Learning Perspective course descriptions, 2026-27 fall semester

ART-102 Drawing Inquiry (4 Credits) (PA) Fundamentals of drawing, including introductory life drawing, for art majors and minors. Form, space, color and composition explored in a variety of drawing media through contemporary and historical lenses. For students with drawing experience; highly recommended for art majors and minors in place of ART 101. $60.00 lab fee

ART-124 Design: Three Dimensional (4 Credits) (PA) The theory and language of three-dimensional design and its application to artistic communication, with an emphasis on contemporary practice. Projects emphasize understanding intellectual aspects of three-dimensional form, working processes and techniques in a variety of media. $60.00 Lab fee

ART-211  Painting (4 Credits) (PA) Basics of color theory and practice of painting in oil and/or acrylics. Emphasis on developing fundamental painting approaches, conceptual development and individual expressions through color. Art periods, movements and practice researched. $100.00 lab fee

ART-232 Ceramics: Wheel Thrown Constr. (4 Credits) (PA) This course focuses on learning to use the potter's wheel and various other techniques as a vehicle for creating expressive forms in clay. Emphasis on creative thinking while developing facility in forming, painting and glazing ceramics. Students will engage in a research project and master study culminating in a visual response. A broad spectrum of historical and contemporary ceramics will be studied. $60.00 lab fee

ART-241 Sculptures (4 Credits) (PA) The emphasis of this course is technical and creative exploration of three-dimensional forms. Working with plane, line, and multiples, students will explore processes including modeling, construction, and mold-making. Materials include paper, wood, plaster, and metal. Course will highlight contemporary sculpture methodologies including collaborative work and digital fabrication through creative projects and a research presentation. $60 fee

ART-252 Fabric Design (4 Credits) (PA) Exploration of surface design and off-loom fabric construction. Course will begin by introducing fabric printing, resist dyeing (tie dye), wet felting, quilting, and stitching alongside historical and contemporary developments in surface design and the use of pattern in contemporary art. Students will work towards a visual and conceptual research project culminating in a final project building on processes introduced in class. $60.00 lab fee

CHST-260 Introduction to Chinese Films (4 Credits) (PA)  An introduction to the Chinese cinema and culture produced in the Chinese-speaking world including People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as Chinese immigrant societies in the USA. Students will examine what kind of contextual differences exist in the Chinese-speaking world and how they are represented and negotiated in cinematic productions. Taught in English. No prerequisites required.

ENCW-201 Writing Poetry (4 Credits) (PA) Practice in writing poetry with an introduction to poetic form, voice and techniques. Emphasis will be on generating, critiquing and revising student work, but students will also study the work of published poets.

ENCW-202 Writing Fiction (4 Credits) (PA) Practice in writing with an introduction to the various forms the genre assumes (memoir, profile, literary journalism, nature writing, spiritual autobiography) and emphasis on techniques writers use to translate personal and researched experience into artful nonfiction. The class stresses drafting, workshopping, and revising.

ENCW-204 Screenwriting (4 Credits) (PA) Practice in writing screenplays with an introduction to narrative structure. Emphasis will be on generating, critiquing and revising student work, but students will also study contemporary scripts and films.

GRD-170 Process & Materials (4 Credits) (PA) This course provides an experimental studio environment focused on rapid iterative making. We explore a variety of media and consider how these ways of working are applied in a range of design practices. $40 lab fee.

GRD-190 Surface Design (4 Credits) (PA) Methods of patternmaking and textile construction in the context of contemporary design. Students will complete pattern design exercises with a focus on translating physical construction to digital construction, and digital design to physical material. We will explore historical and contemporary approaches to pattern design and present day applications. $40 lab fee.

GRD-222 Typography (4 Credits) (PA) This studio-based course focuses on typographic design while encouraging experimentation with form-making and concept development. Methodically advancing technical skills while developing a process of working that is unique to the individual encouraged. $40.00 lab fee

MUSC-107 Music in Worldwide Perspective (4 Credits) (PA, G) Introduction to ethnomusicology and survey of indigenous music of the various regions of the world. Does not apply to major in music.

THEA-100 Intro to Theatre (4 Credits) (PA) Introduction to Theatre. Theatre as a collaborative, vital and multi-faceted art form that reflects and impacts culture and society. Through study of theatre practice and various dramatic texts from Ancient Greece to contemporary times, this course will examine how the written word is translated into action and images on stage.

