201 - 210 of 242 results for: all courses

Preference to freshmen. Current topics at the frontier of modern physics. Topics include subatomic particles and the standard model, symmetries in nature, extra dimensions of space, string theory, supersymmetry, the big bang theory of the origin of the universe, black holes, dark matter, and dark energy of the universe. Why the sun shines. Cosmology and inflation.

Preference to freshmen. In 1994, more than 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu Rwandans were killed in the most rapid genocide in history. What could bring humans to carry out such violence? Could it have been prevented? Why did no major power intervene to stop the killing? Should the U.N. be held accountable? What were the consequences for Central Africa? How have international actors respond to the challenges of reconstructing Rwanda? What happened to the perpetrators? Sources include scholarly and journalistic accounts.

Preference to sophomores. The role of law in promoting social order. What is the rule of law? How does it differ from the rule of men? What institutions best support the rule of law? Is a state needed to ensure that laws are enforced? Should victims be allowed to avenge wrongs? What is the relationship between justice and mercy?

Preference to freshman. This seminar will consider how politics and government can be studied systematically: the compound term Political SCIENCE is not an oxymoron. The seminar will introduce core concepts and explore a variety of methodological approaches. Problems of inference from evidence will be a major concern. Classic and contemporary research studies will be the basis of discussion throughout.

Almost one-third of Americans now identify with a racial/ethnic minority group. This seminar examines the relationship between racial identity, group consciousness, and public opinion. Topics include the role of government institutions in shaping identification, challenges in defining and measuring race, attitudes towards race-based policies, and the development of political solidarity within racial groups. Particular attention will be paid to the construction of political identities among the growing mixed-race population.

Preference to freshmen. Focus is on a new statistics-based theory to account for the susceptibility of countries to civil war. How to write a theory-based historical narrative. Students write and present an original historical narrative focusing on how well the theory explains a particular history and on the importance of factors that are absent from the theory in explaining civil war onsets.

The manners in which a country is perceived and defines itself is a result of many complex forces, and involves the reproduction of social relations and complex social constructions both on the part of those who live there and those who see it from a distance. The perceptions of what Brazil is and what defines the country has changed throughout times, but has conserved some clear pervasive defining traits. This course is an introduction to the history, culture, politics and artistic production of Brazil as seen through feature films, documentaries and some complementary readings. Movies include, among others, Banana is my Business, Black Orpheus, Olga, They Don't Use Black-Tie, City of God, Central Station, Gaijin, and Four Days in September-among others. In English.

Introduces the science of Mind-Body Medicine. Intended for students with general interests in matters of mind and health, as well as students who are specifically interested in the psychological/biological/medical sciences. Begins with historical perspective and discussion of how diverse cultures and schools of medical thought from around the world grapple with the concept of Mind-Body Medicine. Other topics include: clear and accessible overviews of the basic elements and functions of the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems, how multiple biological systems need to act in concert to support life and health, the role of Mind-Body Medicine in context of modern western and non-western systems of medicine, health-related effects of "good" versus "bad" stress, stress reduction, positive and negative emotions, exercise, the placebo effect, and disorders like anxiety and depression. Course requirements include engaged and consistent participation, brief presentation and a final 6-8 page paper.

Many literary works are enhanced by, in fact demand, a psychological perspective to achieve a fully informed reading. In The Devils Dostoevsky uses the issues and process of anarchy as a platform on which to develop some of the most unforgettable characters in literary history. Death in Venice contains among its many themes the darker dynamic of paraphilia. Guilt searches for a validating crime in Kafka's The Penal Colony. Capote uses a journalistic style to manage horrible fact during In Cold Blood. Conrad shows that telling a story of the journey outward is more nearly an analysis of the journey inward in Heart of Darkness. Albee's Zoo Story asks whether the man on the street is prepared to confront his own worst nightmare. Close reading of works such as these presents opportunities to learn about character pathology and to expand traditional approaches to literary criticism by applying a psychological perspective.