Undergraduate Courses for Next-Gen Scholars

Why do we "not see" things right in front of us? What makes some memories crystal clear and others "hazy"? Why does hurting a fake hand cause you physical pain? How can we recognize thousands of human faces? In this course we will learn about the cognitive processes—such as attention, memory and perception—that help us answer these kinds of questions. Through a combination of psychology and biology research, students will explore how the mind and brain give rise to how we interact with and experience the world. This course is designed for students who are interested in an introduction to psychology, biology, and neuroscience.

Students will develop a working knowledge of the characteristics that have been identified through research as being important in effective college transitions. Using practical and theoretical objectives, the course will explore the relevance of developmental and positive psychological processes as they apply in academic and social settings and provide theory-based research approaches for thriving in college and beyond. The developmental period of emerging adulthood (ages 18-25) will be discussed with a primary focus on cognitive, moral, and identity development theories. Students also will gain an understanding of what contributes to thriving and how to build the enabling conditions of a life worth living. The developmental theories and central concepts in positive psychology will provide students with a foundation to navigate college academic expectations and equip them with the attitudes, skills, and resources needed to function optimally and excel in college.

This course examines the politics and policies that shape the production and consumption of food. Topics include food security, obesity, crop and animal production, and the impacts of agriculture on climate change. We will also consider the vulnerabilities of our food system to challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as efforts to transform food and agriculture through new food technologies and grass-roots movements to create a more democratic food system.

Students who have completed AS.190.405 (Food Politics) may not enroll in this class.

This primer to screenwriting will emphasize the power of the image to deliver character, situation, and theme, and to advance even complex plots. Students will analyze narrative films, compose their own still and moving images with cellphone cameras, and write several short dramatic pieces to be read and workshopped by the group.  They'll learn the basics of scene design and of screenplay format. For FMS majors in the screenwriting track, this course fulfills the Media and Narrative requirement. $50 lab fee.

A writing-intensive course (W) engages students in multiple writing projects, ranging from traditional papers to a wide variety of other forms, distributed throughout the term. Assignments include a mix of high and low stakes writing, meaning that students have the chance to write in informal, low-pressure--even ungraded--contexts, as well as producing larger, more formal writing assignments. Students engage in writing in the classroom through variety of means, including class discussions, workshop, faculty/TA lectures, and class materials (for instance, strong and weak examples of the assigned genre). Expectations are clearly conveyed through assignment descriptions, including the genre and audience of the assigned writing, and evaluative criteria. Students receive feedback on their writing, in written and/or verbal form, from faculty, TAs, and/or peers. Students have at least one opportunity to revise.