Offerings

Description

All human societies face challenges, including those relating to power, identity, conflict, health, sustainability, and climate change. Yet our understandings of these challenges are not neutral, and archaeology often has been complicit in constructing and perpetuating misrepresentations. In this course, we begin with an introduction to basic archaeological methods, as well as the major trends of the past. We then consider how different theoretical approaches are produced within particular historical and social contexts that affect the ways we understand the past, often to the detriment of descendant communities. Throughout the remainder of the class, we examine case studies to better understand how societies responded to specific challenges, but also how a more inclusive archaeology can provide unique lessons for addressing such issues in the present and future. (3B) (Also listed as Critical Identity Studies 141.) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: preference given to first-year and sophomore students.

Offerings

Description

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. Lectures and laboratory. (4U) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: preference given to first-year and sophomore students.

Offerings

Description

This studio course introduces the fundamentals of three-dimensional design. It stresses line, plane, and volume and the ways these elements occupy and activate space. Additionally, principles that transform viewers’ interpretations and realize artistic intent are addressed through the use of unifiers, modifiers, symbols, metaphors, and embellishments. This course combines studio projects, class discussions, readings, and slide lectures with group critiques. Art appreciation is also a component of this course. (2A) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: first-year standing or declared Studio Art or Art History major or minor. Course fee is $50.00.

Offerings

Description

Emergent Design: Practice and Theory Discovery (1). In this course, students utilize technology to combine art and qualitative design. Developing the ability to adapt to new ideas, concepts, or findings that arise while conducting qualitative research. The students take cues from the data, process, or conclusions, and the whole study is a reflection of varying levels of emergent characteristics within that research process. This course has a fee. Prerequisites: none

Offerings

Description

This course provides an introduction to the primary methods and approaches in the study of images and objects. While individual topics will vary depending on the instructor, all classes will teach the skills of visual analysis and object-oriented research, and cultivate in students an understanding of the importance of objects’ historical and social contexts, both in the period of their production and across history. Intended to introduce students to the breadth of art history and prepare them for upper-level coursework in this and related fields, the class considers a variety of media, including (but not limited to) painting, sculpture, architecture and urban planning, film and photography, and design. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. (5T)

Offerings

Description

The anatomy and basic normal functions of the human body with consideration of development, genetics, immunology, endocrinology, and related molecular, cellular, and ecological concepts, and an emphasis on scientific principles and experimental methods. Students design, perform, analyze, and report on small research projects. Laboratory work requires dissection. Three two-hour lecture-laboratory periods per week. (4U) Offered yearly.

Offerings

Description

A survey of the animal kingdom with consideration of molecular and cellular biology, genetics, structure and function, ecology, evolution, and behavior of invertebrates and vertebrates. The course stresses scientific principles and experimental methods. Students design, perform, analyze, and report on small research projects. Laboratory work requires dissection. Three two-hour lecture-laboratory periods per week. (4U) Offered yearly.

Offerings

Description

The structure and function of plants emphasizing adaptations to the environment. The course focuses on the ecology, evolution, reproduction, physiology, cellular and molecular biology, and genetics of flowering plants. The course stresses scientific principles and experimental methods. Students design, perform, analyze, and report on small research projects. Three two-hour lecture-laboratory periods per week. (4U) Offered yearly.

Offerings

Description

An exploration and application of biological concepts through examination of the structure, genetics, physiology, and culture of microorganisms with emphasis on bacteria and viruses. The course stresses scientific principles and experimental methods in the context of disease and the environment. Students design, perform, analyze, and report on small research projects. Three two-hour lecture-laboratory periods per week. (4U) Offered yearly.

Offerings

Description

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. Topical applications and issues vary with the instructor and may include climate change, food and fuel, and energy use for lighting. Three two-hour class periods per week of combined lecture, laboratory, and discussion. (4U) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: facility with algebra. Note: Students with a strong prior background in chemistry are encouraged to consult with the department about placement in a more advanced chemistry course.

Offerings

Description

This beginning course offers an introduction to Mandarin. Class sessions stress the acquisition of basic skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Approximately 600 traditional characters are introduced, more than 1,000 combined words and phrases, and basic grammatical structures in Mandarin. (1S) Offered each year.

Offerings

Description

Introduction to Literary Study: Crumbs and Mirrors (1). In this course, we’ll read literary adaptations of fairy tales and folk tales which focus on identity and agency. As one of our authors, Angela Carter, writes: “I really do believe that a fiction absolutely self-conscious of itself as a different form of human experience than reality (that is, not a logbook of events) can help to transform reality itself.” Throughout the semester, we’ll develop and put into practice the critical skills of close reading, interpretation, and analysis in order to consider how writers recast these well-known tales—and to what ends.(5T) May be taken for credit only once. (Also listed as Comparative Literature 190. English majors should register for English 190.) Offered each semester.

