Online Summer Undergraduate Courses

This course builds on the concepts presented and discussed in General Biology I. The primary foci of this course will be on the diversity of life and on the anatomy, physiology, and evolution of plants and animals. There will be a special emphasis on human biology.

Prerequisite: AP Biology.

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor may schedule live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

This is a continuation of 110.411 Honors Algebra I. Topics studies include principal ideal domains, structure of finitely generated modules over them. Introduction to field theory. Linear algebra over a field. Field extensions, constructible polygons, non-trisectability. Splitting field of a polynomial, algebraic closure of a field. Galois theory: correspondence between subgroups and subfields. Solvability of polynomial equations by radicals.

Prerequisite: C- or better in AS.110.411 (Honors Algebra I) or equivalent.

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.

This course teaches intermediate to advanced programming, using C and C++. (Prior knowledge of these languages is not expected.) We will cover low-level programming techniques, as well as object-oriented class design, and the use of class libraries. Specific topics include pointers, dynamic memory allocation, polymorphism, overloading, inheritance, templates, collections, exceptions, and others as time permits. Students are expected to learn syntax and some language specific features independently. Course work involves significant programming projects in both languages.

Prerequisite: EN.500.132 (Bootcamp: Java) OR EN.500.133 (Bootcamp: Python) OR EN.500.134 (Bootcamp: MATLAB); OR C+ or better in EN.500.112 (Gateway Computing: Java) or EN.500.113 (Gateway Computing: Python) or EN.500.114 (Gateway Computing MATLAB); OR AP Computer Science or equivalent.

Intermediate Spanish I is a comprehensive study of Spanish designed for students who have attained an advanced elementary level in the language. The course is organized around a thematic approach to topics relevant to contemporary Hispanic culture. Students will practice the four language skills in the classroom through guided grammatical and creative conversational activities and through the completion of three comprehensive exams. Outside of class, students will complete extensive online assignments and write three major compositions (as part of the three exams). In addition, students will broaden their knowledge of Hispanic culture by viewing a Spanish-language film and by reading several literary selections. Successful completion of Intermediate Spanish I will prepare students for the next level of Spanish (Intermediate Spanish II).There is no final exam. May not be taken Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session.

Prerequisite: AS.210.112 (Spanish Elements II) or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor may schedule live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

Intermediate Spanish I is a comprehensive study of Spanish designed for students who have attained an advanced elementary level in the language. The course is organized around a thematic approach to topics relevant to contemporary Hispanic culture. Students will practice the four language skills in the classroom through guided grammatical and creative conversational activities and through the completion of three comprehensive exams. Outside of class, students will complete extensive online assignments and write three major compositions (as part of the three exams). In addition, students will broaden their knowledge of Hispanic culture by viewing a Spanish-language film and by reading several literary selections. Successful completion of Intermediate Spanish I will prepare students for the next level of Spanish (Intermediate Spanish II).There is no final exam. May not be taken Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session.

Prerequisite: AS.210.112 (Spanish Elements II) or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor may schedule live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

Intermediate Spanish II is a comprehensive study of Spanish designed for students who have attained a mid-intermediate level in the language or who have completed Spanish 212. The course is organized around a thematic approach to topics relevant to contemporary Hispanic culture. Students will practice the four language skills in the classroom through guided grammatical and creative conversational activities and through the completion of three comprehensive exams. Outside of class, students will complete extensive online assignments and write three major compositions (as part of the three exams). In addition, students will broaden their knowledge of Hispanic culture by viewing a Spanish-language film and by reading several literary selections. Successful completion of Intermediate Spanish II will prepare students for the next level of Spanish (Advanced Spanish I). There is no final exam. May not be taken Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.

Prerequisite: AS.210.112 (Spanish Elements II) or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor may schedule live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

Intermediate Spanish II is a comprehensive study of Spanish designed for students who have attained a mid-intermediate level in the language or who have completed Spanish 212. The course is organized around a thematic approach to topics relevant to contemporary Hispanic culture. Students will practice the four language skills in the classroom through guided grammatical and creative conversational activities and through the completion of three comprehensive exams. Outside of class, students will complete extensive online assignments and write three major compositions (as part of the three exams). In addition, students will broaden their knowledge of Hispanic culture by viewing a Spanish-language film and by reading several literary selections. Successful completion of Intermediate Spanish II will prepare students for the next level of Spanish (Advanced Spanish I). There is no final exam. May not be taken Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. 

Prerequisite: AS.210.112 (Spanish Elements II) or appropriate Spanish placement exam score.

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor may schedule live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

An introduction to the basic notions of modern abstract algebra and can serve as as Introduction to Proofs (IP) course. This course is an introduction to group theory, with an emphasis on concrete examples, and especially on geometric symmetry groups. The course will introduce basic notions (groups, subgroups, homomorphisms, quotients) and prove foundational results (Lagrange's theorem, Cauchy's theorem, orbit-counting techniques, the classification of finite abelian groups). Examples to be discussed include permutation groups, dihedral groups, matrix groups, and finite rotation groups, culminating in the classification of the wallpaper groups.

