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"All photographs are accurate. None is the truth." Richard Avedon (1923-2004)nThe invention of photography inspired the belief that there could be a truthful and objective way to visually record the world. From portraits to travel photographs to documentary, photography has influenced how modern history is understood and remembered. Yet, a photograph is a manipulated image, shaped by the perspective of the photographer and further framed by its printing, presentation, and interpretation. The complex ethical and political issues associated with photography significantly impact how events and moments are recorded by history. Consider, for example, the US government's 18-year ban (ended in 2009) on photographing the flag-draped coffins of America's war dead as their bodies are returned to the United States. What matters most: protecting the privacy of military families or protecting American citizens from the death toll of war?nnOver the past decade, the number of photographers has increased exponentially, further blurring the boundary between what is truth and what is fiction. Even the concept of "gatekeepers" is obsolete: anyone with a smartphone is armed with a camera and can create their own stories, their own records, and their own truths. Further, the Internet grants nearly universal freedom to document and disseminate images that record, incriminate, illuminate, persuade, enrage, and glorify. In this course, we will examine the ethical parameters of photography and the many ways in which photography contributes to presenting powerful truths, creating compelling fictions, and recontextualizing history.nnThe course will feature opportunities to work with photographs in the Cantor's collection and to explore the many photographic communities of the Bay Area including extensive field trips to museums, galleries, artists studios, private collections, photo studios, and more. Our discussions will also be informed by course readings. In addition, special sessions covering photographic techniques will familiarize students with the diversity of the medium and hands on experience to create work, if interested. No prior experience required. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu

Monterey Bay is home to the nation's largest marine sanctuary and also home to Stanford¿s Hopkins Marine Station. This course, based at Hopkins, explores the spectacular biology of Monterey Bay and the artistic and political history of the region. The course focuses on issues of conservation, sanctuary, and stewardship of the oceans and coastal lands. We will meet with conservationists, filmmakers, artists, authors, environmentalists, politicians, land-use planners, and lawyers, as well as scientists and educators, to learn what is being done to appreciate, protect, and study the coastline and near-shore waters at local and national levels. We will take a look at the discipline of marine biology to discover the range of topics and methods of research it embraces and to help define some of the larger issues in biology that loom in our future. The course emphasizes interactions and discussions between individuals, groups, and our guests; it is a total immersion experience. We will be together all of the time, either at our base at the Belden House in Pacific Grove or hiking and camping in Big Sur.nnStudents are expected to have read the several books provided as introductory material before the course begins, and each is also expected to become our local expert in an area such as plant identification, bird identification, poetry, weather prediction, photography, history, ethnography, etc. The course requires an individual research project of your choice on a topic related to the general theme. Final reports will be presented at the last meeting of the group and may involve any medium, including written, oral, and performance media.nnNote: This course will be held at the Hopkins Marine Station in the Monterey region, and housing will be provided nearby. Transportation from campus to the housing site will be provided once students arrive on campus on August 30. Transportation to campus from the Belden House in Pacific Grove will be provided on September 19. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu

The technical, social, and political issues surrounding energy management and use in the West, using California, Nevada, and Arizona as a field laboratory. Students explore energy narratives, such as: Who supplies our energy and from what sources? How is it transported? Who distributes to users and how do they do it? Water for energy and energy for water, two intertwined natural resources. Meeting carbon emission goals by 2020. Conflicts between desert ecosystems and renewable energy development. Emphasis on renewable energy sources and the water-energy nexus. Central to the course is field exploration in northern and southern California, as well as neighboring areas in Arizona and Nevada, to tour sites such as wind and solar facilities, geothermal plants, hydropower pumped storage, desalination plants, water pumping stations, a liquid fuels distribution operations center, and California's Independent System Operator. Students meet with community members and with national, state, and regional authorities to discuss Western energy challenges and viable solutions. Site visits to Stanford's new energy facilities. Introduction to the basics of energy and energy politics through discussions, lectures, and with the help of guest speakers. Assigned readings, online interactive materials, and relevant recent news articles. Participants return to Stanford by September 19. Travel expenses during the course provided (except incidentals) by the Bill Lane Center for the American West and Sophomore College.

