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A fundamental aspect of practicing biology-related science (be it through the lens of ecology, medicine, public health, etc.) is dealing with data. Data analysis requires much more than picking the correct statistical test. Data sets are being generated at an exponential rate and the potential for combining public data sets to ask new scientific questions is immense. In this course, we will learn to use the free, open-source software program R (the industry standard) for cleaning, organizing, and analyzing biological data sets (including data visualization).

This course surveys the scientific study of behavior and mental processes as natural phenomena. Basic psychological areas such as biopsychology, perception, learning, memory, motivation and emotion are typically addressed. Broader, integrated topics such as development, personality, and social and abnormal psychology are also explored. Students who enroll in 101WL gain additional focus on how psychologists formulate research questions, gather data and interpret findings based on the major conceptual approaches in the field of psychology.

Mammalogy is, as it sounds, the study of mammals. In this class, we will study mammalian behavior, ecology, evolutionary history, taxonomy, distribution, morphology, and other topics. Our focus will be mammals of North America, though we will also cover some mammals from other regions of the world. By the end of the semester, you will be familiar with and will have learned to identify most of the mammals that occur in the northeastern United States.

This survey course will take up the past and present experience of Indigenous Peoples within Canada. We will use one history textbook, and read plays, novels, and at least one biography. Some documentary films, podcasts, and news articles about contemporary Indigenous Canada will also be included. Counts as elective for Canadian Studies and Native American Studies.  No Pass/Fail option.

The dire warnings of climate change can leave a person feeling helpless and with little hope of affecting positive change for our own times and the future. What difference can a single individual make to assure the long-term stability of our natural environment? Although singular actions are important, history provides examples of successful collective action; of communities recognizing an environmental problem and taking action to address it. Canada and the United States share a terrestrial border that is more than 5,500 miles long.

Why do we like the music we like?  What makes a musician? According to Siu-Lan Tan, “the field of psychology of music is concerned with the processes by which people perceive, respond to, and create music, and how they integrate it into their lives.”  We will explore the physical properties of sound and the perception and cognition of melody, rhythm, and musical structure.  We will also consider the question of meaning in music, and the social, emotional, and universal significance of music. How musical are nonhuman animals?