Online Summer Undergraduate Courses

Is the mind identical to the brain? Is the mind (or brain) a computer? Could a computer reason, have emotions, or be morally responsible? This course examines such questions philosophically and historically. Topics include the history of AI research from 1940s to present; debates in cognitive science related to AI (computationalism, connectionism, and 4E cognition); and AI ethics.

This online course is primarily delivered asynchronously; however, students must attend a 90-minue online discussion session each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM . Your instructor may schedule additional live interactions as well. Please refer to your syllabus for these opportunities and for important course deadlines.

A workshop devoted to creating compelling short scripts and stories based on personal experience. Analysis of films, memoir, and short fiction, along with collaborative development of student work, will emphasize how unique worlds and world views can reflect a larger shared humanity. All writers welcome. Tell your story!

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.

No previous knowledge of Portuguese is required. This is a Portuguese introductory course for non-romance language speakers. The course introduces students to the basic skills in reading, writing, and speaking the language. Emphasis is placed on oral communication with extensive training in written and listening skills. Class participation is encouraged from the very beginning. Upon the successful completion of this course with a grade of C or higher, students may enroll in 210.172 Portuguese Elements II. May not be taken on a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory basis. No Prereq. There is no final exam.

This course expands students’ knowledge of the basic language skills: reading, writing, listening, speaking. It uses a multifaceted approach to immerse students in the cultures of Brazil, Portugal, and Portuguese-speaking Africa. The focus of the course is on oral communication with extensive training in grammar. The course is conducted entirely in Portuguese. Upon the successful completion of this course with a grade of C or higher, students may enroll in 210.271 Portuguese Intermediate I. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis.

Prerequisite: AS.210.171 (Portuguese Elements I) or placement exam.

The course will review the growing field of positive psychology and will review the research on positive human attributes such as optimism, happiness, hope, resiliency, self-esteem, altruism, empathy, and forgiveness. This course will explore the research on how such positive attributes are developed and how they relate to psychological and physical well-being.

This course provides students with the background necessary for the study of calculus. It begins with a review of the coordinate plane, linear equations, and inequalities, and moves purposefully into the study of functions. Students will explore the nature of graphs and deepen their understanding of polynomial, rational, trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions, and will be introduced to complex numbers, parametric equations, and the difference quotient.

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 students to communicate effectively with a wide variety of specialized and non-specialized audiences. To do this, students will write proposals in response to JHU-, Baltimore-, or Maryland-based initiatives that focus on a specific area of interest. Potential topics include initiatives to improve urban sustainability, resiliency, health disparities, social justice, mental health/well-being, government/municipal services, and other relevant areas. The class emphasizes writing clearly and persuasively, leveraging evidence effectively, working with key stakeholders, creating appropriate visuals and infographics, developing oral presentation skills, working in collaborative groups, giving and receiving feedback, and simulating the real-world environment in which most communication occurs. Projects include resumes, cover letters, memos, proposals, technical reports, and slides. This course is open to students in any discipline or major.

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 explores modern-day social media use (e.g., Facebook, Match.com) through multiple theoretical lenses within psychology. Through weekly student-led discussions and readings, it will accomplish 3 aims: 1) applying psychology of identity, motivation, and communication to social media (e.g., self-presentation, intergroup dynamics), 2) investigating clinical/health implications of social media use (e.g., addiction, loneliness), and 3) exploring social media as data-gathering environments (e.g., user experience research from already committed guest-speakers who work in social media industries).

Recommended Course Background: at least 1 course in introductory psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology and/or clinical psychology.

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 is designed to give a firm grounding in the basic tools of analysis. It is recommended as preparation (but may not be a prerequisite) for other advanced analysis courses and may be taken as an Introduction to Proofs (IP) course. Topics include the formal properties of real and complex number systems, topology of metric spaces, limits, continuity, infinite sequences and series, differentiation, Riemann-Stieltjes integration. 

Prerequisite: Grade of C- or better in AS.110.201 (Linear Algebra) or AS.110.212 (Honors Linear Algebra), AND 110.202 (Calculus III) or 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.

This course continues AS.110.405 (Real Analysis I) with an emphasis on the fundamental notions of modern analysis. Sequences and series of functions, Fourier series, equicontinuity and the Arzela-Ascoli theorem, the Stone-Weierstrass theorem, functions of several variables, the inverse and implicit function theorems, introduction to the Lebesgue integral.

Prerequisite: AS.110.405 (Real Anaylsis I) or AS.110.415 (Honors Analysis I).

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.

The Romantic era of literature, spanning about 1780-1840, obsessed over revolution: political revolutions, philosophical revolutions, and artistic revolutions. They often came to believe that the way to achieve these revolutions was, at least in part, a revolution of the mind. Breakthrough science of the era, combined with the Haitian and French Revolutions and the ethical and psychological questions prompted by abolition and the settler-colonial revolutions in the Americas, led writers across the globe to openly speculate on the nature and limits of freedom, the imagination, and human potential, as well as explore the nature of thinking through poetry and prose. As such, this era has proved an especially rich one for what has been called cognitive literary studies: the careful, selective use of the insights of cognitive science to interpret these explorations. Through this approach, we will not only see how Romanticism prefigured many insights cognitive studies has proven, but see how Romanticism’s urgent questions about revolt, oppression, and liberation challenge further cross-disciplinary inquiries into the mind.

This is an introductory Spanish language course. On completion of this course, the students will have acquired the basic communication and grammatical skills necessary for speaking, writing, listening, and reading in Spanish. Students will demonstrate these skills through their performance in class by completing several online assignments and by taking part in three group presentations in addition to two comprehensive exams which focus on the following thematic topics: Greetings, University Life, Family, and Leisure. Students will also be introduced to the culture, history and geography of various Spanish and Latin American countries. The content covered in Spanish Elements 1 is the foundation for all consecutive Spanish courses. A placement exam is required to ensure the appropriate level. Students wishing to retain credits for Spanish Elements I must complete Spanish Elements II with a passing grade. Your enrollment in Spanish Elements I will not be considered for approval until you have emailed the Spanish Language Director.

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 introductory Spanish language course is a continuation of the content covered in Spanish Elements I. On completion of this course, the students will have further developed the communication and grammatical skills necessary for speaking, writing, listening, and reading in Spanish. Students will demonstrate these skills through their performance in class by completing several online assignments and by taking part in three group presentations in addition to two comprehensive exams which focus on the following thematic topics: Food, Sports, Shopping, Travel, and Health. Students will also be introduced to the culture, history, and geography of various Spanish and Latin American countries. The content covered in Spanish Elements II prepares the students for Intermediate Spanish. May not be taken Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. No new enrollments permitted after the fourth class session.

Prerequisite: AS.210.111 (Spanish Elements I) 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.

This introductory Spanish language course is a continuation of the content covered in Spanish Elements I. On completion of this course, the students will have further developed the communication and grammatical skills necessary for speaking, writing, listening, and reading in Spanish. Students will demonstrate these skills through their performance in class by completing several online assignments and by taking part in three group presentations in addition to two comprehensive exams which focus on the following thematic topics: Food, Sports, Shopping, Travel, and Health. Students will also be introduced to the culture, history, and geography of various Spanish and Latin American countries. The content covered in Spanish Elements II prepares the students for Intermediate Spanish. May not be taken Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. No new enrollments permitted after the fourth class session.

Prerequisite: AS.210.111 (Spanish Elements I) 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.

How does grammar shape the way we tell stories, share ideas, or even craft tweets? This course dives into sophisticated topics in Portuguese grammar by exploring its use across a variety of text genres and media. From the elegance of literary texts to the immediacy of social media posts, from the precision of academic writing to the spontaneity of film dialogues, students will uncover how grammatical structures adapt to diverse communicative contexts. Through hands-on activities, discussions, and projects, students will deepen their understanding of Portuguese grammar while honing their written and spoken proficiency. Special attention will be given to cultural and stylistic nuances, empowering students to communicate effectively and authentically in any setting

Prerequisite: AS.210.271 (Portuguese Elements I), placement exam, or instructor approval.

This course is designed for students of all backgrounds to provide a mathematical introduction to social choice theory, weighted voting systems, apportionment methods, and gerrymandering. In the search for ideal ways to make certain kinds of political decisions, a lot of wasted effort could be averted if mathematics could determine that finding such an ideal were actually possible in the first place. The course will analyze data from recent US elections as well as provide historical context to modern discussions in politics, culminating in a mathematical analysis of the US Electoral College. Case studies, future implications, and comparisons to other governing bodies outside the US are used to apply the theory of the course. Students will use Microsoft Excel to analyze data sets. There are no mathematical prerequisites for this course.

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.

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 introductory course seeks to examine the politics of China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan as part of a distinct region. We will seek to understand how individual polities responded to regional developments and trends, such as the tide of colonialism, socialism, regional economic developments, and democracy. The course will introduce students to the most pressing questions concerning the rise of China, the future of the innovation economy, and intra-regional tensions.

Why is there evil in the world? Are some born evil, or do social, environmental, and cultural forces create evil? What makes otherwise good people do evil things? The scientific study of evil epitomizes the fundamental challenge that psychology faces in dissecting the role of biology (nature) and the social context (nurture). Credit earned through this course counts toward the 120-credit degree requirement but does not count towards the Psychology major/minor. Students must be aged 18 or older to enroll, due to the sensitive nature of the material in this course (e.g., research on violence).

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.

"We left what we felt at what we saw," the poet Wallace Stevens once wrote, suggesting writing involves a direct response to our experiences of reality. In this class, we’ll look exclusively at writing which takes on what hasn’t been seen and hasn’t been felt. Through reading works of science fiction, magical realism, gothic literature, and speculative fiction, students will investigate how the unreal can still speak to our experiences and perceptions of the real. Additionally, students will get the chance to craft their own fantastical worlds through regular writing assignments. Tales of time travelers, haunted houses, unreal languages, and reimagined cities will be covered. Readings will include selections from Paul Beatty, Octavia Butler, Italo Calvino, Ursula K. Le Guin, Yoko Ogawa, and Mary Shelley.

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.