Offerings

Description

Designed for the potential major in comparative literature and other interested students. Possible prerequisite to advanced courses in comparative literature. Methods of close reading of selected works of poetry, drama, and fiction, with training in analysis and critical writing. (5T) May be taken for credit only once. (Also listed as English 190. Comparative literature majors should register for Comparative Literature 190.) Offered each semester.

Offerings

Description

This course introduces students to concepts for navigating the multiplicity of experiences and knowledges at the intersections of identity categories (gender, race, sexuality, class, dis/ability, non/religiosity, nation, etc.) and structures of power. Our objects of analysis include both “the everyday”—located in our home communities, on our campus, in our virtual and mediated lives—and foundational texts and theories drawn primarily from women of color, queer, trans, and indigenous feminisms, and postcolonial thinkers. The course also engages with conceptions and practices of building communities across differences in identity and experience, using Beloit College as a lab of learning—its mission, location, histories, and asymmetries of belonging—as a way to help students develop the intellectual habits, reflective capacities, and collaborative communication skills required for equity-based interventions into their current and future social worlds. (3B) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: first-year or sophomore standing, juniors and seniors may register with instructor permission.

Offerings

Description

In this course, students explore psychological frameworks related to the process of learning, with a focus on teaching methods, instructional processes, and individual differences in learning. Additionally, this course explores the impact of trauma on learning and the journey towards radical healing. The following psychological frameworks serve as the lenses through which students seek to explore, understand, assess, and create alternative learning environments: cognitive psychology, trauma psychology, and the psychology of radical healing. This course is designed as a seminar. Thus, students are expected to participate actively in discussions while holding themselves accountable for their realizations of and connections to the processes of learning, the impact of trauma on these processes, and the importance of radical healing in addressing trauma. Students are encouraged to apply their understanding of these processes to their own analyses. Alternative learning practices including healing circles, group assessments, and evaluative exploration of curriculum are employed. Offered each fall and alternate spring terms. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. (3B)

Offerings

Description

An exploration of a variety of philosophical and historical approaches to the study of education and youth are integrated throughout this class. Students’ own educational experiences are taken into consideration through digital stories. These student experiences, in school and out of school, as well as the students’ developmental histories and personal philosophies, are considered in their relation to each other, as sources of knowledge and understanding. Students read and write about philosophers and theorists from a broad range of traditions, periods, and places. Integrated with philosophical explorations, students undertake historical investigations of schooling youth; this course focuses on the history of the U.S. and the development of ideas of democratic schooling in contexts of inequality. These explorations also include investigating how media and propaganda impact societal norms and influence education and youth. Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-heterosexism, and (dis)able bodies. In their writing and face-to-face interactions, students are strongly encouraged to employ philosophical and historical methodologies for their own self-expression. Offered each fall and alternate spring semester. (5T)

Offerings

Description

This course explores how and why it is that we, as individuals and communities, read, write, and interpret histories to justify our love of or identification with musics and sounds. The purpose of this course is to learn how we can use music history (including the methods and tools of musicology and music historiography) to empower and liberate our sense of self, our identities, our communities, and our values. (Also listed as History 211 and PART 150.) (5T) Offered every fall.

Offerings

Description

Topics in Critical Identity Studies: Speculative Activism (1). All activism is founded on hope. It begins with a belief that society not only should change, but that it has the capacity to do so. Yet it’s difficult to confront so many overwhelming issues in the world without losing hope and giving up your own joy in the process. Speculative Activism is a course designed to confront the burnout inherent in existing in our current world, acknowledging the ways in which all progress starts with internal healing and the creation of community. We will focus on methods of personal healing and reflection, while building strategies that can be utilized beyond the classroom. The course will end with a collaborative worldbuilding project that will allow students to imagine what a better world means to them, on a societal and an individual level. It aims to provide students with the tools they need to confront the world without burning themselves out in the process. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. The 2A, 3B, and 5T domained versions of this course are, respectively, Critical Identity Studies 266, 267, and 268.

Offerings

Description

Topics in Critical Identity Studies: Maladies of Empire: Race and Medicine (.5 units). This course will examine case studies at the intersection of conventional medicine with colonialism, diaspora, and coerced labor. How do our medical knowledge systems depend on legacies of harm? How might we address those legacies in the present? How might an understanding of that history illuminate why contemporary communities resist care practices? Together we will examine how health care workers in training might develop more humane and inclusive approaches to medical care. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. The 2A, 3B, and 5T domained versions of this course are, respectively, Critical Identity Studies 266, 267, and 268.