There is growing interest in the intersection of art and science, whether from artists adapting technology to suit their visions or from scientists and engineers seeking to explain various visual effects. To take advantage of possible creative sparks at the art/science interface, it is necessary for fuzzies and techies to have some knowledge of the language used by the other side. This interface will be explored through examining approaches used by an artist and an engineer in the context of the materials science of cultural objects. In-class lectures, hands-on studio practice, and field trips will be used to illustrate these different perspectives. At the heart of the scientific approach is the notion that a cultural object, e.g., a painting, is a physical entity comprising materials with different physical properties and different responses to environmental stresses presented by light, heat, and water. In support of this outlook, in-class lectures and discussions will focus on the basic concepts of color, optics, mechanics, composite structures, and response of the object to environmental stress, and we will visit Bay Area museums to see how artists employ such techniques. The hands-on studio experience is designed to increase students' confidence and develop their appreciation of differences in materials. It is not necessary to have any artistic training, only a willingness to experiment. The in-class studio projects will include working with line and shadow; color, binders, and mordants; global sources of pigments; substrates and writing; and material failure. Students will make one technical presentation on a topic in one of the five areas relevant to a painting: color, optics, mechanics, composites, and stress response. In addition, they will prepare one essay on the issues surrounding the intersection of art and science. Finally, they will complete a project related to one of the thematic areas covered in the hands-on studio sessions and make a final oral presentation describing their project. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

The 2006 film Pursuit of Happyness, an unabashed celebration of the American Dream, was enthusiastically embraced by Chinese audiences. It seems that the pursuit of happiness has become truly globalized, even as the American Dream is slipping away for many. Are Americans still convinced that their conception of happiness is a self-evident truth and a universal gospel? Is there anything that Americans might learn about what it means to live a good life from not only the distant past, but also cultures in which happiness is conceptualized and sought after very differently? This course takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the question of happiness and invites undergraduate students to reflect on its relationship to virtue, wisdom, health, love, prosperity, justice, and solidarity. Giving equal weight to Chinese and Western sources, it seeks to defamiliarize some of the most deeply held ideas and values in American society through the lens of cross-cultural inquiry.n nDuring the summer, students will read a selection of novels, memoirs, and reflections by philosophers, psychologists, and sociologists. In September, we will review these texts and place them alongside movies, short fiction, news stories, and social commentary while we interrogate the chimera of happiness. In addition to daily seminars, we will experiment with meditation, short-form life writing, and service learning with participation of local elders. Furthermore, there will be at least three guest speakers, including a prominent Confucian philosopher and a Stanford alum now running a happiness-related enterprise. nSophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

The 2006 film Pursuit of Happyness, an unabashed celebration of the American Dream, was enthusiastically embraced by Chinese audiences. It seems that the pursuit of happiness has become truly globalized, even as the American Dream is slipping away for many. Are Americans still convinced that their conception of happiness is a self-evident truth and a universal gospel? Is there anything that Americans might learn about what it means to live a good life from not only the distant past, but also cultures in which happiness is conceptualized and sought after very differently? This course takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the question of happiness and invites undergraduate students to reflect on its relationship to virtue, wisdom, health, love, prosperity, justice, and solidarity. Giving equal weight to Chinese and Western sources, it seeks to defamiliarize some of the most deeply held ideas and values in American society through the lens of cross-cultural inquiry.n nDuring the summer, students will read a selection of novels, memoirs, and reflections by philosophers, psychologists, and sociologists. In September, we will review these texts and place them alongside movies, short fiction, news stories, and social commentary while we interrogate the chimera of happiness. In addition to daily seminars, we will experiment with meditation, short-form life writing, and service learning with participation of local elders. Furthermore, there will be at least three guest speakers, including a prominent Confucian philosopher and a Stanford alum now running a happiness-related enterprise. nSophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

Do you speak Arabic at home? Are you studying Arabic at Stanford? Have you done a year of Arabic study elsewhere? If you answer yes to any one of these questions then "Arabic in America: Language Immersion" might be for you. nnOur intensive course is designed to improve your command of Arabic while living in an active community of Arabic speakers and learners. We will be talking about films, poetry, politics, religion, gender and much more--all the while practicing how to talk to people, read newspapers, recite poetry, write emails, all with the goal of communicating better in Arabic. nnYour three teachers will share their knowledge and love of Arabic literature, culture, and grammar with you while we engage with all kinds of Arabic, from the Quran and Pre-Islamic poetry to the colloquial Arabic spoken at barbecues (we will be grilling!). We will also be inviting guest speakers and taking class field trips to the Ba'th Party archives in the Hoover Library, mosques and churches in the Bay Area, Middle Eastern restaurants, and more. Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

