of the Arab world. The purpose of this course is to develop beginning students' proficiency and communication in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs. (4 credits each semester)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This two-semester program introduces students to ancient Greek, the language of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hellenistic world, including several Jewish and early Christian writers. Students will learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary for reading Greek literature and documents of many periods. During the second term, students begin to read extended prose, such as passages from Plato, Xenophon, the New Testament or documentary sources. Students will also participate in tutorials and/or practice labs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the Roman world, which at its height stretched from Britain to Iran, from Germany to Africa, and lasted well over a thousand years. Students will develop critical thinking skills while working with Roman literature in translation, art, architecture and other archaeological remains. The structure of the course is chronological, but we will examine major themes across time and space, which may include the development of Roman literature out of and in response to Greek culture; the effects of the civil wars and the resulting political change from a republic to a monarchy; the cultural, religious and/or military aspects of the Roman empire and its immediate aftermath; Roman conceptions of gender, sexuality, slave and free status, citizenship and/or ethnicity, and how these social categories were used to legitimize or exercise power. (4 credits) Cross-listed with History 122.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course examines the interaction, commerce, and conflict between the Islamic Caliphate and Christian Byzantium from the origins of Islam in the seventh century to 1453 and the collapse of the Byzantine Empire. These two empires were bound together by shared space, common interests, and episodic distrust. They were Frenemies. The sources for this study are Byzantine and Islamic histories from the period, together with critical analysis of those sources. In addition and importantly the literature and art these two empires produced provide vital and illuminating sight into these bodies, including their view of one another. Counts for the Middle Eastern and Islamic Civilization concentration and as a context course for the Classics major or minor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Like Latin and Greek in Europe, Sanskrit is a highly inflected language of scholarship and revered as the perfect medium for discourse on everything from science and sex to philosophy and religion. It flourished in its classical form after the age of the Buddha (5th century BC) and served as a scholarly lingua franca in India until the Islamic period. This course serves as an introduction to the grammar an script of Sanskrit, and we will advance to a point of reading simplified texts from the classical epic Ramayana.Students will be expected to attend class regularly and spend at least ten hours a week outside class studying the grammar and vocabulary. Without this sort of effort, no progress is possible in such a complex language. In addition to the rigorous study of the language, we will consider both the role of the language in classical Indian culture and religion, and some texts from the Ramayana, looking at both English translation and Sanskrit originals. Cross-listed with Asian Studies 236, Linguistics 236 and Religious Studies 236. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

A thorough review of Latin grammar followed by a study of a Roman prose author or authors. Students build reading skills while gaining an appreciation for the literary and cultural aspects of Latin prose. Particular texts to be studied may include Petronius' Satyricon, the letters and/or speeches of Cicero, letters of Pliny, or Livy's History of Rome. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Hebrew prose selections from the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls and Rabbinic parables. Translation of texts will be supplemented with grammar review. Students will gain facility with such tools as the lexicon, commentary and critical apparatus and will become familiar with critical trends in contemporary research. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course focuses on expanding vocabulary and grammar through simple texts, dialogs and stories.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course focuses on expanding vocabulary and grammar through simple texts, dialogs and stories.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course focuses on expanding vocabulary and grammar through simple texts, dialogs and stories.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course surveys the visual and material culture of Europe and the Middle East from the Paleolithic through the late Medieval period. We consider the material remains of Prehistoric Europe, the Ancient Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, Greece, Etruria, and Rome; early Christianity, Judaism and Islam; and Early Medieval, Romanesque and Gothic Europe from a contextual perspective, in order to recover the meanings of works of art within the cultures that produced them. A special focus is placed on the appropriation of these objects and images in later Western culture. Cross-listed with Art 160. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Throughout the Middle Ages, as Christianity and Islam dominated parts of the Iberian peninsula, from the 8th to the 15th century, convivencia and conflict existed side by side. Where did people practice tolerance, and how and why? Where did they fight and why? How did the Jewish population fit in on either side? What life look like on the ground, in the narrow city streets, the gardens, the villages of al-Andalus and the Christian kingdoms? How did Iberia relate to the wider worlds of North Africa, France, and the Mediterranean? We'll use poetry, charters, and chronicles to explore how complex identities, cooperation, and, also, violence created porous borders along shifting frontiers.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