Offerings

Description

This course is a structured approach to algorithm development and problem solving using computer programming in an object-oriented programming language such as Java or Python. The course develops the concepts of procedural abstraction, program design, debugging, and testing in addition to teaching the standard features of a high-level computer programming language. Students will be introduced to the key concepts of object-oriented programming, including classes, inheritance, polymorphism, and interfaces. Societal issues related to computers (e.g. ethics, privacy, liability, and security) will also be discussed. (1S) Offered each semester.

Offerings

Description

This course takes an analytical approach to economic reasoning and contemporary economic issues. It introduces microeconomic and macroeconomic theories with applications to relevant issues such as employment, growth, international trade and finance, monetary and fiscal policy, and environmental issues. (3B) Offered each semester.

Offerings

Description

An exploration of a variety of philosophical and historical approaches to the study of education and youth are integrated throughout this class. Students’ own educational experiences are taken into consideration through digital stories. These student experiences, in school and out of school, as well as the students’ developmental histories and personal philosophies, are considered in their relation to each other, as sources of knowledge and understanding. Students read and write about philosophers and theorists from a broad range of traditions, periods, and places. Integrated with philosophical explorations, students undertake historical investigations of schooling youth; this course focuses on the history of the U.S. and the development of ideas of democratic schooling in contexts of inequality. These explorations also include investigating how media and propaganda impact societal norms and influence education and youth. Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-heterosexism, and (dis)able bodies. In their writing and face-to-face interactions, students are strongly encouraged to employ philosophical and historical methodologies for their own self-expression. (5T) Offered each fall and alternate spring semesters.

Offerings

Description

In this course, students explore psychological frameworks related to the process of learning, with a focus on teaching methods, instructional processes, and individual differences in learning. Additionally, this course explores the impact of trauma on learning and the journey towards radical healing. The following psychological frameworks serve as the lenses through which students seek to explore, understand, assess, and create alternative learning environments: cognitive psychology, trauma psychology, and the psychology of radical healing. This course is designed as a seminar. Thus, students are expected to participate actively in discussions while holding themselves accountable for their realizations of and connections to the processes of learning, the impact of trauma on these processes, and the importance of radical healing in addressing trauma. Students are encouraged to apply their understanding of these processes to their own analyses. Alternative learning practices including healing circles, group assessments, and evaluative exploration of curriculum are employed. (3B) Offered each fall and alternate spring terms.

Offerings

Description

Introduction to Literary Study: Crumbs and Mirrors (1). In this course, we’ll read literary adaptations of fairy tales and folk tales which focus on identity and agency. As one of our authors, Angela Carter, writes: “I really do believe that a fiction absolutely self-conscious of itself as a different form of human experience than reality (that is, not a logbook of events) can help to transform reality itself.” Throughout the semester, we’ll develop and put into practice the critical skills of close reading, interpretation, and analysis in order to consider how writers recast these well-known tales—and to what ends.(5T) May be taken for credit only once. (Also listed as Comparative Literature 190. English majors should register for English 190.) Offered each semester.

Offerings

Description

The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the essential reading, analysis, critical thinking, and writing abilities necessary for future literary exploration, whether in an academic or non-academic setting. The curriculum will focus on instructing students on how to critically analyze and construct arguments pertaining to various literary genres such as short stories, drama, poetry, graphic novels, novels, and films. Additionally, the course will provide an overview of theoretical concepts crucial to the study of literature. (5T, W)

Offerings

Description

Experimentation and practice in writing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Readings to suggest and illustrate forms and techniques. (2A) May be taken for credit only once. Offered each semester.

Offerings

Description

This is an advanced language and composition course with a twist: the course focuses on environmental writing, activism, and culture in French and Francophone literature, culture, media, and film. Students revise and perfect grammar and composition through exploring the zero waste movement spearheaded by Zero Waste France and the governmental projects to reduce waste. As students work through media, literature, film, government documents, and public-facing educational projects, they move toward final projects to draft a proposal and create presentations to make Beloit “plus vert” (“more green”). This course covers complex grammar points, oral expression, vocabulary building, and writing for diverse audiences. It particularly emphasizes written expression through structured writing assignments, in order to build confidence in communication skills, productive collaboration, and the ability to address, respond to, and solve local problems. Required of all majors. (1S) (Also listed as FREN 215.) Prerequisite: French 210 or equivalent. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

Offerings

Description

Essentials of French grammar. Composition, conversation, and oral practice. Reading of French prose. Four hours of classroom instruction and recitation and two hours of independent preparation for each classroom hour, including laboratory-type exercises, are required. Students are graded, in part, on their command of oral use of French. (1S) Offered each year. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

Offerings

Description

This course continues to develop oral comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills in French through readings and discussions of cultural materials from France and other Francophone countries. These include literary texts, media, and other forms of expression on contemporary issues. It offers an intensive review of the fundamentals of French grammar with the goal of increasing vocabulary,grammatical precision and the four linguistic skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing French. (1S) Prerequisite: French 105 or equivalent. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TODETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE ISAPPROPRIATE.