This course introduces the student to common laboratory, domestic, and exotic mammals through lectures, dissection labs and student presentations. Using a comparative approach, investigates the unique adaptations of species in terms of their morphological, anatomical, and behavioral characteristics. Focus on how these species interact with their own and other species (including humans), discuss basic evolution, and the devastating impact of habitat destruction on wild animals. Class provides the student with a deeper appreciation for the diversity of the mammalian orders, along with the fundamentals of comparative anatomy, physiology, and basic dissection techniques. A large collection of skulls, bones and plastinated organs facilitate learning mammalian anatomy, and a field trip to a local zoo enables students to appreciate behavior and locomotion of assorted mammals in their ¿native¿ habitats.

Emphasis is on how animal welfare sciences provide an evidence-based approach to optimize and balance each of these demands so that "good welfare is good business." Topics include how to apply principles of animal behavior to design environmental enrichments beneficial to both animals and complex mission of the zoo; assessing exhibits from the point of view of animal behavior and well-being, educational opportunities and guest experience; developing an enrichment plan; designing and building enrichments for animals; interacting with the public as docents; assessing overall effectiveness of new enrichment. Class includes experience at San Francisco Zoo.

Computers have come to permeate many aspects of our lives, from how we communicate with each other to how we produce and consume information. And while it is all too easy to think of computing in terms of the products and applications we see emerging from technology companies, the intellectual foundations of computer science go much deeper. Indeed, beneath the surface of the tools we use, the social networks we engage in, and the web of information we search, lays a field rich with fascinating, intellectually exciting, and sometimes unexpectedly surprising ideas.nnIn this seminar, we will explore several of the great ideas in computer science, looking at both challenging problems and their impact on real applications. From understanding how search engines on the Web work to looking at mathematical theories underlying social networks, from questioning whether a computer can be intelligent to analyzing the notion of what is even possible to compute, this seminar will take us on a series of intellectual excursions that will change the way you look at computers.nnNo prior experience with computer science or programming is required, but a high school mathematics background, an interest in problem-solving, and a healthy curiosity will go a long way toward ensuring an enjoyable and enlightening experience. Students will work in small groups to research topics in computer science they find most intriguing. The course will also take advantage of Stanford's location in the heart of Silicon Valley by conducting field trips to a local company and the Computer History Museum. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu

Although we make decisions every day, many people base their decisions on initial reactions or ¿gut¿ feelings. There are, however, powerful frameworks for making decisions more effectively based on computationally analyzing the choices available and their possible outcomes. In this course we give an introduction to some of these frameworks, including utility theory, decision analysis, game theory, and Markov decision processes. We also discuss why people sometimes make seemingly reasonable, yet irrational, decisions. We begin the class by presenting some of the basics of probability theory, which serves as the main mathematical foundation for the decision making frameworks we will subsequently present. Although we provide a mathematical/computational basis for the decision making frameworks we examine, we also seek to give intuitive (and sometime counterintuitive) explanations for actual decision making behavior through in-class demonstrations. No prior experience with probability theory is needed (we¿ll cover what you need to know in class), but students should be comfortable with mathematical manipulation at the level of Math 41. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu

The Rocky Mountain area, ecologically and geologically diverse, is being strongly impacted by changing land-use patterns, global and regional environmental change, and societal demands for energy and natural resources. This three-week field program emphasizes coupled environmental and geological problems in the Rocky Mountains and will cover a broad range of topics including the geologic origin of the American West from three billion years ago to the recent; paleoclimatology and the glacial history of this mountainous region; the long- and short-term carbon cycle and global climate change; and environmental issues in the American West that are related to changing land-use patterns and increased demand for its abundant natural resources. These broad topics are integrated into a coherent field study by examining earth/environmental science-related questions in three different settings: 1) the three-billion-year-old rocks and the modern glaciers of the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming; 2) the sediments in the adjacent Wind River basin that host abundant gas and oil reserves and also contain the long-term climate history of this region; and 3) the volcanic center of Yellowstone National Park and mountainous region of Teton National Park, and the economic and environmental problems associated with gold mining and extraction of oil and gas in areas adjoining these national parks. Students will complete six assignments based upon field exercises, working in small groups to analyze data and prepare reports and maps. Lectures will be held in the field prior to and after fieldwork. Note: This course involves one week of backpacking in the Wind Rivers and hiking while staying in cabins near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and horseback riding in the Dubois area of Wyoming. Students must arrive in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 1. (Hotel lodging will be provided for the night of Sept. 1, and thereafter students will travel as a Sophomore College group.) We will return to campus on Sunday, Sept. 21. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

The title of this course is the title of one of the books that will be required summer reading. The course will introduce modern finance theory and cover a wide range of financial instruments: stocks, bonds, options, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, mortgage back securities, etc. Historical returns on different asset classes will be examined. The efficient market hypothesis and the case for and against index funds will be discussed. The course for 2015 will examine the ongoing policies to stimulate the economy, including the quantitative easing policy of the Federal Reserve. There will be coverage of global financial markets. We will try to reconcile the long-run return on stocks, bonds, and money market instruments with the capital asset pricing model. We will try to connect financial markets with the problems of the real economy including the entitlement programs. We will talk with venture capitalists, Federal Reserve officials, hedge fund and mutual fund managers, and those who manage large institutional endowments. Students will be expected to write a short paper and make an oral presentation to the class. A wide range of topics will be acceptable, including market regulation, the introduction of new financial instruments, the functioning of commodity futures markets, and evaluations of the federal government intervention in financial markets. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

Southeast Alaska is often described as America's "last frontier," embodying a physical reality of the "pristine" that was once revered by the early romantics and founders of the modern conservation movement throughout Western North America. Although endowed with more designated Wilderness land than any other state, Alaska remains a working landscape: a mixed cash-subsistence economy where communities rely upon the harvest and export of natural resources. Here, ecosystem services remain tangible, and people living in communities that are unconnected by roads confront questions of sustainability on a daily basis. This field-based course introduces students to the global questions of land use change and sustainable resource management in the American West through the place-based exploration of Southeast Alaska. Focused on four key social-ecological challenges -- fisheries, forestry, tourism, and energy -- the coupled human-natural systems of Southeast Alaska provide a unique lens for students to interpret broader resource management and conservation issues. The curriculum balances field explorations and classroom lectures with community exploration in which students will engage with fishermen, hatchery workers, forest managers, loggers, mill owners, tour operators, tourists, city officials, citizens, and Native residents. Students will catch their own salmon, walk through old-growth and logged forests, kayak next to glacial moraines, and witness the impacts of human activities, both local and global, on the social-ecological systems around them. In the context of rapidly changing ecosystems, students will confront the historical, ecological, and economic complexities of environmental stewardship in this region. By embedding their experiences within frameworks of land change science, land-ocean interactions, ecosystem ecology, and natural resource management and economics, students will leave this course ready to apply what they have learned to the global challenges of sustainability and conservation that pervade systems far beyond Alaska. This course is co-sponsored by the School of Earth Sciences and takes place in Sitka, Alaska. Students arrange for their arrival in Seattle, WA on August 30; all subsequent travel is made possible by Sophomore College and the School of Earth Sciences.

The Rocky Mountain area, ecologically and geologically diverse, is being strongly impacted by changing land-use patterns, global and regional environmental change, and societal demands for energy and natural resources. This three-week field program emphasizes coupled environmental and geological problems in the Rocky Mountains and will cover a broad range of topics including the geologic origin of the American West from three billion years ago to the recent; paleoclimatology and the glacial history of this mountainous region; the long- and short-term carbon cycle and global climate change; and environmental issues in the American West that are related to changing land-use patterns and increased demand for its abundant natural resources. These broad topics are integrated into a coherent field study by examining earth/environmental science-related questions in three different settings: 1) the three-billion-year-old rocks and the modern glaciers of the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming; 2) the sediments in the adjacent Wind River basin that host abundant gas and oil reserves and also contain the long-term climate history of this region; and 3) the volcanic center of Yellowstone National Park and mountainous region of Teton National Park, and the economic and environmental problems associated with gold mining and extraction of oil and gas in areas adjoining these national parks. Students will complete six assignments based upon field exercises, working in small groups to analyze data and prepare reports and maps. Lectures will be held in the field prior to and after fieldwork. Note: This course involves one week of backpacking in the Wind Rivers and hiking while staying in cabins near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and horseback riding in the Dubois area of Wyoming. Students must arrive in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 1. (Hotel lodging will be provided for the night of Sept. 1, and thereafter students will travel as a Sophomore College group.) We will return to campus on Sunday, Sept. 21. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