THEA-240 Acting I (4 Credits) (PA) Introduction to the acting process through study of its basic principles and development of fundamental performance skills. Studio work includes improvisational exercises, scene study and various performance projects. Emphasis on the use of creative imagination in the context of performance.

WGSS-270 Queer Art (4 Credits) (PA) In this studio-based class, we leverage the works of feminist and queer-identified artists as inspiration for making new work. Students are encouraged to explore meaning-making within a wide range of creative processes. $40.00 studio fee.

COMM-260 Communication and Culture (4 Credits) (PH, G) Examines how communication helps create culture and how culture constrains communication, reasoning, and morality; introduces similarities and differences in understanding self and other in cultural contexts.

ENGL-230 Environmental Literature (4 Credits) (PH) An introduction to the history of and trends in nature writing and environmental literature.

ENGL-295 Health, South As Lit (4 Credits) (PH, G) This course will focus on how South Asian women writers examine the interaction among biological, behavioral, and sociocultural factors in women's health. In particular, the class will examine the representation (in fiction, non-fiction, and films) of the challenges local communities face in managing education, health care, their environment, borders, capital, and families in the context of increasing urbanization, immigration and digitization. We will be motivated by two interrelated concerns: 1) how can we understand the question of women's voices and "agency" in the South Asian context? And 2) how do women writers mobilize the category of gender to define alternative understandings of "individual" and "community" in this region? In order to answer these questions, we will trace the intersections between gender, caste, class, religion, and sexuality in women's fiction and non-fiction writing, giving particular regard to concepts such as "tradition," "modernity," "nation," and "genre."

MEDH-200 Applied Concepts in Healthcare (4 Credits) (PH) Applied Concepts in Healthcare serves as the gateway course for the Experiential Minor in Integrative Medicine & the Humanities. It is a course that will offer insights into themes, controversies, and future directions of society's most pressing issues in Healthcare. While other courses in the minor will focus on concerns related to Justice, Values, and Communication, our course will integrate concerns across disciplines and begin to develop a unique range of skills relevant to the challenges faced by those who directly or indirectly engage in clinical medicine, biomedical research, or any of many "support" disciplines. More specifically, while we will certainly keep an eye on issues of justice, value, and communication, in this course, we will focus on four areas vital to an integrative understanding of health care and a fifth area that will bring the more theoretical aspects of course to life.

MJMC-215 News Literacy (4 Credits) (PH) Examines forces that shape news today and how the news media have changed. Prepares students to understand journalism and critically evaluate news sources as well as analyze their own roles as news consumers and communicators using current events as a backdrop. Assignments and discussion focus on topics such as: news values, detecting bias, source credibility, journalistic constraints, and media economics.

PHIL-101 Knowing & Being (4 Credits) (PH) Introduction to central topics in philosophy, such as ethical theory, metaethics, knowledge and skepticism, theology, free will, personal identity, and the nature of meaning. Attention is paid to the careful formation and critical evaluation of arguments.

PHIL-105 Life and Death (4 Credits) (PH) An introduction to ethics, approached through an examination of the ethics of living, letting die, and killing. The course will introduce students to major theories of morality, such as utilitarianism and Kantian ethics, and apply these theories to issues that may include euthanasia, abortion, capital punishment, and just war.

RELG-263 Sexual Ethics (4 Credits) (PH) An examination of terms and concepts, exploration of diverse frameworks for sexual ethics, and opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of sexuality as historically and politically situated.

RELG-284 Buddhism and Film (4 Credits) (PH, G) Engaging with written texts, films, and contemplative practice, this course focuses on how Buddhist religious traditions address ethical and existential issues including questions about suffering, gender, sexuality, karma, life, and death. Students will learn about different schools of Buddhism such as Theravada, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, the controversy about the ordination of nuns, and issues pertaining to the representation of Buddhism through film. In this course, students will be expected to engage in mindfulness meditation practices. 

COMM-220 Communication & Social Relationships (4 Credits) (PS, D) Examines how family, peer and cultural socialization influences communication in close relationships. Consideration of race, class, gender and sexual orientation as they relate to communication in diverse relationships.

