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Brown University
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Providence, RI 02912
Phone: (401) 863-7900
2009 Course Catalog
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Currently Displaying: Science Courses (84)
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Techniques in DNA-Based Biotechnology (BI901-3A)
Program: Pre-College
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,... (more »)
Basic Physics (3) (PHYS 0030)
Program: Summer Session Credit
This two course sequence, PHYS 0030 and 0040, is a survey of mechanics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics for concentrators in sciences other than physics-including... (more »)
Introduction to Bio-Medical Science: Cells, Tissues and Organs (BI916-3A)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
So You Think You Want to Be a Doctor: An Introduction to Medicine (BI903-3A)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
So What's up Doc? (BI909-1A)
Program: Pre-College
Are you interested in a career in medicine? This one week course will introduce you to Medical Education "Brown" style and help you decide if medicine might be the right career... (more »)
Introduction to Psychology and Human Behavior (PY900-3A)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
Designing Mobile Machines: Robot Rover Derby (EN900-3A)
Program: Pre-College
Robot Rover Derby is our framework for you having an experience of what it is like to be an engineer.
Engineers design useful or desirable objects, using scientific principles,... (more »)
Leadership and Conflict Resolution (SO904-2EL)
Program: Leadership Institute
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... (more »)
Leadership and Global Engagement S1 (SO905-2FL)
Program: Leadership Institute
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... (more »)
Introduction to Human Physiology (BIOL 0060)
Program: Summer Session Credit
An introduction to human physiology aimed primarily at undergraduates who are not concentrating in biology. Topics include basic cardiovascular, respiratory, kidney, gastrointestinal,... (more »)
Scholar-Athlete: Sport Physiology (BI915-1C)
Program: Pre-College
How does an Olympic sprinter run 200 meters in 20 seconds, an elite cyclist ride at 30 miles per hour for over 4 hours or a marathoner run 26 miles in just over 2 hours? The science... (more »)
Basic Physics (4) (PHYS 0040)
Program: Summer Session Credit
This two course sequence, PHYS 0030 and 0040, is a survey of mechanics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics for concentrators in sciences other than physics-including... (more »)
The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience (NEUR 0010)
Program: Summer Session Credit
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... (more »)
Brown Environmental Leadership Lab: Sustainable Development (ES900-2AL)
Program: Leadership Institute
BELL is a unique outdoor learning laboratory. The courses draw their curricula from many different disciplines: biology, chemistry, geology, environmental studies, leadership theory... (more »)
Brown Environmental Leadership Lab: Field Ecology (ES900-2CL)
Program: Leadership Institute
BELL is a unique outdoor learning laboratory. The courses draw their curricula from many different disciplines: biology, chemistry, geology, environmental studies, leadership theory... (more »)
Brown Environmental Leadership Lab: Sustainable Development (ES900-2BL)
Program: Leadership Institute
BELL is a unique outdoor learning laboratory. The courses draw their curricula from many different disciplines: biology, chemistry, geology, environmental studies, leadership theory... (more »)
Forces of Nature: Hurricanes, Global Warming, and the Science of Weather (GE602-1EA)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
The weather produces some of the most powerful forces on earth. Did you know that a single hurricane has about as much energy as 400 atomic bombs? In this class, we'll take a look... (more »)
Brain Basics: From Biology to Behavior (BN900-3B)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
Leadership and Global Engagement S2 (SO905-2GL)
Program: Leadership Institute
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... (more »)
Introduction to Biochemistry (BI927-3B)
Program: Pre-College
Proceeding from the foundation laid by basic coursework in biology and chemistry, this course will allow students to view living systems at the cellular and molecular levels. ... (more »)
The Laboratory Detective (BI600-1EB)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