Prerequisite: Grade of C- or better in AS.110.201 (Linear Algebra) or AS.110.212 (Honors Linear Algebra).

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.

This course is helpful for many disciplines, not only the life sciences. It will introduce students to basic computing concepts and tools useful in many applications. Students will learn to work in the Unix environment and write bash shell scripts. They will learn to program using Python and explore graphing, numerical analysis, and statistical computing libraries, such as NumPy, SciPy, and Matplotlib. The course will conclude with a Python project focused on data analysis, including an optional introduction to machine learning concepts using the scikit-learn library. No previous programming knowledge is required. This course is designed for beginners.

This online course provides pre-recorded lectures and notes to help students learn the material at their own pace. However, students are expected to meet weekly and daily class assignment deadlines. In addition, virtual office hours will be available for one-on-one help.

Students are required to attend the three midterm exams synchronously. Flexibility will be provided to accommodate student schedules and time zones.

Prerequisite: There is no prerequisite for this course.

Required Text: There are no required textbooks for this course; all materials will be made avaialble to students through Canvas.

This online course introduces students to important concepts in data analytics across a wide range of case studies. Students will learn how to gather, analyze, and interpret data to drive strategic and operational success. They will explore how to clean and organize data for analysis, and how to perform calculations using Microsoft Excel. Topics include the data science lifecycle, probability, statistics, hypothesis testing, set theory, graphing, regression, and data ethics.

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.

An introduction to basic strategies in the writing of poetry and fiction, with readings by Joyce, Woolf, Baldwin, Munro, Garcia Marquez, Donne, Bishop, Yeats, Komunyakaa, Tretheway, and others. Students will learn the elements of the short story and try their hand at a variety of forms: realist, fantastical, experimental. They’ll also study the basic poetic forms and meters, from the ballad to the sonnet, iambic pentameter to free verse. Students will compose short stories and poems and workshop them in class. This course is a prerequisite for most upper level courses. This course is part one of the year-long Introduction to Fiction and Poetry, and must be taken before AS.220.106.

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor may schedule live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

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.

The second half of IFP, this course delves deeper into the finer points of fiction writing, including tone, description, and point of view; students will also enrich their knowledge of poetic forms and devices, such as figurative language, verse rhythm, and the poetic line. Readings include work by Paley, Mahfouz, Calvino, Lessing, Richard Wright, Plath, Rich, Auden, Li-Young Lee, and others. Students will write and workshop their own stories and poems, and complete a final portfolio. This course is a prerequisite for most upper level courses.

Prerequisites: AS 220.105 (Introduction to Fiction & Poetry I).

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor may schedule live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

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.

This course is designed to develop students' understanding of fundamental concepts of financial mathematics.  The course will cover mathematical theory and applications including the time value of money, annuities and cash flows, bond pricing, loans, amortization, stock and portfolio pricing, immunization of portfolios, swaps and determinants of interest rates, asset matching and convexity.  A basic knowledge of calculus and an introductory knowledge of probability is assumed.

Prerequisite: Calculus I or equivalent.

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.

An Introduction to Mathematical Cryptography is an introduction to modern cryptography with an emphasis on the mathematics behind the theory of public key cryptosystems and digital signature schemes. The course develops the mathematical tools needed for the construction and security analysis of diverse cryptosystems. Other topics central to mathematical cryptography covered are classical cryptographic constructions, such as Diffie-Hellmann key exchange, discrete logarithm-based cryptosystems, the RSA cryptosystem, and digital signatures. Fundamental mathematical tools for cryptography studied include primality testing, factorization algorithms, probability theory, information theory, and collision algorithms. A survey of important recent cryptographic innovations, such as elliptic curves, elliptic curve and pairing-based cryptography are included as well. This course is an ideal introduction for mathematics and computer science students to the mathematical foundations of modern cryptography.

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.

This course is a broad introduction to the fields of medical and mental health interpreting. Modules will include: (1) Three-way communication: managing role expectations and interpersonal dynamics; (2) Basic interpreting skills and techniques in a healthcare setting; (3) Ethical principles, dilemmas, and confidentiality; (4) Elements of medical interpreting; (5) Elements of mental health interpreting; (6) Trauma-informed interpreting: serving the refugee population. The course is taught in English, and has no foreign language pre-requisites.

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor has scheduled a regular synchronous session each Monday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and may schedule additional live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

This course will provide a fundamental understanding of the mammalian nervous system, with an emphasis on how molecules, cells, circuits, and systems in the brain work to promote behavior and cognition. Topics covered in this course include the function of nerve cells, signaling between brain networks, basic neuroanatomy, and the neural bases of movement, sensation, and memory. This course is designed for any student who has an interest in the range of disciplines we call neuroscience.

