This course will examine the role of fear in shaping ideas about immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. We start from the notion that emotions are social formations with particular histories and political significance. We will refrain from assuming that fear is nothing more than a feeling or an automatic response and instead take it as a site that allows us to examine how psychological and legal experts together define and dispute what is normal, reasonable, credible, plausible, real, appropriate, and timely. The seminar will cover themes such as risk and threat, race and origin, pain and injury, confession and testimony, fiction and figuration, and personhood and representation. We will look at newspaper articles, social media content, legal opinions, case law, court transcripts, and psychological evaluations, as well as texts in politics, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, literature, comics, and films. Students will write a short essay on the politics of fear. Throughout the course, they will develop their toolkit to critically reflect on an emotion of their choice.

All readings will be available on Canvas under the “Files” tab. The links to films and media archives will be sent as “Announcements” on Canvas.

This class introduces the core concepts and methods of Cultural and Social Anthropology. Through the ethnographic study of human societies, anthropology has emerged as a dynamic discipline that inquiries into the complexity of humanity. It has produced new kinds of inquiry into race, class, gender, history, power, language, economy, culture, and local, transnational, and global phenomena. This course will introduce students to anthropology’s unique approach to studying human culture and society and teach them core anthropological concepts. It will also present students with cross-cultural case studies on contemporary issues, including environmental problems and climate change, capitalism, gender and sexuality, race, immigration, and colonialism.

All readings are available on Canvas

Painting and Acrylics is an introductory studio art course open to all students. In this class you will be exposed to a range of strategies and subject matter for painting with acrylics. Each week students will be shown new techniques and asked to put them into practice with class projects e.g., cloud painting, self-portraits, and making your own masterpiece. At the end of this course students will understand how to use acrylic paint to render any and all representational subject matter.

This introductory class explores how we arrange objects and understand their meaning. Using personal props, students will experiment creating still life photographs while thinking about object placement, scale, lighting, and perspective. Together we will analyze their photo compositions using concepts like hierarchy, alignment, and metaphor. Students will be given weekly assignments to develop their visual storytelling skills as well as their ability to read object arrangements. Weekly slide lectures will explore historical and cultural depictions of objects in still life. Students will be asked to participate by bringing in examples of still life imagery they find inspiring to share with the group. The purpose of this course is to help students learn the ways in which object arrangements communicate.

In this course, we turn to the practice of copying as a form of study, appreciation, and inspiration. Using the Cantor Museum collection, the Bowes Art Library, and the internet, we will curate personal archives of images which we will draw from – literally and figuratively– to explore a range of techniques and approaches to image making. An emphasis will be placed on drawing as routine and the keeping of a sketchbook/journal. Students will train in ways of seeing that will allow them to employ skills and iconography learned from studying other images towards the development of their own unique visual language.

This course explores the potential of your cell phone in working in various photography art practices, ranging from experimental to documentary-style photography. We will leverage the potential of the cell phone by delving into different genres through hands-on assignments, demo lessons, and discussions about artists working with this photography. We will merge a critical analysis of contemporary photography with a study of early forms of popular photography, examining the democratization of this medium. By completing our weekly assignments and lessons, you will learn to better articulate and convey ideas through photography, expand your technical and conceptual approach, and understand how we communicate through images.

This course covers the fundamentals of microbiology and encompasses the tiny world of microbes (bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, and more). How have microbes impacted human health and society? It turns out that we cannot live without microbes, but we also have first-hand experience over the last few years of just how deadly and life-altering microbes can be! In exploring microbiology, we will take a multi-disciplinary approach combining molecular genetics (how gene expression is regulated in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes), biochemistry, and immunology. We will also explore key advances in biotechnology that have been made possible through our discovery of microbes and how they work including cloning, PCR, and CRISPR. This course will offer an in-person laboratory component to allow students hands-on experience observing and working with bacteria and small eukaryotes and experimental design. Lecture materials will be pre-recorded and provided asynchronously so students can explore content at their pace, before in-person discussions, activities, and lab work.

This course has a required lab section in addition to the main lecture section.

Biology is increasingly making its way into various aspects of our lives and will continue to do so throughout the 21st century. Thus, understanding the concepts underlying the headlines and their implications is very important and can help us engage meaningfully with the changing world around us. This course will begin by teaching skills like data interpretation and critical evaluation of logical arguments. With that foundation in place, we will then use specific, real-world events such as the FDA approval of GMO salmon, the development of the COVID-19 vaccines, and the fight against MRSA to explore the concepts in biology that underlie them (e.g. genetic modification, mRNA and vaccine development, and antibiotic resistance). Each week, students will be assigned to read news articles and informational materials giving background knowledge about the subject at hand. Each class will consist of a mini-lecture and in-class learning activities. The class will build towards a final project consisting of a podcast-style audio report on a biological process studied in the course. This course requires no prior background knowledge in biology and is intended for anyone interested in better understanding recent developments in the world of biology. By taking this course, students will learn basic concepts in biology and develop the skills necessary to critically evaluate arguments and the scientific data underlying those arguments.

This course has a required discussion section in addition to the main lecture section.

This course offers a comprehensive examination of the ecological and biological consequences of climate change on diverse species and ecosystems. Students will explore the adaptive responses of animals, plants, and microbiomes to shifting environmental conditions. Additionally, the course will address the dynamic alterations in species ranges, changes in biotic interactions, and the implications of climate change on endangered species and environmental justice. Throughout the course, students will engage in group discussions centered on assigned scientific papers, honing their skills in critical thinking, interpretation, and presentation of findings. The course aims to equip students with a robust understanding of climate change biology while fostering teamwork and communication skills essential for tackling complex environmental challenges.

This course will examine the basic concepts of biotechnology and the instrumentation and techniques used in the manipulation of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). Students will learn how biotechnology's tools and techniques are being used to help identify and fight disease, with a special emphasis on tools that help detect viral infections such as COVID-19. This course will also examine the ethical and privacy issues associated with biotechnology such as genetic testing, vaccine distributions and gene therapy.

This course has a required discussion section in addition to the main lecture section.