COMM-240 Advert & Consumer (4 Credits) (PS) COMM240 traces the evolution of the persuasive strategies, effects and messages in commercial discourse, from its origins in colonial America to today, with special emphasis on portrayals of race, class, family and gender in contemporary America. Course assignments will incorporate instruction on media content analysis and textual analysis as research methods.

POLS-101 American Govt Natl (4 Credits) (PS) A study of constitutional principles and their implementation to create a functioning national government. Development of basic institutions--presidency, Congress, courts, bureaucracy. Analysis of Political Behavior -- political parties, campaigns, and interest groups. Examples from public policy are used to show the institutions and groups in action.

POLS-103 Global Perspectives (4 Credits) (PS, G) Examination of major issues of world politics from various theoretical and country perspectives. Considers issues -war and peace, international law and organization, economic globalization, climate change, nuclear weapon proliferation and human rights- which pose questions of justice or represent threats to the peace or to global survival.

POLS-105 Democracy Across Countries (4 Credits) (PS, G) This course explores the degree and quality of democracy in countries around the world. The course involves the comparative examination of important concepts in political science connected to democracy (culture, forms of government, regime types, poverty, identity, among others) and their application to both Western and non-Western nations.

POLS-203 Identity Amer Pol (4 Credits) (PS, D) The evolution of governmental institutions, political socialization, and political processes in the United States are all rooted in a wide variety of issues related to identity. The United States has a system rooted in exclusion with a long history of incremental progress, despite resistance, for increased inclusion. Through analyses of the various intersections of identities such as race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and others in American society, a deeper understanding of political movements and policy outcomes can be developed.

PSYC-100 Intro to Psychology (4 Credits) (PS) A survey course of the major areas of interest within the field of Psychology (physiological, cognitive, clinical, and social), including fundamental principles and theories about human behavior as well as the scientific methods used by psychologists to draw these conclusions.

PUBH-100 Introduction to Public Health (4 Credits) (PS) This course introduces the interdisciplinary field and application of public health. Students will explore the social, political, and environmental determinants of health, and will be introduced to the institutions that shape health outcomes at the local, national, and global levels. This course will also help students understand how public health impacts the health of populations on a daily basis. Course activities will examine a diverse range of topics such as community health organizations, ethics in public health practice, maternal and child health, control of chronic and infectious disease, health through the lifespan, mental health, nutrition, and more. This course has no prerequisites. First year or sophomore status required.

PUBH-180 Health Disparities (4 Credits) (PS, D) An introduction to the impacts of health disparities on child development, behavioral choices, and adult health status in the United States. The course focus may shift to include race/ethnicity, geography, SES, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, migration status, age, religion and spirituality depending on current issues in health at the time it is offered.

SOAN-101 Intro to Sociology (4 Credits) (PS, D) A general introduction to society and culture, socially learned patterns of human behavior, formal and informal organization, collective behavior and social change.

SOAN-102 Intro to Anthropology (4 Credits) (PS, G) A general introduction to society and culture, diverse cultural systems and groups of people from around the globe, and a holistic examination of the many parts of culture. Students will learn the tools, methods and key concepts anthropologists use to study humanity.

SOAN-223 Families & Relationships (4 Credits) (PS, D) Examination of the social and psychological factors that influence interpersonal romantic relationships. This course considers topics like dating processes in contemporary U.S. society, marriage, long-term partnerships, and various conceptualizations of (dys)functional relationships.

WGSS-130 Intro Gender Studies (4 Credits) (PS) This course serves as an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Familiarizes students with key terms, authors, and debates, while paying special attention to how gender and sexuality intersect with race, ethnicity, class, age, religion, ability, and immigration status to create systems of oppression. Students examine intersectional feminism as a framework for engaging in social justice work

ARHI-165 Survey World Art I (4 credits) (PP, G) A chronological survey of the art and architecture from around the world, from Paleolithic cave paintings to medieval cathedrals and mosques. Students learn to analyze the formal elements of works of art and architecture, examine works within the original cultural and historical contexts, and compare art across cultures and from different time periods.

ENGL-265 History Amer Lit (4 Credits) (PP) American literature and social history from 1620 to the present. This course will introduce students to the study of literature by emphasizing the aims, methods, and tools of the discipline. Students will become familiar with critical vocabulary, with selected authors, and with genre and historical context in a way that will carry over to more advanced classes.

