Course Catalog (274)
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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
This course provides an introduction to cultural anthropology, surveying its defining questions, methods, and findings. We will examine the history and utility of anthropology's hallmark method, ethnography, the long-term immersion of the researcher in the culture under study. We will compare cultural anthropology's findings and comportment in other cultures to its conclusions and conduct in our own. No prerequisites.
Discovering the Past: Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory
This course asks two big questions: what do we know about humanity's past, and how do we know it? We will investigate the evolutionary origins and cultural trajectories of the human species. Topics to be covered include the human colonization of the globe, foraging lifeways, historical archaeology, and the emergence--and occasional collapse--of agricultural civilizations....
Introduction to Human Physiology
An introduction to human physiology aimed primarily at undergraduates who are not concentrating in biology. Topics include basic cardiovascular, respiratory, kidney, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and neuromuscular function, as well as aspects of reproduction and exercise physiology. Not for biology concentration credit. BIOL 0060 should not be taken following BIOL 0800 or the equivalent.
Principles of Physiology
Introduction to the function and integration of animal systems with an emphasis on mammals. Includes basic concepts in cell and organ system physiology as well as fundamentals of modern trends in physiological science. Emphasizes the application of physical and chemical principles to animal function at both the cellular and systemic levels. Sophomores seeking enrollment in...
From I Love Lucy to Lost: Television and American Culture
In this course, we will study how television reflects and shapes American culture, from its beginnings as focal point of family life in the suburban 1950s to its current status as interactive experience. We will look at television as a business, as a medium, and as a cultural force. Within that framework, we will analyze who decides which programs to put on the air, and how...
American Consumer Culture, 1870-present
What do we mean when we talk about the modern era in the United States as a “culture of consumption?” How have Americans created and reflected identities through participation in this culture? Beginning with the advent of mass production, advertising, and branding, we will examine the development of modern consumer culture, from its foundations in the 1870’s...
The Human Body: A Cultural Creation
Henna art. Bleached skin. Foot binding. Medical tattooing. Each of these bodily practices represents a socially-constructed understanding of how the human body is treated and experienced in a particular culture. Constituted by much more than genetics and biology, the human body has social, political, physical, symbolic and technological dimensions which vary through time and...
Medicine and Society
By examining the social contexts of how medical knowledge is produced and disseminated, this anthropology course will help students compare health care provision in North and South America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. This course will be of particular interest to students considering careers and further study in anthropology, sociology, international development, public...
Discovering the Past: Introduction to Archaeology
Do you like solving ancient mysteries, traveling to exotic parts of the globe, visiting ancient monuments, examining ancient artifacts, and studying history? If so, then this course is for you!! This course will introduce you to the fascinating field of archaeology: what it is, how it’s done, how it can help us understand the human past, and how it can help us make sense...
The Archaeology of Globalization
Is globalization something truly new in human history? How can we compare cross-cultural interaction before the written word and after the age of the Internet? In the modern world, what is the difference between "artifact" and "art"? Learn to tackle these questions by thinking like an archaeologist about the material world around you. From the ancient world...
The Survival of the Whitest: Two Centuries of Racism and Evolutionary Theory
“It’s just human nature…” is a common argument in politics used to support statements about everything from financial policy to criminal justice or family values. Throughout history such notions about human nature have been used to argue in favor of racial segregation, genocide, forced sterilization of the poor and those with heritable diseases, and...
The Prehistory of Humans: A Social and Cultural Evolution
The overarching theme of this course is meant to supply students with an ample understanding of our human antiquity. Therefore, in this course we will use archaeology as a means to comprehend our earliest origins and our unique evolution. This course should be of particular interest to students interested in archaeology, but also the humanities in general.
The main...
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
The cultural and social diversity of the world around us is astounding. Anthropology is a discipline that examines different aspects of this diversity and allows one to better understand the complexity of social phenomena. This course introduces students to the most important concepts and approaches used by anthropologists in understanding socio-cultural variation. The course...
Forensic Science: The Laboratory Detective - Senior SPARK
Forensics is the application of science to answer questions pertaining to the law. Methods used to solve criminal investigations have progressed significantly over the past thirty years. Investigators and scientists now collaborate and use forensic technologies to uncover facts associated with criminal cases. This course will uncover the truth behind criminal investigations...
So You Want to be a Scientist? - Junior SPARK
Have you ever wondered what DNA looks like? Are you curious about what it is like in a laboratory, working to solve problems in the medical field? Have you ever wanted to solve a crime?
This course is designed to expose middle school students to basic laboratory research in the fields of biotechnology, microbiology, medicine, forensics and general laboratory techniques....
Conservation of Endangered Species - Junior SPARK
We always hear about endangered species all over the world. What exactly is being done to protect these animals and their habitats? Most people do not realize it, but every endangered species has a recovery plan that maps the road to successfully increasing populations and saving habitats. Zoos are a huge part of these recovery plans by being a place for breeding and increasing...
Understanding the Human Body: An Exploration of Anatomy - Junior SPARK
Have you ever wondered how your body does all the things that it does?
Our bodies contain 206 bones and over 600 muscles, all coordinated by a central computer called the brain. In this course, you will learn how your body's components work as one, to keep you going everyday.
This exciting hands-on course will provide an opportunity to answer your questions...
DNA Science and Biotechnology - Senior SPARK
The field of Modern Biotechnology explores breakthrough technology that has revolutionized pharmaceutical, agricultural, and biomedical research. Scientific researchers in DNA Science work to understand diseases, develop treatments and cures, and to address concerns with the environment and our food supply. This laboratory-based course is designed to expose students to the...
Understanding the Human Body: An Exploration of Anatomy - Senior SPARK
Have you ever wondered how your body does all the things that it does? Our bodies contain 206 bones and over 600 muscles, all coordinated by a central computer called the brain. In this course, you will learn how your body’s components work as one to keep you going everyday.
This exciting hands-on course will provide an opportunity to answer your questions...
Biological Illustration
This course will introduce students to the field of Biological Illustration. The opportunity to learn the tenets of traditional media and expectations in producing renderings suitable for publication are a paramount feature of this intensive course that puts skills to use immediately.
Employing a range of media, students will learn the protocols of scientific rendering...
Techniques in DNA-Based Biotechnology
The development of powerful tools in molecular biology has led to an explosion in our understanding of genes and the factors controlling their expression. Illuminating research, including recent Nobel Prize winning work, is beginning to reveal the significant role of RNA, a molecule long thought to be merely a "messenger."
Through extensive laboratory...
Introduction to Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering
This two-week course will serve as an introduction to stem cells and current stem cell research. We will examine current progress in the stem cell field and discuss the challenges presented by the in-vitro engineering of stem cells to create functional adult tissues. Topics covered will include the harvesting of stem cells from specific tissues, including bone marrow, adipose...
So You Think You Want to Be a Doctor: An Introduction to Medicine
So you think you want to be a doctor? This course is designed to help you answer that question by letting you see the practice of medicine firsthand, giving you a taste of what medical school would be like, and helping you evaluate how well your talents and preferences match those of a career in medicine.
You will "try medicine on for size" by spending a half...
The Body: An Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology
This course will explore the structure and function of the human body. Lectures will follow a systemic approach, which means that the structure and function of the human body will be presented in the context of different organ systems (e.g., digestive, circulatory, skeletal). During the course students will be introduced to the major organ systems of the body, and by the...
Understanding the Nation's Health
What is Public Health? Public health is the latest buzz word in America, and in this one week course, students will develop an overall understanding of public health. From universal health care to mandated health insurance coverage, students will examine the dichotomy between individual health and public health. Newspaper articles and sound bytes will challenge students to...
Stem Cells, Cloning, Regenerative Medicine: Changing the Face of Biology
This lecture/laboratory course will introduce students to basic stem cell theory and laboratory techniques. Topics covered in lecture will include embryonic and adult stem cells, cloning techniques (both reproductive and therapeutic), as well as an overview of model systems used to study stem cells in plants and invertebrates. The stem cell's place in the future of regenerative...
Scholar-Athlete: Sport Physiology
To understand the organ systems integrated response and adaptations to the stress of exercise.
This topic is interesting to anyone who wants to understand what their body is actually doing during exercise and post exercise at the biological level. The course will introduce and demystify training regimens and diets. Students will be introduced to sciences' evolving...
Introduction to Bio-Medical Science: Cells, Tissues and Organs
While some would say “substance over form,” in this course the substance IS form: that of the vertebrate body. We will focus on the four tissues that represent the body’s building blocks. These will be examined from the perspective of the cell, tissue and organ levels.
This course is of interest to students interested in development, morphology, with...
Research Techniques in Biomedical Fields
Doctors work to treat diseases but scientists work to cure them. Have you ever wondered about the work that goes on behind the scenes in Medicine? Do you want to find out what it is like to work in a laboratory and be a real "lab rat"? This laboratory intensive course is designed to expose students to basic laboratory research, current topics and techniques in molecular...
From Mad Cow Disease to Alzheimer's: The Biological Basis of Disease
What do Mad Cow, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease have in common? All these diseases are caused by cellular proteins, found in the brain, which fail to fold properly. Through this course, you will learn about key diseases that are caused by protein mis-folding. Topics covered will include symptoms, cellular physiology and current methods of treatment. You will...
Bacteriology: The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly
Did you know that the bubonic plague killed approximate 50% of Europe’s population in the middle ages? Did you know that the bacterium that causes leprosy lives inside of the American Armadillo? Bacteria floating miles high in the atmosphere can cause meningitis. Bacteria even contribute to obesity and heart attacks. Come learn about the amazing word of bacteria!
Bacteria...
Principles of Human Physiology - Part A
Physiology is the critical study of how living things function. It is not anatomy, but as one of the most fundamental disciplines in the biomedical sciences, it depends heavily on anatomical and biological concepts. An understanding of the basic principles of physiology, especially in regard to our own bodies, is an invaluable part of any budding physicians' or scientists'...
Methods in Biochemistry
The disciplines of Biochemistry and Cell Biology address the biological processes of living organism from different perspectives but together they help scientists gain an understanding of complex processes that occur in living organisms. Unraveling these pathways has allowed the approach to human diseases to be more specific because it can be addressed at the molecular level....
So You Want to Be a Doctor?
Is a career in medicine right for you? This course is designed to help you answer that question. Experience the study of medicine in a whole new way and get a taste of what medical school and practicing medicine in a variety of different medical specialties would be like. Participants in this class will:
* Study gross anatomy, histology, physiology, and microbiology in...
