AS.171.103 General Physics I for Biological Science Majors
First-semester of two-semester sequence in calculus-based general physics, tailored to students majoring in one of the biological sciences. In this term, the topics covered include the basic principles of classical mechanics and fluids as well as an introduction to wave motion. Recommended Corequisites: (AS.173.111) AND (AS.110.106 or AS.110.108 or AS.110.113).Midterm exams are given at 8am Tuesdays, so students must leave their schedules open at this time in order to be able to take these exams
Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences
AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2)
AS.171-173 (Physics & Astronomy)
http://e-catalogue.jhu.g.sjuku.top/course-descriptions/physics___astronomy/
AS.171.101. General Physics: Physical Science Major I. 4 Credits. First semester of a two-semester sequence in calculus-based general physics. In this term, the topics covered include the basic principles of classical mechanics and fluids as well as an introduction to wave motion. Midterm exams for every section are given during the 8 AM section time! Accordingly, students registering for sections at times other than 8 AM must retain availability for 8 AM sections as needed. Recommended Co-requisite: AS.110.108 or AS.110.113 AND AS.173.111 Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.102. General Physics: Physical Science Major II. 4 Credits. Second Semester of a two-semester sequences in calculus-based general physics. In this term, the topics covered include wave motion, electricity and magnetism, optics and modern physics. Midterm exams for every section are given during the 8AM section time! Accordingly, students registering for sections at times other than 8AM must retain availability for the 8AM sections as needed. Prerequisite(s): Prerequisites: A grade of C- or better in either Physics I or the first semester of Engineering Mechanics AS.171.101 OR AS.171.103 OR AS.171.105 OR AS.171.107 OR EN.530.123 Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.103. General Physics I for Biological Science Majors. 4 Credits. First-semester of two-semester sequence in calculus-based general physics, tailored to students majoring in one of the biological sciences. In this term, the topics covered include the basic principles of classical mechanics and fluids as well as an introduction to wave motion. Recommended Corequisites: ( AS.173.111 ) AND ( AS.110.106 or AS.110.108 or AS.110.113 ).Midterm exams are given at 8am Tuesdays, so students must leave their schedules open at this time in order to be able to take these exams Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.104. General Physics/Biology Majors II. 4 Credits. Second semester of a two-semester sequence designed to present a standard calculus-based physics preparation tailored to students majoring in one of the biological sciences. Topics in electricity & magnetism, optics, and modern physics will be covered in this semester. Midterm exams for every section are given during the 8 AM section time!Accordingly, students registering for sections at times other than 8 AM must retain availability for 8 AM sections as needed. Recommended Course Background: C- or better in AS.171.101 or AS.171.103 or AS.171.105 or AS.171.107 or EN.530.123 ; Corequisites: AS.110.109 , AS173.112. Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.105. Classical Mechanics I. 4 Credits. An in-depth introduction to classical mechanics intended for physics majors/minors and other students with a strong interest in physics. This course treats fewer topics than AS.171.101 and AS.171.103 but with greater mathematical sophistication. It is particularly recommended for students who intend to take AS.171.201 or AS.171.310 . Recommended Co-requisites: AS.173.115 and AS.110.108 Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.106. Electricity and Magnetism I. 4 Credits. Classical electricity and magnetism with fewer topics than 171.102-104, but with greater mathematical sophistication. Particularly recommended for students who plan to take AS.171.201 - AS.171.204 . Recommended Course Background: C- or better in AS.171.105 ; Corequisite: AS.173.116 , AS.110.109 Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.107. General Physics for Physical Sciences Majors (AL). 4 Credits. Rather than being presented via lectures and discussion sections, it is instead taught in an "active learning" style with most class time given to small group problem-solving guided by instructors. In this term, the topics covered include the basic principles of classical mechanics and fluids as well as an introduction to wave motion. Midterm exams for every section are given during the 8 AM section time! Accordingly, students registering for sections at times other than 8 AM must retain availability for 8 AM sections as needed. Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.108. General Physics for Physical Science Majors (AL). 4 Credits. Second semester of a two-semester sequence in calculus-based general physics identical in subject matter to AS.171.101 - AS.171.102 , covering mechanics, heat, sound, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics, but differs in instructional format. Rather than being presented via lectures and discussion sections, it is instead taught in an "active learning" style with most class time given to small group problem-solving guided by instructors. Recommended Course Background: A grade of C- or better in either Physics I or the first semester of Engineering Mechanics ( AS.171.101 OR AS.171.103 OR AS.171.105 OR AS.171.107 OR EN.530.123 ) Prerequisite(s): Can be taken concurrently or as a prerequisite: ( AS.110.107 OR AS.110.109 OR AS.110.211 OR AS.110.113 ) Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.115. Spacetime and Quanta. 3 Credits. This course offers a broad overview of the fundamental ideas of modern physics: mechanics, space, time, relativity, quantum mechanics, and quantum field theory, up to general relativity and the Standard Model of particle physics. The course will be descriptive but equation-based, including explicit details about the foundational equations of the theories discussed. The goal will be to understand the meaning of those equations and the concepts they represent, rather than to gain facility in manipulating and solving the equations. This course is aimed at non-physics majors Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.118. Stars and the Universe: Cosmic Evolution. 3 Credits. This course looks at the evolution of the universe from its origin in a cosmic explosion to emergence of life on Earth and possibly other planets throughout the universe. Topics include big-bang cosmology; origin and evolution of galaxies, stars, planets, life, and intelligence; black holes; quasars; and relativity theory. The material is largely descriptive, based on insights from physics, astronomy, geology, chemistry, biology, and anthropology. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.135. Exploring the Universe with Space Telescopes. 1 Credit. Through a mix of lectures and hands-on activities, you will learn how astronomers study objects in space using different types of light, observatories, and instrumental techniques. You will also hear from active researchers about the big, open questions in astronomy and how we use space telescopes such as Hubble and Webb to answer those questions. Building on this knowledge, you will work with a small group to design your own space telescope and present that design to your peers. No prior knowledge of astronomy, physics, or mathematics is assumed. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.201. Special Relativity/Waves. 4 Credits. Course continues introductory physics sequence (begins with AS.171.105 - AS.171.106 ). Special theory of relativity, forced and damped oscillators, Fourier analysis, wave equation, reflection and transmission, diffraction and interference, dispersion. Meets with AS.171.207. Prerequisite(s): Click here to access the Laboratory Safety Introductory Course ;Students may take AS.110.202 OR AS.110.211 prior to enrolling in AS.171.201 or at the same time as AS.171.201 .;( AS.171.106 OR AS.171.108 OR AS.171.102 OR AS.171.104 ) AND ( AS.110.107 OR AS.110.109 OR AS.110.113 ) Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.204. Classical Mechanics II. 4 Credits. Principles of Newtonian and Lagrangian mechanics; application to central-force motion, rigid body motion, and the theory of small oscillations. Recommended Course Background: AS.110.108 and AS.110.109 , AS.110.202 , AS.171.201 , or AS.171.309. AS.110.201 or equivalent is strongly recommended. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.205. Introduction to Practical Data Science: Beautiful Data. 3 Credits. The class will provide an overview of data science, with an introduction to basic statistical principles, databases, fundamentals of algorithms and data structures, followed by practical problems in data analytics. Recommend Course Background: Familiarity with principles of computing. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences, Quantitative and Mathematical Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.301. Electromagnetic Theory II. 4 Credits. Static electric and magnetic fields in free space and matter; boundary value problems; electromagnetic induction; Maxwell’s equations; and an introduction to electrodynamics. Prerequisite(s): ( AS.171.102 OR AS.171.104 OR AS.171.106 OR AS.171.108 ) AND Calculus III ( AS.110.202 OR AS.110.211 ) AND Linear Algebra ( AS.110.201 OR AS.110.212 ) Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Ethics and Foundations (FA5) AS.171.303. Quantum Mechanics I. 4 Credits. Fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics. Uncertainty relations, Schrodinger equation in one and three dimensions, tunneling, harmonic oscillator, angular momentum, hydrogen atom, spin, Pauli principle, perturbation theory (time-independent and time-dependent), transition probabilities and selection rules, atomic structure, scattering theory. Recommended Course Background: AS.110.302 or AS.110.306. Prerequisite(s): ( AS.171.204 ) AND ( AS.110.201 OR AS.110.212 ) AND ( AS.110.202 OR AS.110.211 ) Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Ethics and Foundations (FA5) AS.171.304. Quantum Mechanics II. 4 Credits. Fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics. Uncertainty relations, Schrodinger equation in one and three dimensions, tunneling, harmonic oscillator, angular momentum, hydrogen atom, spin, Pauli principle, perturbation theory, transition probabilities and selection rules, atomic structure, scattering theory. Recommended Course Background: AS.171.303 , AS.171.202, AS.171.204 , AS.110.202 . Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.306. Practical use of Computational Tools in Physics. 3 Credits. Usage of computational tools is essential in modern physics; this course seeks to introduce toolsfor practical use in physics coursework and research. This course will focus on two popular tools,Mathematica and Python. Mathematica is a powerful mathematic pseudo coding language, ideal for use in complex physics problems with analytic solutions. Python is a traditional coding language with a wide range of applications. In the context of this course, it will be used to solve numerical problems in physics and visualize complex problems. Python will be coded using Jupyter Notebooks, a simple, interactive application for python development. An introduction to data science methods and an introduction to machine learning in python will also be given. Special emphasis will be placed on teaching when these tools are useful to students so that they may quickly recognize how they can use them outside of the classroom. Prerequisite(s): ( AS.171.102 OR AS.171.104 OR AS.171.106 OR AS.171.108 ) AND ( AS.110.202 OR AS.110.211 ) Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.310. Biological Physics. 4 Credits. Introduces topics of classical statistical mechanics. Additional topics include low-Reynolds number hydrodynamics and E&M of ionic solutions, via biologically relevant examples. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.312. Statistical Physics/Thermodynamics. 4 Credits. Undergraduate course that develops the laws and general theorems of thermodynamics from a statistical framework. Prerequisite(s): Calculus II ( AS.110.107 or AS.110.109 or AS.110.113 ). Linear Algebra ( AS.110.201 or AS.110.212 ) and Calculus III ( AS.110.202 or AS.110.211 ) Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Ethics and Foundations (FA5) AS.171.313. Introduction to Stellar Physics. 3 Credits. Survey of stellar astrophysics. Topics include stellar atmospheres, stellar interiors, nucleosynthesis, stellar evolution, supernovae, white dwarfs, neutron stars, pulsars, black holes, binary stars, accretion disks, protostars, and extrasolar planetary systems. Recommended Course Background: AS.110.108 - AS.110.109 , AS.171.202 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.314. Introduction to Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei. 3 Credits. This course will introduce student to the physics of galaxies and their constituents: stars, gas, dust, dark matter and a supermassive black hole in the central regions.Recommended Course Background: AS.110.108 - AS.110.109 , AS.171.202 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.321. Introduction to Space, Science, and Technology. 3 Credits. Topics include space astronomy, remote observing of the earth, space physics, planetary exploration, human space flight, space environment, orbits, propulsion, spacecraft design, attitude control and communication. Crosslisted by Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Recommended Course Background: AS.171.101 - AS.171.102 or similar; AS.110.108 - AS.110.109 . Prerequisite(s): Click here to access the Laboratory Safety Introductory Course Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) Writing Intensive AS.171.324. Learn to Think Statistically. 3 Credits. We live in a data-rich world where the flux of information increases exponentially. We will learn how to think statistically and see patterns and structure in many systems around us: news reports, images, cities, social networks, etc. We will learn how to use this knowledge to analyze data, make decisions and predictions. We will explore correlations, patterns, entropy, fractals. This course will allow students to better understand the complex world we live in. The course will occasionally involve some coding. Junior, senior and graduate students only. More at https://bit.ly/3iJ90ps Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.402. Applied Quantum Information. 3 Credits. This course will provide a basic introduction to quantum computing and quantum algorithms. It will cover celebrated quantum algorithms that are of interest in the long term in addition to having a particular focus on near-term quantum algorithms for specific applications (e.g., material simulation and approximate optimization) that can be readily studied on currently available hardware. Lastly, we will discuss critical techniques for managing noise in quantum systems (e.g., quantum error correction). Course attendees will also receive hands-on experience in near-term quantum algorithm implementation on the IBM Quantum Experience (IBM QE), a publicly available quantum computing platform.Recommended Background : Calculus, Python (Basic), Linear Algebra, Basic Quantum Mechanics Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.405. Condensed Matter Physics. 3 Credits. Undergraduate course covering basic concepts of condensed matter physics: crystal structure, diffraction and reciprocal lattices, electronic and optical properties, band structure, phonons, superconductivity and magnetism. Co-listed with AS.171.621Recommended Course Background: AS.171.304 , AS.110.201 - AS.110.202 . Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.406. Condensed Matter Physics. 3 Credits. Classical physics approaches to condensed matter. Topics include broken symmetries, phase transitions, elasticity, topological defects, and (as time permits) dynamics, as applied to systems including crystals, liquid crystals, ferromagnets, superfluids, and superconductors. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.408. Nuclear and Particle Physics. 3 Credits. Basic properties of nuclei, masses, spins, parity. Nuclear scattering, interaction with electromagnetic radiation, radioactivity, Pions, muons, and elementary particles, including resonances. Recommended Course Background: AS.171.303 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.171.410. Physical Cosmology. 3 Credits. This course provides an overview of modern physical cosmology. Topics covered include: the contents, shape, and history of the universe; the big bang theory; dark matter; dark energy; the cosmic microwave background; Hubble's law; the Friedmann equation; and inflation. Recommended Course Background: ( AS.171.101 - AS.171.102 ), or ( AS.171.103 - AS.171.104 ), or ( AS.171.105 - AS.171.106 ), or ( AS.171.107 - AS.171.108 ), or equivalent. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.416. Numerical Methods for Physicists. 4 Credits. Topics in applied mathematics used by physicists, covering numerical methods: linear problems, numerical integration, pseudo-random numbers, finding roots of nonlinear equations, function minimization, eigenvalue problems, fast Fourier transforms, solution of both ordinary and partial differential equations. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences, Quantitative and Mathematical Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.418. Introduction to Topics in Contemporary Physics. 3 Credits. Course is intended to give broad perspective on many aspects of modern physics: Astrophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, Particle Physics, Biological Physics. Prerequisite(s): AS.171.303 AND AS.171.301 AND AS.171.312 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.425. Group Theory in Physics. 3 Credits. Introduction to finite and Lie groups, representations and applications to quantum mechanics, condensed matter physics, and other fields of physics; selected topics from differential geometry and algebraic topology.Recommended Prerequisite: AS.171.304 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.430. Introduction to Quantum Field Theory. 3 Credits. Quantum Field Theory marries the principles of special relativity with quantum mechanics and provides a remarkably consistent description of a wide variety of phenomena, ranging from the theory of elementary particles to processes in condensed matter physics. It is an essential element in the toolkit of every physicist. In this course, we provide an introduction to this vast topic and aim to provide an intuitive understanding of this field. We will start by learning how to think about quantum mechanics in a manner consistent with special relativity (the Klein Gordon and Dirac equations), learn how to estimate relativistic quantum processes (Feynman diagrams), analyze nonsensical infinities that arise in these theories (Renormalization) and conclude with an overview of the Standard Model of Particle Physics (QCD and Electroweak theory). The course is aimed at introducing the student to how physicists think about these issues and it is a stepping stone to graduate study in this topic. Prerequisite(s): AS.171.304 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.432. Atomic and Optical Physics I. 3 Credits. The two-state quantum system; atomic structure; atoms in electric and magnetic fields; single-photon transitions; two-photon transitions and coherence. Recommended Course Background: AS.171.303 , AS.171.304 . Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.438. Fundamentals of Radio Astronomy. 3 Credits. This course focuses on the use of radio waves and radio telescopes for cosmic observation. It covers the basics of radio astronomy, antennas and interferometers, radio emission mechanisms from a few interesting astronomical systems, data analysis, and imaging techniques. Examples on how to design, propose, and analyze radio observations are also provided. Prerequisite(s): AS.171.301 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.449. Astrophysical Plasmas. 3 Credits. This course is for both graduate students and undergraduate students. There is no prerequisite although reading for introductory texts will be supplied where useful. Postdocs are also welcome to attend. Topics that will be discussed include: 1.Gravitational Wave Astronomy (related to cosmic plasmas),2. Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays,3. Black Hole Electrodynamics, 4.the Intergalactic, Interstellar and Intra-Cluster Medium, 5.Pulsars, 6.Magnetars, 7.Stellar and Galactic Dynamos,8.Solar Flares and CMEs, 9.Gamma Ray Bursts, 10.Supernovae and their Remnants, 11. Radio Sources and Jets and, 12. the universal cosmic plasma from earliest times13.Finally the detailed dusty plasmas around protostellar and protoplanetary disks including debris components of comets, asteroids planetesimals and interstellar intruders. We will spend roughly one week on each topic. In class, we will combine the lectures with reading interesting new papers from the current literature and it is expected that students will be sufficiently fluent in this field by the end of the semester to critically discuss and analyze such papers as experts. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.501. Independent Research- Undergraduate. 3 Credits. Students may register for independent research with a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. A research plan should be sent to the Director of Undergraduate Study before the add/drop date that includes project details, the number of hours of effort each week and the number of credits. This course may not be used for one of the two electives required for a BA, but one semester of research may be used as one of four focused electives in a BS program. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.171.502. Undergraduate Independent Research. 1 - 3 Credits. Research done in senior year in conjunction with experimental equipment of intermediate laboratory or as special project in research group. Credit for independent study given to junior and senior students who act as tutors. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.171.504. Senior Thesis. 1 - 3 Credits. Preparation of a substantial thesis based upon independent student research, supervised by at least one faculty member in Physics and Astronomy. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) Writing Intensive AS.171.505. Undergraduate Independent Research - Writing Intensive. 1 - 3 Credits. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) Writing Intensive AS.171.597. Independent Research. 3 Credits. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.171.603. Electromagnetic Theory. 3 Credits. Classical field theory, relativistic dynamics, Maxwell's equations with static and dynamic applications, boundary-value problems, radiation and propagation of electromagnetic waves, advanced topics in electrodynamics in media and plasmas AS.171.605. Quantum Mechanics I. 4 Credits. Review of wave mechanics and the Schrodinger equation, Hilbert space, harmonic oscillator, the WKB approximation, central forces and angular momentum, scattering, electron spin, density matrix, perturbation theory (time-independent and time-dependent), quantized radiation field, absorption and emission of radiation, identical particles, second quantization, Dirac equation. AS.171.606. Quantum Mechanics. 4 Credits. Review of wave mechanics and the Schrodinger equation, Hilbert space, harmonic oscillator, the WKB approximation, central forces and angular momentum, scattering, electron spin, density matrix, perturbation theory (time -independent and time - dependent), quantized radiation field, absorption and emission of radiation, identical particles, second quantization, Dirac equation. Recommended Course Background: AS.171.303 and AS.171.304 AS.171.610. Numerical Methods for Physicists. 4 Credits. Topics in applied mathematics used by physicists, covering numerical methods: linear problems, numerical integration, pseudo-random numbers, finding roots of nonlinear equations, function minimization, eigenvalue problems, fast Fourier transforms, solution of both ordinary and partial differential equations. Undergraduate students may register online for this course and will be assigned 3 credits during the add/drop period. AS.171.611. Stellar Structure and Evolution. 3 Credits. Basic physics of stellar structure and evolution will be discussed with emphasis on current research. AS.171.612. Interstellar Medium and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics. 3 Credits. AS.171.613. Radiative Astrophysics. 3 Credits. A one-term survey of the processes that generate radiation of astrophysical importance. Topics include radiative transfer, the theory of radiation fields, polarization and Stokes parameters, radiation from accelerating charges, bremsstrahlung, synchrotron radiation, thermal dust emission, Compton scattering, properties of plasmas, atomic and molecular quantum transitions, and applications to astrophysical observations. AS.171.618. Observational Astronomy. 3 Credits. How do we observe the Universe at each wavelength and what do we see? This course will present the knowledge required for astronomical observations across the entire spectrum. For each wavelength range (gamma rays, X-rays, UV, visible, IR, radio) we will discuss the typeof detector used, the range of possible observations and current open questions. We will also discuss the dominant astronomical and terrestrial sources across the spectrum, and study the differences between ground- and space-based observations. AS.171.621. Condensed Matter Physics. 3 Credits. This sequence is intended for graduate students in physics and related fields. Topics include: metals and insulators, diffraction and crystallography, phonons, electrons in a periodic potential, transport. Co-listed with AS.171.405 AS.171.622. Condensed Matter Physics. 3 Credits. This sequence is intended for graduate students in physics and related fields. Classical physics approaches to condensed matter. Topics include broken symmetries, phase transitions, elasticity, topological defects, and (as time permits) dynamics, as applied to systems including crystals, liquid crystals, ferromagnets, superfluids, and superconductors. AS.171.625. Experimental Particle Physics. 3 Credits. For graduate students interested in experimental particle physics, or theory students, or students from other specialties. Subjects covered: experimental techniques, including particle beams, targets, electronics, and various particle detectors; and a broad description of high energy physics problems. Undergraduate students may register online for this course and will be assigned 3 credits during the add/drop period. AS.171.627. Astrophysical Dynamics. 3 Credits. This is a graduate course that covers the fundamentals of galaxy formation, galactic structure and stellar dynamics, and includes topics in current research. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.632. Atomic and Optical Physics I. 3 Credits. The two-state quantum system; atomic structure; atoms in electric and magnetic fields; single-photon transitions; two-photon transitions and coherence. AS.171.638. Fundamentals of Radio Astronomy. 3 Credits. This course focuses on the use of radio waves and radio telescopes for cosmic observation. It covers the basics of radio astronomy, antennas and interferometers, radio emission mechanisms from a few interesting astronomical systems, data analysis, and imaging techniques. Examples on how to design, propose, and analyze radio observations are also provided. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.639. Group Theory in Physics. 3 Credits. Introduction to finite and Lie groups, representations and applications to quantum mechanics, condensed matter physics, and other fields of physics; selected topics from differential geometry and algebraic topology. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.644. Exoplanets and Planet Formation. 3 Credits. A graduate-level introduction to the properties of the solar system, the known exoplanet systems, and the astrophysics of planet formation and evolution. Topics also include the fundamentals of star formation, protoplanetary disk structure and evolution, exoplanet detection techniques, and the status of the search for other Earths in the Galaxy. Upper-level undergraduates may enroll with the permission of the instructor. AS.171.646. General Relativity. 3 Credits. An introduction to the physics of general relativity. Principal topics are: physics in curved spacetimes; the Equivalence Principle; the Einstein Field Equations; the post-Newtonian approximation and Solar System tests; the Schwarzschild and Kerr solutions of the Field Equations and properties of black holes; Friedmann solutions and cosmology; and gravitational wave propagation and generation. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.648. Physics of Cell Biology: From Mechanics to Information. 3 Credits. Cells are actively-driven soft materials – but also efficient sensors and information processors. This course will cover the physics of those cellular functions, from the mechanics of DNA to the sensing of chemical signals. Questions answered include: How does polymer physics limit how quickly chromosomes move? Why do cells use long, thin flagella to swim? What limits the accuracy of a cell’s chemotaxis?Some experience with partial differential equations required. No biology knowledge beyond the high school level necessary. Some problem sets will require minimal programming. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.649. Astrophysical Plasmas. 3 Credits. This course is for both graduate students and undergraduate students. There is no prerequisite although reading for introductory texts will be supplied where useful. Postdocs are also welcome to attend. Topics that will be discussed include: 1.Gravitational Wave Astronomy (related to cosmic plasmas),2. Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays,3. Black Hole Electrodynamics, 4.the Intergalactic, Interstellar and Intra-Cluster Medium, 5.Pulsars, 6.Magnetars, 7.Stellar and Galactic Dynamos,8.Solar Flares and CMEs, 9.Gamma Ray Bursts, 10.Supernovae and their Remnants, 11. Radio Sources and Jets and, 12. the universal cosmic plasma from earliest times13.Finally the detailed dusty plasmas around protostellar and protoplanetary disks including debris components of comets, asteroids planetesimals and interstellar intruders. We will spend roughly one week on each topic. In class, we will combine the lectures with reading interesting new papers from the current literature and it is expected that students will be sufficiently fluent in this field by the end of the semester to critically discuss and analyze such papers as experts. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.671. Advanced Topics in Astrobiology. 3 Credits. This is an advanced course discussing mainstream and frontier topics in the five areas of: 1. Cosmology and galaxy, star, black hole and planet formation. 2. Discussions on the astrophysics of (exo-)planets including atmospheres, non-equilibrium atmospheres and biosignatures. 3.Future missions including the Habitable Worlds Observatory. 4. The hazards of space flight and how to overcome them 5. Significant existential questions for life’s continuance over the vast timeline of the Universe. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.171.701. Quantum Field Theory. 3 Credits. Introduction to relativistic quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. Canonical quantization; scalar, spinor, and vector fields; scattering theory; renormalization; functional integration; spontaneous symmetry breaking; Standard Model of particle physics. AS.171.702. Quantum Field Theory II. 3 Credits. Introduction to relativistic quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. Recommended Course Background: AS.171.605 - AS.171.606 or equivalent. AS.171.703. Advanced Statistical Mechanics. 3 Credits. Brief review of basic statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. Then hydrodynamic theory is derived from statistical mechanics and classical treatments of phase transitions, including Ginzburg-Landau theory. AS.171.708. Gravitational Waves. 3 Credits. In September 2015, one hundred years after Einstein’s prediction of the existence of gravitational waves, the LIGO/Virgo collaboration detected the gravitational radiation produced by the merger of two black holes, marking the beginning of a new era in astronomy. This course will review the theory of gravitational waves, the main astrophysical and cosmological sources of gravitational radiation, and the modeling of these sources through numerical and analytical techniques. We will discuss how present and future gravitational wave detections on Earth and in space can be used to study the astrophysics of compact objects (such as black holes and neutron stars) and to test Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.732. Elementary Particle Physics. 3 Credits. Description TBA AS.171.749. Machine Learning for Physicists. 3 Credits. Neural networks have changed the ways we interact with data and think about statistics. For scientists, it is important to understand the fundamental concepts behind these systems, why they work, what their potential and limitations are. This course will open the black box of neural networks and address some of the theoretical foundations of Machine Learning. It will include aspects of statistics in high dimensions, information theory, optimization, architectures, as well as concepts from neuroscience. We will alternate between theory and applications in python. More at https://bit.ly/3LEAg7D Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.750. Cosmology. 3 Credits. Review of special relativity and an introduction to general relativity, Robertson-Walker metric, and Friedmann equation and solutions. Key transitions in the thermal evolution of the universe, including big bang nucleosynthesis, recombination, and reionization. The early universe (inflation), dark energy, dark matter, and the cosmic microwave background. Development of density perturbations, galaxy formation, and large-scale structure. AS.171.752. Black Hole Astrophysics. 3 Credits. Black holes are the central engines for a wide variety of astrophysical objects: Galactic X-ray sources, active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, stellar tidal disruptions, and black hole mergers. Although the mass distribution of astrophysical black holes spans ten orders of magnitude and their circumstances can vary tremendously, the physical processes relevant to them are often closely related. The class will begin with an overview of astrophysical black hole phenomenology and then review the most important physical mechanisms responsible for their observed properties: relativistic orbits for both matter and photons; accretion dynamics and radiation; relativistic jet launching, propagation, and radiation; binary black hole dynamics and gravitational wave emission; and lastly, black hole creation. AS.171.755. Fourier Optics and Interferometry in Astronomy. 3 Credits. A course for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students covering the principles of optics and image formation using Fourier Transforms, and a discussion of interferometry and other applications both in radio and optical astronomy. AS.171.764. Experimental Techniques in Condensed Matter Physics. 3 Credits. This course will be a survey of modern techniques in experimental condensed matter physics and is intended for graduate students interested in this area, but others interested in this topic (especially condensed matter the- ory students) are encouraged to enroll. Topics include low temperature techniques, transport, the SQUID and other magnetic probes, digital and analog signal processing, scattering (neutron, X-ray, and light), EPR, NMR, data analysis, and Monte Carlo. Sample preparation, including crystal and film growth and lithography will also be covered. AS.171.785. Advanced Particle Theory: Dark Matter. 3 Credits. The overwhelming evidence that dark matter exists and that it is not part of the fundamental theory of matter (the standard model) suggests the need for a graduate course. I will cover what is known and not known about dark matter, being specific enough to open lines of inquiry. I will cover what the rules of quantum field theory would allow it to be and how it could interact with us. I will go over possible mechanisms that explain the generation of dark matter in our universe in the first place. In addition, I will go over the ways to potentially discover (interact with) it directly.The first half or more of the course should be mostly accessible to advanced graduate students in astrophysics and high-energy particle experimentalists. The last half/third will be more field-theory oriented Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.801. Independent Research - Graduates. 10 - 20 Credits. AS.171.802. Independent Research-Graduate. 9 - 20 Credits. AS.171.803. Independent Research-Graduate. 9 - 15 Credits. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.171.805. First Year Research - Graduates. 6 - 15 Credits. Independent Research AS.171.807. Second Year Research - Graduates. 6 - 15 Credits. Independent Research
Physics, Bachelor of Arts
School of Arts and Sciences
The major program is structured so that nearly all students take the same classes during the first two years and must complete the same list of core upper-level courses during their second two years, but permits a variety of choices in upper-level electives. The total number of credits required for the B.A. degree is 120. By the end of the four years our students share an understanding of classical mechanics, electromagnetism, statistical physics and quantum mechanics, and have acquired physics lab skills that will support them in graduate school or in a host of other pursuits.
Physics, Bachelor of Science
School of Arts and Sciences
The major program is structured so that nearly all students take the same classes during the first two years and must complete the same list of core upper-level courses during their second two years, but permits a variety of choices in upper-level electives. The total number of credits required for the B.S. in Physics degree is 126. By the end of the four years our students share an understanding of classical mechanics, electromagnetism, statistical physics and quantum mechanics, and have acquired physics lab skills that will support them in graduate school or in a host of other pursuits.
