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Courses for First-Years
Explore courses, most of which require no previous experience, and all of which are open to first-year students. We suggest trying many different things for your first semester.
In addition to these courses, there’s music lessons and ensembles, and theatre and dance practicums. Other opportunities may also be available, depending on your previous experiences and current interests. Use the Course Search in the Portal to view all offerings and consult with your advisor about pursuing any other courses.
Course Offerings
Click on a course to view its description and meeting times for each section.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ANTH 100 01 | TR 10:00 AM-11:45 AM |
| ANTH 100 02 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
Description
An introduction to cultural anthropology, which is the study of human cultures, both historical and contemporary. Students analyze the ways in which social categories are imagined, reproduced, and grounded within particular historical and geographical contexts around the world, in order to understand how humans create meaning through everyday practices. (3B) Offered each semester. (Also listed as Critical Identity Studies 141). Prerequisite: preference given to first-year and sophomore students.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ANTH 110 01 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ANTH 120 01 | MW 7:15 PM-8:30 PM |
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ART 103 01 | WF 1:00 PM-3:50 PM |
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ART 125 01 | TR 8:45 AM-11:45 AM |
Description
This course is designed to investigate the basic techniques, concepts, and practices of digital imaging, as well as to support students’ conceptual development. The application of photographic and graphic-related software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Creative Suite, are introduced in this course. It is also intended to strengthen critical and research skills through students’ artistic productions. The course includes readings, class discussions, writing, slide presentations, individual projects, and group and individual critiques. (2A)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ART 135 01 | TR 1:00 - 3:50 PM |
Description
This course focuses on observational drawing, particularly of the human figure. Working from live models, a diverse range of drawing processes and media are utilized in the development of a figurative vocabulary. Slides, critiques, and discussions center on figurative themes in art. (2A) Offered occasionally.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ART 135 01 | TR 8:45 AM-11:45 AM |
Description
This course focuses on observational drawing, particularly of the human figure. Working from live models, a diverse range of drawing processes and media are utilized in the development of a figurative vocabulary. Slides, critiques, and discussions center on figurative themes in art. (2A) Offered occasionally.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| BIOL 121 01 | MWF 10:15 AM-12:05 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| BIOL 172 01 | MWF 1:45 PM-3:35 PM |
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. (4U).
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| BIOL 208 01 | MWF 10:15 AM-12:05 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CHEM 117 01 | MWF 8:00 AM-9:50 AM |
| CHEM 117 02 | MWF 10:15 AM-12:05 PM |
| CHEM 117 03 | MWF 1:45 PM-3:35 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CHIN 100 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CHIN 110 01 | MWF 10:00 AM-11:00 AM |
Description
Through aural, oral, and compositional exercises and reading selections, these courses build upon prior competencies. After a review of basic grammatical structures and characters, students add more traditional and simplified characters to sharpen reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. This course aims to transfer the knowledge students gained from the character-pattern approach at the beginning level to work with original Chinese texts at the advanced level. (1S) Offered each year. Prerequisite: Chinese 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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CHIN 200 01 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
Description
Continuing the combined written, aural, oral, and culture components, these third-year courses guide students through selected readings in contemporary literature and newspapers, in both traditional and simplified characters. Conducted mainly in Chinese, these courses stress vocabulary expansion in both speaking and writing. (1S) Prerequisite: Chinese 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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| COGS 101 01 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
Description
This course asks questions about how humans think. We examine how emotion has been considered distinct from cognition, as well as the relationship between language and thought. Some time is spent looking at the differences between perception, action, and rationality, while examining the role of social interaction in the development of our minds. Additionally, the class looks at the evolution of cognition, as well as the possibility that a mind could be realized on something other than a brain (and what the difference between the two might be). Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field, and as such students are introduced to perspectives and methodologies from philosophy, psychology, biology, linguistics, and computer science. Offered each year.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CRIS 101 01 | TR 10:00 AM-11:45 AM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CRIS 141 01 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CRIS 141 02 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
Description