"Trauma and Drama will focus upon the lasting psychological injuries depicted and explored in ancient Greek tragedy and epic poetry. Greek drama and epic poetry raise timeless and crucial questions about the effects of martial aggression and the toll that it takes upon both the victims of warfare and the combatants that suffer and inflict violence. We will pursue targeted readings of Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes, as well as explore the growing body of scholarship around how these authors respond to the aftermath and consequences of war. We will also seek systematically to draw connections between modern-day understandings of combat trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and injuries endured by familiar figures in the Greek mythic tradition (such as Achilles, Ajax, Medea, Odysseus, and Hecuba). The primary goal of these efforts will be to open new avenues of understanding between the distant past of ancient Greece and the present, as well as to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by victims of war, systematic violence and institutional betrayal. Additionally, this course introduces first-year students to academic work and writing at the college level, and will seek to deepen students' familiarity with Macalester, its resources and its many opportunities. Class meets TR, 9:40 am - 11:10 am in Old Main 003 Writing designation: WA anticipated

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

A survey course of Renaissance and classic writers from around the Arab world. We explore social issues, witht the focus still on language acquisition.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Senior Seminar caps the experience of being a Classics major. Students in all three tracks (Archaeology, Civilization, and Languages) join together to explore the history of the discipline and its relationship to their own histories and future plans. Students learn about, draft and critique documents useful for their next steps, including resumes, personal statements and cover letters, along with discussing selected readings in a seminar setting. Each student also works with an advisor from the department to develop and execute a major piece of work in their chosen field, Majors who have completed the Senior Seminar have thus executed a substantive independent project and can articulate the place of their Classics major within their personal and professional development. For Classics majors only. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Data science provides a powerful approach to understanding complexity in our social lives, the natural world, and our digital universes. This course will empower students to act on broad societal questions by 1) translating them to specific data-driven questions, 2) wrangling, analyzing, and visualizing data, and 3) communicating key findings to stakeholders. Our hands-on work will focus on the course's community partner, MetroTransit, who oversees public transportation for the Twin Cities metro area. As a class, we will identify critical questions facing MetroTransit by engaging organizational leaders in discussion and performing our own background research. We will find and wrangle datasets related to our questions, conduct analyses, and create maps and other visualizations. We will present our findings to organizational leaders at MetroTransit. Along the way, students will develop proficiency in R, learn to communicate data insights, and gain experience in a variety of modern data science techniques. This course is designed for students from any background. In particular, it will support students with *no* prior experience with data science, statistics, or programming. This course is residential (students will live together in the same dorm), it is not a writing intensive course, and it will fulfill the QT2 general education requirement. Class meets TR, 9:40 am - 11:10 am in Neill Hall 400
Writing designation: None
Living arrangements: Single gender rooms, co-ed floor.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to the handling, analysis, and interpretation of the big datasets now routinely being collected in science, commerce, and government. Students achieve facility with a sophisticated, technical computing environment. The course aligns with techniques being used in several courses in the natural and social sciences, statistics, and mathematics. The course is intended to be accessible to all students, regardless of background. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the field of computer science, including central concepts such as the design and implementation of algorithms and programs, testing and analyzing programs, the representation of information within the computer, and the role of abstraction and metaphor in computer science. The exploration of these central ideas will draw examples from a range of application areas including multimedia processing, robotics, turtle graphics, and text processing. Course work will use the Python programming language. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the field of computer science, including central concepts such as the design and implementation of algorithms and programs, testing and analyzing programs, the representation of information within the computer, and the role of abstraction and metaphor in computer science. The exploration of these central ideas will draw examples from a range of application areas including multimedia processing, robotics, turtle graphics, and text processing. Course work will use the Python programming language. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the field of computer science, including central concepts such as the design and implementation of algorithms and programs, testing and analyzing programs, the representation of information within the computer, and the role of abstraction and metaphor in computer science. The exploration of these central ideas will draw examples from a range of application areas including multimedia processing, robotics, turtle graphics, and text processing. Course work will use the Python programming language. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the field of computer science, including central concepts such as the design and implementation of algorithms and programs, testing and analyzing programs, the representation of information within the computer, and the role of abstraction and metaphor in computer science. The exploration of these central ideas will draw examples from a range of application areas including multimedia processing, robotics, turtle graphics, and text processing. Course work will use the Python programming language. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the field of computer science, including central concepts such as the design and implementation of algorithms and programs, testing and analyzing programs, the representation of information within the computer, and the role of abstraction and metaphor in computer science. The exploration of these central ideas will draw examples from a range of application areas including multimedia processing, robotics, turtle graphics, and text processing. Course work will use the Python programming language. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course introduces the principles of software design and development using the object-oriented paradigm (OOP) and the Java programming language. Students will learn to use data structures such as lists, trees and hash tables and they will compare the efficiency of these data structures for a particular application. Students will learn to decompose a project using OOP principles. They will work with integrated development environments (IDEs) and version control systems. Students will practice their skills by creating applications in areas such as graphics, games, simulations, and natural language processing. There is a required 1.5 hour laboratory section associated with this course. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An in-depth introduction to the design and analysis of algorithms. Topics may include algorithmic paradigms and structures, including recursion, divide and conquer, dynamic programming, greedy methods, branch and bound, randomized, probabilistic, and parallel algorithms, non-determinism and NP completeness. Applications to searching and sorting, graphs and optimization, geometric algorithms, and transforms. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course builds upon the software design foundation started in Computer Science 124. Students will design and implement medium-sized software projects using modern software design principles such as design patterns, refactoring, fault tolerance, stream-based programming, and exception handling. The concept of a distributed computing system will be introduced, and students will develop multithreaded and networked applications using currently available software libraries. Advanced graphical user interface methods will be studied with an emphasis on appropriate human-computer interaction techniques. Students will use operating systems services and be introduced to methods of evaluating the performance of their software. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course builds upon the software design foundation started in Computer Science 124. Students will design and implement medium-sized software projects using modern software design principles such as design patterns, refactoring, fault tolerance, stream-based programming, and exception handling. The concept of a distributed computing system will be introduced, and students will develop multithreaded and networked applications using currently available software libraries. Advanced graphical user interface methods will be studied with an emphasis on appropriate human-computer interaction techniques. Students will use operating systems services and be introduced to methods of evaluating the performance of their software. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course familiarizes the student with the internal design and organization of computers. Topics include number systems, internal data representations, logic design, microarchitectures, the functional units of a computer system, memory, processor, and input/output structures, instruction sets and assembly language, addressing techniques, system software, and non-traditional computer architectures. Offered odd-numbered spring semestes. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course familiarizes the student with the internal design and organization of computers. Topics include number systems, internal data representations, logic design, microarchitectures, the functional units of a computer system, memory, processor, and input/output structures, instruction sets and assembly language, addressing techniques, system software, and non-traditional computer architectures. Offered odd-numbered spring semestes. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A discussion of the basic theoretical foundations of computation as embodied in formal models and descriptions. The course will cover finite state automata, regular expressions, formal languages, Turing machines, computability and unsolvability, and the theory of computational complexity. Introduction to alternate models of computation and recursive function theory. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A discussion of the basic theoretical foundations of computation as embodied in formal models and descriptions. The course will cover finite state automata, regular expressions, formal languages, Turing machines, computability and unsolvability, and the theory of computational complexity. Introduction to alternate models of computation and recursive function theory. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course will introduce students to the design, implementation, and analysis of databases stored in database management systems (DBMS). Topics include implementation-neutral data modeling, database design, database implementation, and data analysis using relational algebra and SQL. Students will generate data models based on real-world problems, and implement a database in a state-of-the-art DBMS. Students will master complex data analysis by learning to first design database queries and then implement them in a database query language such as SQL. Advanced topics include objects in databases, indexing for improved performance, distributed databases, and data warehouses. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A survey of fundamental ideas and methods used in the design and construction of digital electronic circuits such as computers. Emphasis will be on applying the theoretical aspects of digital design to the actual construction of circuits in the laboratory. Topics to be covered include basic circuit theory, transistor physics, logic families (TTL, CMOS), Boolean logic principles, combinatorial design techniques, sequential logic techniques, memory circuits and timing, and applications to microprocessor and computer design. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A survey of fundamental ideas and methods used in the design and construction of digital electronic circuits such as computers. Emphasis will be on applying the theoretical aspects of digital design to the actual construction of circuits in the laboratory. Topics to be covered include basic circuit theory, transistor physics, logic families (TTL, CMOS), Boolean logic principles, combinatorial design techniques, sequential logic techniques, memory circuits and timing, and applications to microprocessor and computer design. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