Offerings

Description

This is an advanced language and composition course with a twist: the course focuses on environmental writing, activism, and culture in French and Francophone literature, culture, media, and film. Students revise and perfect grammar and composition through exploring the zero waste movement spearheaded by Zero Waste France and the governmental projects to reduce waste. As students work through media, literature, film, government documents, and public-facing educational projects, they move toward final projects to draft a proposal and create presentations to make Beloit “plus vert” (“more green”). This course covers complex grammar points, oral expression, vocabulary building, and writing for diverse audiences. It particularly emphasizes written expression through structured writing assignments, in order to build confidence in communication skills, productive collaboration, and the ability to address, respond to, and solve local problems. Required of all majors. (1S) (Also listed as ENVS 215.) Prerequisite: French 210 or equivalent. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

Offerings

Description

Exploration of geologic processes that shape our dynamic planet and how they interact as a system. Topics include plate tectonics, deep time, climate, volcanoes, earthquakes, streams and groundwater, glaciers, natural resources, and the interactions between geologic processes and human populations. The class emphasizes both global systems and the geology of southern Wisconsin. We focus on using scientific methods to decipher complex interactive processes and developing skills for observation and analysis in the field and laboratory. One Saturday or Sunday field trip. Students who have credit for Geology 110 may not take this course for credit. (4U) Offered yearly.

Offerings

Description

In this class, students master the basic vocabulary and forms of the language of the Caesars, Cicero, and the citizens of the Roman Empire. Latin is an advantageous starting point for learning any of the modern Romance languages (including Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian), and an education in Latin literature was once considered the backbone of a liberal arts education. This course is designed to enable a disciplined student to deal as soon as possible with Latin texts in a competent and sure manner. (1S) Offered each fall.

Offerings

Description

Ancient Rome produced great works of literature, art, and architecture, and was the model for the American Republic. Yet its people enjoyed the blood sports of the arena and engaged in the ruthless conquest and subjugation of much of the Mediterranean world. This course explores the history and culture of this seemingly contradictory civilization, from its origins as an Etruscan kingdom through the rise of the Republic and its transition into Empire. Through a critical and integrated analysis of literary and material culture, students develop a picture of what it meant to be Roman, and consider what it might mean to see ourselves as the inheritors of a Roman tradition. Taught in English. (3B) (Also listed as History 222.) Offered fall term, odd years.

Offerings

Description

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. (3B)

Offerings

Description

Topics in Critical Identity Studies: Maladies of Empire: Race and Medicine (.5). This course will examine case studies at the intersection of conventional medicine with colonialism, diaspora, and coerced labor. How do our medical knowledge systems depend on legacies of harm? How might we address those legacies in the present? How might an understanding of that history illuminate why contemporary communities resist care practices? Together we will examine how health care workers in training might develop more humane and inclusive approaches to medical care. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. The 2A, 3B, and 5T domained versions of this course are, respectively, Critical Identity Studies 266, 267, and 268.

Offerings

Description

Introduction to Historical Thinking: Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Colonialism (1). This course explores major themes in the history of nineteenth and twentieth-century colonialism. It focuses on the British and French Empires but also includes some aspects of German and Belgian colonial history. The class analyzes the mindset, ideologies and strategies of the European colonizers, while equally taking into account the experiences and counter-strategies of the colonized populations. Students will learn about the economic, political and cultural effects that colonialism had on the non-Western part of the world. At the same time, we will also examine the influence that colonialism had on European culture and society. In addition to providing an overview of the period, the class will prepare students to undertake their own original research in colonial history, resulting in a research paper at the end of the semester. We will explore different methodological and theoretical approaches to colonial history, discuss strategies of developing and conceptualizing research questions, and practice analyzing a wide range of historical sources from different parts of the world, including political writings, novels, poems, and movies. (5T) Topics course. Offered each semester.