An exploration of learning, motivation, and creativity across the lifespan, with a focus on childhood and adolescence. Students are exposed to a variety of psychological frameworks on the lives of youth and adults across many settings; including school, family, community, peer group, work settings, mental health and correctional institutions, etc. Students learn to understand the evidence-based methodologies, quantitative and qualitative, used by psychologists, and are encouraged to use these methods in their own analyses. We employ alternative/artistic forms of representation such as music, creative writing, and audio and video, to explore and represent their own psychological experience. Students are responsible for collaboratively generating alternative assessment strategies that combine critical thinking and creative expression. (3B) Offered each fall and alternate spring terms.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CRIS 141 03 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
Description
An exploration of major theories and significant research on the development and explanation of social and cultural differences and how they affect the lives and education of youth. The course will investigate student diversity, with special attention to race, class, gender, language, and the inclusion of students with special needs in general education. Issues are examined mainly through the lenses of sociology, anthropology, and education and youth policy. Using the theories and methodologies of these disciplines, students will critically examine how and why race, class, language, ability and disability, and gender have influenced education. (3B)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CRIS 141 04 | TR 10:00 AM-11:45 AM |
| CRIS 141 05 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
Description
An introduction to cultural anthropology, which is the study of human cultures, both historical and contemporary. Students analyze the ways in which social categories are imagined, reproduced, and grounded within particular historical and geographical contexts around the world, in order to understand how humans create meaning through everyday practices. (3B)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CRIS 142 02 | MWF 2:50 PM-3:50 PM |
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)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| CSCI 111 01 | MWF 10:15 AM-12:05 PM |
| CSCI 111 02 | MWF 8:00 AM-9:50 AM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ECON 199 01 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
| ECON 199 03 | TR 2:35 PM-3:50 PM |
| ECON 199 04 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| EDYS 102 01 | MWF 2:50 PM-3:50 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| EDYS 151 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
Description
An exploration of learning, motivation, and creativity across the lifespan, with a focus on childhood and adolescence. Students are exposed to a variety of psychological frameworks on the lives of youth and adults across many settings; including school, family, community, peer group, work settings, mental health and correctional institutions, etc. Students learn to understand the evidence-based methodologies, quantitative and qualitative, used by psychologists, and are encouraged to use these methods in their own analyses. We employ alternative/artistic forms of representation such as music, creative writing, and audio and video, to explore and represent their own psychological experience. Students are responsible for collaboratively generating alternative assessment strategies that combine critical thinking and creative expression. (3B) Offered each fall and alternate spring terms.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| EDYS 164 01 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
Description
An exploration of major theories and significant research on the development and explanation of social and cultural differences and how they affect the lives and education of youth. The course will investigate student diversity, with special attention to race, class, gender, language, and the inclusion of students with special needs in general education. Issues are examined mainly through the lenses of sociology, anthropology, and education and youth policy. Using the theories and methodologies of these disciplines, students will critically examine how and why race, class, language, ability and disability, and gender have influenced education. (3B) (Also listed as Critical Identity Studies.) Offered each spring and alternate fall semesters.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| EDYS 201 01 | TR 10:00 AM-11:45 AM |
Description
In this seminar, we explore comparative and international perspectives on education and youth studies by focusing on readings that primarily address comparative methodology, including the questions, what is comparative education, and why and how we compare. A prominent theme in our reading is globalization and localization, what it means and how it influences our intellectual and social landscapes, our teaching and research approaches, how we borrow and lend educational ideas, and the way we are connected to each other. We explore how particular kinds of comparative literature might shape public policy as well as our teaching and learning. Through a close examination of comparative methodologies and reading of case studies from different cultures and societies, students learn to position domestic issues on youth and education such as language, inclusion, choice, race/ ethnicity, class, gender and beyond, in the global context. We also aim to draw implications for the improvement of policies related to teacher education and curriculum and pedagogy from international comparisons. Our class is largely discussion based with class participants responsible for guiding our analyses of case studies and comparative methodology in part by sharing weekly reading response and through group presentation projects. The class also incorporates other multi-media sources such as podcasts and videos to help enrich our understandings of the issues we study. (3B) (Also listed as Critical Identity Studies 267 and Political Science 205.) Offered each fall.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| EDYS 276 01 | TR 2:00 PM-3:45 PM |