HIST-114 Europe 200-1300 (4 Credits) (PP, G) This course will address crucial moments in late antiquity and the medieval era, including the collapse of the western Roman Empire, the flowering of Byzantium, periodic invasions and transmigrations of peoples, the development of medieval Christianity, and birth of the university. Special emphasis will be laid on developing students' ability to write their own historical interpretations through a critical use of eyewitness accounts.

HIST-115 Europe 1300-1800 (4 Credits) (PP, G) This course will address foundational moments in early modern Europe, including the Renaissance, the Reformation, voyages of global exploration, absolutism, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and revolutions against absolute monarchies. Special emphasis will be placed on developing students' ability to write their own historical interpretations through a critical use of eyewitness accounts.

HIST-131 Rethinking American History, 1877-Pres (4 Credits) (PP) Rethinking American History, 1877-Present Almost everything most people know about American history is at worst, wrong, and at best, oversimplified. This course examines enduring problems, powerful stories, and common misconceptions about the American past. Students will learn a set of problem-solving skills that historians use to make sense of the past, so that they can reach their own conclusions and recognize sense from nonsense.

HIST-151 East Asia Modern World (4 Credits) (PP, G) Ever since East Asia played a crucial role in stimulating early modern globalization, East Asian countries, their empires, revolutions, wars, and social upheavals, have profoundly shaped our world. This course places East Asia at the center of modern world history while also investigating the internal social, cultural, and environmental conditions that shaped historical change in China, Japan, and Korea since roughly 1600.

PHIL-200 History of Great Ideas (4 Credits) (PP) An introductory overview of the development of key philosophical ideas from the pre-Socratics to the present. Students will be exposed to major traditions and current trends in philosophy, and will be able to make connections with ideas in other disciplines such as the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.

PHIL-201 Classical Philosophy (4 Credits) (PP) Study of the beginnings of philosophical thought in Classical Greece, with particular attention to the fragments of the pre-Socratics, the dialogues of Plato, and the treatises of Aristotle. Topics will include early physics and metaphysics, theories of knowledge, human nature, happiness and virtue ethics.

CLAS-212 Classical Mythology (4 Credits) (PL, G) The myths of the Greeks and Romans have had a lasting influence on our world, evident in art, literature, language, science, and beyond. This course offers a broad survey of the major Greek and Roman myths and the dominant approaches to understanding them. Utilizing ancient sources along with scholarly commentary, students will examine these myths in their broader cultural and historical contexts while considering the legacy ancient mythology has left in our world.

CLAS-226 Classical Comedy (4 Credits) (PL) The comic plays of Greece and Rome not only offer insights into the social, political, and religious issues of their times, but also helped establish key trends in the development of comedy as we know it today. In this course, students will read representative plays from Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus, and Terence, examining them in their particular historical moment, considering particulars of production and staging while also looking at their continuing influence on our own comic productions.

COMM-230 Comm, Politics, and Citizenship (4 Credits) (PL) Addresses issues of communication effects and ethics as they impinge on citizens of a free society, with a focus on political discourse in the public sphere. Features rhetorical tactics, communication strategies and argument patterns in political campaigns, public policy, and the media.

ENGL-235 Sci Fi & Fantasy (4 Credits) (PL) An introduction to the alternative worlds of myth, fantasy, utopia and dystopia. Students will develop the close-reading skills and vocabulary of the discipline as they explore deeper meaning, ambiguity, and complexity in classic and contemporary works of fantasy and science fiction.

ENGL-278 Amer Indian Lit (4 Credits) (PL, D) Through the study of fiction, poetry, myth, and memoir by American Indian writers, American Indian Literature explores the tragic history and enduring culture of indigenous non-Europeans on the North American continent. Special attention to the writers of the Native American Renaissance, such as Simon Ortiz, Joy Harjo, Leslie Marmon Silko, James Welch, Louise Erdrich, and Sherman Alexie-and to the diverse kinship groups (Ojibwe Laguna Pueblo, Wampanoag) with which these and other writers identify.

ENGL-283 Intro Irish Lit (4 Credits) (PL) Irish Literature has long been considered both a sub-field of British literature and a national literature of its own. This course is designed to illustrate the long development of Irish literature in Gaelic and in English over the centuries, as well as to highlight some of the most celebrated individual Irish works and authors.

