An introduction to physical anthropology, which surveys the major components of the field: primatology, fossil evidence and evolution, osteology, and contemporary human diversity and genetics.

Course Name: ANTH 120 01

Schedule: TR 1-3:50 p.m.

This studio course introduces the basic concepts, techniques, and processes of design and drawing. Pencil, ink, collage, charcoal, and other media are used to foster a comprehensive understanding of the descriptive, formal, and expressive possibilities of drawing and design. Group and individual critiques.

Course Name: ART 115 01

Schedule: TR 8:45-11:45 a.m.

Why is chemistry important to other sciences, technology, and society? What processes do chemists use when dealing with real problems? What conceptual models do chemists use to understand and explain their observations? The focus of this course is on the reasons for doing science, the intellectual and instrumental tools used, the models developed to solve new problems, and the assertion that chemistry has a tremendous effect on your personal life and on the decisions made by society. Along the way, we cover atoms, molecules, ions, and periodic properties; chemical equations, stoichiometry and moles; Lewis structures and VSEPR model of bonding; reactivity and functional groups; states of matter and intermolecular forces; relationships between structure and properties. This course discusses chemistry in the context of climate change, food and fuel, and energy use for lighting.

Course Name: CHEM 117 03

Schedule: MWF 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and Tu 8:45-11:45 a.m. (for lab) 

Premised on in-depth discussion and analysis of key readings, this survey course covers a broad spectrum of domestic and global issues in public health, including the non-medical [social] determinants of health, health literacy, and disparities in health outcomes. Designed to encourage interaction among students interested in the health professions, this course lays the groundwork for future collaboration and introduces students to possible career tracks as practitioners, analysts, consultants, and social entrepreneurs in the realm of public health.

Course Name: HEAL 140 01

Schedule: MWF 10:00-11:00 a.m.

An exploration of some of the central questions and problems addressed by philosophers, such as: What is it to be a person? How can we live well and act responsibly? What is the nature of justice? Is it possible to act freely? What can we know about the world around us? What is the relationship between the mind and body? These questions, and others like them, are at the heart of philosophy. In this course, we will engage them through the writings of philosophers who have taken on these questions themselves. Expect to think carefully and write critically, skills meant to serve you in and beyond college.

Course Name: PHIL 110 03

Schedule: MWF 8:45-9:45 a.m

Are you ready for a journey of discovery to vibrant Medieval and Golden Age Spain? In this course (taught in English) we’ll explore history and shared culture through real and imaginary worlds surrounded by (anti)heroes, knights, queens, saints, devils, rogues, witches, and people of diverse backgrounds. Through these explorations we will challenge the existing stereotypes and examine the construction of identity through the multicultural, multireligious, and multilingual context of the period. You’ll engage with literary and visual texts by analyzing themes like love, betrayal, power, vengeance, gender, all encouraging you to discover, reflect, and connect with the complex present-day conceptions of identity.

Course Name: SPAN 190

In this course, we’ll study the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BCE), as organized into a text called the Analects by his students after his death. Confucian teachings have been a foundation for life throughout East Asia for twenty-five centuries. Moreover, the work has broad, international appeal, and its influence has spread in profound ways over the past few centuries. Our course will focus on how Confucian teachings can help us to imagine how we, too, can live our lives in profoundly different times and circumstances. We’ll learn and practice a variety of historical methodologies to build your communication and collaboration skills, which will help you succeed in college and beyond.

Course Name:  HIST 150

This course explores how reading (and writing about) 19th-century Russian literature can help us engage some of life’s most important questions: What constitutes happiness? What makes life meaningful? How do we navigate relationships? How do we make good decisions and effect meaningful change? We’ll consider how the works we read relate to a variety of contemporary ideas as well as to our own personal experiences, observations, and aspirations. In the process, we’ll develop college-level skills and strategies for effective critical reading and expository writing, learn about the writing process and the elements of good writing, and practice “joining the conversation” of critical exchange with others.

Course Name: WRIT 100

In this course, we’ll learn about the basics of artificial intelligence (AI), the ethical use of AI, and how AI can apply to and be used in any major or career. Through an investigation of the basics of computer science, math, data science, cognitive science, and engineering, we’ll learn how man-made intelligent systems are at work in our world. We’ll explore theories of AI, cellular automata, computer simulations of intelligent life forms, AI for strategy games, hands-on robotics, and introductory concepts in machine learning, all while practicing skills of creative problem solving, productive collaboration, and effective communication to jump-start your college and career goals in your first semester!