DNA, hair, fibers! These are just a few pieces of evidence that students will collect and analyze during The Laboratory Detective course. Students will begin the week learning... (more »)
Science, Perception and Reality (PL902-3B)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
Mind and Matter (PL907-1A)
Program: Pre-College
This course will focus on what is known as the mind-body problem, the problem of understanding the relationship between the mind and the brain. Your entire mental life-everything... (more »)
Principles of Computer Programming (CS900-4A)
Program: Pre-College
This course will be a rigorous study of the theory and practice of computer programming. We will study program design, algorithms, data structures, and networking. Additional... (more »)
The U.S. In World Politics (PS902-2A)
Program: Pre-College
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.... (more »)
Critical Thinking About Human Behavior (PY901-3B)
Program: Pre-College
Why do many people believe in palm reading, alien abductions, past-life regression therapy, and ghosts? Can what you see in an inkblot reveal hidden aspects of your personality?... (more »)
Genetics and Human Behavior (PY906-3B)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
Equilibrium, Rate, and Structure (CHEM 0330)
Program: Summer Session Credit
Explores the electronic structure of atoms and molecules, thermodynamics, solution equilibrium, electrochemistry, chemical kinetics, and reaction mechanisms. Seven hours of lecture... (more »)
Introduction to Clinical Psychology (PY907-2B)
Program: Pre-College
Can you find out your IQ from an Internet test? Is Dr. Phil a good therapist? Is there an addictive personality? For most people, their exposure to psychology comes mostly from... (more »)
From Brain to Sensation (BI602-1EA)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
You feel grass under your feet and smell the fragrance of flowers in the air. Hearing birdsong, you look up to see a robin jumping from branch to branch in a nearby tree. How do... (more »)
So You Want to be a Scientist? (SI600-2EA)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
Doctors work to treat diseases but scientists work to understand them. Have you ever wondered about the work that goes on behind the scenes in medicine? Do you want to find out... (more »)
Psychology in Everyday Life: An Applied Introduction to the Science of Social Psychology (PY904-1A)
Program: Pre-College
As active thinkers immersed in a vibrant social world, we face an amazing challenge everyday: how do we make sense of ourselves and the people around us? Each and every day, we... (more »)
Examining Social Policy Issues through Contemporary Fiction (PPAI 0700I)
Program: Summer Session Credit
This course examines how contemporary novelists are addressing poverty, homelessness, mental illness, race relations, domestic abuse, and other important social issues. Students... (more »)
Friends, Significant Others, & Family: Understanding Close Relationships (PY910-1B)
Program: Pre-College
How do you characterize your closest relationships? Are your friends or family essential to your sense of self? What can psychology tell us about attraction and romantic love?... (more »)
Research Techniques in Biomedical Fields (BI917-3A)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
Leadership and the Civil Rights Movement: A Case Study in Social Activism (SO910-2EL)
Program: Leadership Institute
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s put young people in a uniquely powerful position to become activists for political and social change. Through effective leadership... (more »)
Exploring Medicine (BI926-1C)
Program: Pre-College
This course is geared toward students who are completing their Sophomore, Junior or Senior year and may be considering a career in Medicine. It will cover some aspects of college... (more »)
Where Rivers Meet the Sea: Ecology of Narragansett Bay (BI601-2EA)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
Did you know that for many decades coastal estuaries were thought of as unproductive swamps that were best filled and developed? Today, scientists know estuaries to be some of... (more »)
Do You Want to Be an Engineer? (EN903-3B)
Program: Pre-College
Do you ever wonder how things that you use every day work? Do you like to take things apart? Do you like to fix things? Do you wonder how people make iPods, how humans can travel... (more »)
The Body: An Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology (BI905-3B)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
Theory of Relativity (PH902-1D)
Program: Pre-College
Einstein's theory of relativity is one of the pillars of modern physics.