Principles of Human Physiology - Part B
Physiology is the critical study of how living things function. It is not anatomy, but as one of the most fundamental disciplines in the biomedical sciences, it depends heavily on anatomical and biological concepts. An understanding of the basic principles of physiology, especially in regard to our own bodies, is an invaluable part of any budding physicians’ or scientists’...
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry: From DNA to Enzymes
Molecular biology and biochemistry are two closely related fields where the properties of key biological molecules, such as proteins and DNA, and how they interact with each other in living organisms are studied. Research in these areas have become so successful at explaining living processes that they are used in almost all areas of the life sciences from medicine to the...
Organic and Biochemistry: Key Pathways to Success for the Pre-Med Student
Organic and biochemistry are the foundation sciences for the life sciences discipline. Students hoping to have a medical career need to have a strong foundation in chemistry. The MCAT exams given to college students hoping to enter medical/dental or veterinary schools contain a number of sections devoted to general/organic and biochemistry.
The course begins with...
Body at Work: Anatomy, Physiology, and Disease
In this course you will study the major organ systems of the body, investigate normal and pathologic anatomy and physiology, and examine common diseases and injuries that affect the body’s organ systems.
Students considering a career in the health professions will find this course provides a foundation in the study of human form and function, with an emphasis on the...
DNA Science: Forensics, Food, and Medicine
DNA can solve a crime, identify a future disease, and distinguish our common ancestors. A remarkable molecule, it has often been referred to as the “building block of life.”
Advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to an explosion in our understanding of DNA and how it impacts us, both as individuals and as a society. This course will introduce...
Laboratory Research in Biomedicine
Topics to be covered in this laboratory intensive course include the structure and function of biomolecules such as proteins, enzymes, carbohydrates, and DNA, as well as the structure and function of cellular components. In the laboratory, students will carry out several introductory and advanced experimental techniques utilizing both DNA and proteins. Experiments will include...
Leadership and Global Health
Despite world-wide advances in technology and development, providing basic health care to people in resource-poor settings continues to pose enormous challenges. Now more than ever, the global community is focused on overcoming inequities in access to health care and poverty alleviation as a means of curbing the spread of disease and improving people’s livelihoods. Building...
Infectious and Epidemic Disease
Understanding how pathogens are transmitted, lead to illness, and how they can be controlled or cured is the cornerstone of medical science. We will explore a variety of pathogenic organisms by examining their life cycle, transmission from host to host, and why some pathogens result in to epidemics. Students will discover not only the treatment of epidemic disease, but also...
Successful Nontraditional Careers in Life Sciences
Do you have a passion for the life sciences but are uncertain of whether you would like to become a medical doctor? There are many other career choices you could consider, like for example: University Professor, Biotech scientist, Biomedical Researcher, Forensic Scientist, Intellectual Property Attorney, Geneticist, Science Writer, Clinical research liaison and Government...
Forensic Science - CSI Providence!
What makes an expert witness an expert? What would the perfect crime look like? These are but a couple of the many questions we will explore during this course. Forensic science is an exciting field that combines scientific principles from many different science disciplines with technology and math resulting in new, sometimes surprising outcomes!
This integrated...
Using Pharmacology To Help Us Study The Nervous System
Have you ever thought about how nerve cells in your brain talk to each other, and how psychoactive drugs can affect this process? In this class you will learn the latest ideas concerning how nerves use chemicals and electricity to communicate with each other, and how drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, LSD, caffeine and nicotine can alter brain communication.
Pharmacology...
Understanding the Molecular Pharmacological Basis of Cancer Therapy
Scientific research has greatly enhanced our understanding of cancer biology, thus providing the basis for developing effective cancer drugs. This course will introduce key processes involved in the cell cycle and factors affecting drug action. Students will subsequently apply this knowledge to understand the biology and therapeutic strategies used to treat cancer. The introductory...
Sex and Chromosomes: The Genetics and Biochemistry of Development
Did you ever wonder how a male knows to be male, not female? How does the female know to stay female? What does sex have to do with any of that? Can the male/female development process be altered? That is, can we re-engineer our genome? If so, how do we turn on and off the right genes at the right time to make sure this happens? And if we can control how and when to turn our...
Introduction to Public Health and the Global Disease Burden
This course will provide an introduction to public health in terms of terminology, research methods, important chronic and infectious diseases, and career opportunities in the field. This is a great class for students interested in learning more about public health, the social and political context of disease, and future opportunities in the field.
The focus of this...
Drug Discovery: Treating Human Disease Through Medicine
Whether you’re pursuing a career in research or medicine, this class will provide you with a “behind the scenes” look into drug discovery and prescription medicines. You will learn biological pathways of the most prevalent diseases affecting society and what drugs were brought forth to treat these aliments. By course end, you will have developed a fundamental...
The Great Diseases: Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes, and Infections
This course will explore the big killers of mankind. Student will gain a better understanding of the history of disease and the biological reasons diseases occur.
This course will examine the major diseases that man is afflicted with. We will explore cancer, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis and Alzeimers, autoimmune...
Cancer Biology: An Evolving Puzzle
Have you ever questioned why certain types of cancer are so difficult to treat or how basic science discoveries translate into clinical practice? This course will provide an introduction to cancer biology through hands-on laboratory exercises and interactive lectures. Students will have the opportunity to develop an independent research project and learn about the daily activities...
Viruses: Ancient Machines in a Modern World
Have you ever had a really bad cold? Maybe the flu? Do you know a polio survivor? Someone with AIDS?
Do you ever wonder exactly how these illnesses occur? It turns out we are merely guests in a fascinating microscopic world. Among the bacteria, parasites, prions, and other microbes are tiny, lifeless, parasitic beings that have been on earth long before we ever were: we...
From Brain to Sensation: Neurobiology of Perception - Senior SPARK
Taste! Smell! Sound! Sight! Touch! Balance! How is all of this information turned into sensation? Hint: it involves the brain! Students will learn how our brains make sense of the world around us, and they'll learn a little brain anatomy along the way too!
Through a combination of individual and small group experiments, students will about the sensory systems...
From Brain to Sensation: Neurobiology of Perception - Junior SPARK
Taste! Smell! Sound! Sight! Touch! Balance! How is all of this information turned into sensation? Hint: it involves the brain! Students will learn how our brains make sense of the world around us, and they'll learn a little brain anatomy along the way too!
Through a combination of individual and small group experiments, students will about the sensory systems...
Brain Basics: From Biology to Behavior
The study of the brain as a biological structure is very different from the study of any other organ in the body. The cells that make up the brain, neurons, share many of the same fundamental characteristics with other cells of the body (exocytosis, manufacturing of proteins, metabolism, growth). However the functions of these cells result in products that are quite unique...
Vision: A Glimpse of the Brain
This course will explore the magnificent physical and chemical connections of the eye and brain. The brain is the most complicated organ in the body controlling sensation, movement, emotion and memory. What types of cells are in the brain? How do they interact? How are photons (particles of light) captured by the eye? Why are images upside-down in the brain? The answers...
Psychoactive Drugs: Brain, Body, Society
Have you ever wondered about the difference between recreational and medicinal usage of psychoactive drugs (drugs that alter mood and behavior)? Are there basic differences in the action of psychoactive drugs when they are taken for recreational versus medicinal purposes? And how does society decide how to categorize psychoactive drugs: which ones to make legal and which illegal?...
Neuroscience in Health and Disease
Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and networks of nerve cells, or neurons, that travel throughout the body. Although the field of neuroscience is relatively new, being recognized only in recent decades as a formal discipline, it is growing and expanding at a very rapid rate. The rapid growth of neuroscience and the pace of biomedical...
Nervous System Function in Health and Disease
Many secrets of the nervous system have been unraveled through observation of patients with neurological disorders. In this course, we will examine the importance of structure-function relationships within the nervous system and explore how this balance is disrupted in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease....
The Secret Life of the Brain: From Shrimps to Humans
The human brain contains about 100 billion cells known as neurons, yet it remains a mystery how the activity of these neurons makes us think, feel and move. In this course we will try to answer this question.
Standard neuroscience courses usually begin with a description of brain's nuts-and-bolts (neurons, ion channels, synapses), while all the fun topics (behavior,...
From Sound to Synapse: This is Your Brain on Music
How does your brain process sound so that you can actually hear it? Do you know dolphins and bats use sound to see? What makes musical instrument sound different from one another even when you play the same note? How can an opera singer shatter glass? In this multidisciplinary course you will answer these questions along with many other interesting ones. You will do numerous...
Playing Tricks on the Brain!: Perception and Illusion in the Human Visual System
Nearly half of the human brain is devoted to vision, and even the best software engineers at Google and Microsoft can't beat a 3-year-old when it comes to object recognition. Visual perception feels automatic and effortless, and is usually so perfect that we fail to notice it. This course will look at cases where this breaks down when we fall prey to illusions. Like glitches...
Word Etymologies: The Greek and Latin Roots of English
Did you know that from one-third to two-thirds of English words use Latin or Greek roots? And in fields such as medicine, science, and technology, that figure jumps even higher! Familiarity with recurring word elements can help you learn this vocabulary more readily, and even decipher words you haven’t met before.
This course is designed to increase your grasp...
Introduction to Roman Culture & Literature
Spectacles, brutality, gluttony, decadence, ruthless ambition, limitless empire: these are a few of the terms associated with the Romans in modern culture. This course examines another side of one of the greatest societies of the Western World from the point of view of their cultural accomplishments. We will learn about their society through their own words, seeing Roman culture...
This is Sparta!
Why do we still glorify the Spartans in movies and books over 2000 years after their city and way of life fell to ruins? What about Spartan history and culture has captured the imaginations of those who have studied them, both in the ancient and modern worlds? Their strict, regimented lifestyle produced a class of dedicated, fearsome warriors, but did their eugenics and training...
Conquest, Control, and Interconnections: The History of the Roman Empire
Spanning from Britain to Iraq, the Roman Empire connected vast areas and different cultures in a time before the internet, telephones, or mass media. How did the Romans gain such an Empire, how did they govern it, and ultimately why did it fall? This course examines the history of the Roman Empire and considers the unique social, cultural, and political concerns of an imperial...