The technical, social, and political issues surrounding energy management and use in the West, using California, Nevada, and Arizona as a field laboratory. Students explore energy narratives, such as: Who supplies our energy and from what sources? How is it transported? Who distributes to users and how do they do it? Water for energy and energy for water, two intertwined natural resources. Meeting carbon emission goals by 2020. Conflicts between desert ecosystems and renewable energy development. Emphasis on renewable energy sources and the water-energy nexus. Central to the course is field exploration in northern and southern California, as well as neighboring areas in Arizona and Nevada, to tour sites such as wind and solar facilities, geothermal plants, hydropower pumped storage, desalination plants, water pumping stations, a liquid fuels distribution operations center, and California's Independent System Operator. Students meet with community members and with national, state, and regional authorities to discuss Western energy challenges and viable solutions. Site visits to Stanford's new energy facilities. Introduction to the basics of energy and energy politics through discussions, lectures, and with the help of guest speakers. Assigned readings, online interactive materials, and relevant recent news articles. Participants return to Stanford by September 19. Travel expenses during the course provided (except incidentals) by the Bill Lane Center for the American West and Sophomore College.

Recently, The New York Times and the National Geographic have hailed the "new face of America" as young, global, and hybrid. The NY Times gave this demographic a name: Generation E.A. (Ethnically Ambiguous). Our course examines the political and aesthetic implications of Generation E.A., and the hot new vogue for all things mixed. Galvanized by the 2000 census with its "mark one or more" (MOOM) racial option, dozens of organizations, websites, affinity and advocacy groups, modeling and casting agencies, television pilots, magazines, and journals--all focused on multi-racial/multi-cultural experiences--have emerged in the last few years. We will analyze representations of mixed race and multiculturalism in law, literature, history, art, performance, film, comedy, and popular culture. These cultural and legal events are changing the way we talk and think about race. nImportantly, our seminar also broadens this discussion beyond race, exploring how crossings of the color-line so often intersect with other aspects of experience related to gender, religion, culture, or class.nField trips, films, communal lunches, and interactive assignments help us explore the current controversies over mixed-race identification and, more generally, the expressive and political possibilities for representing complex identities. Requirements include three two- to three-page analytical writing assignments, a presentation that can include an optional artistic or media component, and a final group-designed project. nIf you are a citizen of the 21st century, this class is for and about you. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

The Rocky Mountain area, ecologically and geologically diverse, is being strongly impacted by changing land-use patterns, global and regional environmental change, and societal demands for energy and natural resources. This three-week field program emphasizes coupled environmental and geological problems in the Rocky Mountains and will cover a broad range of topics including the geologic origin of the American West from three billion years ago to the recent; paleoclimatology and the glacial history of this mountainous region; the long- and short-term carbon cycle and global climate change; and environmental issues in the American West that are related to changing land-use patterns and increased demand for its abundant natural resources. These broad topics are integrated into a coherent field study by examining earth/environmental science-related questions in three different settings: 1) the three-billion-year-old rocks and the modern glaciers of the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming; 2) the sediments in the adjacent Wind River basin that host abundant gas and oil reserves and also contain the long-term climate history of this region; and 3) the volcanic center of Yellowstone National Park and mountainous region of Teton National Park, and the economic and environmental problems associated with gold mining and extraction of oil and gas in areas adjoining these national parks. Students will complete six assignments based upon field exercises, working in small groups to analyze data and prepare reports and maps. Lectures will be held in the field prior to and after fieldwork. Note: This course involves one week of backpacking in the Wind Rivers and hiking while staying in cabins near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and horseback riding in the Dubois area of Wyoming. Students must arrive in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 1. (Hotel lodging will be provided for the night of Sept. 1, and thereafter students will travel as a Sophomore College group.) We will return to campus on Sunday, Sept. 21. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