Description
This seminar explores the interconnections between ecology, development, and education. Drawing on theories and practices from the West and the East, and the ancient and the contemporary, we examine key concepts such as sustainability, ecology, modernity, and development from interdisciplinary and international perspectives. We also discuss the possibility to foster a new philosophy of sustainable development, one that marries scientific understanding of ecology and development with a renewed appreciation for traditional cultural values. Ecology is defined in both physical and metaphorical terms, including both natural and social ecosystems. We discuss three agendas on ecology: 1) on modern conservation policies and practices; 2) on the changing ecology of local and global community associated with modern industrial life; and 3) on human ecology, specifically in the field of education. The course will examine a few case studies, both at the global and the local levels, and students will have opportunities to explore the ecological agendas in the local community of Beloit and especially on Beloit campus, as their term project.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ENGL 190 01 | TR 2:35 PM-3:50 PM |
Description
What does it mean to “love” a fictional character? Does literature love us back? In novels, characters often confess to us their closest held desires and beliefs. We get to go deeper inside the minds and hearts of people than we ever could in real life. What do we learn about the nature of love when we have this kind of access? Poetry is often first and foremost love poetry. What does it mean for a poet to treat a lover as an occasion for writing while expecting someone else—us—to be the audience actually reading? This course introduces students to literary analysis and close reading by exploring the intimate relations that literature offers. On the one hand, students explore how love, sex, desire, and friendship are represented in literature. On the other, students study how readers and communities have fallen in love with literature and used it for both personal and political ends. How do women and queer people re-write narratives of sexuality? How can sex, intimacy, friendship, and love be politicized?
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ENGL 190 02 | MWF 2:50 PM-3:50 PM |
| ENGL 190 03 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
Description
How do contemporary writers challenge, revise, and reconstruct the literary canon? In this course, we’ll examine a range of work by contemporary writers like Aimé Césaire, Harryette Mullen, and Chase Berggrun that transforms a canonical text or literary tradition. These writers critique their sources, exposing their complicity with racism, misogyny, and colonialism. And they also open up liberatory possibilities within their sources, using literature as an engine of the political imagination. As we study the interaction between canonical and contemporary texts, we’ll come to see literature is not the product of isolated geniuses. Instead, it’s a conversation—a fractious, contentious, and vibrant conversation that stretches across history. You’ll be invited to join that conversation: reworking some of the texts we read together, trying out the techniques we study, responding to and critiquing the canon on your own terms.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| ENGL 190 04 | TR 8:30 AM-9:45 AM |
Description
In this literature course, aimed at creative writers, we’ll examine how authors build their speculative worlds through character, setting, and plot, and how these alternate realities defamiliarizes our world and society so we may look at it with fresh eyes. We’ll practice close reading to help us interpret and analyze the texts, build our writer’s toolbox, and try our hands at creating our own speculative writing. Sample authors include William Shakespeare, Qui Nguyen, Mary Shelley, Octavia Butler, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, W. B. Yeats, John Keats, Edgar Allan Poe, Craig Raine, Tracy K. Smith, Jorge Luis Borges, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Ted Chiang among others. Designed for the potential major in English and other interested students.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| FREN 100 01 | MWF 10:00 AM-11:00 AM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| FREN 110 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
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 and texts on contemporary issues. The course also includes a thorough review of French grammar and extensive oral work using computer support. (1S) Prerequisite: French 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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| FREN 215 01 | MWF 2:50 PM-3:50 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| GEOL 105 01 | MWF 1:45 PM-3:35 PM |
Description
Examination of a wide variety of scientific tools and datasets allows us to reconstruct the history of the Earth. Information from rock associations, fossils, stratigraphic correlations, geochemistry, and radioactive-age determinations forms a logical picture of the co-evolution of the Earth’s lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The human dimension of historical geology is revealed in tracing the development of the concept of time, and through discussions of the rate and magnitude of human-induced environmental change. Lecture, discussion, laboratory, field study. One Saturday or Sunday field trip. (4U) Offered yearly.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| GEOL 110 01 | MWF 10:15 AM-12:05 PM |
Description
