Course Descriptions

An introduction to the fundamental principles common to all living organisms. Presents basic biological principles using human systems as a study model including cell biology, genetics, and physiology. A course for non-biology majors. Three lectures and one 3-hour laboratory per week.

Natural Science with Lab. This course focuses on fundamental biological concepts at an organismal level. It also fulfills the Natural Science core requirement and provides a foundation for more advanced courses in Biology. BI 122 is devoted to biodiversity, plant form and function, and animal form and function. Particular emphasis in the course is placed upon the scientific method and upon the evaluation, analysis, and synthesis of information.

Special Topics courses include ad hoc courses on various selected topics that are not part of the regular curriculum, however they may still fulfill certain curricular requirements. Special topics courses are offered at the discretion of each department and will be published as part of the semester course schedule - view available sections for more information. Questions about special topics classes can be directed to the instructor or department chair.

This course will look at the role of measurement and assessment in the instructional process. Classroom tests and standardized tests will be analyzed. Gathering, administering and interpreting assessment data will be examined.

Placement determined by score on national exams or passing grade in ENWR 101.

Immigration et intégration dans la France moderne. This course addresses a number of contemporary issues in modern France with regards to its policies and practices of immigration. After a brief examination of traditional conceptions of the French nation and of French citizenship, we pass to a historical overview of the causes of significant waves of immigration in France, such as the world wars, French colonialism, and the Syrian refugee crisis. The course concludes with some in-depth examinations of salient issues related to immigration into France, in particular, racial and cultural integration, French Republicanism, recent upsurges in populism, la cité, and the 2018 soccer World Cup. The course is offered entirely in French. Students enrolling in FR 405 must have taken at least one 300-level course in French. Students will complete a research paper on a subject of their choice, and will present on their research in class at a number of junctures throughout the semester. A student cannot take FR 305 if they've already taken FR 405.

Arts & Letters-Literature. A study of literature written by women, exploring what it means when women become the center of their own stories. The subtitle of the course will help define the focus: it may focus on writings by women from Britain, the U.S., any ethnic and/or national group, or a combination of any of the above. The course may focus on one century, a more limited historical period, or span several. Feminist literary and cultural theory may be an added focus. Writers may include: Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Kate Chopin, Virginia Woolf, Adrienne Rich, Maxine Hong Kingston, Toni Morrison, Louise Erdrich, Sandra Cisneros, Gloria Anzaldua.

The Honors Scholars seminar series continues by weaving the rise of the scientific revolution with the leading social philosophies of the 17th and 18th centuries, including empiricism, rationalism, and idealism, including the roles of satire, farce, and drama in literature.

The study of basic physiological functions of the body and their response to exercise. Topics include muscle structure and function, responses and adaptations to exercise, energy metabolism, effects of exercise and training on body composition, aerobic and anaerobic fitness, and nutrition and other aids to performance.

Independent study is open to junior and senior students only. At the time of application, a student must have earned a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. A student may register for no more than three (3) semester hours of independent study in any one term. In all cases, registration for independent study must be approved by the appropriate department chairperson and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Elusive Self: On Mind, Brain, and Consciousness.

No concept is more central to our lives than the notion of "I." We could not navigate the world if we lacked a fundamental sense of self-hood. Yet, for philosophers and psychologists alike, this commonplace idea has been the starting point for much speculation, research, and wonder. This course explores various dimensions of what we call the self from both psychological and philosophical perspectives. We begin with questions on the nature of consciousness, with special emphasis on the relationship between the mind and the brain. We then explore issues related to personal identity, self-awareness, and memory. We next consider the prospects for consciousness and self-hood in non-human animals and machines. Finally, we reckon with the self's ultimate limitation, death.

A Discerning Eye: Depression, Trauma and Madness in Literature.

How do we diagnose a mental illness? How are symptoms of mental illness portrayed in literature? Depression, Trauma and Madness will examine the ways in which psychology and literature both overlap and diverge on the subject of mental illness. The course will consist of a conversation between literary texts that portray mental illnesses and psychologists' current understanding of those illnesses. The course will focus on comparing and contrasting current diagnostics for many common psychological disorders and how certain disorders are reflected in the literature. The course will have distinct units with specific texts used to highlight important aspects of depression, trauma and madness.

An Integrative Learning course where students receive CORE credit in Arts & Letters-Fine Art.

This course introduces students to basic concepts of professional communication and artistic creation in the context of the French fashion industry. Over the semester, students will learn to sketch clothing for both fashion and theatrical contexts, to render the costumes using appropriate scale, to add color using watercolors, and to communicate with a director or editor, and with clients, vendors, and co-workers about their work both in English and in French.

A Shared Space - Animal and Human Geography and History.

This course focuses on an examination of how spatially situated human-animal relations have changed through time. Looking critically at the relationships that exist among people, animals, and the landscape this course engages students in the study of the ways in which interrelationshipss between humans and animals have been constructed over time and space. It also illustrates how the study of animals - past, present, even mythical - demands critical analyses of the three main fields it brings together, anthrozoology, history, and geography, enriching all three.

This course will seek to weave together the problem and question of God with historical case studies illuminating humanity's capacity for cruelty, atrocity, and genocide. By exploring some of the leading philosophical and theological arguments regarding the problem of evil, for example, alongside real historical examples, we will force the class to confront the reality that neither discipline has all the answers to the difficult questions posed by the human potential for evil.

Course will be offered every two years, in the fall semester.

The senior paper is an original work a student prepares under the guidance of a professor in the Philosophy Department. It must provide evidence of scholarship in any of the major philosophical areas and is approved by the Department Chair.

Prerequisite: PSY 105 or SO 101.

Fall semester.

This course considers the three major monotheistic religions (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) in terms of their common historical origins, as well as their manifestations in today's world, particularly vis-à-vis contemporary Morocco, a powerful example of a pluralistic, multi-ethnic, multi-religious society.