Offerings

Description

HIST 150. Introduction to Historical Thinking: Mountains (1). In this introductory seminar we will examine the ways in which various people throughout history have engaged the greatest monuments in their midst—the mountains that dominate certain parts of the human landscape. Mountains have figured prominently in writings and oral traditions from earliest times, and the fascination with them continues in the disciplines of history and anthropology, where the study of lofty terrain has alternately framed and dominated research work. We will study human interactions with mountains, from classical statements of mountain travel and thought by Confucius, Vasari, in the Bible, and in other sources. We will also examine many of the geological and environmental issues that affect mountain landscapes. In particular, we will study the five “marchmounts” or cosmological mountains of China. Laid out in powerful “architectural” fashion, the great Chinese mountains framed political and historical discourse in early China. Since early times, the Chinese imagined heaven as round and earth as square, and their linkage played a prominent role in three thousand years of political and historical writings. To this day, those mountains remain important as cultural sites and pilgrimage centers, and we will look at their role in multiple levels of Chinese economic, cultural, and political life. These readings will form a framework that students will each use to develop their own particular focus on mountain environments. Students will have the opportunity to choose, for their final projects, a mountain territory that they will study in-depth, placing it in environmental, cultural, and historical context. (5T) Topics course. Offered each semester.

Offerings

Description

This course explores how and why it is that we, as individuals and communities, read, write, and interpret histories to justify our love of or identification with musics and sounds. The purpose of this course is to learn how we can use music history (including the methods and tools of musicology and music historiography) to empower and liberate our sense of self, our identities, our communities, and our values. (Also listed as PART 150 and Critical Identity Studies 142.) (5T) Offered every fall.

Offerings

Description

Ancient Rome produced great works of literature, art, and architecture, and was the model for the American Republic. Yet its people enjoyed the bloodsports of the arena and engaged in the ruthless conquest and subjugation of much of the Mediterranean world. This course explores the history and culture of this seemingly contradictory civilization, from its origins as an Etruscan kingdom through the rise of the Republic and its transition into Empire. Through a critical and integrated analysis of literary and material culture, students develop a picture of what it meant to be Roman, and consider what it might mean to see ourselves as the inheritors of a Roman tradition. (3B) (Also listed as Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies 204.) Offered fall term (odd years).

Offerings

Description

Provides a foundation in basic Japanese. Students learn most of the basic Japanese grammatical patterns, the two phonetic alphabets, Hiragana and Katakana, as well as approximately 100 Chinese characters (Kanji). Instruction and training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. (1S) Offered each year.

Offerings

Description

A thorough review of the basic patterns of Japanese. Continue work with Kanji. Classes taught in Japanese to stress training in listening comprehension, speaking, and composition. (1S) Offered each year. Prerequisite: Japanese 105 or consent of instructor. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

Offerings

Description

These courses aim to expand students’ basic skills in the Japanese language and deepen their knowledge of Japanese culture. New speech styles and new Kanji are introduced. Students will read simple essays and write short compositions. Classes will be taught in Japanese. (1S) Prerequisite: Japanese 115 or consent of instructor. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

Offerings

Description

Basic techniques of reportage, from researching to writing to editing. Emphasis on writing for newspapers, though other print and broadcast media also will be examined. Written assignments may include news stories, book and movie reviews, interviews, human interest stories, feature articles, and editorials. (Also listed as Media Studies 125.) (2A) Offered each fall.

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Description

The mathematics necessary for calculus: algebraic manipulations; radicals and exponents; logarithmic, exponential and trigonometric functions; graphing and analytical geometry; theory of polynomials; complex numbers, and how such mathematics is developed. This course is designed for students who wish to take calculus but are not adequately prepared by their high school background. Prerequisite: First- or second-year standing. Not open to juniors and seniors without departmental permission. Not open to students who have received credit for calculus.

Offerings

Description

An introduction to differential and integral calculus. Limits and continuity, derivatives and integrals of polynomial, trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions, applications of derivatives to optimization and approximation, the Mean Value Theorem, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. (1S) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: four years of high school mathematics, including trigonometry and either college algebra or precalculus.

Offerings

Description

Techniques of integration, L’Hôpital’s Rule, infinite sequences and series, Taylor series and applications, first-order differential equations, and introduction to the calculus of multivariable functions, including partial derivatives and multiple integrals. (1S) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: Mathematics 110.

Offerings

Description

Exploring the work of filmmakers from around the globe, this introductory-level course examines the formal elements of filmmaking as well as the various forces—political, technological, cultural, and economic—that give rise to specific kinds of cinematic art. The course format combines lectures, discussions, student presentations, and film screenings. (5T) Offered each fall.