It is deeply counterintuitive, yet beautiful and ingenious. Special relativity reformulates how... (more »)
Global Development (AN905-2B)
Program: Pre-College
Addressing global issues like poverty, hunger, and disease often seems overwhelming. Long-established institutions like governments, the United Nations, and the World Bank, have... (more »)
Exploring the Interface of Nanotechnology and Biology (EN901-3B)
Program: Pre-College
Imagine being part of the next great technological revolution that will virtually change almost every aspect of your life! Nanotechnology studies the creation, methods, and application... (more »)
Leadership and Global Health (SO907-2GL)
Program: Leadership Institute
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... (more »)
Digital Video Production (VA901-3A)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
Astrobiology: The Search for Life in the Universe (BI606-1EB)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
Astrobiologists study life in the universe, including the possibility that it exists on other planets. What scientists know about life, they learned from Earth - we study life... (more »)
Understanding the Human Body: An Exploration of Anatomy (BI607-1EB)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
Have you ever wondered how your body does all the things that it does? Our bodies contain 206 bones and over 700 muscles, all coordinated by a central computer called the brain.... (more »)
Leadership for Social Change (SO912-2EL)
Program: Leadership Institute
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... (more »)
Diplomacy (HI909-1A)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
The War On Terror: A Case Study for Theories of International Relations (PS903-2C)
Program: Pre-College
Since it began in 2001, the War on Terror has divided our country and the world at large. We continue to debate the U.S. government’s reaction to the terrorist attacks on... (more »)
The Quantized World: An Introduction to the Amazing and yet Bizarre Theory of Quantum Mechanics (PH900-3B)
Program: Pre-College
Classical Newtonian Mechanics succeeds in describing the macroscopic world around us. Yet, it terribly fails when it comes to describing the world at the atomic and subatomic scales.... (more »)
Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine (PY912-2C)
Program: Pre-College
Did you know that approximately 50% of the fatalities resulting from the ten leading causes of death are preventable? Psychological interventions are increasingly being used along... (more »)
The Secrets of Learning and Memory (BN901-3A)
Program: Pre-College
The most intensely studied topic of brain research has been learning and memory, which has captivated the interest of scientists ever since the processes underlying it were accidentally... (more »)
Engineering Biomedical Systems (BI920-3A)
Program: Pre-College
Human life expectancy has risen dramatically over the last century due to rapid advances in medicine. The progress of medicine, in turn, can be attributed to the increased scientific... (more »)
Introduction to Women’s Mental Health Issues (PY913-1D)
Program: Pre-College
Why is depression at least twice as prevalent among women as compared to men? Are women really at greater risk for experiencing eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia? ... (more »)
Special Topics in Developmental Psychology: Socio-emotional Development in Children and Adolescents (PY914-2B)
Program: Pre-College
This course covers normative and pathological aspects of socio-emotional development from infancy through adolescence. This seminar will provide the students with opportunities... (more »)
Designing Mobile Machines: Robot Rover Derby Jr. (EN601-1EB)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
You and 2 teammates will build and program a stepping motor-driven, tank-steered rover. Each teammate will specialize in a certain skill necessary for the success of the team’s... (more »)
Exploring the Planets (GE901-1D)
Program: Pre-College
Want to go to Mars? To the Moon? To a comet? To Pluto? Each planetary body in our solar system preserves a complex history of geologic processes in drastically different environments.... (more »)
Stem Cells, Cloning, Regenerative Medicine: Changing the Face of Biology (BI912-3A)
Program: Pre-College
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,... (more »)
Hello from Mars (GE603-1EA)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
Over the next year, a fleet of spaceships is traveling to the Red Planet. Why are we going? Where are we going? What will we do? This course will try to answer such questions... (more »)
Swearing on the Bible: The US Supreme Court and Religion (RS905-1D)
Program: Pre-College
What does the First Amendment say about the separation between church and state? Can the state compel or prohibit certain speech or actions, even if it goes against one's religion?... (more »)
Bioethics and Religion (RS902-2A)
Program: Pre-College
This course will explore interactions between contemporary issues in bioethics and religious beliefs and practices. We will consider how religious traditions, both east and west,... (more »)
Relating Religion and Science (RS903-1B)
Program: Pre-College
What is religion? What is science? How are they related? Are they about different things, in some way compatible, or are they opposed, both about understanding and explaining... (more »)
Nanotechnology: The Small Wonder from Atom to Space (EN602-1EB)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
When we measure tiny things like germs and water molecules, what unit do we use? Inches? Meters? No, these are far too big for measuring tiny things. One of the most appropriate... (more »)
From Mad Cow Disease to Alzheimer’s: The Biological Basis of Disease (BN902-2B)
Program: Pre-College
The primary focus of this course will be on key diseases that are caused by protein misfolding, including symptoms, cellular physiology, and current methods of treatment for these... (more »)
When the Brain Has a Mind of its Own (BN905-2A)
Program: Pre-College
In this course we shall explore the world of neuroscience from first hand accounts written by patients, physicians, and scientists. Beyond the ever valuable and traditional large... (more »)
Vision: A Glimpse of the Brain (BN903-1D)
Program: Pre-College
Vision; can you imagine your life without it? When asked to name the five sensations of perception, most people begin their list with \"sight\". This magnificent ability to observe... (more »)
The Design of the Human Machine (BI608-1EA)
Program: SPARK - Science for Middle School
Human life expectancy has risen dramatically over the last century due to rapid advances in medicine. The progress of medicine, in turn, has resulted from a better understanding... (more »)
The Tiniest Bits of Reality (PH903-2B)
Program: Pre-College
This course will take you on a journey back in time, to the universe as it was when it was forming. Along the way we will make several stops in order to meet physicists and philosophers... (more »)
First Aid for the Medicine Cabinet (BI904-3B)
Program: Pre-College
Greater than 99.9% of medical interventions involve the administration of a drug.