A survey of fundamental ideas and methods used in the design and construction of digital electronic circuits such as computers. Emphasis will be on applying the theoretical aspects of digital design to the actual construction of circuits in the laboratory. Topics to be covered include basic circuit theory, transistor physics, logic families (TTL, CMOS), Boolean logic principles, combinatorial design techniques, sequential logic techniques, memory circuits and timing, and applications to microprocessor and computer design. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Many current computational challenges, such as Internet search, protein folding, and data mining require the use of multiple processes running in parallel, whether on a single multiprocessor machine (parallel processing) or on multiple machines connected together on a network (distributed processing). The type of processing required to solve such problems in adequate amounts of time involves dividing the program and/or problem space into parts that can run simultaneously on many processors. In this course we will explore the various computer architectures used for this purpose and the issues involved with programming parallel solutions in such environments. Students will examine several types of problems that can benefit from parallel or distributed solutions and develop their own solutions for them. Offered odd-numbered fall semesters. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

An introduction to the basic principles and techniques of artificial intelligence. Topics will include specific AI techniques, a range of application areas, and connections between AI and other areas of study (i.e., philosophy, psychology). Techniques may include heuristic search, automated reasoning, machine learning, deliberative planning and behavior-based agent control. Application areas include robotics, games, knowledge representation, logic, perception, and natural language processing. Offered even-numbered fall semesters. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

In this course, we will study techniques and algorithms for visualization design and analysis. We will cover topics such as visualization of multivariate, temporal, text-based, spatial, hierarchical, and network/graph-based data to clearly and effectively convey information graphically. Our discussions will revolve around principles of graphic design, perceptual psychology, and cognitive science. Students will have the opportunity to complete several programming assignments and data analysis tasks. Prerequisite: Comp 124

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Accounting is the language of business. One of the objectives of this course is to learn that "language." The emphasis will be on understanding financial statements both for profit and non-profit organizations. International accounting, ethics and investment decisions are also covered. This course is designed for students who desire an understanding of the elements of accounting as a component of a liberal arts education as well as for those who would like to study further in accounting or business. Counts for Group B elective. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Accounting is the language of business. One of the objectives of this course is to learn that "language." The emphasis will be on understanding financial statements both for profit and non-profit organizations. International accounting, ethics and investment decisions are also covered. This course is designed for students who desire an understanding of the elements of accounting as a component of a liberal arts education as well as for those who would like to study further in accounting or business. Counts for Group B elective. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A one-semester introduction to the basic tools of micro- and macroeconomic analysis. Microeconomics deals with consumers, firms, markets and income distribution. Macroeconomics deals with national income, employment, inflation and money. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

A one-semester introduction to the basic tools of micro- and macroeconomic analysis. Microeconomics deals with consumers, firms, markets and income distribution. Macroeconomics deals with national income, employment, inflation and money. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

A one-semester introduction to the basic tools of micro- and macroeconomic analysis. Microeconomics deals with consumers, firms, markets and income distribution. Macroeconomics deals with national income, employment, inflation and money. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