Application of geologic principles to help in understanding the response of our environment to natural and anthropogenic forces of change, and proper constraints we should exercise in being good stewards of the Earth. Natural resources (water, soils, climate, and energy), flooding, volcanic activity, and earthquakes are among the topics considered, with emphasis on current events. Lecture, discussion, laboratory, field study. One Saturday or Sunday field trip. (4U) Offered yearly.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| GLAM 120 01 | MWF 2:50 PM-3:50 PM |
Description
Study a language over 3,000 years old in which some of the greatest and most influential works of world literature were composed. In addition to learning grammar, syntax, and vocabulary (you are guaranteed to become etymological savants), you will be exposed to the field of historical linguistics, and in particular to the place of Ancient Greek in the Indo-European language family. Readings in the first semester include selections from Plato (What is the meaning of life?), Herodotus (What is history and why is it so interesting to study the past?), and the New Testament (Got questions about God? This book has answers!). (1S) Offered occasionally.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| GLAM 140 01 | MWF 10:00 AM-11:00 AM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| GLAM 200 01 | TR 2:00 PM-3:45 PM |
Description
Although we identify Dionysus (aka Bacchus) today simply as the god of wine (and its concomitant, drunkenness), to the ancient Greeks Dionysiac intoxication could also be seen as a change of consciousness and the eruption of something divine, for the ‘madness’ granted by Dionysus becomes an end in itself. Mania, a Greek word, denotes frenzy, not as the ravings of delusion, but as an experience of intensified mental power. Everyone who surrenders to this god must risk abandoning their personal identity. It seems no accident, then, that Dionysus, who calls into question—and often destroys (if only temporarily)—the cultural norms and boundaries of society and its institutions, whose own gender is rather ambiguous/androgynous/indeterminate, and with whom Passion and Emotion are constant companions, is the god of the theater. Indeed, the ancient Greeks performed their plays as religious rites for, and in honor of, Dionysus. This course explores the genre of ancient drama in its Greek and Roman manifestations. In addition to examining several specimens of ancient dramatic literature – Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, Sophocles’ Ajax, Antigone and Philoctetes, Euripides’ Hekabe, Herakles, Medea, Alkestis, Cyclops, and Bacchae, and Seneca’s Phaedra, Hercules Furens, and Thyestes – through various theoretical lenses (e.g., anthropological, comparative, and gender studies), students also engage the multiple meanings and possible functions of these plays through performance. Indeed, the class culminates in a public performance of an ancient play. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Taught in English. (5T) Offered occasionally.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| GLAM 204 01 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| GLAM 205 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
Description
An introduction to the art and architecture of ancient Greece, Etruria, and Rome, from the Early Bronze Age through the Imperial period. Special emphasis is given to classical Athens, the Hellenistic world, and Rome of the late Republic and early Empire. Taught in English. (3B) Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: one course in either Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, art history, or archaeology, or consent of instructor.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| HEAL 280 01 | MWF 1:45 PM-3:35 PM |
Description
Students learn and practice the basic exercises that make up a Pilates mat sequence. Pilates is focused on strengthening the core of the body in order to support physical health and prevent injuries. This course increases the student’s overall strength, flexibility, and stability, while also emphasizing breath integration as support for all movement. Students learn the history and development of this exercise form as well as create their own mat sequence to support their individual physical health goals.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| HIST 150 03 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
Description
This class introduces students to historical thinking and how historians work in the specific context of Medieval Europe’s intellectual history. The content of the class explores how books were made by hand in the Middle Ages and how their production both created and reflected developments in the culture of reading and interpretation that laid the ground for our own institutions of learning. We will look at reproductions of medieval books in Special Collections as well as digitized manuscripts. Students will also learn about varieties of medieval scripts and practice writing them. This class also shares with all History 150 classes the goal of learning to “think like a historian,” which includes reading historical sources carefully and critically—whether they were written a thousand years ago or as examples of more recent scholarship.(5T)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| HIST 210 01 | MWF 2:50 PM-3:50 PM |
Description
This course offers a hands-on exploration of the ways that new technologies are transforming historical research and teaching, as well as creating new online spaces for educating the general public. We will consider questions about the nature and value of existing digital history projects, the rise of open-source projects, and the relationship between digital history and public history. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to a class blog, to participate in a crowdsourced transcription project, and to create their own websites and GIS-based maps. Students will become familiar with many of the principles and challenges that inform scholars and programmers as they collaborate to enrich the field of historical research.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| HIST 210 02 | MWF 10-11am |
