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Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. Covers the intellectual tradition of computer science emphasizing ideas that reflect the most important milestones in the history of the discipline. No prior experience with programming is assumed. Topics include programming and problem solving; implementing computation in hardware; algorithmic efficiency; the theoretical limits of computation; cryptography and security; and the philosophy behind artificial intelligence.

This course is intended as a seminar-based exploration of the complex ways that race has informed political behavior and attitudes during the 2016 Presidential election. The class is designed to introduce freshman to sociological ways of understanding the social world, and the rigors of college thinking more broadly. As a group we will explore the mechanisms through which race informs political behavior, while also paying close attention to the ways that politics also informs our understanding of race. The course treats ¿race¿ as multifaceted construct, with multiple (and often times conflicting) influences on political behavior. The course stresses thenconstructed nature of both race and politics. The course will be split into 3 parts. In the first partnwe will explore the relationship between racial identity and political behavior at the individualnlevel. The second part of the course will examine how ideas about racial groups shape politicalnattitudes and behaviors, as well as policy outcomes. The third part of the course will explore hownrace is used to mobilize political and economic actors.

Food is one of the most essential aspects of the human experience. The decisions and choices we make about food define who we have been, who we are now, and who we want to become. In this seminar we will study how food habits have shaped religious traditions, and vice versa, how religious traditions have shaped food ways. Some traditions are centered around food regiments such as the dietary laws, derived from biblical law that shapes Jewish and Christian tradition very differently. Indeed, many religious and ethical thinkers, as well as anthropologists, have interpreted the meanings of the dietary laws very differently. Further, in many religious traditions the killing of animals and consumption of meat is deeply fraught. We will explore the history of food practices and their contemporary impact; the connections between food, religion, and identity; the meanings that religious thinkers and anthropologists have attributed to food habits; as well as the creative translations of religious traditions into contemporary food ethics by various social movements and groups, predominantly in the U.S..

Preference to sophomores. Historical overview of race in America, race and violence, race and socioeconomic well-being, and the future of race relations in America. Enrollment limited to 16.

We practice mindfulness as a way of enhancing well-being, interacting compassionately with others, and engaging in socially responsible actions as global citizens. Contemplation is integrated with social justice through embodied practice, experiential learning, and creative expression. Class activities and assignments include journaling, mindfulness practices, and expressive arts. We build a sense of community through appreciative intelligence, connected knowing, deep listening and storytelling.

In this course, we explore the world of words: their creation, evolution, borrowing, change, and death. Words are the key to understanding the culture and ideas of a people, and by tracing the biographies of words we are able to discern how the world was, is, and might be perceived and described. We trace how words are formed, and how they change in pronunciation, spelling, meaning, and usage over time. How does a word get into the dictionary? What do words reveal about status, class, region, and race? How is the language of men and women critiqued differently within our society? How does slang evolve? How do languages become endangered or die, and what is lost when they do? We will visit the Facebook Content Strategy Team and learn more about the role words play in shaping our online experiences. Together, the class will collect Stanford language and redesign the digital dictionary of the future. Trigger Warning: Some of the subject matter of this course is sensitive and may cause offense. Please consider this prior to enrolling in the course.

We may "know" "who" we "are," but we are, after all, social creatures. How does our sense of self interact with those around us? How does literature provide a particular medium for not only self expression, but also for meditations on what goes into the construction of "the Self"? After all, don't we tell stories in response to the question, "who are you"? Besides a list of nouns and names and attributes, we give our lives flesh and blood in telling how we process the world. Our course focuses in particular on this question--Does this universal issue ("who am I") become skewed differently when we add a qualifier before it, like "ethnic"?

Preference to freshmen. We will examine the struggles of African American women to define their own lives and improve the social, economic, political and cultural conditions of black communities. Topics will include women¿s enslavement and freedom, kinship and family relations, institution and community building, violence, labor and leisure, changing gender roles, consumer and beauty culture, social activism, and the politics of sexuality.

This interdisciplinary fine arts course is designed to examine the nature of artistic imagination, sources of creativity and the way this work helps shape social change. We will consider the relationship among muses, mentors and models for queer artists engaged in such fields as visual art, music, theatre, film, creative writing and dance. Exploring various cultures, lands and times, we will study the relationship between memory and vision in serious art. We will ask questions about the role of the artist in the academy and the broader social responsibility of the artist. We will locate some of the similarities and differences among artists, engage with different disciplines, and discover what we can learn from one another. This seminar requires the strong voices of all participants. To encourage students to take their ideas and questions beyond the classroom, we will be attending art events (performances, exhibits, readings) individually and in groups.nnThe learning goals include a serious exploration of individual students¿ creativity, a more nuanced appreciation of diverse arts and a stronger understanding of the multifaceted nature of gender, race and class. Students will develop their abilities to write well-argued papers. They will stretch their imaginations in the written and oral assignments. And they will grow more confident as public speakers and seminar participants.