A one-semester introduction to the basic tools of micro- and macroeconomic analysis. Microeconomics deals with consumers, firms, markets and income distribution. Macroeconomics deals with national income, employment, inflation and money. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to micro- and macroeconomics. It develops tools to analyze contemporary economic policy issues. Policy topics include globalization, the environment, poverty and inequality, and economic development. Students that take this course satisfy a prerequisite for higher-level economics courses, add a valuable component to interdisciplinary majors, and develop skills necessary to understand the fundamentals of economic policy. Final grades are based on three exams, homework assignments, and a project that involves a formal research proposal and an annotated bibliography. The course requires substantial amounts of mathematical problem solving, data analysis, and quantitative reasoning. It does not fulfill a writing requirement; students that take this course must register for another course in their first semester that fulfills the college’s writing requirement.
Class meets TR, 9:40 am - 11:10 am in Carnegie 305
Writing designation: None
Living arrangements: Single gender rooms, co-ed floor.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to micro- and macroeconomics. Students will be introduced to the fundamental models used in economic analysis and discuss applications to real-world economic issues. This course is a prerequisite for higher-level economics courses but also serves as a comprehensive treatment of economics for non-majors. Final grades are based on three exams, several homework assignments and a handful of small writing assignments requiring students to synthesize and critique arguments in popular media using the themes discussed in class. The course completely satisfies the quantitative thinking requirement, with a Q3 designation. It does not fulfill a writing requirement; students that take this course must register for another course in their first semester that fulfills the college's writing requirement.
Class meets TR, 1:20 pm - 2:50 pm in Neill Hall 401
Writing designation: None
Living arrangements: Single gender rooms, co-ed floor.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course explores the theoretical foundations and empirical realities of international trade flows, commercial policies (tariffs, quotas, etc.) and international finance. The course emphasizes the welfare implications of international trade and commercial policies and links these to discussion of disputes over international trade agreements. The international finance portion of the course covers the foreign exchange market, balance of payments analysis and an introduction to open economy macroeconomics. Recommended for students majoring in international studies. This course counts as a Group A elective and serves as a prerequisite for ECON 361. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course explores the theoretical foundations and empirical realities of international trade flows, commercial policies (tariffs, quotas, etc.) and international finance. The course emphasizes the welfare implications of international trade and commercial policies and links these to discussion of disputes over international trade agreements. The international finance portion of the course covers the foreign exchange market, balance of payments analysis and an introduction to open economy macroeconomics. Recommended for students majoring in international studies. This course counts as a Group A elective and serves as a prerequisite for ECON 361. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course presents a broad overview of world economic history. It uses concepts and models developed in Principles of Economics to explore how the interplay between geography, institutions, and technology has influenced material living standards from the Stone Age to the present. In particular, we will study the causes and consequences of long-term structural forces such as the agriculture, industrial and informational revolutions, the Malthusian trap and demographic transition, slavery, globalization, and the rise of government. We will also explore more cyclical phenomena such as wars, financial crises, economic depressions and hyper-inflations. Students will learn how economic historians use evidence to make sense of the past and the role economic history plays in guiding current policy debates. This course counts as a Group A elective and serves as a prerequisite for ECON 361. Offered once per year. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will provide a one semester overview of investment banks. The role of equity capital markets, debt capital markets, research, sales and trading, and investment banking will be covered. Basic corporate finance techniques will be introduced. Current financial issues in the business world will be reviewed. Classroom work, case studies, and outside speakers will be utilized. The key objectives of this course are for students to obtain a solid understanding of the various disciplines within the investment banking field and to prepare themselves for interviews and internships. The course is well suited for students who are contemplating a career in investment banking, banking, or corporate finance. This course counts as a Group B elective and does not serve as a prerequisite for ECON 361. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Planning is the key to business success. How do firms plan for the future? Setting objectives and budgets. Evaluating and rewarding employee performance. Controlling inventory, cash budgeting, and capital budgeting. Extensive use of case studies and group work. This course counts as a Group B elective. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Methodology of economic science; theory of consumer behavior; theory of the firm; market structure and price determination; factor markets and income distribution; general equilibrium analysis; market failure. Not open to first-year students except by permission of the instructor. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Methodology of economic science; theory of consumer behavior; theory of the firm; market structure and price determination; factor markets and income distribution; general equilibrium analysis; market failure. Not open to first-year students except by permission of the instructor. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course develops in detail theories of the determination of national income, employment and the price level. The foundations and mechanics of neo-classical and Keynesian models of the aggregate economy are studied and modern syntheses of these approaches are explored. Considerable attention will be paid to current behavior of the national economy. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course develops in detail theories of the determination of national income, employment and the price level. The foundations and mechanics of neo-classical and Keynesian models of the aggregate economy are studied and modern syntheses of these approaches are explored. Considerable attention will be paid to current behavior of the national economy. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course investigates the methods economists use to test theories and conduct economic forecasts. This course will provide the student with the ability to design, conduct, and evaluate empirical work in economics and other social sciences. The primary focus of the course is on the final project that consists of a research paper that will integrate library research, economic theory, and econometric analysis. The course will take a "hands on" approach as much as possible with weekly use of the microcomputer in class. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course investigates the methods economists use to test theories and conduct economic forecasts. This course will provide the student with the ability to design, conduct, and evaluate empirical work in economics and other social sciences. The primary focus of the course is on the final project that consists of a research paper that will integrate library research, economic theory, and econometric analysis. The course will take a "hands on" approach as much as possible with weekly use of the microcomputer in class. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course investigates the methods economists use to test theories and conduct economic forecasts. This course will provide the student with the ability to design, conduct, and evaluate empirical work in economics and other social sciences. The primary focus of the course is on the final project that consists of a research paper that will integrate library research, economic theory, and econometric analysis. The course will take a "hands on" approach as much as possible with weekly use of the microcomputer in class. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course investigates the methods economists use to test theories and conduct economic forecasts. This course will provide the student with the ability to design, conduct, and evaluate empirical work in economics and other social sciences. The primary focus of the course is on the final project that consists of a research paper that will integrate library research, economic theory, and econometric analysis. The course will take a "hands on" approach as much as possible with weekly use of the microcomputer in class. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will extend beyond the conventional structure-conduct-performance framework of industrial organization to focus on the theoretical models that inform the discipline and their empirical applications. In particular, students will use microeconomics and game theory to study models of imperfect competition and understand the implications for consumer welfare. We will analyze firm behavior and strategic interactions such as price discrimination, predatory pricing, limit pricing and investment under different market structures. We will also discuss various public policies that affect the structure of markets and the behavior of firms, specifically regulation, deregulation and antitrust laws. Every year. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will apply the tools of economic analysis to gain an understanding of economic development problems and their solutions. Patterns of economic development in an historical and dynamic context will be examined. The central role of agriculture and the problem of technological change in agriculture will also be examined. Other topics will include neo-classical growth models, domestic and international economic policies, international trade, foreign aid, external debt, technology transfer, rural-urban migration and income distribution. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