Course Name:  TBD

In this course, you will be introduced to the basic concepts, techniques, and processes of design and drawing. Using pencil, ink, collage, charcoal, and other media, we’ll explore and build a comprehensive understanding of the descriptive, formal, and expressive possibilities of drawing and design. As a class, we’ll employ group and individual critiques, practicing skills of communication, critical thinking, and collaboration to support one another as we develop in our understanding of drawing and design.

Course Name: ART 115

We’ll explore the work of filmmakers from around the world to examine and understand the formal elements of filmmaking. At the same time, we’ll investigate the various forces — political, technological, cultural, and economic — that influence and shape different kinds of cinematic art and filmmaking. Through lectures, discussions, student presentations, and film screenings, you’ll learn skills that will support your success in college, including effective written and spoken communication and critical thinking.

Course Name: MDST 100

In this course, we’ll explore important questions of philosophy like: What is it to be a person? How can we live well and act responsibly? What is the nature of justice? Is it possible to act freely? What can we know about the world around us? What is the relationship between mind and body? These questions, and others like them, are at the heart of philosophy. Our exploration of these questions will be through the writings of philosophers who have taken on these questions themselves. Expect to think carefully and write critically, skills meant to serve you in and beyond college.

Course Name: PHIL 110

Our course will explore psychology, or the study of mind and behavior. We’ll examine psychology at all levels, from the smallest cellular unit (individual nerve cells) to the largest questions (how psychology can help us address some of our most pressing social problems). In between these extremes, we’ll investigate topics such as child development, sensation and perception, personality, psychological disorders, and psychotherapy. Throughout all of these topics, we’ll learn and practice the methods psychologists use to ask and answer questions while building your skills in written and spoken communication and critical thinking.

Course Name: PSYC 100

In this course, we’ll examine how the relationship between societies and individuals is formed and shaped. Critical elements of this relationship include social structure, institutions and roles, culture, sex and gender, social class and stratification, social change, methodology, race and ethnicity, and socialization. We’ll develop a sociological imagination, which is a perspective that examines the interplay between structure and agency, or how structures like institutions, policies, and demographic characteristics shape the capacity of an individual to make their own free choices. This course will help you develop skills of effective communication and creative problem solving, skills for success in college and beyond.

Course Name: SOCI 100

Do you have a body? Does that body sometimes feel stiff, sore, or outta whack? This course is for anyone that has a body and wants that body to feel and function better. We’ll study anatomy and apply anatomical theory to create and implement plans to take care of our bodies using the Roll Model Method. We’ll engage with theoretical and applied approaches to self-myofascial release through massage, alignment, anatomy instruction and mental awareness. Utilizing the full set of required Tune Up Balls, articles and current research, and activities, each student will develop and put into practice their own conditioning and wellness plan specially designed for their sport(s), movement, and/or personal training goals. Through this course, you will learn to listen to, assess, and implement the needs of your body and respond as those needs shift both during the semester and beyond employing communication and creative problem solving skills.

Course Name: TBD

In this course (taught in English), we’ll explore how popular Japanese fiction and film portray the horror of modern life — both in the conventional sense of gore and jump scares as well as in the innocuous ways in which everyday life is its own form of horror. We will focus our discussions on how issues that have coincided with Japan’s emergence as a world leader are depicted in popular culture and consider how these fictional representations simultaneously envision, verbalize, and confront various societal ills. Some areas we will explore include the breakdown of traditional family structures, dislocation from traditional homes, and increased racial inequality and poverty.

Course Name: JAPN 280

We’ll explore how economics, a social science that studies how individuals make use of scarce resources, can help us to see the economy and society as a complex system of social coordination. Our investigation will include microeconomics (the study of how individuals and businesses make decisions) and macroeconomics (the study of the economy as a whole). We’ll apply theories from both micro and macroeconomics to understand relevant issues like employment, growth, international trade and finance, monetary and fiscal policy, and environmental issues. You’ll learn in this course how quantitative thinking and creative problem solving will support your success at the college and in life.

Course Name: ECON 199

Our investigation of sex, race, and power introduce concepts to navigate structures of power, experience, and knowledge at the intersection of different identity categories, including gender, race, sexuality, class, dis/ability, and nation. We’ll use evidence from our home communities, campus, and social media in combination with texts, theories, and ideas that circulate in the field of critical identity studies, drawing from feminism led by women of color, and the fields of anthropology, religious studies, history, environmental studies, and Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean studies. Our work helps us to “lead fulfilling lives marked by high achievement, personal responsibility, and public contribution in a diverse society” beginning at Beloit College!

Course Name: CRIS 101