Summer Term Undergraduate Courses

In this introductory photography course, we will learn the fundamental techniques of image-making using digital camera technology and editing software. Emphasis will be placed on DSLR/Mirrorless camera functions as both a means of proper image exposure and creative effect. We will also explore the traditional rules of photographic composition and contemporary image design. Adobe software will be utilized for organizing, editing, adjusting, and manipulating our images to make beautifully crafted files and inkjet prints. Throughout the semester, we will engage in classroom critiques, field trips, readings, and discussions, to expand our photographic vocabulary. In this course, creative exploration will be fostered through the visual language of photography. DSLR cameras are available on loan for the semester. Attendance for the first class is mandatory.

This survey course examines the history of Europe from the early sixteenth to the late eighteenth centuries. Topics to be examined include the Reformations and religious wars, curiosity, contact and conquest of non-European lands, the rise of modern bureaucratic states, the emergence of popular sovereignty as a political criterion, the new science, as well as expanding literacy and consumption.

Some of the most urgent moral issues arise from our impact on the environment, such as climate change and pollution. This course is an introduction to contemporary philosophical thinking about these issues. We will address questions like: What is the environment, and what role should humans play in it? What obligations, if any, do we have to future generations, other species, or ecosystems? In what ways, if any, does our impact on the environment constitute injustice? What should we do as individuals – should we just focus on political change or should we also make radical changes in our own lifestyles? What are appropriate forms of activism – is violent or destructive action ever justified to prevent disasters? Can environmental catastrophe be avoided within capitalism? This course does not assume any prior background in philosophy or environmental studies.

Note: This course meets on Mondays and Fridays from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and on Wednesdays from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

This course uses composition and song-writing projects to introduce music fundamentals to students with little or no musical background. Topics will include rhythm and meter, pitch and intervals, scales, chords, and harmony, and how to read and write music in both traditional and popular presentations. We will cover standard classical music notation (score, Roman numerals, traditional theory terminology) as well as popular (lead-sheet notation and performance conventions). 

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.