An honors seminar to enhance the senior capstone requirement.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This class concentrates on applying econometric techniques and computer programming to empirically test major financial theories. The econometric techniques used in the class include but is not restricted to OLS, GLS, GMM, Maximum Likelihood method, Nonparametric method, panel data models (random effect model, fixed effect model, pooled regression, etc.), time series models (VAR, ARMA, ARMAX, GARCH, etc.). Main programming language used in the class is Matlab, while R and STATA may also be used occasionally. Major finance topics tested in the class include market efficiency, portfolio theory, stock selection models, market microstructure, anomalies in the financial markets, calendar effects, etc. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course surveys recent developments in behavioral economics and considers applications in labor economics, macroeconomics, finance, public finance, consumer choice, and other areas. Our goal is to draw on recent work in cognitive and evolutionary psychology to better understand human behavior and incorporate these insights into neoclassical reasoning and modeling. Counts as a Group E elective for the major. Cross-listed with Psychology 490. (4 credit)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

An introduction to theory and research in educational psychology. Topics include learning theory, learner characteristics, intelligence, creativity, motivation, measurement and evaluation, and models of teaching appropriate for diverse learners from early childhood through young adulthood. Students are required to complete observations in classroom settings. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This survey course will explore history, policy, and pedagogy as they relate to race, ethnicity, and culture as education. K-12 public education will be the primary focus with topics including desegregation, standardized testing, multi-cultural and ethnocentric pedagogy, the teacher's role and experience, and significant historical events in education. The course will culminate by analyzing current trends and future expectations in education. (4 credits)
Cross-listed with American Studies 245.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to outdoor education as an opportunity to promote social justice and environmental sustainability in a globalized world. Informed by relevant philosophical, psychological, cultural and political-economic frameworks, in addition to critical issues in public education policy and practice, we will explore interdisciplinary approaches to outdoor environmental education appropriate for students across the K-12 continuum. We will utilize the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (Ordway Field Station) as an outdoor classroom and will adapt curriculum from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other outdoor education organizations to assist elementary school teachers and students in fulfilling Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards. Early in the semester, all students will participate in a weekend retreat at the Ordway Field Station. Weekly lab sessions will include field days during which course members design and implement educational experiences for elementary school children at Ordway, small group work days for preparing field day lesson plans, trips to local outdoor environmental education sites within the Twin Cities, and other experiential learning opportunities. Weekly seminar sessions incorporating readings, reflective writing, and individual and small group projects complement the experiential aspects of the course. As the semester progresses, each course member will develop a curricular unit aimed at teaching an important environmental issue to diverse adolescents attending urban public schools. The curricular unit is a significant undertaking that provides students with the opportunity to synthesize all aspects of the course material in a creative, pragmatic and integrative manner. Cross-listed with Environmental Studies 275. (4 credits).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to outdoor education as an opportunity to promote social justice and environmental sustainability in a globalized world. Informed by relevant philosophical, psychological, cultural and political-economic frameworks, in addition to critical issues in public education policy and practice, we will explore interdisciplinary approaches to outdoor environmental education appropriate for students across the K-12 continuum. We will utilize the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (Ordway Field Station) as an outdoor classroom and will adapt curriculum from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other outdoor education organizations to assist elementary school teachers and students in fulfilling Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards. Early in the semester, all students will participate in a weekend retreat at the Ordway Field Station. Weekly lab sessions will include field days during which course members design and implement educational experiences for elementary school children at Ordway, small group work days for preparing field day lesson plans, trips to local outdoor environmental education sites within the Twin Cities, and other experiential learning opportunities. Weekly seminar sessions incorporating readings, reflective writing, and individual and small group projects complement the experiential aspects of the course. As the semester progresses, each course member will develop a curricular unit aimed at teaching an important environmental issue to diverse adolescents attending urban public schools. The curricular unit is a significant undertaking that provides students with the opportunity to synthesize all aspects of the course material in a creative, pragmatic and integrative manner. Cross-listed with Environmental Studies 275. (4 credits).