Learning Linux & Programming for Beginners
The main aim of the course is to enable students to learn about a powerful operating system and to become familiar with its most important scripting tools. Computer programming skills are a hot commodity in this ever connected world and this course will get students started on the path to become a software programmer. This course will therefore be attractive to all students...
Taming the Python- Programming in Python using Linux
The main aim of this course is to enable students to learn about a powerful programming language (python) and familiarize with its most important scripting tools. Computer programming skills are a hot commodity in this ever connected world and this course will get students started in the path to become a successful software programmer.
Python is considered as one...
Programming and Problem Solving in Matlab
Matlab is a powerful numerical computing, visualizing, and programming environment that has found wide use across all engineering disciplines and is probably the most commonly used tool for engineering calculations. Electrical engineers use it to accelerate magnetic field measurements, mechanical engineers use it to enhance structural analysis computations and visualizations,...
Introduction to the Global Business Environment
This course will familiarize students with the dynamic nature and global reach of the contemporary business enterprise. Course participants will study the nature, opportunities and risks of the global environment. Additionally, we will explore the techniques and strategies that the multinational firm utilizes to successfully operate in this exciting international economic...
International Financial Markets and Investments
This course provides an introduction to the study of financial assets and international financial markets. Topics covered include the purpose and functioning of financial markets and institutions, valuation of financial assets, analysis of risk and return, and the recent financial crisis.
The course will address questions such as the following: What are the functions...
An Introduction to Game Theory
When we decide how to behave, we take into account how other players behave, not only because we care about other people but because it affects what we get out of the interaction. Game theory is the systematic study of this strategic interaction. Strategic interactions are present everywhere not only in economics but in politics, sociology, law, movies, computer science, at...
How a Nation's Economy Works: An Introduction to Macroeconomics
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the study of economics and more specifically to macroeconomics, that is, with how the big picture of how the economy works.
What are the sources of long-run economic growth? Why are some countries so much richer than others? What determines the course of the business cycle? How are inflation and unemployment...
Economic Growth and Development
Why are some countries so much richer than others? Why is the standard of living in developed countries like the United States so much higher today than it was 100 years ago? Are there policies that poor countries can implement that will help them catch up with those that are rich? Will growth in rich countries continue on its current trend, so that our grandchildren will...
Making Informed Financial Decisions in Today's World Economy
This course introduces students to concepts and tools needed to understand basic economic decision making. By examining how individuals, businesses and countries allocate resources, students will gain an understanding of the environment in which financial decisions are made. In addition, examining some of the instruments used to invest will provide students with ways to make...
Technology and its Effect on Business and World Economies
This course analyzes economic effects of continuous advances in technology, automation in production, outsourcing and globalization. From nanotechnology to smart phones to 3D printers, this course helps students understand and predict what the economy of the future will look like.
In 1980, three television stations provided entertainment, telephones were stuck to...
Leadership and Global Development
Despite unprecedented increases in global wealth over the last fifty years, a large share of the world’s population " in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and some of the Transition Economies " still lives in abject poverty. Understanding and promoting economic, social, and political development and equality is one of the primary challenges for...
Economania
Do good-looking people earn more? Why do famous basketball players have less education than their less famous teammates? Do women get drunk faster than men? Is corruption a cultural trait? This course will examine selected discoveries in empirical economics and explain them in easy-to-understand terms, introducing students to the techniques economists use to solve the riddles...
How to Choose a Stock: An Integrated Course of Principles of Economics, Financial Accounting and Investments
This course will introduce you a conceptual framework for choosing a stock and give you hands-on experience in trading. This course is designed for students who have a general interest in Economics and/or Investments. The broader coverage of this course offers you not only a taste of three different subjects but also a broader picture of what Econ concentrators learn at Brown....
The World in Turmoil: Inside the Engine of the Crisis
What are the origins of the current economic turmoil? Why do the youth rebel all over the world more than ever before? Why are Europe and America losing ground to emerging markets? How can we better understand the limits of our economic system and how will this affect our career opportunities, our health and our education?
This course will address these questions by reading...
Developing Young Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Pitch
Are you full of great business ideas? Do you love sharing these ideas with your friends and family? Does your imagination wander when you think about how a product or service could be developed or improved? If so, you may be on your way to becoming the next great entrepreneur!
Entrepreneurship is a creative endeavor, in which innovators put their ideas to the test in the...
Statistics for Economists
This course teaches students how to communicate methods, results, and interpretations using the vocabulary of statistics, with an application in Economics. It is intended to help students that aim to take AP Statistics tests.
Reasoning based on probability and statistics gives modern society the ability to cope with uncertainty. It deals with the design of how data...
Intro to Microeconomics
This course will introduce students to the fundamental principles of microeconomics, and by doing so teach students the basics of how to think about economics. Students who adequately complete this three-week course will be well prepared to study economics at the university level. The solid foundation in economic analysis should also benefit students planning to take the AP...
Behavioral Game Theory: Experiments in Strategic Interaction
This is an undergraduate level course for pre-college students on game theory and experimental economics. The purpose is to provide a thorough introduction to experimental economics so students can learn how to conduct an experiment in economics and how to analyze the data in the experiment. Besides the interests in game theory, it tells students how people really interact...
The Entrepreneurial Process: Turning Ideas into Commercial Realities
Entrepreneurship, at its core, is innovation in practice. The entrepreneur transforms ideas into opportunities, and, through a calculated process, opportunities into commercial realities. Using three modules, this course will present an entrepreneurial framework for these processes, supported by interactions with industry experts and guest lecturers as well as readings and...
Decision Theory: How to Model Rational Choice
What is rational choice? How do economists model the decision making process? The primary objective of this course is to understand the standard way of modeling choice, which serves as the foundation of both micro- and macroeconomics.
The course will be divided into two parts. In the first part, the traditional way of modeling individual and group choice will be...
Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
The Bust of Nefertiti. The great Pyramids of Giza. Karnak Temple. Book of the Dead Papyri.
These are just a few of the places and things students will examine in this course. During this course, students will be introduced to Egyptian material culture, art, and architecture, from over 3,000 years of Egyptian history. We will begin at the moment of political unification...
Ancient Egyptian Religion and Magic
Ancient Egyptian temples stand as enduring remnants of Egypt's religious past. From the Great Pyramids of Giza to pit graves of the non-elite, from the great palaces and temples of kings and gods like Karnak and Luxor to private shrines in houses, this course invites you to partake in the reconstruction of ancient Egypt's religion. By analyzing Egyptian texts, statues,...
TOEFL Preparation
This course is an intermediate-advanced level English course focused on preparation for the TOEFL test. Students will review test-taking strategies and develop skills in Listening, Grammar, Reading and Writing. Students join in class discussions to reinforce their knowledge of the structure of English. They will complete in-class and homework assignments related to developing...
Classic Fairy Tales Reconsidered
Introducing today's students to the original versions of fairy tales. Make them aware the the tradition continues to present times.
Originally, fairy tales were not intended for children but throughout much of their history were told among adult audiences for entertainment and instruction. During Romanticism, fairy tales were understood as tales sending a...
Composing the Academic Essay
In this course, you will learn how to organize and focus your writing as you explore a topic of your choice and craft a well-researched academic essay. You will develop an idea, expand and support it with evidence, articulate it by means of a carefully-structured argument, and conclude it with implications for further investigation, all while using an engaged, intelligent voice.
Writing Speculative Fiction
In this class we will write. A lot. We will write every day. And by doing so, we will develop as story tellers. We will look at work from the early days of the genre to work written last week. We will look at these stories not only out of a love for sci-fi, but also out of an interest in language. We will see how the great stories were crafted and use that knowledge to inform...
Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction
This intensive program will excite young writers with numerous tools and alternative approaches to the writing process in either fiction or poetry. Organized into small group workshops based on students' choice of genre, key elements of the program include:
• frequent workshop sessions in which leader and participants offer supportive feedback on your writing;
•...
Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry
This intensive program will excite young writers with numerous tools and alternative approaches to the writing process in either fiction or poetry. Organized into small group workshops based on students' choice of genre, key elements of the program include:
• frequent workshop sessions in which leader and participants offer supportive feedback on your writing;
•...
Introducing The Craft of Journalism
This course is designed to introduce students to the craft of journalism. Students will learn to report stories, how to conduct interviews and become close observers of everyday life. Students will become stronger writers, rid their writing of clutter, and learn what it takes to become a good reporter.
This course teaches news writing as a thought process, a set...
Writing the College Admissions Essay
The main objective of this course is to teach high-school students how to write a personal statement for their college applications.
Wondering how you're going to describe yourself into 500 words? Talk about your dreams without using cliches? Don't you want to set yourself apart from the rest of the college-bound hopefuls? In this week-long seminar, students...
Scholar-Athlete: Sports Writing
After the game, when the cheering stops, a sports writer's work begins. Learn how to make sport come alive in words -- the drama, the pressure, the pivotal moments, the personalities. You will also gain deeper insights into your own athletic pursuits by learning to communicate the essence of competition. From game coverage to profiles to columns to broader issues, students...
Writing Flash Fiction
Flash fiction is a story boiled down to its essence, one that hinges on a single word, a phrase or a fragment. In this class will learn by doing. We will write every evening and workshop in every class. We will read the work of a variety of modern authors, learning from those who have come before us. This is a class for exploring and pushing language, it is for students who...
Love, Horror, Monsters, Beauties: Writing about Literature by Reading Below the Surface
The goal of this two-week course is to introduce students to the practice of college-level critical reading and writing. This class works under the assumption that there is not a single, easy meaning to any piece of literature. Thus, instead of trying to find that one “correct” interpretation, we will be reading closely and actively. Students will learn the skills...
Experimental Writing
Experimental Writing is offered to high school students interested in producing works of fiction and non-fiction. By thinking critically about both established authors' works and those of their peers, students will enhance their own understanding of writing. They will have the opportunity to practice drafting in a variety of styles and genres, including memoir, poetry,...
Intro to Language and Linguistics
Language is the foundation for virtually every human endeavor. Yet it remains in many ways as mysterious as our own nervous system"the fact that we use it does not automatically grant us an understanding of how it works. Learning about language structure and language use gives us unexpected insights into our human endowment and the nature of our social interactions.
Invisible Cities and Ideal States
We'll consider what societies need to survive and thrive, and design societies to our own specifications. We'll explore what we can learn about our own world -- both how it is and how it could be -- by inventing others.
Our central questions: How do the worlds we live in affect the worlds we can imagine? What can we learn about our own world's...