Description
The Thirteen Colonies that participated in the Revolutionary War were part of a larger network of British settlements extending from the Newfoundland fisheries to the West Indian sugar plantations to the South American coastline. They were linked by trade and culture to other parts of the Atlantic World, including Europe and Africa. This course will explore the lives of ordinary colonial settlers, planters, and merchants and their social relations during this period. Open to first-year students. No prerequisites.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| HIST 210 03 | MWF 2:50 PM-3:50 PM |
Description
During the Early Modern Era, the South Atlantic system with its traffic in African slaves and construction of tropical plantations, became the building blocks of wealth and empire. This course explores the impact of Pre-Colonial Africa and the development of American colonies, and the foundations of European wealth. Students will explore how the slave trade affected the growth of these colonies and its legacy for the Modern World. Open to first-year students. No prerequisites.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| HIST 211 01 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
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 class is to learn how we can use music history (including the methods and tools of musicology, ethnomusicology, sound studies, and music historiography) to empower and liberate our sense of self, our identities, our communities, and our values.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| HIST 222 01 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| HIST 224 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
Description
This course explores the multicultural environment of the Mediterranean Sea in the Middle Ages (ca. 600-1500) and the conflicts and coexistence that characterized interactions among Christians, Muslims, and Jews around the shores of that sea. Trade, travel, and armed conflict all defined those interactions in addition to religious rivalries and differences. This course explores how such contacts led both to alienation of these cultures from one another but also to periods of uneasy tolerance. Whether at war or in peace, Christians, Muslims, and Jews exchanged ideas and artifacts throughout this period, and the class examines the creative interplay of those exchanges. The geographical scope of this course ranges from Spain and Morocco in the west to Egypt and the Byzantine Empire in the East, as well as adjacent territories.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| JAPN 100 01 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
| JAPN 100 02 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| JAPN 110 01 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| JAPN 200 01 | MWF 10:00 AM-11:00 AM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| JOUR 125 01 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| JOUR 155 01 | TR 1:05 PM-2:20 PM |
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. (2A) (Also listed as Media Studies 155.)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MATH 103 01 | MWF 2:50 PM-3:50 PM |
Description
What we think of as “mathematical” ideas may be viewed by other cultures within the contexts of art, navigation, religion, record-keeping, games, or kin relationships. This course treats mathematical ideas investigated by cultures such as North and South American Indians, Africans, and various peoples of the Pacific Islands, and analyzes them through Western mathematics (developed in Europe, the Middle East, and India). The course helps the student understand what mathematics is, both to Western culture and to other cultures, and how cultural factors influenced the development of modern mathematics. (Also listed as Interdisciplinary Studies 103.) (2A) Offered once per year.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MATH 108 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MATH 110 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
| MATH 110 02 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MATH 115 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
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 or 113.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MDST 150 01 | MWF 10:00AM -11:00 AM |
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)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MDST 155 01 | TR 1:05 PM-2:20 PM |
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 051 01 | T 7:00 PM-9:00 PM |
Description
A large choral ensemble composed of Beloit College students, faculty, staff, and members of the surrounding community. Membership is open to all students, placement hearing by director. (2A)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 055 01 | TBD |
Description
Groups are formed each semester in consultation with faculty. Common are string quartets, cello ensemble, and mixed groups of strings and winds, sometimes with piano or harpsichord. Requires four members. (2A)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 057 01 | T 4:15 PM-6:15 PM |
Description
An innovative string ensemble (violin, viola, cello, bass) that explores non-conventional genres for strings. This course includes but is not limited to the following styles: jazz, blues, folk, bluegrass, rock, pop, urban, classical, experimental, and world musics. Students are encouraged to engage through performance, group collaboration, and improvisation, with opportunities for arranging and composition. All repertoire, compositions, and arrangements are chosen or adapted to best utilize the ensemble’s strengths while challenging each member’s abilities at whatever level they may be. The course is open to all students but some familiarity with the instrument and music fundamentals is recommended. Prior improvisational skills and theory background are not required. Note-reading ability recommended but not required. (2A)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 058 01 | M 6:30 PM-8:00 PM |