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides opportunities for students to engage with research methods that promote inclusive, egalitarian, exploratory social inquiry aimed at enriching the quality of learning and life in schools and civic spaces. Pedagogical in addition to formal research applications are addressed, as are implications for development and change on personal to organizational to societal levels. Ethical dimensions of engaging children and youth, in schools and community settings, as research participants and as researchers, are also carefully considered. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course builds on prior learning in Educational Studies to deepen understanding of both the challenge and potential of teaching in urban schools. Focal topics include exploration of "best practices" for teaching children and youth in poverty, special needs students, and English Language Learners, including the impact of cultural, economic, and family structures on their school experience. We will consider the evaluation, placement, appropriate accommodations, and methods of instruction and assessment for diverse urban students possessing a broad range of academic interests and aptitudes and varied forms of exceptionality. The course is grounded in a field experience (30 hour minimum) engaging students in learning from and contributing to a local urban classroom at the grade level/subject matter area of their choice. The course culminates in the design of a curricular unit that reflects instruction aimed at higher order cognition and holistic child development. Course reserved for Educational Studies majors (Teaching/Learning Emphasis). (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course explores the question: How can we educate to promote change toward more just, compassionate, and sustainable approaches to living and learning in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex world? We will consider contemporary barriers to and opportunities for systemic, progressive education reform and civic renewal on local, national and international levels. We will then work both individually and collectively, on campus and in the community, to analyze specific social issues and reform strategies in addition to conceptualizing plans for principled social action. (4 Credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Instruction and practice for writing in college. This course does not satisfy the requirements for the English major or minor. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this introductory English course, we will listen to a wide range of American voices in a number of genres, including short stories, novels, poetry, and a play. The course will focus on U.S. identities in relation to age, race, gender, sexuality, and class in a context of literary experimentation. The texts in this course, although all are “American,” explore many differences within a national identity by conducting literary “experiments”: blending genres, creating new literary forms, combining print and image, or writing speculative fiction. How do our authors stretch received forms, or invent new ones, so as to accommodate the content of their characters’ lives? How might speculative fiction and futurism be especially suited to represent experiences of people of color, and particularly of girls and women of color? We will study works by Sandra Cisneros, Junot Díaz, Octavia Butler, Claudia Rankine, and Janelle Monáe, among others. Course requirements include: an in-class oral presentation, a brief written response to each primary reading, and three essays of about 5-7 pages each (one of which must be revised). This course will fulfill either the foundation course in literature requirement or the literature by U.S. writers of color requirement for the English major.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Shakespeare has been called the “star of poets” and “wonder of the stage.” How do his plays delight, puzzle, and instill “wonder”? How did he transform Renaissance poetry? In this course, we will focus on some of Shakespeare’s most enduring works, including the Sonnets, Twelfth Night, Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, and The Tempest. Our study comprises class discussion, essays, presentations, and performances (watching professional productions and performing scenes from the plays). We will analyze Shakespeare’s formal and stylistic technique. We will examine issues of character, action, and plot. For centuries, Shakespeare has inspired writers to perfect their craft and pursue their creative ambitions. You are invited to participate in this exciting and evolving literary tradition.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

It is entirely possible for one to analyze the meanings of most texts—their themes, morals, historical significances, and so on—without paying much attention to the formal and linguistic elements that produce such meanings. Fortunately, poems make this difficult and ask us to attend more closely to how language does the things that it does. How, for example, can a single word generate multiple, even conflicting, interpretations concerning its significance? How do the rhetorical devices foregrounded in poetry—such as metaphor, metonymy, apostrophe, and personification—structure the modes of relation through which we organize our lives? How do various arrangements of words move us to tears, open new worlds, instigate actions, and even make nothing happen (as W. H. Auden famously poeticizes the power of poetry)? This introductory course will take up such questions as we develop our abilities to read, write, and think as students of literature. While our primary focus will be on learning how to engage with the subtleties of poetic language, this engagement will lead us to consider the broader philosophical, political, and cultural issues that our readings raise, concerning, for example, the place of poetry in modern life, the use and uselessness of poetry, and the very question of what poetry is. This course counts as a foundation course toward the English major, but all students are welcome and no prior knowledge or experience is expected.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