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor may schedule live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

This course provides an introduction to Western political theory, focusing on theories and practices of power and authority. We will examine the extent to which it is possible to describe, theorize, and make visible how political power operates, and power's relationship to authority, knowledge, truth, and political freedom. A strong tradition of political thought argues that people's consent is what makes political power legitimate. But what if one of the most insidious workings of power is its ability to prevent us from telling the difference between consent and coercion? Can power allow certain authorities to effectively brainwash people? If so, does that mean that those who obey authority should no longer be held politically responsible for their actions? Does the coercive power of norms and conformity prevent any robust practice of freedom? What role (if any) should state power play in negotiating questions of morality, religion, and sexuality? Lastly, we will be haunted by a related question: can political theories of power make people free, or are those theories implicated in the very coercion they profess to oppose? Classes will be a combination of lectures, critical discussions/debates, film screenings and presentations. Throughout the term, you will sharpen your ability to formulate coherent written and spoken arguments by organizing and supporting your thoughts in a persuasive manner. An important part of this skill will include the ability to wrestle with complex and controversial political problems that lack any single answer. The stakes of these problems will be brought to life by the political examples we will study and made legible by looking through the theoretical lenses of diverse thinkers.

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.

This course follows the actuarial Exam P syllabus and learning objectives to prepare students to pass the SOA/CAS Probability Exam. Topics include axioms of probability, discrete and continuous random variables, conditional probability, Bayes’ theorem, Chebyshev's Theorem, Central Limit Theorem, univariate and joint distributions and expectations, loss frequency, loss severity and other risk management concepts. Exam P learning objectives and learning outcomes are emphasized.

Prerequisite: Calculus II.

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.

This course will provide a practical introduction to mathematical proofs with the aim of developing fluency in the language of mathematics, which itself is often described as “the language of the universe.” Along with a library of proof techniques, we shall tour propositional logic, set theory, cardinal arithmetic, and metric topology and explore “proof relevant” mathematics by interacting with a computer proof assistant. This course on the construction of mathematical proof will conclude with a deconstruction of mathematical proof, interrogating the extent to which proof serves as a means to discover universal truths and assessing the mechanisms by which the mathematical community achieves consensus regarding whether a claimed result has been proven.

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.

Do we all see colors the same way? How did so many "good" people support the Nazi party? Do crossword puzzles really stave off Alzheimer's Disease? This course tries to answer these questions and many others, providing a comprehensive overview of the scientific study of the mind. We'll explore topics such as perception, language, memory, decision-making, creativity, love, sex, art, politics, religion, dreams, drugs, brain damage and mental illness, grappling with deep and long-standing controversies along the way: differences between the sexes, the relationship between mind and brain, causes and consequences of racism, human uniqueness (or not) within the animal kingdom, nature vs. nurture, good and evil, consciousness. Appropriate for anyone wanting to know who and what we are as human beings (or who noticed that psychology is now on the MCAT).

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, your instructor may schedule live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

Introduces students to basic sociological concepts and perspectives, and applies them to a variety of topics including family, work, and the dynamics of class, gender, and racial/ethnic inequalities in the United States and globally.

Topological spaces, connectedness, compactness, quotient spaces, metric spaces, function spaces. An introduction to algebraic topology: covering spaces, the fundamental group, and other topics as time permits.

Prerequisite: AS.110.202 (Calculus III) or AS.110.211 (Honors Multivariable Calculus).

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.

Vector spaces, matrices, and linear transformations. Solutions of systems of linear equations. Eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and diagonalization of matrices. Applications to differential equations.

Prerequisite: Grade of C- or better in AS.110.107 (Calculus II For Biological and Social Science) or AS.110.109 (Calculus II For Physical Sciences and Engineering) or AS.110.113 (Honors Single Variable Calculus) or AS.110.202 (Calculus II) or AS.110.302 (Differential Equations and Applications), or a 5 on the AP BC exam.

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.

This course provides an introduction to mathematical reasoning and discrete structures relevant to computer science. Topics include propositional and predicate logic, proof techniques including mathematical induction, sets, relations, functions, recurrences, counting techniques, simple computational models, asymptotic analysis, discrete probability, graphs, trees, and number theory.

Students may not enroll if they have taken EN.601.231 (Automata and Computation Theory) or EN.601.431 (Theory of Computation).

Prerequisite: EN.500.112 (Gateway Computing: Java) OR EN.500.113 (Gateway Computing: Python) OR EN.500.114 (Gateway Computing: Matlab) OR EN.500.132 (Bootcamp: Java) OR EN.500.133 (Bootcamp: Python) OR EN.500.134 (Bootcamp: Matlab) OR EN.601.220 (Intermediate Programming).

This course is designed for students of all backgrounds to provide a solid foundation in the underlying mathematical, programming, and statistical theory of data analysis. In today's data driven world, data literacy is an increasingly important skill to master. To this end, the course will motivate the fundamental concepts used in this growing field. While discussing the general theory behind common methods of data science there will be numerous applications to real world data sets. In particular, the course will use Python libraries to create, import, and analyze data sets. 

Prerequisites: There are no mathematical prerequisites for this course although prior knowledge of calculus, statistics and/or programming can be helpful.

A flexible weekly schedule accommodates all student schedules and time zones, and courses include pre-recorded lectures, notes, and interactives to help students learn the material. Assessments include computer-scored items for immediate feedback as well as instructor-graded assignments for personalized learning. Students have access to instructors through email or individual reviews, and weekly instructor-led synchronous problem-solving sessions are recorded for viewing at any time. Students should expect to work a minimum of 5-10 hours per week.