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 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
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.
Indigenous Peoples of Canada
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.
Defending the North American Environment
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.
This is Your Brain on Music
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?
Language and Human Experience
My goal in this class is to stoke your curiosity and attune your senses to the wonders of human language. Language is at the center of every human's experience, yet its inner workings usually remain unconscious and taken-for-granted. We will delve into the role of language in human experience by focusing on a few big questions: What might it be like to exist without language? How can we compare human languages to other forms of communication among other species? Why are there many different languages rather than one species-wide language?
Speak Up: Rhetoric and Public Speaking
This course introduces concepts and skills of public speaking rooted in the rhetorical tradition and is designed to develop effective presentation skills, critical thinking, and astute listening. In addition to researching, constructing, and delivering speeches, students will learn the principles of rhetorical analysis and critique. In the FYS Seminar students will expand on their research and writing skills to practice academic level writing. This course counts as PCA 111 and fulfills the FYS and ARTS general education requirements.
Modern Asia
This course examines the Asian region from 1650 to the present. We discuss the creation, dismantling, and continuing remnants of colonialism, World Wars I and II in the Asian context, the Cold War, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and recent economic development. The course begins with an overview of Asian geography, culture, and history. It is designed to introduce students to major events and issues of modern Asia and also to improve students’ skills in critical reading, writing, use of primary and secondary sources, and oral communication.
History of Now: US Since WW II
Exploration and analysis of American society, culture, domestic politics, and foreign relations since World War II.
Physics of Sound and Music
Music is an interaction between the production of sound and the listeners' perceptive abilities. In this course, the physical details of the production of sound with particular attention to "musical" sound will be explored. In a hands-on, experiment-based course, the physics of sound vibrations and waves, the overtone series, the workings of the human ear, the construction of various types of musical instruments, the electrical reproduction of sound, and other topics will be explored. This course satisfies the NS-L requirement. Also listed as Music 120WL.