Description
Program and activities depend on the interests of the participants. Repertoire consists of a variety of styles, including music of the big bands; swing, jazz, and blues. Open to all members of Beloit College. (2A)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 061 01 | TBD |
Description
Gives students an opportunity to explore recorder music from the medieval to the modern. Open by consent of instructor. (2A)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 062 01 | TR 4:15 PM-5:45 PM |
Description
A select vocal ensemble that performs quality choral literature of all styles and historical periods. The ensemble is devoted to the development of comprehensive musicianship, choral singing, and fundamental musical skills. Membership is open to all students through audition. (2A)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 066 01 | U 6:30 PM-8:00 PM |
Description
Consists of students and community members. Performs a large variety of classical and modern music. Open to all students, faculty, staff, and members of the surrounding community. No audition required. Placement hearing by director. (2A)
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 110 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
| MUSI 110 02 | MWF 2:50 PM-3:50 PM |
Description
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 150 01 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
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 class is to learn how we can use music history (including the methods and tools of musicology, ethnomusicology, sound studies, and music historiography) to empower and liberate our sense of self, our identities, our communities, and our values. (5T) (Also listed as Critical Identity Studies 142 and History 211.) Offered each fall semester.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 170 01 | TR 10:00 AM-11:45 AM |
Description
Open to all students, this introductory course comprises two integrated components: the development of music theory skills alongside the conceptual investigation of sound and music. Developed through lectures and lab sections, skills include basic experience with notation, rhythm, chords, keys, transposition, and tonal function. Readings and class discussions take us beyond either the notes on the page or tracks from a playlist as we study how musical experiences are shaped by intersecting social, political, economic, and historical influences. Topics might include the exploration of listening, performance, improvisation, notation, psychoacoustics, temporality, and music’s intersection with the body, race, gender, and class. Skills homework and readings are assigned weekly. (1S) Offered each semester.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUSI 200 01 | TR 2:35 PM-3:50 PM |
Description
In our continuously shifting multimedia landscape, music frequently requires artists, performers, and audiences to engage with more than just their ears. Through a musical vantage point, this class reaches beyond the traditional boundaries of what can be considered musical in popular, classical, and experimental music to investigate how all our senses contribute to understanding and creating sound. “Music and Beyond” is designed for students who identify with any creative practice (dance, film, music, etc.) and are at any level of musical background: previous experience reading or making music is not required. In this class, rhythm, pitch, and timbre are applied to topics such as the internet, gesture, objects, and text to develop a broad sense of how artists merge and consider these concepts in their creative practices. Students develop skills in closely analyzing music through listening, watching, reading, and discussing to answer questions pertaining to bodies, context, technology, and environment as they relate to music. Throughout the semester, students apply their answers to these questions through short creative projects using their own expressive medium (choreography, visual art, computer coding, compositions, etc.) culminating in a longer final creative project.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUST 145 C1 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
Description
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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| MUST 295 01 | MWF 2:50 AM-3:50 PM |
Description
This course offers a hands-on exploration of the ways that new technologies are transforming historical research and teaching, as well as creating new online spaces for educating the general public. We will consider questions about the nature and value of existing digital history projects, the rise of open-source projects, and the relationship between digital history and public history. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to a class blog, to participate in a crowdsourced transcription project, and to create their own websites and GIS-based maps. Students will become familiar with many of the principles and challenges that inform scholars and programmers as they collaborate to enrich the field of historical research.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| PHIL 100 01 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
| PHIL 100 02 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
Description
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| PHIL 110 02 | TR 2:35 PM-3:50 PM |
Description
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| PHIL 115 01 | MWF 10:00 AM-11:00 AM |
Description
As an introduction to philosophy, this course covers all the same core problems as PHIL 110 and many of the same thinkers. However, this class will explore these philosophical questions through the lens of short fiction author Ted Chiang, whose “Story of Your Life” was the basis for the movie Arrival. We will work through both his collections of short fiction and read them alongside traditional philosophical readings on related topics.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| PHIL 115 02 | TR 1:05 PM-2:20 PM |
