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Controlling people's minds through propaganda is an integral part of fascist regimes' totalitarianism. In the interwar, cinema, a relatively recent mass media, was immediately seized upon by fascist regimes to produce aggrandizing national narratives, justify their expansionist and extermination policies, celebrate the myth of the "Leader," and indoctrinate the people. Yet film makers under these regimes (Rossellini, Renoir) or just after their fall, used the same media to explore and expose how they manufactured conformism, obedience, and mass murder and to interrogate fascism. We will watch films produced by or under European fascist regimes (Nazi Germany, Italy under Mussolini, Greece's Regime of the Colonels) but also against them. The seminar introduces key film analysis tools and concepts, while offering insights into the history of propaganda and cinema. Taught in English.

Preference to freshman. Behavior is what makes animals special (thirsty plants don't walk to water), but why do animals behave the way they do? What does their behavior tell us about their inner lives, and about ourselves? What do lipstick and cuckoos and fireflies have in common? Why would nobody want to be a penguin? What do mice say to each other in their pee-mail? Learning how to think about questions like these gives us a unique perspective on the natural world. Format: Flipped, Student-centered, Community of learners, with online and in-person discussion. Discussion and criticism of video examples, and documentaries, and student presentations. Topics: History and approaches to animal behavior; development of behavior, from genetics to learning; mechanisms of behavior, from neurons to motivation; function of behavior, from honest signals to selfish genes; the phylogeny of behavior, from domestication to speciation; and modern applications of behavior, from abnormal behavior, to conservation, to animal welfare, and animal consciousness.

Did you know that although we love garlic, it could make cats very sick? And how come if a human or a dog gets a heart attack they'll end up with a scar, but some fish can regenerate parts of their hearts? In this course, we will explore how select diseases can manifest themselves similarly or differently in different animal species. Students will have the opportunity to interpret physical exam findings, examine blood lab tests (bloodwork), look at X-rays (radiographs), and see what some of these diseases look like at the microscopic level (histology). Students will also discuss how humans benefit from understanding diseases in veterinary species, and how veterinary species benefit from understanding diseases in humans. This course will be of interest to those wanting to learn more about disease processes, and those interested in pursuing careers in biomedical fields including veterinary and human medicine. Oh, and one last thing don't cook with non-stick pans if you have indoor birds. Why? Sign up for the course to find out!

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, and game theory. 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 sometimes 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 20 or Math 41.

A hands-on interactive and fun exploration of great ideas from computer graphics. Motivated by graphics concepts, mathematical foundations and computer algorithms, students will explore an eccentric selection of "great ideas" through short weekly programming projects. Project topics will be selected from a diverse array of computer graphics concepts and historical elements.

This seminar course will explore the science behind generative AI, the likely future of tools such as DALL-E, ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Bard, and the implications for education, both in and outside of structured school environments. Students in the course will work in teams to each become experts in some aspect of AI and in some way that generative AI could create a new future for education. The background for this course is the public release of ChatGPT, which created new awareness of the potential power of AI to dramatically change our lives. In considering the possible implications for education, ChatGPT has sparked dreams of automated personal tutors, customizable teaching assistance, AI-led collaborative learning, and revolutions in assessment. In addition to optimistic projections, there are clear and significant risks. For example, will AI-assisted learning be culturally appropriate and equally available to all? Can it increase opportunity for underprivileged learners worldwide, or will it accentuate privilege and privileged views? Will it help us learn faster, or distract us from thinking deeply about difficult problems ourselves? As experienced student learners, members of the class will be able to draw on their own educational history and design learning approaches that could change the future of their education and others in college or at other stages of their lives.

Playback combines elements of theater, community work and storytelling. In a playback show, a group of actors and musicians create an improvised performance based on the audience's personal stories. A playback show brings about a powerful listening and sharing experience. During the course, we will tell, listen, play together, and train in playback techniques. We will write diaries to process our experience in the context of education and research. The course is aimed to strengthen listening abilities, creativity and the collaborative spirit, all integral parts of doing great science. In playback, as in research, we are always moving together, from the known, to the unknown, and back. There is limited enrollment for this class. Application is required.

How does a child, born without beliefs or expectations about race, grow up to be racist? To address this complicated question, this seminar will introduce you to some of the psychological theories on the development of racial stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Together, these theories highlight how cognitive, social, and motivational factors contribute to racist thinking. We will engage thoughtfully and critically with each topic through reflection and discussion. Occasionally, I will supplement the discussion and class activities with a brief lecture, in order to highlight the central issues, concepts, and relevant findings. We will share our own experiences, perspectives, and insights, and together, we will explore how racist thinking takes root. Come to class with an open mind, a willingness to be vulnerable, and a desire to learn from and with your peers. Students with diverse opinions and perspectives are encouraged to enroll.

This seminar concerns the design and analysis of imaginary (or constructed) worlds for narratives and media such as films, comics, and literary texts. The seminar's primary goal is to help participants understand the creation of better imaginary worlds - ultimately all our efforts should serve that higher purpose. Some of the things we will consider when taking on the analysis of a new world include: What are its primary features - spatial, cultural, biological, fantastic, cosmological? What is the world's ethos (the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize the world)? What are the precise strategies that are used by the artist to convey the world to us and us to the world? How are our characters connected to the world? And how are we - the viewer or reader or player - connected to the world? Note: This course must be taken for a letter grade to be eligible for WAYS credit.