Writing for College and Beyond
Are you ready to start writing the way college students write? Challenge yourself intellectually and creatively as you explore writing as a form of inquiry, and a part of social conversation.
The first half of this course offers you the chance to think carefully about writing narrative prose, which is in effect a form of storytelling. Thus you begin the course thinking...
Storytelling in the Digital Age
Think of the stories that most captured your attention over the past year. What made them so engaging? Often the most successful narratives combine text, video, music, sound, and images to tell a story and make a lasting impression. From today's most compelling documentary films to reporting by citizen journalists, storytelling is evolving in this digital age. This...
Future Perfect: Science Fiction and the Politics of Imagination
“This has all happened before, and it will all happen again.” So goes the favorite refrain of humans and robots alike, in Battlestar Galactica, the hit 2004-2008 remake of the popular 1978 television show. But are we doomed to repeat history, or can we change ourselves for the better? Future Perfect explores the ways in which science fiction, an often overlooked...
Inward Bound: The Art of Travel Writing
How do we translate our experiences of new places--and new worlds--into a form that we can share with others? When we learn to use the tools of fiction like character, narrative, and description to address topics from the real world including our personal experience and topics that are of interest to us, our writing immediately becomes more powerful. This course provides techniques...
Politics and the Tradition of American Humor: Ben Franklin to Stephen Colbert
Starting with satirical writing from the 18th century and continuing to the late-night television satire of today, this course examines how humor has been used to explore the political and social issues of the time. Jon Stewart's "fake news" uses irony and sarcasm to blur the divide between "real" and "fake" news, while Stephen Colbert's...
Putting Your Ideas Into Writing
Do you ever wish you could express your thoughts in a clearer and more compelling manner? Do you have convincing arguments and brilliant insights in your mind that just don't seem to translate into your writing? This course will help you get those great ideas onto paper and communicate them effectively to your intended audience, whether that is a high school teacher,...
Read, Think, Write - Approaching the College Essay
Despite our increasing reliance on screens in our 21st-century lives, writing remains a crucial skill that one must have. The texts we will read are not only important for their philosophical and social content, but also for their exemplification of various modes of written argumentation. Our discussion of the various texts will focus on the three levels of reading: summary,...
English On Stage: Building Language Skills Through Performance
The main objective of English on Stage is to provide students with an opportunity to hone their English language skills through improvisational and scripted performance. By setting English instruction in the world of the dramatic arts, the course encourages students to experiment with newly learned vocabulary and grammar. It supplements more traditional language learning models...
Communicating Science: Writing, Editing, Reviewing and Presenting the Language of Science
Two of the greatest challenges facing budding scientists/physicians are to learn the unique language of science and how to effectively communicate with peers. This course introduces essential skills necessary for any science major, emphasizing the language of science and how information is disseminated. Students who complete this course will be prepared for immediate integration...
Taking Sides - The Art of Public Speaking and Debate
Whether we are making formal presentations at school or simply chatting with friends, we are constantly required to organize and to present our thoughts verbally. This course allows students the opportunity to improve upon and to polish their oral communication skills in a friendly and encouraging setting.
George Bernard Shaw wrote: "The single biggest problem...
How to Read a Poem (and How to Write One, too)
Poems challenge us. They use language differently from other genres, and their subjects often elude us, and we end up asking what does the poem mean?
How then do poems need to be read? What, other than the technical information we find in books on poetry, do we need to know about poetic forms and language? think about? puzzle over? How do we know when our interpretation...
Writing the Analytic Essay
This course is designed to teach you how to introduce your voice into an academic conversation. You will learn how to closely read primary texts, summarize arguments, evaluate and respond to critical sources, incorporate evidence and cite references, and employ a variety of rhetorical tools and strategies that will strengthen your position.
Students will study and...
Putting Yourself into Words
This week-long workshop will explore the balance between self-expression and effective communication essential to writing powerful personal narratives, college admissions essays, and creative reflections. As you write and receive feedback daily, you’ll learn not only about purpose, revision, and style, but also about writing as a means of exploring, learning, figuring...
Nanotechnology: The Small Wonder from Atom to Space - Senior SPARK
In this hands-on course, you will learn about nanotechnology and its broad spectrum of applications in current life. You will experience the fundamental rules behind nanotechnology through interesting experiments, activities and games. You will also see how scientists at Brown conduct leading nanotechnology research. In addition, you will get a chance to design your own nanotechnology...
Aerospace Engineering and Rocket Science - Senior SPARK
Have you ever looked at an airplane and wanted to know how it works? Do the words; rocket, space, and satellite excite your imagination? Have you even wanted to know how NASA shoots up satellites into outer space and reach their final destination millions of miles away? Or how to build an airplane that can travel faster than the speed of sound? If these questions excite you,...
Bridging Land, Sea and Space: Engineering Structures - Junior SPARK
The main objective of this course is to discuss and understand, from an engineering stand point, the various structures seen in our everyday lives, such as buildings and bridges. Other types of structures that perhaps we do not come in contact with everyday, but do play an important role in our lives such as ships, aircrafts, and satellites; will also be studied.
This...
RobotC : An Introduction to Programming using LEGO Robots - Junior SPARK
Do you like LEGO's? Do you like robots? Have you heard of the Mars Rover? Do you want to learn about ultrasonic, light, and sound sensors? Do you like computers? If these questions appeal to you, then you will want to register for this course.
This LEGO robotics course will feature fully customizable LEGO robotic rovers (car-like vehicles). Students typically...
Engineering Your Own Electronic and Mechanical Devices - Senior SPARK
The main objective of this course is to explain and demonstrate how simple science and mathematics help in the building of various electro-mechanical devices. Also shown is the applications of these devices in real life as well as the design process that leads to their eventual creation.
This course introduces students to the theory, tools, and techniques in engineering...
Robot Rover Derby
Engineers design useful or desirable objects, employing scientific principles. In Robot Rover Derby you and two teammates will design, construct and program a useful and desirable rover that will compete with other rover teams in a ladder tournament.
Your rover can navigate autonomously by onboard computer signals. The rover will start remotely by 900MHz wireless...
Do You Want to Be an Engineer?
“Do You Want To Be An Engineer?” is a three-week pre-college course that introduces a variety of engineering topics and disciplines with a focus in mechanical, civil, electrical, computer, chemical, biomedical, and materials engineering.
The primary objective for this course is to enable students who have an interest in fundamental math and science to utilize...
Engineering Biomedical Systems
Have you ever wondered how scientists make pacemakers or grow cartilage for joint repair? These scientists, called biomedical engineers, have been working in this new and exciting field to develop devices and tissue engineered technologies to help us live better lives. The most exciting thing about biomedical engineering is that there are many questions left to be answered....
Engineering for the Space Enthusiast
Have you ever looked at an airplane and wanted to know how it works? Do the words; rocket, space, and satellite excite your imagination? Have you even wanted to know how NASA and other space agencies get probes and satellites to orbit their final destination millions of miles away? Or how an airplane can travel three times the speed of sound? If these questions stimulate you,...
RobotC, Robot Do: Programming Lego Robots With A Text Based Language
“RobotC, Robot Do” is a summer course meant for high school students interested in learning about programming, but more so about problem solving. RobotC is a text based programming language which is very similar to the C++ programming language, but designed specifically to work with Lego Mindstorms robots. Students will be able to program robots to move, sense,...
Materials Engineering: A Revolution in the Making
What do you think would be the greatest, coolest invention of this century? Many of the greatest scientists and technologists believe that this would be in the field of Materials research " of new materials that have amazing properties, and what’s more " are capable of changing themselves to suit their requirements. Though we know of an amazing array of materials,...
Electrochemical Engineering: Making the world more beautiful, sustainable and energy efficient
Electrochemical engineering is centered, but not limited, on energy (batteries and fuel cell), corrosion (rust), manufacturing (Aluminum), and sensor techniques (how to measure acidity). You will learn how the processes happened, what is the relationship between these, i.e. corrosion and battery, and how to use electrochemical technologies to make the world more beautiful,...
Modern Rapid Prototyping Techniques
In this course you will have an introduction to the art of fabricating cast metal prototypes. Using 3 dimensional computer aided design software, rapid prototyping equipment, and the undergraduate Materials science lab to make bronze castings, this course will demonstrate some of the basic ideas about how engineers go about designing and fabricating prototypes in the modern...
Exploring Engineering
Are you considering a career in engineering? Are you fascinated by what engineers do?
In this free, open course, you will gain an understanding of the various fields of engineering and explore the engineering design process, from conceptual design and optimal choice evaluation to project construction and the need for engineering ethics.
This introductory course is a recommended...
Biomedical Engineering: Design of Tissue-Engineered Materials
Are you passionate about innovative approaches to improving human health? Biomedical engineers apply principles of biology, medicine, and science, along with problem-solving skills and critical thinking, to a broad spectrum of problems, from designing regenerative medicine and new methods of drug delivery to micro-devices and gene therapy.
In this course, you will explore...
Materials Engineering: Using Nanotechnology to Design a Space Elevator
Nanotechnology is one of the most cutting-edge fields of science and engineering. It allows scientists to observe, touch, design, and fabricate matter as small as atoms and molecules. Can you imagine working with material that is only 1/100,000 the width of a human hair? Nanotechnology creates new materials and devices for use in a variety of applications, including physical...
Renewable Energy: Wind Turbine Design
The demand for energy is expected to grow 30% by 2030. What role can engineers play in developing renewable energy sources? In this course, you will explore the some of the science, math, and technology that is used to extract energy from renewable resources. You will:
* Apply engineering concepts and principles to solving renewable energy issues
*...
Nanomaterials for Energy Storage and Conversion
The main objective of the course is to deliver background knowledge of renewable energy and discuss the advantages and challenges of existing methods of energy storage and conversion. The course will help students to understand the importance of renewable energy. This will provide the foundations to students who are interested in related subjects such as materials engineering,...
Exploring the World of Marine Science - Junior SPARK
Students will learn the basics of estuarine ecology and environmental sciences through a variety of field exercises and data collection techniques. The one-week course will allow students to learn about Narragansett Bay in-depth by using Save The Bay’s waterfront Bay Center laboratory, classroom, shoreline and dock space, and from bay field trips aboard Save The Bay’s...