AS.210-217 (Modern Languages & Literatures)
http://e-catalogue.jhu.g.sjuku.top/course-descriptions/modern_languages___literatures/
AS.210.101. French Elements I. 4 Credits. Provides a multi-faceted approach to teaching language and culture to the novice French student. The first semester emphasizes listening and speaking, while laying the foundation in grammar structures, reading, and writing. This course is designed for true beginners: Students with any previous background must take the placement test: http://learnmore.jhu.g.sjuku.top/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Contact: Bruce Anderson (bander36@jhu.g.sjuku.top) AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.102. French Elements II. 4 Credits. The second semester of this intensive course for beginners provides students with the linguistic tools to read excerpts from a play (Antigone by Jean Anouilh), to polish a written autobiography, and to perform short oral skits. A variety of cultural materials help students acquire grammatical structures and expand their vocabulary. Recommended course background: AS 210.101 or placement test score: http://learnmore.jhu.g.sjuku.top/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Contact: Claude Guillemard (cguille1@jhu.g.sjuku.top) AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.103. Learner Managed French Elements I. 3 Credits. This beginner course is specifically designed for students who have had some exposure to French. They must take the mandatory placement test: http://www.advising.jhu.g.sjuku.top/placement_french.php, and receive between 30 and 49. They will cover the first semester of French Elements at a pace suited for "false beginners" with major online components to supplement class instruction. Must complete the year with 210.102 to obtain credit. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.105. Fast-Track Beginning French. 4 Credits. This beginning French course is a fast-paced, intensive introduction to the French language and the culture of France and the French-speaking world, covering the content of French Elements 1 and 2 (AS 210.101-102) but in one semester. As such, it is meant for students who have some previous classroom or independent study of French (as assessed by a placement exam), or who are native or bilingual speakers of another Romance language. Classroom activities will emphasize spoken communication on a variety of topics, using relevant vocabulary and grammar. Extensive use of online resources outside of class will build skills in listening, reading, and writing. Completion of this class will allow students to enroll in Intermediate French 1 (AS 210.201). AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3) AS.210.106. Italian through Food. 3 Credits. This beginner’s course will help you develop foundational linguistic skills in Italian while offering an overview of Italian food cultures, both past and present. By the end of this course, you will be able to navigate everyday situations (e.g. ordering a meal at a restaurant, describing your favorite dishes, talking about likes and dislikes) entirely in Italian, and will develop an appreciation for the history of Italian cuisine. Upon completion of this course, students are encouraged to enroll in AS210.152 (Italian Elements II) in the Spring term. Advanced speakers of other Romance languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Portuguese) are encouraged to enroll in AS.210.175 (Accelerated Italian for Speakers of Other Romance Languages I). Open to first-year students only. Prerequisite(s): Students who are taking/who took AS.210.151 or higher Italian language course are not allowed to register. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.111. Spanish Elements I. 4 Credits. This is an introductory Spanish language course. On completion of this course, the students will have acquired the basic communication and grammatical skills necessary for speaking, writing, listening and reading in Spanish. Students will demonstrate these skills through their performance in class, by completing several online assignments, and by taking part in three group presentations in addition to two comprehensive exams which focus on the following thematic topics: Greetings, University Life, Family and Leisure. Students will also be introduced to the culture, history and geography of various Spanish and Latin American countries. The content covered in Spanish Elements 1 is the foundation for all consecutive Spanish courses. A placement exam is required to ensure the appropriate level. Your enrollment in Spanish Elements I will not be considered for approval until you have emailed the Spanish Language Director. No new enrollments permitted after 4th class session. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.112. Spanish Elements II. 4 Credits. This introductory Spanish language course is a continuation of the content covered in Spanish Elements I. On completion of this course, the students will have further developed the communication and grammatical skills necessary for speaking, writing, listening and reading in Spanish. Students will demonstrate these skills through their performance in class, by completing several online assignments, and by taking part in three group presentations in addition to two comprehensive exams which focus on the following thematic topics: Food, Sports, Shopping, Travel, and Health. Students will also be introduced to the culture, history and geography of various Spanish and Latin American countries. The content covered in Spanish Elements II prepares the students for Intermediate Spanish.No new enrollments permitted after 4th class session.Prerequisite: AS.210.111 or appropriate placement exam score. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.111 or Spanish placement exam score. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.120. Modern Hebrew for Beginners I. 3 Credits. Elementary Modern Hebrew is the first exposure to the language as currently used in Israel in all its functional contexts. All components of the language are discussed: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Simple idiomatic sentences and short texts in Hebrew are used. Students learn the Hebrew alphabet, words and short sentences. Cultural aspects of Israel will be intertwined throughout the course curriculum. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.121. Modern Hebrew for Beginners II. 3 Credits. Hebrew for Beginners 121 is a continuation of Hebrew 120 and as such, students are required to have a foundation in Hebrew. The course will enhance and continue to expose students to Hebrew grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. All components of the Hebrew language will be emphasized in this course; we will highlight verbs, adjectives, and the ability to read longer texts. Speaking in Hebrew will also be highlighted to promote students’ engagement and communication. Cultural aspects of the language will be incorporated into lessons too Prerequisite(s): AS.384.115 OR AS.210.120 AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.151. Italian Elements I. 4 Credits. This course sequence ( AS.210.151 and AS.210.152 ) is an introduction to Italian for students with no previous exposure to the language. By the end of the academic year, you will be able to meet basic needs in an Italian-only environment. Examples include introducing yourself, asking for and giving directions, ordering a meal at a restaurant, describing and asking information about places and people, and engaging in a simple phone conversation. Advanced speakers of other Romance languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Portuguese) are encouraged to enroll in AS.210.175 (Accelerated Italian for Speakers of Other Romance Languages I) AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.152. Italian Elements II. 4 Credits. Course helps students develop basic listening, reading, writing, speaking, and interactional skills in Italian. The content of the course is highly communicative, and students are constantly presented with real-life, task-based activities. Course adopts a continuous assessment system (no mid-term and no final). May not be taken Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory. No previous knowledge of Italian is required. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.151 OR AS.210.106 or Placement Exam Part I. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.161. German Elements I. 4 Credits. Four-skills introduction to the German language and culture. Develops proficiency in speaking, writing, reading and listening skills through the use of basic texts, multi-media and communicative language activities. Online tools required. May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.162. German Elements II. 4 Credits. Continuation to the introduction to the German language and a development of reading, speaking, writing & listening through the use of basic texts and communicative activities. The culture of the German-language countries is also incorporated into the curriculum. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.161 or appropriate score on placement exam. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.163. Elementary Yiddish I. 3 Credits. Look at Jewish history and culture backwards and forwards through the Yiddish language! The vernacular of Ashkenazi Jews for a thousand years, Yiddish connects back to recent and distant generations in Europe, America, and elsewhere. But Yiddish is not just a bridge to the past, it is also the center of vibrant contemporary cultures, both religious and secular. This four-skills language class (reading, writing, listening, speaking) places emphasis on the active use of Yiddish in oral and written communication while guiding students towards the use of Yiddish as a tool for the study of Yiddish literature and Ashkenazi history and culture. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.164. Elementary Yiddish II. 3 Credits. This four-skills language class (reading, writing, listening, speaking) places emphasis on the active use of Yiddish in oral and written communication while guiding students towards the use of Yiddish as a tool for the study of Yiddish literature and Ashkenazi history and culture. Continuation of 210.163, but students may join the class with the permission of the instructor. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.171. Portuguese Elements I. 4 Credits. No previous knowledge of Portuguese is required. This one-year sequence is a Portuguese introductory course for non-romance language speakers. The course introduces students to the basic skills in reading, writing, and speaking the language. Emphasis is placed on oral communication with extensive training in written and listening skills. Class participation is encouraged from the very beginning. Upon the successful completion of this course with a grade of C or higher, students may enroll in 210.172 Portuguese Elements II. May not be taken on a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory basis. No Prereq. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.172. Portuguese Elements II. 4 Credits. This course expands students’ knowledge of the basic language skills: reading, writing, listening, speaking. It uses a multifaceted approach to immerse students in the cultures of Brazil, Portugal, and Portuguese-speaking Africa. The focus of the course is on oral communication with extensive training in grammar. The course is conducted entirely in Portuguese. Upon the successful completion of this course with a grade of C or higher, students may enroll in 210.271 Portuguese Intermediate I. May not be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. Pre-requisites: 210.171 or placement test Prerequisite(s): C or higher in AS.210.171 (formerly AS.210.177) or placement test. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.173. Fast Portuguese for Spanish Speakers and speakers of other Romance Languages I. 4 Credits. NO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF PORTUGUESE IS REQUIRED. This fast-paced one-semester course covers all content for Portuguese Elementary. This course is designed as an accelerated introductory course for speakers with a sound knowledge of Spanish OR other romance languages (e.g. French and Italian). The course will cover introductory aspects of Portuguese grammar and present relevant points of the cultures of the Portuguese speaking countries. Upon the successful completion of this course with a grade of C or higher, students may enroll in 210.271 Portuguese Intermediate. May not be taken on a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory basis. No Prereq. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.175. Accelerated Italian for Advanced Speakers of other Romance Languages. 4 Credits. This course sequence (AS210.175 and AS210.176) is designed for advanced speakers of other Romance languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Portuguese), and will cover the same material as the regular-track Italian Elements I and II ( AS.210.151 and AS.210.152 ) and Intermediate Italian I and II ( AS.210.251 and AS.210.252 ) courses. Upon successful completion of both semesters, students will be allowed to register for AS.210.351 (Advanced Italian I). Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.176. Accelerated Italian for Advanced Speakers of other Romance Languages II. 4 Credits. This is the second part of an elementary Italian language course sequence designed for advanced speakers of other romance languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Portuguese). This course will cover the same material as the regular-track Intermediate Italian I and II courses. Students completing this course with a grade of B or higher will be allowed to register for AS210.351 (Advanced Italian I) in the Fall term. Pre-requisite: Completion of AS.210.175 with a grade of B or higher, or Italian Language Program Director permission. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.175 with a B or higher Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.201. Intermediate French I. 3 Credits. This course develops skills in speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing.Systematic review of language structures with strong focus on oral communication and acquisition of vocabulary; extensive practice in writing and speaking; readings and films from French-speaking countries. Recommended course background: AS.210.102 or AS.210.105 or placement test score: http://learnmore.jhu.g.sjuku.top/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test. Contact: Suzanne Roos (sroos@jhu.g.sjuku.top) Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.202. Intermediate French II. 3 Credits. This course develops skills in speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Systematic review of language structures with strong focus on oral communication and acquisition of vocabulary; extensive practice in writing and speaking; readings and films from French-speaking countries. Recommended course background: AS.210.201 or placement test score: http://learnmore.jhu.g.sjuku.top/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test. Contact: Suzanne Roos (sroos@jhu.g.sjuku.top) Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.211. Intermediate Spanish I. 3 Credits. Intermediate Spanish I is a comprehensive study of Spanish designed for students who have attained an advanced elementary level in the language. The course is organized around a thematic approach to topics relevant to contemporary Hispanic culture. Students will practice the four language skills in the classroom through guided grammatical and creative conversational activities and through the completion of three comprehensive exams. Outside of class, students will complete extensive online assignments and write three major compositions (as part of the three exams). In addition, students will broaden their knowledge of Hispanic culture by viewing a Spanish-language film and by reading several literary selections. Successful completion of Intermediate Spanish I will prepare students for the next level of Spanish (Intermediate Spanish II).There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.112 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.212. Intermediate Spanish II. 3 Credits. Intermediate Spanish II is a comprehensive study of Spanish designed for students who have attained a mid-intermediate level in the language or who have completed Spanish 212. The course is organized around a thematic approach to topics relevant to contemporary Hispanic culture. Students will practice the four language skills in the classroom through guided grammatical and creative conversational activities and through the completion of three comprehensive exams. Outside of class, students will complete extensive online assignments and write three major compositions (as part of the three exams). In addition, students will broaden their knowledge of Hispanic culture by viewing a Spanish-language film and by reading several literary selections. Successful completion of Intermediate Spanish II will prepare students for the next level of Spanish (Advanced Spanish I).There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after the fourth class session. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.211 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.220. Intermediate Hebrew I. 3 Credits. Intermediate Modern Hebrew enhances and enforces previous knowledge of Hebrew as acquired from previous foundational coursework and/or experience. Grammatical aspects of the language such as past and present tenses as well as combined and complex sentence syntax and construction would be applied. Reading comprehension and writing skills will be emphasized. Modern Israeli cultural links and facets of the Hebrew language will also be introduced to inform the holistic understanding of the modern language. Prerequisite(s): AS.384.116 OR AS.210.121 or equivalent Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.221. Intermediate Modern Hebrew II. 3 Credits. Intermediate Hebrew level II is a continuation of the course Hebrew 220 and as such is a requirement for entry. In the course, grammatical aspects of the language will be introduced in the focus of past and future tenses. Combined and complex sentences with proper syntax and reading comprehension and writing skills will be required. Modern Israeli cultural aspects of the Hebrew language will be introduced as well and will be part of the holistic understanding of the modern language. Prerequisite(s): AS.384.215 OR AS.210.220 Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.251. Intermediate Italian I. 3 Credits. This course sequence ( AS.210.251 and AS.210.252 ) will reinforce your ability to engage in complex daily tasks in Italian, and will introduce you to more formal academic and real-world topics. By the end of the academic year, you will be able to write a strong résumé and cover letter in the European format, sit a job interview in Italian, and participate in debates on simple topics. You will also read five engaging short stories, watch several Italian films, and discuss topics such as emigration and immigration from/to Italy, the protection of the environment, and the history of the Italian South. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.152 or placement exam. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.252. Intermediate Italian II. 3 Credits. Taught in Italian. Course continues building on the four essential skills for communication presented in Intermediate Italian I (listening, speaking, reading, writing) on topics of increasing complexity. Course adopts a continuous assessment system. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.251 OR appropriate placement exam scores (Parts I & II). Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.261. Intermediate German I. 3 Credits. Taught in German. This course continues the same four-skills approach (speaking, writing, reading and listening) from the first-year sequence, introducing and practicing more advanced topics and structures. Expansion and extension through topical readings and discussion and multi-media materials. Online tools required. Prereq: 210.162 or placement exam. May not be taken on an S/U basis. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.162 or placement by exam. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.262. Intermediate German II. 3 Credits. Taught in German. This course is designed to continue the four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) approach to learning German. Readings and discussions are topically based and include fairy tales, poems, art and film, as well as readings on contemporary themes such as Germany’s green movement. Students will also review and deepen their understanding of the grammatical concepts of German. Prereq: 210.261 or placement exam May not be taken on an S/U basis. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.261 or placement by exam. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.263. Intermediate Yiddish I. 3 Credits. For students who have completed one year of Yiddish language study or equivalent, this course will provide the opportunity to broaden and deepen their knowledge of Yiddish culture while continuing to improve their skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking Yiddish. Alongside textbook-based language work, students will read, listen to and interact with a variety of texts, for example literature, journalism and oral history. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.264. Intermediate Yiddish II. 3 Credits. Continuation of Intermediate Yiddish I: this course will focus on the Yiddish language as a key to understanding the culture of Yiddish-speaking Jews. Topics in Yiddish literature, cultural history and contemporary culture will be explored through written and aural texts, and these primary sources will be used as a springboard for work on all the language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.266. German Conversation. 