Description
his course covers many of the same core issues as PHIL 110, however, students explore these philosophical questions through the lens of contrasting methods. This course examines classic texts from Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume and Hegel with an eye to what they teach about understanding contemporary problems of objectification, polarization and agency.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| PHYS 101 01 | MWF 8:00 AM-9:50 AM |
| PHYS 101 02 | MWF 1:45 PM-3:35 PM |
Description
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| POLS 110 01 | TR 10:00 AM-11:45 AM |
| POLS 110 02 | TR 8:30 AM-9:45 AM |
Description
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| POLS 130 01 | TR 1:05 PM-2:20 PM |
Description
Introduction to the internal politics and policies of various countries throughout the world. Themes of the course include: methods and approaches of comparative analysis; democratic vs. authoritarian systems; political culture and state traditions; political attitudes and ideologies; executive, legislative, and judicial systems; electoral and party systems; interest groups and other civil society actors; political economy; and selected domestic and foreign policy issues. Students may elect to use this course as part of their preparation for study abroad. (3B) Offered each semester.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| POLS 160 01 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
| POLS 160 02 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
Description
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| POLS 180 01 | TR 2:35 PM-3:50 PM |
Description
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| PSYC 100 02 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
| PSYC 100 03 | TR 1:05 PM-2:20 PM |
Description
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| SOCI 100 01 | TR 10:10 AM-11:25 AM |
| SOCI 100 02 | MWF 10:00 AM-11:00 AM |
Description
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| SPAN 100 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
| SPAN 100 02 | MWF 10:00 AM-11:00 AM |
Description
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: No previous knowledge of Spanish or consent of instructor. Offered each fall.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| SPAN 107 01 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
Description
Designed for students who have had some formal exposure to Spanish, this course presumes a basic knowledge of Spanish orthography and pronunciation as well as recognition and/or use of elementary everyday vocabulary, the present tense, and grammatical concepts. Students complete daily assignments intended to help them practice vocabulary and develop all four language skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Participation in Spanish-language activities outside the classroom and/or in the local Latino community is expected. (1S) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (This course is not a continuation of Spanish 100 or 105.) 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
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| SPAN 110 01 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
Description
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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| SPAN 210 01 | MWF 11:15 AM-12:15 PM |
Description
By engaging in small and large group discussions and giving presentations based on readings and media, students in this content-based course develop their oral language proficiency. Students increase their vocabulary, review and expand upon grammar, learn linguistic registers with the aim of making them more effective communicators. 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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| SPAN 215 01 | MWF 8:45 AM-9:45 AM |
Description
In this writing intensive content-based course, students focus on the writing process (i.e., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting) as they practice various types of writing in Spanish (e.g., summary, description, narration, expository, and persuasive). Students study advanced grammar points and discuss both literary and non-literary texts as a basis for writing. Participation in Spanish-language activities outside the classroom and/or in the local Latino community is expected. (1S) 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.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| THDA 106 01 | TR 10:00 AM-11:45 AM |
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 each semester.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| THDA 113 01 | TR 10:00 AM-11:45 AM |
Description
Introduction to the technique, creative processes, and historical contexts of modern dance. The technical emphasis is on alignment, movement phrases, quality of motion, and performance attitude. Modern I incorporates multiple modern dance styles. Peer mentorship promotes a supportive community. Students watch video and live performances and learn how to view and critique performance. (2A) Offered each fall.
Offerings
| Course Code | Meeting Time |
|---|---|
| THDA 115 01 | MWF 7:15 PM-9:00 PM |
Description
Introduction to the technique, creative processes, and historical contexts of classical ballet. Classes include exercise at the barre, center work, and combinations across the floor designed to acquaint students with the basic principles of ballet movement and aesthetic. Students research, write about, and discuss the history of the art form. (2A) Offered each fall.
Offerings
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| THDA 213 01 | MWF 1:45 PM-3:35 PM |
Description
A continuation of Modern Dance I with further emphasis on movement proficiency and combinations. May be taken up to two times for credit. (2A) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: Theatre and Dance 113, and either Theatre and Dance 115 or 117.
Offerings
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| THDA 247 01 | TR 1:05 PM-2:20 PM |
Description
This time period, called the “Middle Ages,” encompasses so much more than the Western world. This era saw religious schism and empires rise, fall, and grow stronger than ever. Trade became increasingly possible and profitable and, for the first time, Europe and Asia unify into one cohesive trade network which helped facilitate the exchange of ideas, produce, and disease across the entire landmass. The exchange of ideas meant that oral histories were now spread, religious performance continued to grow, and cultural practices became performed. At the end of this era, the invention of the printing press meant that performance was more easily recorded, documented, and kept. By looking at how ideas spread and grew during this time and focusing on two dissimilar locales, students embody theatrical texts while analyzing how they wereused for resistance, growth, and cultural performance and/or exchange. A history course is offered every semester.
Offerings
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| THDA 250 01 | MWF 1:45 PM-3:35 PM |
Description
Students learn and practice the basic exercises that make up a Pilates mat sequence. Pilates is focused on strengthening the core of the body in order to support physical health and prevent injuries. This course increases the student’s overall strength, flexibility, and stability, while also emphasizing breath integration as support for all movement. Students learn the history and development of this exercise form as well as create their own mat sequence to support their individual physical health goals.
Offerings
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| THDA 313 01 | MWF 1:45 PM-3:35 PM |
Description
A continuation of Modern Dance II with further emphasis on stylization and performance attitude. May be taken up to two times for credit. (2A) Offered each fall. Prerequisite: Theatre and Dance 213, and either Theatre and Dance 215 or 217.
Offerings
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| WRIT 100 01 | TR 1:05 PM-2:20 PM |
Description
Hollywood’s longstanding interest in time travel generally and “time loop” narrative film structures in particular poses a range of topics we will explore to develop students’ critical thinking, reading, and writing skills for college-level work more broadly. Our focus is on the proliferation of time loop devices in the past decade, with connections to a variety of film genres, such as sci-fi, rom-com, and detective story (as well as their use in social media and gaming). We explore a range of questions about time, personal relationships, mortality, free will, etc., as well as how these films pose composition issues related to the writing process, the elements of effective writing outcomes, and engaging with the work of others in your own writing. Sample movies: Memento, Groundhog Day, Interstellar, Edge of Tomorrow, Arrival, Palm Springs, Tenet. 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)
Offerings
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| WRIT 100 03 | MWF 10:00 AM-11:00 AM |
Description
Our course will explore the way that place shapes writing—and the way that writing shapes place. How can stories, memoirs, and essays help us build more inclusive and just places? How can writing help us feel at home in our shared world? We’ll start close to home, thinking about both where you come from and Beloit as a place you will call home. And we’ll expand our frame, to think about how writers around the globe tell the stories of the places they love—and use their writing to contest the history of racism and colonialism that have shaped those places. Throughout the term, members of this writing-intensive class will build confidence constructing arguments, revising their writing, conducting research, giving oral presentations, and building bridges between academic disciplines. Expect to write over 20 pages in a range of genres, including short essays, personal reflections, research papers, and informal writing exercises. You will also collaborate with your peers to polish your writing—and meet with me to work one-on-one to build your skills.
Offerings
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| WRIT 100 04 | MWF 1:35 PM-2:35 PM |
Description
When you read a good memoir, it speeds by, and without even realizing it, you’re learning all about how the author identifies—their upbringing, their communities, their religion, their relationships, their jobs, their obsessions. Through expert use of narrative structure and detail, you trust the writer: a skill just as relevant to vibrant college writing. College writing uses research to give any story a richer context, helping to engage the reader as deeply as possible. In this course, we will read from a diverse range of creative non-fiction, analyzing the writing to help develop our own research, writing, and editing. We will use facts and arguments to investigate our own identities and tell stories relevant to our communities. We will marvel at the effect of concrete details and short sentences and feel the excitement of finding the perfect source. We will work through multiple drafts of our own work, helping each other and building a safe writing community through regular peer editing. Expect lots of in-class writing on topics of your choosing, and to end the semester much less scared of a blank page. Expect: memoir by Audre Lorde, Kiese Laymon, Leslie Jamison, Patti Smith, and profiles of Jake Paul, Frank Sinatra, and others.