Offerings

Description

Introduction to visual studies explores how images structure the world we inhabit by shaping how we perceive and consume various identities, as well as how we come to understand and occupy our built and natural environment. This course builds visual literacy skills through an examination of traditional forms such as paintings, sculpture, and architecture, and more popular and contemporary forms such as film and video. (5T)

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Description

This introductory-level course examines the art and practice of nonfiction video production, focusing specifically on the process of making documentaries. Students acquire basic audio and video production skills—videography, video editing, lighting, sound recording, and sound design—and will apply these skills in the creation of their own, original nonfiction video projects. Students will also examine some of the legal and ethical issues that directors of documentary typically encounter, as well as some of the social and political roles that documentaries play within our society. (Also listed as Journalism 155.) (2A) Offered every other year.

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Description

The music, theatre, and dance departments have been combined into Performing & Applied Arts. To find relevant courses, please look for courses in the Performing & Applied Arts department (PART).

Offerings

Description

(.5 units). A survey of the educational, curatorial, exhibition, public relations, and research missions of museums. Stress is placed on the role of museums in various communities, their organizational and administrative structures, their ethical, moral, and legal obligations, and sources of support. Lecture, discussion, and field trips. Offered each fall semester.

Offerings

Description

Lessons are available in music conducting, voice, and instruments for 0.25 credits. Lessons are domain 2A, require the consent of the instructor, and require an additional course fee. Please refer to the Performing & Performing Arts Courses page or the Portal for further details.

Offerings

Description

Ensembles include choirs and ensembles involving various instruments and styles for 0.25 credits. Ensembles are open to all students, but some may require an audition or previous experience to participate. Please refer to the Performing & Performing Arts Courses page or the Portal for further details.

• [PART 051] Beloit College/Community Choir (0.25)
• [PART 055] Chamber Music (0.25)

• [PART 057] Creative Strings Collective (0.25)
• [PART 058] Jazz Ensemble (0.25)

• [PART 062] Chamber Singers (0.25)
• [PART 065] Woodwind Quintet (0.25)

• [PART 066] Wind Ensemble (0.25)
• [PART 068] Percussion Ensemble (0.25)

• [PART 069] Guitar Ensemble (0.25)

Offerings

Description

(.5 units). This course offers individualized piano instruction in a group setting. Students of all skill levels are welcome, but it is particularly targeted to those with little or no piano background. Reading skills are developed, while also increasing the student’s familiarity with basic musical terms and directions. For those students with more extensive background, there is flexibility regarding choice of repertoire to achieve these goals. This is an excellent way to prepare for higher level courses and/or participation in ensembles offered by the music department. This course may be taken twice for credit. (2A)

Offerings

Description

A fundamental acting course designed to develop basic acting skills with strong emphasis on the Stanislavski method. Focuses on the analysis of dramatic action and the process of developing a character. Applicable for majors and non-majors. (2A) Offered every fall semester.

Offerings

Description

A beginning stagecraft course that introduces students to the basic aspects of technical theatre production and construction of theatrical scenery. Students learn the safe operation and handling of tools used in the construction, painting, assembly, and deconstruction of scenery. (2A) Offered every other fall, even years.

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Description

(.5 units). This is a mod course that examines collaboration across disciplines teaching students the skill set to be effective collaborators. Students engage with professionals from various fields discussing collaborative practices. Students put the skills learned in the classroom into practice through a collaborative experience approved by the instructor. Examples of experiences include taking part in a theatrical production (performing, directing, designing, crewing etc.), participating in dance performances (choreography, performing, design etc.), participating in music ensembles, working on marketing for productions, dramaturgy, stage management, work on historic costume collection. Students keep journals that reflect their growth as collaborators. Offered every semester.

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Description

(.5 units). In this mod course that focuses on collaboration specific to arts disciplines. Students will have the opportunity to hear from professionals in Music, Dance, and Theatre as they discuss collaborative projects. Students will put the skills learned in the classroom into practice through a collaborative experience approved by the instructor. Examples of experiences will include taking part in a theatrical production (performing, directing, designing, crewing, etc.), participating in dance performances (choreography, performing, design, etc.), participating in music ensembles, working on marketing for productions, dramaturgy, stage management, work on historic costume collection. Students will keep journals that reflect their growth as collaborators. (2A) Offered every semester

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This course explores how and why it is that we, as individuals and communities, read, write, and interpret histories to justify our love of or identification with musics and sounds. The purpose of this course is to learn how we can use music history (including the methods and tools of musicology and music historiography) to empower and liberate our sense of self, our identities, our communities, and our values. (Also listed as History 211 and Critical Identity Studies 142.) (5T) Offered every fall.