Many of us understand Martin Luther King, Jr. through the lens of his most civil rights activities and his "I Have a Dream" oration at the 1963 March in Washington for Jobs and Freedom. But who was King really? What can we learn about his inner life? To what extent did he actually lead a movement that was beyond the control of any single leader? How did thousands of grassroots activists become a movement that changed the course of history? This course will examine these questions and more by utilizing the vast number of primary source materials of the King Institute. Students will have the opportunity to conduct research and carry out their own individual research projects, which can be traditional papers, multi-media presentations, or even educational websites. Guest speakers may include various experts, such as King Institute scholar-in-residence Clarence Jones, who served as King¿s attorney, adviser, and occasional speechwriter. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

The tiny remote islands of Galápagos have played a large and central role in the study of evolution. Not surprisingly, they have also been central to the study of conservation. The fascinating adaptations of organisms to the unique ecosystems of the archipelago have left them particularly vulnerable to outside introductions. This seminar explores evolution, conservation, and their connection in the Galapagos. Using case-study material on finches, iguanas, tortoises, cacti, Scalesia plants, and more, we will explore current theory and debate about adaptation, sexual selection, speciation, adaptive radiation, and other topics in evolution. Similarly, we will explore the special challenges Galápagos poses today for conservation, owing to both its unusual biota and the increasing human impact on the archipelago. The first week is held on-campus, followed by an intensive eleven-day expedition to Galápagos to observe firsthand evolutionary phenomena and conservation issues. A chartered ship will serve as our floating classroom, dormitory, and dining hall as we work our way around the archipelago to visit as many as ten islands. For this portion of the class, undergraduates will be joined by a group of Stanford alumni and friends in a format called a Stanford "Field Seminar." Students are required to complete all course readings over the summer. Students will be asked to lead discussions and carry out literature research on the evolutionary and conservation biology of particular Galápagos species. The final assignment is a seven- to ten-page paper and class presentation as we travel in Galápagos. Travel to Galápagos will be provided and paid by Sophomore College (except incidentals) and is made possible by the support of the Stanford Alumni Association Travel/Study Program and generous donors. Students will return to campus late afternoon Sunday, September 20.

Wouldn¿t it be great if you could quickly increase your Spanish proficiency through an intensive immersion experience right here at Stanford? Wouldn¿t you love to gain the cultural and historical knowledge necessary to begin taking film, literature, and culture courses generally reserved for advanced students? This intensive Spanish immersion course is designed to help students who have completed a year of Spanish to move forward quickly toward greater linguistic and cultural competence.nnAfter a year of Spanish, students tend to be able to handle straightforward interactions related to basic needs and personal information, but they generally lack the ability to handle more abstract discussions or to combine short utterances into longer presentations of their ideas. Most students likewise have little knowledge of the rich and complex history that surrounds the Spanish language or the central role that Spanish has played in the cultural, artistic, and political life of California. nnIn this course, a team of experienced instructors will help students improve their Spanish through intensive lessons that incorporate film, literature, and social issues. Through a focused discussion of the themes of immigration and democracy in Latin America, Spain, and the United States, as well as excursions and guest lectures by Stanford faculty and community leaders, this course will immerse students in Spanish and help them to gain advanced proficiency much more quickly. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