Brown Environmental Leadership Lab: Sustainable Development
BELL is a unique outdoor learning laboratory. The courses draw their curricula from many different disciplines: biology, chemistry, geology, environmental studies, leadership theory and experiential education. As students live and learn together on the shores of Narragansett Bay, they are challenged both physically and intellectually.
This program is based on the 372 acre...
BELL: Costa Rica
Brown University, in partnership with the Monteverde Institute and the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste (ACG), is excited to offer a unique international environmental leadership program in Costa Rica.
This 3-week pre-college program introduces students to the theory and practice of conservation and sustainability in Costa Rica. Students study and explore some of the most...
BELL: Hawai'i - Ecology and Culture
This March, Brown University offers outstanding high school students an opportunity to study marine science, volcanology, and culture in one of the earth’s most incredible places: the living laboratory of Hawai'i’s Big Island. The Big Island contains eleven of the world’s thirteen climate zones in just over 4,000 square miles of terrain, including dry...
BELL: New Orleans & Louisiana Gulf Coast
In partnership with The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Brown offers this rigorous academic program for pre-college students with interests in science, leadership, and cultural studies. Together, we will educate students about conservation, restoration, and protection efforts in Louisiana.
Almost a hundred years ago, for the purposes of navigation and flood...
Beginning Italian in Rome
To really experience Italy one must feel the color and rhythm of the Italian language. This course aims to help students experience the Italian language in everyday contexts, so that they may use it in their wanderings around Rome. In the classroom, students will learn by doing, and they will be involved in all sorts of team projects, musical games, and creative thinking activities....
Beginning Spanish in Segovia
Spanish has become the second language of the United States and the third most spoken language in the world. Today’s Spanish language learner can look forward to using their language knowledge in personal and professional settings: in business, finance, education, medicine and public health, arts, law, politics, diplomacy, and humanitarian and environmental work.
In...
Intermediate Spanish in Segovia
Spanish has become the second language of the United States and the third most spoken language in the world. Today’s Spanish language learner can look forward to using their language knowledge in personal and professional settings: in business, finance, education, medicine and public health, arts, law, politics, diplomacy, and humanitarian and environmental work. In addition...
Ancient Greek in Naxos
This course is an introduction to the grammar and vocabulary of the Ancient Greek language. Understanding grammar and knowing Greek vocabulary offers insight into the study of other languages and enriches knowledge of English. Daily lessons will consist of the presentation of new grammar, as well as exercises in which the learned grammar and vocabulary are consolidated. Through...
Modern Greek in Naxos
This three week course is designed for students with little or no prior knowledge of Modern Greek and is aimed at developing the ability to speak Greek, to understand spoken Greek and comprehend and extract information from written texts, within a specific framework of topics and functions. Through a variety of resources, the students will be given the opportunity to learn...
Habitable Worlds: Possible Places for Life in the Solar System and Beyond
Does life exist anywhere else in the Solar System or galaxy? This week-long course will explore possible habitats for life on Mars, the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and extra-solar planets. Along the way, you will learn about the latest NASA missions, like the Curiosity rover studying Mars, the Cassini spacecraft studying Saturn, and the Kepler telescope hunting for planets...
Secrets & Symbols of Roman Art & Architecture: Renaissance & Baroque
This course will provide an in-depth, insider investigation of the architectural and artistic wonders of the city of Rome, from the Renaissance through the Baroque. But more than this, this course will bring students behind the scenes, to explore the secrets and symbols of the hidden city. While the course will cover the major items of art historical interests, from the Caravaggio’s...
Trends in Modern Art
This course will look at the major art movements from the 1880s to the present. We will focus on the dominant trends in art making as well as some of the critical theory that surrounds it.
From the Impressionist paintings of Claude Monet, the Cubist work of Pablo Picasso, and the Pop art of Andy Warhol, this course will examine what it means for a work of art to...
Masterworks of World Art: From Caves to Contemporary
This course will explore a key question that lies at the heart of all art historical study: What makes a work of art great? Our objective is not to find one definitive answer to this question, but rather, to raise new questions as we examine a range of iconic masterworks from prehistoric cave painting to contemporary street art. We will consider issues of style, meaning,...
Music & Politics: From Mozart to M.I.A.
So you like listening to music, but have you ever stopped to consider its meaning, even its political significance? In this class we explore the relationship between music and politics, from classical music to indie rock. Through the practice of listening critically to music, this class illuminates past and present political events and demonstrates music’s crucial...
Diplomacy
The art of negotiation has never been more important than it is today. From the classroom to the boardroom, inter-personal skills and a clear conception of the give-and-take of personalities and tactical planning are vital elements of success in today’s world. This course is designed to encourage students to think critically about the history of theories of diplomacy...
Lessons in Leadership: What History's Great Leaders Can Teach Us Today
What makes a great leader? What is your own leadership potential, and how can you increase it? Do you have a passion -- such as literacy, the environment, or equal rights -- and hope to make an impact one day?
Great leaders often possess several key leadership skills. Based on one of Brown University's most popular political science courses, this course offers students...
Ancient Rome: Archaeology and Civic Life
The main objective of this course is to introduce students to the high point of Roman civilization, the Early Imperial Era, from which remains rich literary and archaeological evidence. Students will investigate the Romans through daily visits to archaeological sites throughout the modern city of Rome, as well as through museum visits and readings in the relevant literature.
Greece and the World
“Greece and the World” traces Greece’s evolution from ancient to modern times. The core course is divided into three 1-week course modules that explore the defining eras of Greek history.
Week 1: Ancient Greek World
In this first week, we will trace the history, politics and culture of the fifth century BC(500-400 B.C). The century began with the two...
From Plantation to Wall Street
How did the United States become the world’s biggest economy? What are the roots of Wall Street, global investment, and America’s agricultural and manufacturing sectors? This course journeys though American business history, beginning with colonial trading ventures and ending with the recent financial crisis. It is ideal for students who want to learn more about...
The American Counterculture: From Oz to Occupy Wall Street
The overarching theme is the study of the sociological category of a subculture and the emergence of counternormative cultural expressions in music, literature, style and politics. The main objective of the course is to critically communicate and analyze the historical, philosophical and sociological foundations of the American counterculture from the nineteen fifties to the...
On the Wrong Side of History: Recalling America's Losers
History is told from the point of view of the winners, but the “losers” leave behind their marks. In this class, students will consider the arguments of Tories and others who opposed the American Revolution; the dimensions and dynamics of the pro-slavery debate in the antebellum North and South; the alternatives proposed for funding early radio and TV; the American...
History at the Movies
Can movies help us understand history? Since the earliest days of cinema, filmmakers have looked to the past for inspiration. From cinematic classics like The Battleship Potemkin and Gone With the Wind to more recent hits like The Help, historical films have long captivated and inspired movie-going audiences. Historians have often been skeptical of movies’ ability to...
A People's History of War: From Imperial Rome to Modern Afghanistan
“War is hell”, an old saying goes. Yet people have waged war on one another for all of human history, and communities around the globe continue to face the harsh realities of war every day. Rather than focusing on battles and military tactics, this course offers a deeper understanding of the human experience of warfare. By examining the social and cultural impact...
The History of the Modern Middle East
The focus of the course will be the history of the Modern Middle East from Napoleon's incursion into Egypt until the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Concepts and issues to be discussed on a thematic basis include nationalism, cultural renaissance, the decline of empire, genocide, diplomacy, human rights and the status of refugees. Thematic coverage in the course will include...
The History of the Future, the Future of the Past (and Related Problems of the Present)
Did you know that StarTrek invented both the cell-phone and the iPad? Google's self-driving car is on the road, but what about a flying car, like the one depicted in the Jetsons? Have you ever considered what the world would look like today if Nazi Germany had won World War II or if John F. Kennedy had never been shot?
Questions like these will be addressed in this...
Number Theory: An Introduction to Higher Mathematics
"Mathematics is the queen of the sciences and number theory is the queen of mathematics." - Carl Friedrich Gauss
Number theory, the study of the integers, is a vibrant area of mathematical research that many students do not have the opportunity to study in high school. The objectives for this course are to expose students to this beautiful theory, to understand...
Fundamentals for Calculus: Functions and Equations
The aim of this course is to reinforce fundamental concepts and techniques that a student preparing to enter a first calculus or pre-calculus class will need for success. To this end we will focus on those topics introduced in algebra courses which most often pose difficulties for students down the road. Along the way, for enrichment and depending on student interest, we may...
Applied Statistics
“For Today’s Graduate, Just One Word-Statistics.” Such was the title of a 2009 New York Times feature and the motivation behind this course. While the field of statistics is growing daily, the most critical understanding of the subject is accessible to high school students, and this course will explain how, where, and why statistics is used to solve real world...
How Big Is Infinity? And Other Math Questions
Have you ever wondered how many numbers there really are or how big infinity is? Many mathematicians have asked these questions, and the answers can be fascinating...and sometimes quite strange. This course will be a journey through the mathematical concepts that have helped answer such questions, and along the way you'll get a taste of what pure mathematics is all about.
Zombie as Metaphor
This course will introduce students to recent U.S. intellectual history by examining the changing "evils" as represented by zombies in popular culture.
What can the living dead tell us about the living? From communism to consumerism, anarchy to fascism, genetic modification to epidemic, radiation to space microbes -- our deep-seated fears and social anxieties...
Documentary Film for Social Change: Production & Theory
Documentary has long been associated with various forms of social change. How and why did this come to be an ideal? What techniques do filmmakers employ to tell their stories of social change? In an immersive learning environment drawing on experiential and theoretical learning, students will explore the relationship between documentary and advocacy by producing a short video...
History of American Film
This course examines American film-making from about 1920 through the present. Its main objective is to familiarize students with the history of American film, with a special focus on films that have been highly influential both culturally and aesthetically.
This course examines the history of American cinema from the silent era into the era of the studio monopolies...
Introduction to Music Production
"Introduction to Music Production" will provide hands-on study of recording studio techniques and aesthetics. Students will create original studio work while developing listening and technical skills for audio production. Technical topics include digital and analog audio technology, acoustics, microphone technique, signal processing and mixing using professional audio...
Electronic Music
Electronic Music explores how advancements in technology give rise to musical styles, such as techno, hip-hop, progressive rock, industrial, and synthpop. Students gain an understanding of the most influential works of electronic music through guided listening, video screenings, selected readings, class discussions, and creative assignments. Each class focuses on a specific...