ENGL-292 Illness Narratives (4 Credits) (PL) This course explores the different stories told about illness: by our culture, by the medical profession, and by sick people themselves. Our aim will be to examine how such stories can help, and sometimes hurt, people trying to understand and come to terms with their illnesses. In addition to fictional literary texts, we will read nonfictional accounts of illness written by the sick and suffering, and study different "types" of illness narratives, and the effect they have on the ill.

FRWL-217 Topics in French Lit (4 Credits) (PL) Thematically organized selection of French and/or Francophone literary works read in translation. Topic varies. 

ASTR-135 Planets (4 Credits) (PN) A non-calculus course intended for all majors on planets and planetary systems. Topics include the history of planetary astronomy, formation and evolution of the solar system, solar system physics, properties of solar system objects and the discovery of extrasolar planets. Results of recent space discoveries and the methods and tools used by astronomers will be emphasized. Evening observing sessions in the Carl Gamble observatory will be required. Suggested prerequisite: A math-index score of 840 or higher is recommended (pre-calc ready).

BIOL-100 Our Microbial World (4 Credits) (PN) Microorganisms are ubiquitous, even though we cannot see them with our naked eye. During this J-term, we will focus on the role of microbes in many of life's activities. You may be familiar with microbes as disease causing organisms, but we'll also think about the role that microbes play in our diet, health, and civilization. Our discussions and activities will explore the role of microbes in societal topics. This course will include opportunities for hands-on lab activities.

CHEM-131 General Chemistry I (4 Credits) (PN) Atoms, Ions, and Molecules This course introduces the fundamentals of bonding to form ions and molecules from atoms, as well as how atoms and molecules interact with each other resulting in the properties of matter. Topics include atomic structure, chemical bonding theories, symmetry as it pertains to chemical equivalence, coordination compounds, gases, intermolecular forces, and colligative properties. Lecture and two hours of laboratory weekly.

ESGE-100 Cont. Environ. Issues (4 Credits) (PN) This course provides an in-depth examination of the structure and dynamics of complex environmental issues at both local and global scales. We pay particular attention to the ways that place, people, and ecosystems interact to both cause and address these issues. Particular topics may include: natural hazards and disasters, consumerism, wildlife conflicts, food systems, and/or monoculture lawns.

GEOG-105 Weather and Climate (4 Credits) (PN)  An introduction to elements of weather and climate systems and the hazards they may pose to society. How can we (or should we?) prepare and adapt to live in areas of natural atmospheric hazards? Topics include a study of the earth's atmosphere, ocean systems, precipitation processes, severe weather (tornadoes, hurricanes), drought, and climate change. Includes one two-hour lab per week.

GEOL-101 Phys & Environ Geology (4 Credits) (PN) Introduction to the science of the Earth and our environment through topics of Earth materials and cycles, natural resources, tectonic processes, hydrologic systems, volcanoes, earthquakes, paleoclimatology, and geologic time. Additional themes include anthropogenic impacts on our environment, environmental hazards and environmental justice. Includes a weekly 2-hour lab that integrates experiential exercises, computer applications, collections of the Fryxell Geology Museum, and local field trips. Gateway course to the geology major.

GEOL-201 History of Life (4 Credits) (PN) An examination of the 3.5+ billion-year history of life on Earth, accompanied by discussions of the physical changes at and below Earth's surface. Popular science literature will serve as a gateway to concepts such as evolution, genetics, morphology, anatomy, taxonomy, paleoecology, and species distribution, among others. Includes one weekly 2-hour lab. Lab study involves specimens in the Fryxell Geology Museum collections.

GEOL-205 Minerals & Environ (4 Credits) (PN) A nation's wealth and quality of life of its citizens are significantly determined by its control and extraction of mineral resources, but there is always a negative environmental consequence of resource extraction, transformation and use. In addition, our personal and environmental health is impacted not only by what we do with these mineral resources and their waste products but also where we happen to live, relative to certain potentially hazardous mineral deposits. In this course you will learn about minerals (the building blocks of our planet Earth) and then apply that chemical & crystallographic knowledge to more deeply understand a wide variety of environmental issues (e.g., groundwater contamination, soil development and swelling clays, asbestos, silicosis, acid mine drainage, radon, mercury and lead poisoning.). Prerequisites: none. Includes a weekly 2-hour lab.