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(.75 units). This is a movement-based improvisation course using dance improvisation techniques. Students experience movement discovery through individual and group improvisation. The course fuses creation with execution and focus on developing the skill of listening and responding with the body while emphasizing movement as a sensorial experience. Contact Improvisation fundamentals are introduced. (2A) Offered occasionally.

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(0.5 units). Topics in Performing and Applied Arts: Hip Hop Dance. This course focuses on the study of the performance arts as examined in light of another discipline and, inversely, how the other discipline can be understood more critically when analyzed through the lens of the performing arts.

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Shakespeare’s Hamlet advised the players that theatre was, “To Hold as ‘twere the mirror up to nature”; today, documentary theatre places a contested story in front of an audience making it more real, more urgent. This course focuses on a local story and develops a means to stage its heart. Students develop archival skills, oral history interviewing techniques, group storytelling activities, and composition and script analysis approaches. Ultimately, the goal of the course is to create a finished script for the following season, and along the way students become better collaborators, clearer storytellers, insightful community members, and ethical theatrical journalists. Documentary theatre may be repeated for credit if the topic is different or a different development approach is being taught. Prerequisite: sophomore standing and one Performing and Applied Arts or Media Studies course. Offered most fall semesters.

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(.5 units). In this half credit course students learn the building blocks of visual design for the stage. They learn ways to manipulate the elements of design specific to discipline and how to realize design concepts. Students work through the design process and leave the course with a realized final design project. Throughout the design process students learn how to analyze design choices, receive constructive feedback, and alter design decisions and build processes to better realize their final designs. Students get to apply their design and creation skills to a current Performing and Applied Arts production, with a chance their designs will be seen onstage. (2A) Prerequisite: none for fall 2024. This course has a fee.

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An investigation of the formal structure of reasoning and the logical relationships that underlie good arguments. Many college courses explore and investigate the reasons to take something to be so; logic explores the correctness or strength of reasoning itself. This course will have a particular emphasis on the major historical methods for symbolically representing and analyzing deductive arguments: Aristotelian logic, propositional logic, and predicate logic. Some attention may also be paid to informal logical fallacies. (1S) Offered each semester.

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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. (5T) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: not open to students who have taken Philosophy 115.

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As an introduction to philosophy, this course covers the same core philosophical thinkers and problems as Philosophy 110, also by using primary sources. This course adds a semester-long theme for the course, where the theme provides a lens for thinking through and addressing the problems central to studying philosophy. The theme will typically be incorporated into class activities and student assignments. May be used to fulfill any requirement or prerequisite fulfilled by Philosophy 110. (5T) Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: not open to students who have taken Philosophy 110.

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An introduction to the fundamental concepts of classical mechanics: Newton’s laws, conservation of momentum and energy, and oscillatory and rotational motion. Students planning to take additional physics courses should take Mathematics 110 concurrently with Physics 101. Four hours of classroom work and two hours of laboratory work are required each week. (4U) Offered each fall. Prerequisite: high-school mathematics, including trigonometry.

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Introduction to U.S. government and politics at the national and state levels. Provides background on guiding principles, constitutional guarantees, the federal system, major institutions, and mechanisms that link citizens to officials. Covers both federal and state levels and their interaction in topics such as elections and political executives, which include the president and governors. Illustrative use of public policy materials, especially health policy, as well as current events and issues. Serves as a basic course for any student wishing to gain a foundation in U.S. politics and as the prerequisite for many courses in the American politics subfield. (3B) Offered each semester.

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Introduction to the workings of the international political and economic systems from both a practical and theoretical perspective. Offers a brief history of the key events which have shaped international politics, introduces the major theoretical approaches of the discipline, and explores mechanisms for conflict and cooperation. (3B) Offered each semester.

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Introduction to political philosophy through consideration of the enduring question: What is justice? Investigates responses offered by ancient thinkers and those of the early modern period in order to examine the historical development of political theory in the Western tradition. Additional topics of inquiry include: the possibilities and limits of power, freedom, property, and the good society; the relationship between religion and politics; as well as the philosophic presuppositions about human nature and social responsibility that underlie the ancient and modern perspectives. Emphasis on close readings of philosophical texts, critical analysis, and class discussion. (5T) Usually offered every year. Open to first-year and second-year students only.

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The study of international human rights. Topics include the role of the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations; the position of women and gender-based cultural practices; refugees and asylum practices; labor practices; the death penalty and juvenile justice; health and human rights; indigenous peoples; civil and political liberties; and economic rights. Offered every third semester. Prerequisite: Political Science 130 or 160, or consent of instructor. Preference given to third- and fourth-year students.

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(.5 units). An introduction to the basics of effective leadership, including an investigation of leadership theories and assessment of leadership styles. Guest speakers come to provide various viewpoints regarding different leadership styles. Students identify and describe leadership concepts and styles and apply strategies of leadership to various situations and contexts.

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This course focuses on the entrepreneurial process and its component parts. Through case studies, students will explore the elements and skills required for successful venturing such as financing, planning, marketing, and negotiating. Course will focus on pragmatism and developing sound judgment within the context of ambiguous scenarios.

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This course introduces students to psychological issues and phenomena. A wide range of representative topics acquaints students with the methods and content of the field. (3B) Offered each semester.

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Examination of the major sociological paradigms, theories, and processes shaping the relationship between society and individuals. Elements emphasized include the following: social structure, institutions and roles, culture, sex and gender, social class and stratification, social change, methodology, race and ethnicity, socialization. The goal is to develop the sociological imagination, which is an analytical perspective examining the interplay between structure and agency. (Content varies by instructor for each section. Consult instructor for further information.) (3B) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: first or second year standing or consent of instructor.

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Based on a communicative approach, this course provides a solid foundation of listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students have daily assignments intended to help them communicate orally and in written form about themselves, friends, and family as well as customs and practices in the Spanish-speaking world in the present, past, and future tenses. Participation in Spanish-language activities outside of the classroom and/or in the local Latino community is expected. (1S) Prerequisite: Open only to students with no previous knowledge of Spanish. Offered each fall. Students with previous knowledge of Spanish are required to take the placement test. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

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Using a content-based approach, this course is organized around a theme or themes determined by the instructor. It offers an intensive review of the fundamentals of Spanish grammar with the goal of increasing vocabulary, grammatical precision and the four linguistic skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing Spanish. Readings reflect the many cultures of Spanish-speaking world. Participation in Spanish-language activities outside the classroom and/or in the local Latino community is expected. (1S) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: Spanish 105 or equivalent. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

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While developing their speaking skills, students undergo an intensive review of the fundamentals of grammar with the goal of increasing their vocabulary and grammatical precision in Spanish. Students engage in active dialogue to explore, reflect on, and communicate about present-day issues related to such topics as climate change, global warming, and endangered species in Spain and Latin America. Participation in Spanish-language activities outside the classroom and/or in the local Latino community is expected. (1S) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: Spanish 110 or equivalent. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

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Students study advanced grammatical structures and vocabulary to expand and strengthen their lexical and grammatical understanding of the language while completing writing assignments that explore health topics in the Spanish-speaking world and how culture impacts health. While engaging with the writing process, students also have the opportunity to build their confidence in listening, reading, speaking, and conducting research. Participation in Spanish-language activities outside the classroom and/or in the local Latino community is expected. (1S) (Also listed as Health and Society 218.) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: Spanish 210, 214, or equivalent. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

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A genre-based approach to reading and writing about the literature and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, this course develops analytical and critical-thinking skills through readings, discussions, and written assignments. Genres may include narrative, poetry, drama, and film and are intended to deepen students’ understanding of the human condition. Participation in Spanish-language activities outside the classroom and/or in the local Latino community is expected. (5T) Offered each year. Prerequisite: Spanish 215 or consent of instructor. AFTER ON-LINE REGISTRATION CLOSES, MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY REVIEW ALL LANGUAGE COURSE ENROLLMENTS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT HAS ENROLLED IN THE RECOMMENDED PLACEMENT LEVEL. IF NOT, THE STUDENT WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DROP OR REGISTRATION IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE COURSE IS APPROPRIATE.

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The music, theatre, and dance departments have been combined into Performing & Applied Arts. To find relevant courses, please look for courses in the Performing & Applied Arts department (PART).

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The course focuses on developing students’ writing skills. Each section of this seminar offers a topical framework for examining the relationship between critical thinking, reading, and writing; practicing effective writing process; generating different kinds of writing; identifying and improving the elements of successful writing; and engaging with other writers (from peer collaboration to research) in a seminar setting. May be taken only once if a grade of “C” or better is received; otherwise a second course may be taken under a different topic. (5T) Topics course. Offered each semester.

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Writing Seminar: The Personal Essay (1). This class helps students to develop their reading, writing, and thinking skills for college-level work by focusing on the personal essay as a vehicle for addressing the following topics: how your personal background might relate to your decision to come to Beloit; your observations and experiences in your first semester at Beloit; and exploration of potential pathways for the terrain ahead (such as areas of study and social life) and its possible relevance to your life after Beloit. Reading and research will provide both rhetorical models of diverse writing styles and perspectives about a range of topics to inform and enrich your own thinking and writing about the college experience. Throughout the semester we engage in a regular collaborative writing practice on all aspects of effective writing process.