Everyday Mechanics and Special Relativity: From Earthly Speed to the Speed of Light! - Senior SPARK
Special Relativity is awesome! It is a new understanding of the universe where spacetime plays shenanigans to common sense, light can change color just by how you’re moving, and mass seems to increase out of nowhere! Special Relativity is also the basis for General Relativity, where spacetime becomes so whimsical that it gives us blackholes!
It was all thanks to Einstien,...
Theory of Relativity
This course provides an introduction to Einstein's theories of special and general relativity. These theories have had a profound impact on science and technology as well as our worldview of the universe. By the course's end, students will have a much greater understanding of relativity, its importance, and many of its surprises.
Einstein's theories...
The Tiniest Bits of Reality
Why is the Higgs boson so important? Why does Leon Lederman, a Nobel laureate, call it “the God particle”? And what does it have to do with the world we live in: light, electricity, nuclear power, atoms and molecules? In order to answer these questions, we will have to take a journey back in time, to the universe as it was when it was forming. Along the way we will...
Physics in Health and Medicine
Ever wonder how our immune system is able to detect and track down harmful invaders? Or how an MRI machine can examine our body from the inside out? In reality, both our bodies and medical technologies heavily rely of the laws of physics to operate effectively.
In this course, we will examine how physical laws govern how our body works. For example, in the circulatory...
From the Solar System to the Universe: An Introduction to Astrophysics and Cosmology
The Solar System. Black holes. Galaxy clusters. Quasars. The closer we look at these and other astrophysical objects, the more mysteries we uncover. This course will provide an introduction to topics of active research in astrophysics and cosmology, travelling from our galaxy to furthest reaches of the Universe. Along the way we will explore objects like black holes, quasars,...
The Extraordinary Inventions of Nikola Tesla
Much is speculated and little is known about one of the most brilliant inventors at the turn of the century, Nikola Tesla. With more than 1000 patented inventions, Tesla laid the foundations of modern society as well as a solid ground for this course. Students will be introduced to the theory of electricity and magnetism and its applications, the principles of wireless transmission...
The Quantum Revolution in Technology
Nearly 100 years ago, quantum mechanics changed the face of physics forever. The orderly, deterministic rules of classical physics were turbulently turned on their head, unveiling a veritable zoo in which particles can behave like waves and waves like particles, particles can tunnel through walls, and either the position or speed of an object can be known, but both can't...
From Newton to String Theory: A History of Physics
We all know how a falling apple helped Newton discover the laws of gravitation, but did you know that playing bongos in the desert helped Richard Feynman untangle quantum field theory? Or that every famous physicist who studied thermodynamics eventually went crazy?
This is a course for people who want to understand what physics is all about. We will discuss the equations...
Biophysics: Light, the Eye, and the Brain
Hellen Keller once famously stated, "the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." With the vision of our scientific predecessors in mind, this course will explore the sense of sight and our current understanding of its related natural systems: light, the eye, and the brain. We will embark on an interdisciplinary journey starting with the...
Science, Perception and Reality
Modern science throws light on many of the perennial questions of philosophy, sometimes seeming to confirm or refute old answers and sometimes suggesting new ones. Are sensory qualities, such as colors, in external things or only in our minds? Is the world governed by deterministic laws, and if so, what room is there for freedom of the will? Could space have extra dimensions?...
Themes from Existentialism
By far the most popular philosophy course at Brown, this course on existentialist philosophy (taught by the current chair of the philosophy department) provides a unique introduction to philosophical thinking, by applying the methods of philosophical analysis and argumentation to questions and issues confronting all human beings: What is the meaning of a life with the distinctive...
To Be Human: Minds, Robots, Clones and Zombies
What will you do when the robots try to take over the world? How will you persuade them that you shouldn't be eliminated as a pest of slightly above average biological intelligence? This might sound like the sort of silly question someone who watches too many Terminator movies and reads too many manga would ask. But how you answer this question is quite serious. Rather...
The Meaning of Life
There may be no single question more important than this: What is the meaning of life? It’s a question we all face, and finding an answer is urgent. Is there even such a thing? If so, is it something outside of us or something we have to give to ourselves? In trying to find answers, we will discuss issues ranging from purpose and fulfillment to happiness and death.
An Introduction to Philosophy
We will grapple with the great questions of philosophy. Our provocations will come from classic and contemporary authors, but we will learn to do philosophy, not just study it. Our topics will include the nature of the mind, knowledge, the existence of God, free will, and morality.
In this course we cover many of the main branches of philosophy as understood in the...
Leadership in Chinese Philosophy
This course will provide an understanding of classic Chinese philosophers on leadership - What is the ideal leader like? This will be interesting to Pre-College students in that it will provide insight into classic thought in a major world culture and also practical perspectives on how to lead.
The focus of the course will be on classical Chinese works by Kongzi...
Personal Identity
Many of us wonder what makes us the person that we are. But you guaranteed to remain this person "the very same person you are right now" in the future? How does your personal identity exist through time?
The focus of this course is in pinning down our sense of self, which can apparently survive the many changes we might undergo throughout our lives, some...
Leadership in Science, Technology and Society
Scientific discoveries and emerging technologies have had a major impact on our everyday lives in the 21st century. They offer powerful tools for exploring and understanding the natural world and the universe, preventing and curing diseases, monitoring the effects of climate change, and creating ingenious ways of communicating locally and globally. Yet, developments in science...
Ethics: Theory and Practice
What kind of justification can we give for our ethical decisions? Do other people have to accept our justifications? These are questions everyone grapples with, and wondering about it never ends. This course will address different answers philosophers give to these questions.
We’ve all faced tough ethical decisions and given reasons to support what we did....
Philosophy, Punishment, and the Law
Should the state be allowed to incarcerate someone because of what he might do in the future? Is it permissible to punish a criminal against the wishes of his victim? Does plea bargaining penalize defendants for demanding trials? This class looks for answers to questions like these by tackling a deeper one: what justifies the state's power to punish in the first place?
Experience and Consciousness
We typically enjoy a rich conscious mental life: there's a subjective feel, or something it's like, to experience the smell fresh brownies, to be stuck with a pin, or to go on a first date. Conscious experience is such a fundamental part of what it is to be a creature like us that we often take it for granted, but some of philosophy of mind's most fascinating...
Logic and Puzzles
In this course, we will study the fundamentals of formal logic. Logic is useful in many areas. It facilitates our understanding of mathematical proofs. It is useful in the study of natural languages. It is also a useful tool for assessing arguments we encounter in our everyday life.
This course will cover two systems of logic that every beginning logic student should...
The U.S. In World Politics
Globalization is transforming the relationship between world events and U.S. politics. After 9/11 and Iraq, foreign affairs are no longer distant affairs, yet confusion abounds. This course provides pathways to understanding, usable to students as future voters and global citizens. It combines traditional perspectives on war and trade with a new look at world politics, tracing...
Leadership and Conflict Resolution
Conflict is ubiquitous. We encounter it in our daily lives with friends, family-members, and colleagues; in our communities between different interest or identity groups; and at the global level between state or non-state actors. Good leadership is essential at any and all of these levels to ensure that conflicts are dealt with constructively rather than destructively, to...
US vs. Them: America and the World in the 21st Century
What role will the United States play in world politics in the coming years? What role should it play? These are not only questions that puzzle scholars of American foreign policy today, but are also questions you may have to answer as a leader of an increasingly globalized world in the future. This class will enable you to answer questions like these. To get there, we first...
How the Legal System Works: Anatomy of a Case
This course analyzes the current legal system by tracing each step of a legal case, from the occurrence of the event to final appeals. The objectives are to create an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of resolving disputes and punishing crime through the courts, to make students more sophisticated consumers of news about legal issues, to help them determine whether...
Social Media and Social Change
Can Twitter save the world? Did it topple dictators in the Arab Spring? Will social media be driven more by progress or profits? And is access to all of this--basic internet access--a universal human right?
This class will investigate the possibilities of using social media for leadership in social change. We'll look at the history of social media, its uses (and,...
Political Theory and the Law
How should we evaluate the laws that govern and bind society? This course will examine the moral and political value of American law through the lens of normative political theory. As such, students will be able to evaluate for themselves whether laws are legitimate.
During the course we will read contemporary and classic political theory in light of the history...
Human Rights: Leadership & Action
The language of human rights has become a dominant part of the global discourse over the past two decades. Almost all governments today invoke the language of human rights to justify their (in)actions in world politics, while a growing chorus of activists and non-governmental organizations lament their violation on a daily basis. Meanwhile, debates and controversies rage on...
Democracy: Philosophy, Politics, & Power
This course seeks to foster critical understanding of the key philosophical conceptions of democracy and their relation to modern social practices.
The objective is to challenge mainstream conceptions of democracy as essentially defined by representative elections and to introduce students to the role of democratic values in all spheres of social life, formal, informal,...
The Political Theory of Human Rights
What are human rights? Why is torture immoral? Is there a basic right to education, or health care? Is war sometimes justified to protect those who can't protect themselves?
In this class, we'll use philosophy, film, and literature to answer these questions, to examine how the idea of human rights developed and how we use that idea in modern debates about war,...
Leadership and Global Engagement
World leaders have the same styles, skills, and setbacks as leaders in any walk of life. However, the challenges they face are often much more visible, and the impact of their effectiveness more broadly felt. In this course students will explore complex international issues including security and terrorism, immigration, HIV/AIDs, human rights and sustainable development. From...
The Power of Political Ideas
This course gives students a chance to undertake a fascinating and highly challenging process of political and intellectual exploration. In addition to well-established far right- and left-wing ideas, you will be exposed to and asked to evaluate such ideologies as Nihilism, Radical Feminism, Radical Environmentalism, and even Radical Islam.
This will be an intense,...
Global Business
This 3-week course has been developed by faculty of the IE Business School in Madrid to provide pre-college students the opportunity to explore undergraduate level business topics and to develop a global and multidisciplinary understanding in disciplines such as international economics, finance, politics and contemporary culture. The course is a series of morning lectures...
Global Justice and International Politics
Do we have duties to help the poor in other countries? Should the UN and World Bank be made more democratic? This course introduces students to the most important ethical debates about global politics. The course strongly appeals to students who are interested in ethics, political philosophy, public policy, and international relations.
The course will engage students...
Understanding the Media: Becoming a Critical News Consumer
Media surrounds us, but does it inform us? It is reported that the average news consumer comes across more information in a day than an informed 17th century citizen came across in a lifetime. So how do we surf these waves, how do we avoid being flooded, and how do we discern between fact and fiction, news and information, meaning and symbol?