What relationships exist between theater, current events, and the public? People throughout the history of theater will say theater has always been political. It has been a means of offering public commentary, challenging or upholding norms, voicing a protest, or offering an alternative view that presents a world the writers would prefer to live in. In ENGL 136, we will read plays--both classic and modern--as literary texts and talk about the craft that went into their writing. But we will also take field trips to see several plays at different theaters in Minneapolis and St. Paul; we will study theater reviews and write some of our own; we will meet people who work on technical aspects of productions (like lighting and costumes) and learn about the craft of building productions; and we will think, talk, and write about the relationship between the dramatic arts and current events. As part of our larger goal of putting theater in context, the "current" events we study will cover topics as diverse as science vs religion, processes of nation building, personal identities put on trial, class politics and accents, and historical notions of property, and the work we read will range from Shakespeare to the present.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

In this course we will read some of the most popular novels ever written in the United States. They will be heart-wrenchingly beautiful, tear-jerkingly sad, gut-bustingly funny, and seriously weird. We will discuss love, death, the meaning of life, beauty, cruelty, freaks, war, and comedy.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course explores the concept of beauty in its many forms, from feelings associated with beautiful places and people to the history of visual attraction and attention. Reading novels from the nineteenth century to the present, we will learn to see beauty from different perspectives and to ask how the visible world intersects with larger social issues. For example, can the beautiful be political? What happens to nature's beauty in an era of environmental crisis? And how are shifting gender norms redefining beauty in today's world? The novels we will study critique and analyze these issues even as they revel in the complexity of beauty across time, space, artistic forms, media, and cultures. Students will read works by Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Elaine Scarry, E.M. Forster, Amitav Ghosh, and Zadie Smith, among others.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The focus of this course is on the development of skills for writing poetry and short fiction through a close study of the techniques involved in these forms, analysis of model literary works, and frequent writing exercises. This course must be completed at Macalester as a PREREQUISITE for the further study of creative writing at Macalester. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The focus of this course is on the development of skills for writing poetry and short fiction through a close study of the techniques involved in these forms, analysis of model literary works, and frequent writing exercises. This course must be completed at Macalester as a PREREQUISITE for the further study of creative writing at Macalester. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The focus of this course is on the development of skills for writing poetry and short fiction through a close study of the techniques involved in these forms, analysis of model literary works, and frequent writing exercises. This course must be completed at Macalester as a PREREQUISITE for the further study of creative writing at Macalester. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The focus of this course is on the development of skills for writing poetry and short fiction through a close study of the techniques involved in these forms, analysis of model literary works, and frequent writing exercises. This course must be completed at Macalester as a PREREQUISITE for the further study of creative writing at Macalester. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A poet is a prophet, a maker, a revolutionist who, with feet in the past, foresees future and makes history. Such belief in the power of poetry stems from Zhuangzi, Confucius, Aristotle, Hegel, Marx, Blake, Nietzche, all the way to Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound, Allen Ginsberg, James Baldwin and other contemporary poets and thinkers. This writing workshop will study selected masterpieces by the international and American visionary writers and examine the nature of poetry and story telling, how it takes us through the landscape of our inner space and time in order to explore and connect with the external world. As we all know, the longest and most difficult journey is to know ourselves, and the most difficult and joyful way to get there is through poetry. We’ll study modes of expression in poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction writing, learn how to create imagery, figurative language, sound, rhythmic structures, voice, plot, character, point of view…as carriers to reach the other shore. Techniques are not their own ends, but tools to find our voices for expression and communication. Where there is content (story), there is form, just as where there is water, there’s river. Meditation, reading, critiquing and writing exercises will help us find the right forms for the contents. We will learn how to read work aloud in class. Reading aloud is not only to complete the writing process, but also to train the ear for sound, rhythm, image, and the flow. It also teaches both the reader and listeners the art of criticism.
If you love reading, thinking, writing, come to this class. If you believe you’re a misfit, a free thinker and trouble maker, come to this workshop. If you’ve never written a poem or story but are curious and a little afraid, even better. Poetry and story telling is our birthright, our signature as human. If you are full of questions about the era we are living in, dying to change things and make history, then come on board.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The focus of this course is on the development of skills for writing poetry and short fiction through a close study of the techniques involved in these forms, analysis of model literary works, and frequent writing exercises. This course must be completed at Macalester as a PREREQUISITE for the further study of creative writing at Macalester. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials