Summer Term Undergraduate Courses

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.

Recent scientific evidence shows that our brain has a great deal of malleability at any age and that our lifestyle choices play an important role in shrinking or growing different parts of our brain. Factors such as poor sleep, obesity, anxiety, and poor diet lead to accumulating shrinkage in the brain while even three months of exercise, brain training, meditation, and optimal sleep can grow the brain. You can learn to apply these new discoveries into your day-to-day life in order to improve your memory, attention, organizational skills, and overall brain vitality. Much of your learning in this course will happen during classes. Each lecture is followed by a 10-minute engaging and fun discussion session to make sure you have grasped the main concepts for that presentation.

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 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 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.

The disciplines of Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art are concerned with philosophical questions about beauty and art, respectively. This course will explore one of the primary questions that threads through both disciplines: what is art? Is art representation? Is art expression? Is art only art in virtue of its context? Maybe art is a social and political tool? This class will begin its exploration through the historical perspectives of some of the great philosophers of the Western World, such as Plato and Hume, and work our way towards more contemporary views by philosophers such Arthur Danto and bell hooks. Beyond the chronology of art, this course will cover perspectives on “not art” art, art that (some argue) has been wrongly excluded from the dominant Western canon, such as craft and folk art.

Note: This course meets on Mondays and Fridays from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, and on Wednesdays from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

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.

The fundamental principles of chemistry, including atomic and molecular structure, bonding, elementary thermodynamics, equilibrium and acids and bases, are introduced in this course. Can be taken with Introductory Chemistry Laboratory – I unless lab has been previously completed. Note: Students taking this course and Laboratory 030.105 may not take any other courses in the summer sessions at the same time and should devote their full time to these subjects. High school physics and calculus are strongly recommended as prerequisites. First and second terms must be taken in sequence. Students not enrolled in college (unless they are rising freshmen) may not take this course.

Continuation of AS.030.101 emphasizing chemical kinetics, chemical bonding. Topics: energy levels and wave functions for particle-in-a-box and hydrogen atom and approximate wave functions for molecules including introduction to hybrid orbitals. Note: Students taking this course and Laboratory 030.105-106 may not take any other course in the summer sessions at the same time and should devote their full time to these subjects. High school physics and calculus are strongly recommended as prerequisites. First and second terms must be taken in sequence.

Prerequisite: AS.030.101 (Introductory Chemistry I). Students enrolled in AS.030.103 (Applied Chemical Equilibrium and Reactivity with Lab) may not enroll in or receive credit for AS.030.102.

Laboratory work includes quantitative analysis and the measurement of physical properties. Open only to those who are registered for or have successfully completed Introductory Chemistry 030.101.

Prerequisites: Students must have completed or be enrolled in AS.030.101 (Introductory Chemistry I) or EN.510.101 (Introduction to Materials Chemistry) in order to register for AS.030.105. Students must have completed Lab Safety training prior to registering for this class. To access the tutorial, login to myLearning and enter 458083 in the Search box to locate the appropriate module.

Laboratory work includes some quantitative analysis and the measurement of physical properties. Open only to those who are registered for or have completed Introductory Chemistry II (AS.030.102). Permission required for pre-college students.

Prerequisites: AS.030.105 (Introductory Chemistry Laboratory I) and AS.030.101 (Introductory Chemistry I) OR EN.510.101 (Introduction to Materials Chemistry). Students enrolled in AS.030.103 (Applied Chemical Equilibrium and Reactivity w/Lab) may not enroll in or receive credit for AS.030.106. Students must have completed Lab Safety training prior to registering for this class. To access the tutorial, login to myLearning and enter 458083 in the Search box to locate the appropriate module.

This course provides an introduction to the fundamental chemistry of carbon compounds. Topics include interrelationships of structure, physical properties, synthesis, and reactions and their mechanisms as well as a brief overview of bio-organic chemistry. Note: Students taking this course and the laboratory 030.105-106 may not take any other course in the summer sessions and should devote full time to these subjects. First and second terms must be taken in sequence. Prerequisite: Introductory Chemistry or the equivalent.

Prerequisite: AS.030.102 (Introductory Chemistry II) or AS.030.103 (Applied Equilibrium and Reactivity w/Lab) or EN.510.101 (Introduction to Materials Chemistry) or AS.030.204 (Chemical Structure and Bonding w/Lab).

Laboratory work includes fundamental laboratory techniques and preparation of representative organic compounds. Open only to those who are registered for or have completed Introductory Organic Chemistry. Note: This one-semester course is offered each term. Introductory Organic Chemistry I/II requires one semester of the laboratory.

Prerequisites: AS.030.205 (Introductory Organic Chemistry I), which can be taken concurrently with AS.305.225( Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory); AND AS.030.102 (Introductory Chemistry II) AND AS.030.106 (Introductory Chemistry Laboratory II) OR AS.030.103 (Applied Equilibrium and Relativity w/Lab). Students must have completed Lab Safety training prior to registering for this class. To access the tutorial, login to myLearning and enter 458083 in the Search box to locate the appropriate module.

Laboratory work includes fundamental laboratory techniques and preparation of representative organic compounds. Open only to those who are registered for or have completed Introductory Organic Chemistry. Note: This one-semester course is offered each term. Introductory Organic Chemistry I/II requires one semester of the laboratory.

Prerequisites: AS.030.205 (Introductory Organic Chemistry I), which can be taken concurrently with AS.305.225( Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory); AND AS.030.102 (Introductory Chemistry II) AND AS.030.106 (Introductory Chemistry Laboratory II) OR AS.030.103 (Applied Equilibrium and Relativity w/Lab). Students must have completed Lab Safety training prior to registering for this class. To access the tutorial, login to myLearning and enter 458083 in the Search box to locate the appropriate module.

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.

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

This course is scheduled to run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

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.

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).

Mathematics for Sustainability covers topics in measurement, probability, statistics, dynamics, and data analysis. In this course, students will analyze, visually represent, and interpret large, real data sets from a variety of government, corporate, and non-profit sources. Through local and global case studies, students will engage in the mathematics behind environmental sustainability issues and the debates centered on them. Topics include climate change, natural resource use, waste production, air and water pollution, water scarcity, and decreasing biodiversity. The software package R is used throughout the course.

Prerequisites: Comfort with algebraic expressions and functions. No prior experience in coding is required.