In this class we will...
Introduction to Psychology and Human Behavior
In this class we will define the scope of psychology and explore some of its most interesting and relevant topics. For example, in what ways does our evolutionary history influence the way we behave today? How has intelligence been defined and measured, and what have been the political and social consequences? How do early patterns of attachment influence current romantic...
Critical Thinking About Human Behavior
This course will introduce students to methods used by psychological science to help answer these common questions about the “unknown.” We will examine common ways in which human thinking leads people to believe strange things and to maintain these beliefs even in the face of contradictory information. Students will develop critical thinking skills for evaluating...
Genetics and Human Behavior
The completion of the Human Genome Project may be the most important scientific achievement of our lifetime, but how much can genes tell us about complex human behavior? How much does the environment impact human behavior? What kind of research techniques can be used to identify specific genes and specific environments that impact behavior?
Behavioral genetics is a field...
Introduction to Clinical Psychology
In this course, students will be exposed to the science and practice of Clinical Psychology. Students will learn about the clinical characteristics of many major classes of psychiatric disorders, and the scientifically validated treatments available for these conditions. This course is intended to provide information for those considering a career in clinical psychology, allowing...
Current Controversies in Mood Disorders
Can bipolar disorder be accurately diagnosed in children? Do certain antidepressant medications increase risk of suicide? Can alternative remedies such as fish oil stabilize mood swings? These questions address only a few of the recent controversies that surround the study of mood disorders, such as major depression and bipolar illness. Using these disorders to illustrate key...
Positive Psychology: The Key to Happiness
For years, psychology has been the study of what ails the human mind. For example, why do certain individuals develop depression or abuse substances? Currently, there is a movement within psychology to study not only what ails the human mind; but what makes us happy, healthy, and content in our lives. Positive psychology is the scientific study of what goes right in our life,...
So you want to be a Counselor?
This course provides an introduction to the profession of counseling. As such, a primary goal of this course is to introduce students to the field of counseling and the multiple training disciplines. The course will address the various fields of counseling (e.g., school counseling, marriage and family therapy, social work, clinical psychology) and the required training needed...
Psychology and the Media
In "Psychology and the Media," we will explore and evaluate the ways in which psychology and psychologists are (mis)-represented in the popular media, including movies, television, and on the internet. Students will gain a fundamental knowledge of abnormal psychology, forensic psychology, and the diagnosis and treatment of psychological distress. Films, TV clips,...
Personality: What Makes Us Who We Are?
This course will introduce students to what psychologists mean when they use the term personality. Theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding the concept of personality as well as contemporary research and issues in personality will be explored.
Does money make people happy? Why do some people prefer to study in a noisy coffee shop while other people prefer...
Community Psychology: Making a Difference in the Real World
Have you been interested in psychology, but also really wanted to have an impact on your school, neighborhood, or community? Are you passionate and have a vision of how to affect and maybe change the system? Then this is the course for you!
Community psychology is an applied area of psychology concerned with the relationship between individuals and communities. The...
The Psychology of Gender
What is the latest science about how gender identity develops? Are fathers essential for a child’s well-being? Is fetal sex selection harmful for society? What are the consequences of advertisements that suggest that an individual’s status depends on so-called sex appeal? This course will address these questions, and provide a broad survey of the field of the...
Psychology of Stress and Trauma
How do we cope with war, natural disaster, or terrorism? What about surviving experiences with abuse or torture? How are these experiences different or similar to routine life stresses like exams, getting divorced, or taking exams? How can you prevent or treat psychological problems that might arise after trauma? These are some of the overarching issues that will be addressed...
Abnormal Psychology
This course takes a look at common psychological problems by describing criteria for diagnosis, psychological treatment, and critical thinking skills as they apply to the field of clinical psychology. The course will also cover the role of stigma in abnormal behavior and mental illness.
Have you ever wondered why some people always seem to be depressed, and others are afraid...
Modern Abnormal Psychology in Research, Practice, and Media
This class will introduce students to abnormal psychology through three distinct lenses: Research, Practice and Media. We will examine symptoms, treatment and assessment of major mental disorders, what new research findings mean to practicing health care providers and the public, and how information on mental disorders is then presented or shaped by the media.
The...
Psychological Responses to Stress and Trauma
This class is for students who are interested in psychology, and more specifically in the topic of stress disorders and anxiety. The class will focus on normal and pathological responses to stress, how stress disorders such as PTSD are diagnosed and treated, and how they are different from other types of mental illness. Students will learn stress-management techniques such...
Freud: Psychoanalysis and its Legacies
What connects jokes, zombies, and sexual perversions? Even well-adjusted individuals betray the insistent force of early desires and hidden memories through slips of the tongue, dreams, or literature - hence the Freudian term “return of the repressed.”
Freud's terms and concepts are prevalent, but what do they actually signify? What exactly is the legacy...
Debunking Psuedoscience in Psychology
The intended goal of this course is to introduce beginning scholars to the science of human behavior so they may learn how to apply critical thinking to the study of psychology. The course will introduce popular myths and provide research evidence to the contrary. Additionally, students will explore why these specific myths persist in popular culture and how to distinguish...
Great Experiments in Psychology
Are you more likely to obey instructions when you think you're with an authority figure? Is it true that when you are part of a group of people that you will come up with a greater range of ideas, or do your ideas just become more extreme? Is therapy helpful for people with problems such as depression and anxiety or is it no more effective than waiting for these problems...
Organizational Behavior
One of the core areas in every business degree, Organizational Behavior serves as an introduction to theoretical concepts and empirical research in the behavioral sciences as they apply to behavior within organizational settings. The focus of the course will be on the translation of management and organizational behavior theory to practices that result in organizational effectiveness,...
Scholar-Athlete: Introduction to Sport Psychology
The psychology of sport is the study of the interaction between psychological variables and performance in athletic and physical activities. The overall objective of this course is to introduce students to psychological theory and practical skills that influence sport performances. Students will be encouraged to incorporate the personal significance of course content to their...
Social Psychology
Social psychology is the intriguing study of social context and the way it influences our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The overall objective of this course is to introduce students to key theories in this fascinating field of psychology. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the application of social psychology research to real-world problems and to incorporate concepts...
Psychology in Medicine: Emotions, Behaviors, and Disease
Have you ever wondered where the terms “cold feet” or “butterflies in your stomach” come from? Did you know that “mood rings” are based in real biological principles? This course will answer these and other questions related to the role of psychology in the onset, course, and treatment of medical conditions.
This course will provide...
Introduction to Social and Developmental Psychology
This course will introduce students to the disciplines of developmental and social psychology through the lens of one capacity important to research in both subfields: having a “theory of mind”. “Theory of mind” refers to a person’s ability to use what they observe about someone’s visible behavior to figure out the “invisible”...
Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology
Have you ever wondered how mental illness affects children and their families? Can kids "catch" autism? Can children really suffer from schizophrenia? From autism and anxiety to pediatric bipolar and schizophrenia disorders, in this course, students will learn what psychiatric disorders look like in children, how they are treated, and controversies in childhood psychiatric...
Introduction to Contemplative Studies
Contemplative Studies is a newly developing academic field combining the Sciences and the Humanities that has been pioneered at Brown. In it we focus on studying the variety of experiences of concentration and mental focus that have been developed across cultures and across time that have led to deepened knowledge of the nature of the self. We further study the ways in which...
On Being Human: Conceptions of the Self from Aristotle to Frankenstein
Does freedom mean acting on every desire we experience? To what extent are we free, and in what ways are our thoughts and actions determined by factors beyond our control (such as our biology or our culture)? How well do we know ourselves? Do we really know why we do what we do? This course examines classic explanations of human action and character. We explore these topics...
Between Darwin and Design: Science & Religion in Conversation
Are religion and science fundamentally in conflict with one another? The U.S. has been called the "most religious of the advanced industrial democracies," yet it also stands at the forefront of scientific discovery. Think about the conflict, for example, between evolutionary theory’s and creationism’s understanding of the human being. At the same time,...
Women and Leadership
Despite over a hundred years of political and social gains, women in the 21st century still face unique societal challenges. In this course, students will learn about the status and role of women in the world today, exploring both opportunities and barriers for women in educational settings, the workplace, and the political arena. Students will examine how gender and other...
Work in the Global Economy
How does manufacturing in China affect jobs in the U.S.? Why do Filipino women represent the largest share of domestic workers in Japan? How does the widespread migration of young adults from Mexico to the U.S. affect the people and communities they left behind? How do large-scale changes in the global economy affect the lives of individuals? This class will address the meanings...
Organize, Mobilize: Leadership for Social Change
Organize, Mobilize: Leadership for Social Change is a course designed to provide engaged students and young activists with the tools and theory needed to become successful community organizers. This course explores how grassroots movements can transform communities, cultural norms, and global systems. How are campaigns developed, initiated, and orchestrated? What factors determine...
Changing Business: Becoming a Social Entrepreneur
In this course, students will explore how social entrepreneurs and social enterprises are solving some of the most pressing social challenges in areas such as education, job creation, the arts, the environment, poverty, health care and finance and changing the world! Examples of realistic social enterprise include: how can a nonprofit create a business that can train and employ...
Identity, Diversity, and Leadership
Who am I and how does my personal background impact my life experiences, my world view, and my relationships with others? To work effectively as a leader towards social change, one must have self-knowledge and an understanding of how individual, institutional, and societal inequity manifests in society.
Through engaging readings, provocative films and interactive activities,...
Who are you Calling Sick? The Sociology of Diagnosis
How do doctors decide what is wrong with you? What happens when your symptoms cannot be explained medically? How do patients negotiate diagnoses, and where does self-diagnosis come in? This course will address these questions, as well as the decision-making process of diagnosis through a sociological lens. Diagnosis is the cornerstone of modern biomedical practice, since it...
Conflict Resolution, Negotiation and Mediation
Successful conflict resolution and negotiation are keys to success in personal and professional life. This course will cover conflict resolution skills and tactics that every person needs to deal with the complexities of human interactions. We will review the sources of conflict and the ways to deal with crises in multiple settings ranging from workplace to international politics.
Ethical Leadership: Theory into Practice
We often expect leaders to act ‘ethically’, but ethical values frequently conflict with the practical challenges and demands of leadership. Furthermore, talk of ‘leadership ethics’ can conjure up images of ‘ideal’ or ‘absolute’ values which can be difficult to embody in practice. With these challenges in mind, this course will...
