Business and Ethics
This seminar looks at the relation between public policy and ethical dilemmas in the arenas of corporate life and professional service. The course asks students to examine the sorts of moral dilemmas they can expect to encounter in their chosen fields of work and takes a case-study approach to such topics as employee rights, information disclosure, Affirmative Action, sexual harassment and whistleblowing, and the roles that public policy should — or should not — play in relation to these issues.
Middle Eastern Politics
This course examines the political development of the Arab and non-Arab states in the Middle East since the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The course adopts both a thematic approach, comparing history, culture, religion and the role of foreign intervention, as well as a country-based approach, examining the politics and policies of specific Arab and Non-Arab countries. The objective of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the challenges facing the region and those studying it.
Ecology and Political Thought
Ecology reminds us that our activities are embedded within natural systems. What is the significance of this fact for politics? This course examines how various actors, such as citizens, consumers, social movements, scientific experts and governmental agencies, conceptualize the relationship between humanity and the natural world. We evaluate the merits and shortcomings of a variety of approaches to environmental politics, including survivalism, sustainable development, deep ecology, ecofeminism and the environmental justice movement.
Theories of Global Political Economies
This course explores the complex relationship between states and economies at the global level. Its primary purpose is to provide a critical understanding of the major theoretical and analytical issues that constitute the crucial challenge to the study of global political economy today.
Colonial British America
In this course we examine the lives of the Native American, European, and African inhabitants of Colonial British America. The history of colonial British America includes more than stereotypes of Puritans, Plymouth Rock, Thanksgiving, and witches. By focusing on the social, economic, and intellectual factors that comprised the colonial world, we come to understand the influences that reach beyond this era into the present day.
Rhetoric and Public Speaking
An introduction to the art of public speaking, focusing primarily on the construction and critique of persuasive discourse. Students study the classical rhetorical tradition as a continuing influence on the contemporary theory and practice of persuasion.
Astronomy
People of every time and culture have studied the skies, named the arrangements of stars and used the apparent motions of the sun and moon to mark time. This course, designed for the non-scientist, surveys the known contents of the universe and explores the dynamic natures of celestial objects through study of their motions, interactions and evolutions.To foster appreciation for the methods of science, naked-eye observations are required of each student and attention is given to Western culture’s slow path toward understanding the cosmos and our place within it.
College Physics
This course is the first of a two-semester sequence designed to provide a general survey of physics. It emphasizes the relationship between basic physical principles and observations, both in the laboratory and in everyday events around us. It covers topics in mechanics and wave phenomena. The mathematical level of presentation assumes elementary algebra and basic trigonometry. While it serves as the appropriate physics course for students in the life sciences, it is designed to be accessible to all who have an interest in the subject.
Energy
This course covers the nature of energy, its application in modern society and a variety of issues associated with that use. We will study the physical principles of mechanical, thermal, electrical, optical and nuclear energy in order to better understand the role of energy in society, focusing on fossil fuels, electric power plants, automobiles, global warming, the ozone layer and energy conservation, as well as nuclear, solar and other power sources. This course makes extensive use of elementary algebra and scientific notation. Major credit restricted.. Also offered as ENVS 105.
Introductory Psychology
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 100WL 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.