Are you or the people you care about, taking drugs without understanding what or why?... (more »)
True-Life Forensic Investigation: How to Solve a Crime (BI908-1B)
Program: Pre-College
What questions are asked? What types of evidence are collected? How are those pieces of evidence analyzed and presented in court? During forensic-based investigations, the questions... (more »)
The Neuron: Form and Function (BN904-1B)
Program: Pre-College
Why did South American Indians coat the tips of their arrows with a secretion from the backs of tiny yellow frogs? Why is fugu (Japanese for blowfish) one of the most expensive,... (more »)
Exploring Infectious Disease: The Exotic Misconception (BI907-2A)
Program: Pre-College
What is Yellow fever? How has it impacted the United States? Why are so many parasites common only in developing countries? This course explores these questions and more while... (more »)
Nature vs. Nurture: Genes and Environment in Human Biology (BI922-3B)
Program: Pre-College
Why are people born near the equator more likely to be lactose intolerant? How does the legacy of the Irish Potato Famine impact the obesity epidemic today? Why haven’t deadly... (more »)
So What's up Doc? (BI909-1D)
Program: Pre-College
Are you interested in a career in medicine? This one week course will introduce you to Medical Education "Brown" style and help you decide if medicine might be the right career... (more »)
Social Change, Democracy, and Dictatorship (SOC 0111)
Program: Summer Session Credit
Why are some countries more democratic than others? What effects have industrialization and colonization had on developing world democracies? This class probes those questions... (more »)
Children's Thinking (BI911-1B)
Program: Pre-College
What do babies think? What types of knowledge are we born with and what do we need to learn? How does our experience of the world change across development? How is it possible... (more »)
Understanding the Nation's Health (BI910-1C)
Program: Pre-College
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... (more »)
Psychoactive Drugs: Brain, Body, Society (BN906-1C)
Program: Pre-College
This one week course will introduce students to the basics of how psychoactive drugs interact with the brain and the body. We will also examine how legal and illegal psychoactive... (more »)
International Political Economy of Development (POLS 0330)
Program: Summer Session Credit
What does international politics have to do with the economy? How do economic crises in one part of the world affect domestic politics in another part? What is development, and... (more »)
Introduction to Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering (BI902-1A)
Program: Pre-College
This one 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... (more »)
America and the World in the 21st Century: Challenges and Challengers (PS906-3B)
Program: Pre-College
What role will the United States play in world politics in the coming years and decades? What role should it play? Will the United States retain its position as the preeminent... (more »)
Harmonic Convergence: Music’s Intersection with Science, Mathematics, History and Literature (MUSC 0510)
Program: Summer Session Credit
An investigation into music’s relationship to science, mathematics, history and literature. Students will examine connections between music and the brain; parallels between... (more »)
Scholar-Athlete: Sport Physiology (BI915-1C)
Program: Pre-College
How does an Olympic sprinter run 200 meters in 20 seconds, an elite cyclist ride at 30 miles per hour for over 4 hours or a marathoner run 26 miles in just over 2 hours? The science... (more »)