Trigger Warning: Over the past two years, the issue of campus sexual assault has exploded into the public discourse. While definitive figures are difficult to obtain due to the necessarily private nature of these events, several recent studies estimate that between 20-25% of college women experience sexual assault. Survivors have come forward across the country with harrowing stories of assault followed by an insensitive or indifferent response from college administrators, launching one of the most successful, and surprising, social movements in recent memory. As a result, the federal government has stepped up its civil rights enforcement in this area, with 94 colleges and universities currently under investigation for allegedly mishandling student sexual assault complaints. This courses focuses on the legal, policy, and political issues surrounding sexual assault on college campuses. We will spend the first week of the course learning some background about sexual violence and the efforts to implement legal protections for women. We will study the basic legal frameworks governing campus assault, focusing on the relevant federal laws such as Title IX and the Clery Act. Starting the second week we will travel first to New York City, and then to Washington D.C., where we will meet with journalists, activists, experts, policymakers, elected officials, and others who are actively involved in shaping the national response to this issue. Confirmed guests speakers include New York Times reporter Emily Bazelon; Catherine Lhamon, the Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights; and the Office of Senator Kristin Gillibrand (D.N.Y.). On our return to campus students will create and present final projects. Travel expenses to NYC and DC (except incidentals) are provided by Sophomore College. Students are expected to do all readings, and participate in all class sessions, meals, field trips, films, and discussions. Requirements include three short papers, preparing and helping to lead discussions with outside speakers, and the development and presentation of a final group-designed project which can include a multi-media or artistic component. The subject matter of this course is sensitive and students are expected to treat the material with maturity. Moreover, much of the reading and subject matter may be upsetting and/or triggering for students who identify as survivors. There is no therapeutic component for this course, although supportive campus resources and Title IX staff are available for those who need them. Please consider this prior to enrolling in the course. For more info see: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/12/12/justice-and-fairness-in-campus-rape-cases/transparency-and-sensitivity-work-together-to-stop-campus-rape. Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.

This course focuses on the HIV epidemic, contrasting the origin and spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa and the emergence of HIV in the U.S., in particular the history of HIV in San Francisco and the Bay Area. We will meet the people and visit the institutions which played key roles in the Public Health prevention, care, and treatment of HIV in San Francisco and consider the impact of HIV globally in our thinking about epidemic disease and the international responses to HIV. This will include key locations in the City, including the AIDS Grove, San Francisco General Hospital, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the Castro, and local AIDS service organizations. Students will also hear from patients, physicians, and activists who are living with AIDS. We will also meet with scientists at UCSF, Stanford, and local pharmaceutical companies who are at the forefront of new prevention, therapeutic, and diagnostic research. By examining the relationship between the emergence of Gay activism and AIDS in California and New York and the pandemic in Southern Africa, the course will emphasize the multi-disciplinary and multi-sector approach to epidemic infectious disease. How sis physicians, patients, epidemiologists, pharmaceutical companies, and policymakers develop effective responses to the AIDS epidemic ? What are we learning from Africa and what can Africa learn from us about how communities react to deadly threats from infectious disease.nnnAIDS experts from the Stanford community and Africa are invited to share their perspectives with us. In preparation for the seminar, you will be required to read And the Band Played On and Barnett and Whiteside's AIDS in the Twenty-First Century and selected scientific articles. As part of a group, you will also develop an AIDS-related project of your choice which you will present on the last day of class.

Focuses on applying design-thinking methodology to identify barriers that limit compliance with evidence-based recommendations for disease prevention, and create a new process in which health workers and patients employ a disease ¿prevention by design¿ approach that more effectively reduces risk-behaviors and promotes adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Students learn about the nature of chronic disease, discuss the challenges of prevention given the complexity of chronic disease, and use case studies to empirically investigate the very people who will use the prevention programs. Students create a Human-Centered Design Program that complements approaches currently being used for disease prevention and makes a critically important addition by focusing on the unique needs, context, goals, desires, strengths and limitations of the end-user. Class structure includes presentations, guest speakers, discussion, and design sessions. Includes field trips for application of knowledge. The final week focses on an integrated plan for ¿prevention by design¿.

Our understanding of warfare often derives from the lofty perspective of political leaders and generals: what were their objectives and what strategies were developed to meet them? This top-down perspective slights the experience of the actual combatants and non-combatants caught in the crossfire. This course focuses on the complexity of the process by which strategy is translated into tactical decisions by the officers and foot soldiers on the field of battle. We will focus on three battles in American history: Gettysburg (July 1863), the Battle of Little Bighorn (June 1876), and the Korengal Valley campaign in Afghanistan (2006-2010). In addition to reading major works on these battles and the conflicts in which they occurred, we will travel to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the Little Bighorn battlefield in Montana. While at Stanford, students will conduct extensive research on individual participants at Gettysburg and Little Bighorn. When we walk through the battlefield sites, students will brief the group on their subjects' experience of battle and on why they made the decisions they did during the conflict. Why did Lt. General Longstreet oppose the Confederate attack on the Union Army at Gettysburg? What was the experience of a military surgeon on a Civil War battlefield? Why did Custer divide his 7th Cavalry troops as they approached the Little Bighorn River? What was the role of Lakota Sioux women after a battle? Travel will be provided and paid by Sophomore College (except incidentals) and is made possible by the support of the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC). The final part of the class covers contemporary military conflicts discussing what the US public, political leaders, and military commanders have learned (and not learned) from the past. The course is open to students from a range of disciplines; an interest in the topic is the only prerequisite.