TheatreBridge
TheatreBridge and Playwrights Workshop offer a connecting link between high school and college theatre and encourage a commitment to a life of creative engagement. The highly selective programs provide promising young actors and playwrights an opportunity to stretch their imaginations and skills as they create new work under the mentorship of established theatre professionals....
Writing for Performance: Sketch Comedy
This two-week course offers a unique workshop experience for young writers and performers interested in the special challenges of writing sketch comedy for performance. Students will work both collaboratively and individually to develop and refine short scenes, to edit them based on student and instructor feedback, to stage them with minimal time and resources, and afterwards...
Presenting to the Public
Want to make amazing presentations and influence people? Learn the tips, tricks, tactics and tools of giving effective public presentations. This course will introduce you to fundamental methods of public speaking and designing effective graphic presentations.
Public presentation skills are central to success in any academic or professional career. This course will...
Playwrights Workshop
TheatreBridge and Playwrights Workshop offer a connecting link between high school and college theatre and encourage a commitment to a life of creative engagement. The highly selective programs provide promising young actors and playwrights an opportunity to stretch their imaginations and skills as they create new work under the mentor-ship of established theatre professionals....
Digital Video Production
Digital video production is for budding movie-makers with an emphasis on experimentation in the use of the video medium. The primary goal of the course will be to serve as a foundation for further exploration in digital video artwork and storytelling. Attendees will write, direct, act, shoot, and edit short videotapes, with beginning and intermediate instruction. We will...
Building a Better Mouse Trap: An Introduction to Design
How do the clothes you wear convey to others who you are? How do the objects you own reflect your values? We are all a part of a material culture made up of designed objects, from iPods to eyeglasses. Designed objects, in all their variety, are a currency with which we exchange meaning with one another. We speak to one another through the things around us. For this reason,...
Digital Photography
Students will learn the art of photography while documenting the Eternal City's urban landscape. The technical component of the course consists of mastering camera operation, exposure and digital input and output. Students will gain an understanding of the aesthetic possibilities of photography through assignments, lectures on important photographers, photo field trips...
Views of Rome: A Rome Sketchbook Course
This course takes full advantage of St. Stephen's location in the historic center of Rome. The Aventine hill is accessible to a variety of important sites to name only a few, Circo Massimo, The Baths of Caracalla, Pyramide Cestia, The Protestant Cemetery, and the Forum. Familiarizing students with these important sites through art will complement their academic experience...
Foundations of Creative Process
Creativity is typically characterized as the ability to produce work that is both novel and appropriate to a given context, which is to say, useful and meaningful. Through interdisciplinary studio practice, this course will challenge students to develop and refine their own personal approach to the creative process.
In this course, we will explore divergent thinking...
Skyscrapers! The Secret Lives of the World's Tallest Buildings
Ascending a staggering half mile into the sky, the Burj Khalifa represents the culmination of a story that began in 1896 with the ten-story Wainwright Building; the world's first skyscraper. What happened in the intervening century is the story of this class, which traces the forgotten histories of the world's tallest structures. The glistening pinnacle of the Chrysler...
Drawing Intensive
Drawing Intensive introduces students of all levels to a totally immersive drawing experience on a daily basis. Each day's real art-school-based studio session offers three full hours of drawing combined with group critique, one-on-one feedback to hone technique, and the freedom to experiment. This course gives students a head start in preparing for college art classes...
Equilibrium, Rate, and Structure
Explores the electronic structure of atoms and molecules, thermodynamics, solution equilibrium, electrochemistry, chemical kinetics, and reaction mechanisms. Required background: CHEM 0100 or AP Chemistry 4 or CHEM Placement Test 8 or IBC Chemistry.
Students MUST register for all four components of this course (the common meeting, lecture, lab and conference) during the...
Social Psychology
Examines the theories, findings, and methods of social psychology. Topics include: social cognition (person perception, attitudes), social influence (cultural sources of attitudes, conformity), and social relations (aggression, altruism, prejudice). Students become better informed consumers of empirical research and acquire a new framework for interpreting social behavior. Applications to historic and current events.
Literature and the American Presidency
We are accustomed to engaging the American presidency as a public office best approached through the prism of government, political science, and the like. This course studies the presidency through a literary lens, "literary" understood broadly to designate the study of words in multiple media, using five broad categories as our touchstones: memory, language, consolation,...
Financial Accounting
Basic accounting theory and practice. Accounting procedures for various forms of business organizations.
Critical Reading and Writing I: The Academic Essay
An introduction to university-level writing. Students produce and revise multiple drafts of essays, practice essential skills of paragraph organization, and develop techniques of critical analysis and research. Readings from a wide range of texts in literature, the media, and academic disciplines. Assignments move from personal response papers to formal academic essays. Enrollment...
Good, Evil, and Inbetween
Are humans born naturally good, evil, neither, or all of the above? Does evil lurk deep within the heart of all that is good, or can the forces of good eradicate those of evil? Is evil an inextricable part of what it means to be human in the first place? We'll examine these and related questions by reading some especially provocative literature, including Frankenstein,...
Reading French in the Arts and Sciences
Designed to develop the reading competence in French for graduate students (or advanced undergraduates with permission of the instructor). Fundamentals of grammar and syntax are emphasized as well as reading skills in the fields of individual students. Successful completion should satisfy the foreign language requirement for graduate students in other departments. (Consult...
German for Reading
Intensive introduction to German grammar and syntax for students without prior knowledge of German and from all academic disciplines. Primarily for graduate students but also open to undergraduates. The student who successfully completes this course will have the necessary foundation for reading and translating German texts for students.
World War II in Europe: History, Experience, Memory
World War II was the defining event of the twentieth century. This course will focus on the military, political, social and cultural dimensions of the war in Europe and the USSR. Topics and themes include: Hitler’s war aims; the uses of propaganda; civilian mobilization and "total" war; the Grand Alliance; racial policies and genocide; and the collaboration...
Essentials of the Latin Language
An intensive two-semester approach to Latin with special emphasis on developing facility in the rapid reading of Latin literature. No previous knowledge of Latin is required.
Fiction I
A workshop for students who have little or no previous experience in writing fiction. Enrollment limited to 17 per section. S/NC. WRIT
Screenwriting I
A workshop for students who have little or no previous experience in writing screenplays. S/NC. Enrollment limited to 17.
Graphic Novels and Comic Masterworks
Focused on the influence of graphic novels and comic art, this course looks at examples of graphic novels and comic art from seminal texts like Art Spiegleman's Maus through a range of mainstream and independent comics from Marjane Satrapi, Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, David B., Lynda Barry, Daniel Clowes, Frank Miller, and many others, including graphic memoir, reportage,...
Introductory Calculus, Part I
An intensive course in calculus of one variable including limits, differentiation, maxima and minima, the chain rule, rational functions, trigonometric functions, and exponential functions. Introduction to integration with applications to area and volumes of revolution. MATH 0090 and 0100 or the equivalent are recommended for all students intending to concentrate in the sciences or mathematics. S/NC only.
Introductory Calculus, Part II
A continuation of the material of MATH 0090 including further development of integration, inverse trigonometric and logarithmic functions, techniques of integrations, and applications. Other topics include infinite series, power series, Taylor's formula, introduction to differential equations, and numerical methods. MATH 0090 and 0100 or the equivalent are recommended...
Harmonic Convergence: Music’s Intersection with Science, Mathematics, History and Literature
An examination of research on music and the brain; connections between music, mathematics and history; and music's interrelationship with literature. Readings include The Power of Music (Mannes), Musicophilia (Sacks), The Kreutzer Sonata (Tolstoy), Doctor Faustus (Mann), A Clockwork Orange (Burgess), and writings by Morike, Hofstadter, Vaget, and Taruskin, in which music...
The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience
Introduction to the mammalian nervous system with emphasis on the structure and function of the human brain. Topics include the function of nerve cells, sensory systems, control of movement and speech, learning and memory, emotion, and diseases of the brain. No prerequisites, but knowledge of biology and chemistry at the high school level is assumed.
The Place of Persons
An introduction to the practice of philosophy through the study of key questions concerning the nature of persons and their place in the world. Topics covered will include, 'Reason and Religion', 'The Mind-Body Problem', 'Personal Identity', 'Free Will, Determinism, and Responsibility', and 'The Objectivity of Values'. These...
Critical Reasoning
A study of the techniques and principles of correct reasoning and effective communication. Topics may include deduction and induction, meaning and definition, fallacies in reasoning, the basic logic of propositions and predicates, and the essentials of inductive reasoning.
Basic Physics (3)
Survey of mechanics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics for concentrators in sciences other than physics-including premedical students or students without prior exposure to physics who require a less rigorous course than PHYS 0050, 0060. Employs the concepts of elementary calculus but little of its technique. Lectures, conferences, and laboratory. Six hours of attendance. Recommended: MATH 0090 or 0100.
Persuasive Communication
Provides an introduction to public speaking, and helps students develop confidence in public speaking through the presentation of persuasive speeches. Primarily for seniors. Limited to 18. Instructor's permission required. No permission will be given during pre-registration; interested students should sign up well in advance on the TAPS 0220 waitlist (form is at http://www.brown.edu/academics/theatre-arts-performance-studies/undergraduate-program/required-course-information)...
Learning To See: An Introduction to Contemplative Photography
The process of selecting what to record in the photographic image depends upon the state of awareness, the connection with the present moment. The main objective of this course is the union between art and contemplative practice. In particular, this course will introduce the experience of mindfulness to photography. We will explore the relationship between the contemplative...
Meditation and the Brain: Applications in Basic and Clinical Science
This class is a detailed exploration of the most recent neuroscientific research of meditation. The course explores the cognitive, affective, and neurophysiological effects of meditation practices with reference to their clinical applications in health, psychiatry and medicine. Current methodological challenges and directions for future research will also be explored.
An Introduction to Contemplative Studies
Introduction to the new field of Contemplative Studies focusing on identifying methods human beings have found, across cultures and across time, to concentrate, broaden and deepen conscious awareness. We will study what these methods and experiences entail, how to critically appraise them, how to experience them ourselves, and how they influence the development of empathy,...
Studio Foundation
An introduction to basic visual art concepts, exploring a range of materials with emphasis on experimentation and analysis of visual relationships. Drawing is a vital part of this course.