The technical, social, and political issues surrounding energy management and use in the West, using California, Nevada, and Arizona as a field laboratory. Students explore energy narratives, such as: Who supplies our energy and from what sources? How is it transported? Who distributes to users and how do they do it? Water for energy and energy for water, two intertwined natural resources. Meeting carbon emission goals by 2020. Conflicts between desert ecosystems and renewable energy development. Emphasis on renewable energy sources and the water-energy nexus. Central to the course is field exploration in northern and southern California, as well as neighboring areas in Arizona and Nevada, to tour sites such as wind and solar facilities, geothermal plants, hydropower pumped storage, desalination plants, water pumping stations, a liquid fuels distribution operations center, and California's Independent System Operator. Students meet with community members and with national, state, and regional authorities to discuss Western energy challenges and viable solutions. Site visits to Stanford's new energy facilities. Introduction to the basics of energy and energy politics through discussions, lectures, and with the help of guest speakers. Assigned readings, online interactive materials, and relevant recent news articles. Participants return to Stanford by September 19. Travel expenses during the course provided (except incidentals) by the Bill Lane Center for the American West and Sophomore College.

Who doesn't love going to a play: sitting in the darkened theater, an anonymous member of the audience waiting to be entertained, charmed, and challenged? But how many of us know enough about the details of the plays, their interpretation, their production, and acting itself, to allow us to appreciate fully the theatrical experience? In this seminar, we will spend 13 days in Ashland, Oregon, at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), where we will attend these plays: Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Pericles, and Antony and Cleopatra; the U.S. premiere of Stan Lai's Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land; Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls; the world premiere of Lynn Nottage's ,Sweat; Quiara Alegría Hudes' The Happiest Song Plays Last; Charles Fechter's adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo; Eugene O'Neill's Long Days Journey into Night; and the world premiere of Jeff Whitty's Head Over Heels. (To read more about these productions, go to www.osfashland.org). We will also spend time backstage, meeting with actors, designers, and artistic and administrative directors of OSF. Students will read the plays before the seminar begins. In Ashland, they will produce staged readings and design a final paper based on one of the productions. These reviews will be delivered to the group and turned in on Thursday, September 17. Note: This seminar will convene in Ashland on Monday, August 31, and will adjourn to Stanford on Sunday, September 13. Students must arrive in Ashland by 4:00 p.m. on August 31. Room and board in Ashland and transportation to Stanford will be provided and paid for by the program. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu

In the new millennium, the popularity of TV courtroom drama has been staggering: according to a weekly Nielsen ratings conducted a few years ago, 30 million people watched CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in one night, 70 million watched at least one of the CSI shows, and 40 million watched two other forensic dramas (Without a Traceand Cold Case). These widely popular shows offer a somewhat distorted image of American criminal courtroom. In this class we will go "behind the scenes" to engage in a hands-on investigation of performances in the criminal trials. nWe will begin by visiting Bay Area courthouses to investigate the courtroom as a "set" for powerful legal dramas that are happening there on a daily basis. In these field trips we will also observe the courtroom proceedings and talk to judges and other legal professionals. After this introduction to the real-life courtroom, we will investigate landmark theatrical court dramas. Using mock trial techniques, we will approach playtexts as legal "cases." We will try to identify weaknesses and strengths of these cases, and then use them as mock trial scenarios. Ultimately, this class engages the questions of what does it take to build a solid courtroom case and how does it differ from a powerful piece of theater. While getting acquainted with both courtroom and theater techniques, we will keep a critical eye on (mis)representations of criminal courtroom in the popular media. No previous experience in acting or mock trials is necessary. The class is under submission for Creative Expression requirement. Sophomore College Course: Application required, due noon, April 7, 2015. Apply at http://soco.stanford.edu.