1.5 Credits. Taught in German. This course is designed for intermediate and above students who wish to improve their conversational and oral presentational language skills. The syllabus aims to provide useful, relevant language and necessary discourse structures to hold conversations and presentation on varied topics of an everyday, as well as academic nature. Students will practice German to build confidence, develop fluency and improve pronunciation and accuracy. Short texts, audio and films will provide the basis for discussion. Students fields of study and interests will be incorporated into the syllabus and tasks will be matched to the ability level of the students enrolled. Recommended course background: 210.262 or at least 3 semesters of college instruction or the equivalent. May be taken concurrently with other courses in German. May be taken S/U. Not for major or minor credit. AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.267. German Across the Curriculum. 1 Credit. Students in courses in History, CTL, Art History, Classics, Near Eastern Studies, WGS, and Philosophy augment their studies in those disciplines by reading short excerpts from the material assigned in the original German. The selected excerpts rotate among the disciplines, exposing students to a variety of texts and giving students the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines and acquaint themselves with the scholarly language in their respective majors and minors. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3) AS.210.268. German through Reading “Märchen”. 1.5 Credits. Whether we consider them enchanting or naive, fairy tales and their narrative forms have inspired a wealth of cultural production. In this course, we will read and talk about German fairy tales (in German) and look at some spin-offs and parodies they have inspired. Students will hone their skills in reading, identifying plot, settings, characters and symbols while expanding their bank of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Speaking activities in class will be adjusted to the level of participants. Short creative writing assignments throughout the semester will culminate in students writing their own version of a fairy tale. Not for German major or minor credit. May be taken S/U Prerequisite(s): AS.210.161 AND AS.210.162 or equivalent. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3) AS.210.269. Intermediate Yiddish Texts I. 3 Credits. For students who have completed at least one year of Yiddish language study, this course will provide the opportunity to broaden and deepen their knowledge of Yiddish culture while continuing to improve their skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking Yiddish. Alongside textbook-based language work, students will read, listen to and interact with a variety of texts, for example literature, journalism and oral history. Prerequisite: AS.210.164 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.270. Intermediate Yiddish Texts II. 3 Credits. Continuation of Intermediate Yiddish Texts I. Students will continue to broaden and deepen their knowledge of Yiddish culture while improving their Yiddish language skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Alongside textbook-based language work, students will read, listen to, and interact with a variety of texts. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.269 OR equivalent OR permission of instructor Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.271. Intermediate Portuguese I. 3 Credits. Intermediate Portuguese I is designed for students who have attained an advanced elementary level in the language. The course offers training in the skills of the language with emphasis on expanding grammatical knowledge and vocabulary, while developing ease and fluency in the language through the use of a multifaceted approach. Course materials immerse students in the contemporary cultures of Portuguese-speaking world. Upon the successful completion of Intermediate Portuguese I, students may enroll in the next level, Intermediate Portuguese II – AS.210.272 . May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.172 OR AS.210.173 , or placement exam. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.272. Intermediate Portuguese II. 3 Credits. Intermediate Portuguese II is designed for students who have attained a mid-intermediate level in the language or completed Intermediate Portuguese I AS.210.271 . The course offers training in the skills of the language with emphasis on advancing grammatical knowledge, expanding vocabulary, and developing fluency in the language through the use of a multifaceted approach. Course materials immerse students in the cultures of Brazil, Portugal, and Portuguese-speaking Africa, and reflect the mix of cultures at work in the contemporary Lusophone world. Successful completion of Intermediate Portuguese II will prepare students for the next level Advanced Portuguese I – AS.210.371 . May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prereq: AS.210.271 (old AS.210.277) or placement test. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.277 or equivalent score on placement test or instructor approval. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.288. Portuguese: Conversation through Film & Music. 3 Credits. Improve your Portuguese conversational and speaking skills through colorful Brazilian media. This course is designed for highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students who want to SPEAK Portuguese. Conversation sessions provide intensive work on communication skills through discussion on issues raised in films, news media & music. Grammar will be reviewed as needed outside of class with tutors or TA, freeing class time for more communicative activities. May not be taken on a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory basis. Prereq: one semester of Portuguese, two semesters of Spanish or Placement test. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.275 OR AS.210.277 OR AS.210.278 OR AS.210.391 OR AS.210.392 Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.301. Advanced French for Writing. 3 Credits. Students in AS.210.301 will focus primarily on written expression, learning to ‘decipher’ classic and contemporary texts in order to expand their French vocabulary and communicate their ideas in writing with clarity and accuracy. (A primary focus on oral expression is provided in AS.210.302 ; the two advanced-level courses may be taken in either order or simultaneously.) Recommended Course Background: AS.210.202 or appropriate score on Placement test I: http://learnmore.jhu.g.sjuku.top/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3) Writing Intensive AS.210.302. Advanced French for Speaking. 3 Credits. Students in 210.302 will focus primarily on oral expression through individual and group work on contemporary media (music, film, current events) in order to expand their vocabulary and become fluent in conversation across social-cultural contexts. (A primary focus on written expression is provided in 210.301; the two advanced-level courses may be taken in either order or simultaneously.) Recommended Course Background: AS.210.202 or appropriate score on Placement test I: http://learnmore.jhu.g.sjuku.top/browse/ksas/internal/selfenroll/courses/as-french-placement-test Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3) AS.210.306. Medical French : Santé et Société. 3 Credits. In this interactive language course (not exclusively designed for pre-meds), students learn how to communicate in the fields of public health, medicine, and humanitarian aid in a French-speaking environment. While acquiring new lexical and syntactic tools weekly, students examine and debate the current structures and issues of the French health system, through a variety of media (governmental websites, mainstream and specialized newspapers, movies, blogs, first-account books, etc.). A final project is tailored to each student’s own area of interest. Please note that this course is taught by a language instructor, not a medical expert. Recommended course background: AS.210.301 or AS.210.302 or permission of instructor. Students interested in taking the exam for the French For Health Diploma should visit the following website: https://www.lefrancaisdesaffaires.fr/tests-diplomes/diplomes-francais-professionnel-dfp/sante/ Prerequisite(s): AS.210.301 OR AS.210.302 Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5) EN Foundational Abilities: Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.309. The Sounds of French. 3 Credits. This course introduces students to the sound system of French: its development over centuries, its standardized Parisian form versus regional and international dialects and accents, and the popularity of "word games" (abbreviations, acronyms, and verlan). The course will include extensive practice in perceiving, articulating, and transcribing sounds, words, and intonation groups through viewing film clips, listening to songs, and completing in class lab assignments. Recorded speech samples obtained at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester will allow students to track their progress in moving toward more native pronunciation and intonation. Recommended Course Background: AS.210.202 or equivalent Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.311. Advanced Spanish I. 3 Credits. This course is a comprehensive study of the Spanish language focused on the continuing development of students’ communicative abilities and their knowledge of Hispanic cultures. Students will expand their use of basic structures of Spanish with a special emphasis on more difficult grammatical and vocabulary aspects, and further improve both their oral and written skills. Students will sharper their critical thinking skills and listening abilities utilizing movies and written texts. This course combines an extensive use of an online component with class participation and three exams. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have acquired extended complex language tools that facilitate proficiency in Spanish and its use in various professional contexts. There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.212 OR appropriate Spanish placement exam score. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.312. Advanced Spanish II. 3 Credits. This course is thorough review of the Spanish language focused on the development of students’ communicative abilities and their knowledge of Hispanic cultures. Students will both expand their knowledge of the basic structures of Spanish, with special emphasis on more difficult grammatical and vocabulary aspects, and further improve on oral and written skills. Students will increase their critical thinking skills and listening abilities utilizing movies and written texts. This course combines an extensive use of an online component, class participation and three exams. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have acquired more complex language tools to become proficient in Spanish and its use in various professional contexts. There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.313. Medical Spanish. 3 Credits. Medical Spanish is a comprehensive examination of vocabulary and grammar for students who either work or intend to work in medicine and health-related fields in Spanish-speaking environments. The student will be able to participate in conversations on topics such as contrasting health systems, body structures, disorders and conditions, consulting your doctor, physical and mental health, first-aid, hospitalization and surgery on completion of this course. In completing the course’s final project students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been learned in the class by creating a professional dossier individualized to their professional interests. There is no final exam. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 OR AS.210.312 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.314. Spanish for International Commerce. 3 Credits. Spanish for international business is an overview of business topics in an international Spanish-speaking context with an emphasis on deep review of grammar and vocabulary acquisition. On completion of this course the student will have developed the ability to read and critically discuss business and government relations in Latin America and will have examine entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, business ethics, human resources and commerce in the Spanish speaking world. In completing the course’s final project students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been covered in the class by creating a professional dossier individualized to their own professional interests. Concepts learned in this course will be directly applicable to careers linked to international relations and will apply to various careers in business. There is no final exam. May not be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session. Language Program Director: Loreto Sanchez-Serrano Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 or or appropriate Spanish placement exam score. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.315. Spanish for International Relations. 3 Credits. Spanish for international relations is an advanced examination of grammar and an analysis of international relations’ topics in Spanish. By completion of this course the student will have developed the ability to read, critically discuss and demonstrate mastery of political and socio-economic issues in Spanish-speaking environments. Potential topics include a survey of the professions in international relations, NGOs in Latin America, intellectual property, cultural diplomacy, remesas, regional coalitions and treaties, and the environment. Class presentations and final projects will allow students to apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been learned in the class by participating in a global simulation that will include a written exercise individualized to their professional interests. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the 4th class session. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 or appropriate webcape score Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.316. Advanced Spanish Conversation. 3 Credits. Conversational Spanish surveys high-interest themes, discusses short films by contemporary Hispanic filmmakers and offers a thorough review of grammar. The student will be able to participate in conversations on topics such as personality traits, social media, political power, art and lifestyles on completion of this course. Conversational skills mastered during the course apply to all careers interconnected by Spanish. There is no final exam. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the third class session. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.317. Adv Spanish Composition. 3 Credits. This third-year course is a hands-on and process-oriented introduction to discussion and compositional analysis. On completion of this course, students will have improved their Spanish writing skills in various types of compositions they might be expected to write in academic settings and in real-life formats such as film reviews, letters to the editor, cover letters, etc. The course also focuses on refinement of grammar and vocabulary use. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. . Prerequisite(s): AS.210.312 or appropriate Spanish placement exam score. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.318. Spanish for Engineering. 3 Credits. Spanish for engineering is a comprehensive examination of vocabulary and grammar for students who either work or intend to work in the engineering field to develop their communicative strategies in the field of engineering. On completion of this course, students will be able to participate in conversations on topics such as applications of biomedical engineering in the diagnosis and treatment of different medical conditions, efficient use of energy and materials, design and construction of public works, development of electrical systems and development of solutions to environmental problems. In completing the course’s final project students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been learned in the class by creating a professional dossier individualized to their professional interests.There is no final exam. May not be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the third-class session. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.319. Spanish for Public Health. 3 Credits. Spanish for Public Health is a comprehensive examination of vocabulary and grammar for students who either work or intend to work in the Public Health field such as government agencies, health care organizations, nonprofits, or health insurer companies, in Spanish-speaking environments. On completion of this course, the student will be able to participate in conversations on topics including health systems, reproductive biology, nutrition, epidemiology, mental health, and environmental health. In completing the course’s final project students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on what has been learned in the class by creating a professional dossier individualized to their professional interests. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.311 Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.320. Advanced Modern Hebrew I. 3 Credits. Advanced Modern Hebrew I will focus on conversational and interactive language skills to expose learners to attributes of different genres and layers of the language. Students will be introduced to various original texts and lingual patterns to better understand and formulate proper syntax. The course will include contemporary readings from Israeli journalism and essays, along with other relevant Hebrew resources to inform class discussions and students’ reflective writings. Israeli cultural aspects will be integral to the course curriculum. Prerequisite(s): AS.384.216 OR AS.210.221 or equivalent Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.321. Advanced Modern Hebrew II. 3 Credits. This course will expand students’ fluencies in Modern Hebrew through Hebrew-dialogic Israeli and Palestinian cinema, examining and comparing several layers of a contemporary Hebrew-speaking society. For this class, students will view, discuss, and write about films with Hebrew as the primary spoken language. Through aural interpretation and subtitles, students will understand, analyze, and reflectively discuss the diversity of Hebrew-speaking cultures within society and the provenance and intentionalities of the dialects exhibited throughout a given film. Linguistic nuance, slang, and interpretive aspects of Hebrew as shown in the chosen films will prompt students to examine this modality of the expression of contemporary Hebrew. The course will be taught primarily in Hebrew and will be open to students who have matriculated to at least 200-level coursework of Modern Hebrew. Prerequisite(s): AS.384.315 OR AS.210.320 or instructor permission Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.351. Advanced Italian I. 3 Credits. This highly interactive course focuses on complex historical and contemporary themes, and is ideal, among others, for students who are specializing in international studies, medicine, psychology, and cognitive science. Students will analyze authentic texts and audiovisual materials on topics including the history of the Sicilian mafia, mental health and the deinstitutionalization movement in Italy, Europe and Italy in the 1960s-1980s, the role of curiosity and amazement in scientific discovery and art, and intercultural differences around hilarity. Taught in Italian. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.252 or placement exam Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.352. Advanced Italian II. 3 Credits. Course presents a systematic introduction to a variety of complex cultural and historical topics related to present-day Italy, emphasizing intercultural comparisons, interdisciplinarity, and encouraging a personal exploration of such topics. Course adopts a continuous assessment system (no mid-term and no final). Prerequisite(s): AS.210.351 OR appropriate placement exam scores (Parts I, II and III). Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.361. Advanced German I: Cultural Topics of the Modern German-speaking World. 3 Credits. Taught in German. We will read literary works by Heinrich Böll, Hermann Hesse, and Gertrud Wilker, as well as watch the film “Die Welle”, to explore themes like the “Wirtschaftswunder”, work and productivity, the role of women in society, the pursuit of happiness, youth slang, and much more. A review and expansion of advanced grammatical concepts and vocabulary underlies the course. Focus on improving expression in writing and speaking. May not be taken on an S/U basis. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.262 or placement exam. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.362. Advanced German II: Contemporary Issues in the German Speaking World. 3 Credits. Taught in German. Topically, this course focuses on contemporary issues such as national identity, multiculturalism and the lingering social consequences of major 20th century historical events. Readings include literary and journalistic texts, as well as radio broadcasts, internet sites, music and film. Students read a full-length novel. Emphasis is placed on improving mastery of German grammar, development of self-editing skills and practice in spoken German for academic use. Introduction/Review of advanced grammar. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.361 or equivalent score on placement test. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.363. Business German. 3 Credits. Taught in German. Course is designed to familiarize students with the vocabulary and standards for doing business in Germany. Taking a cultural approach, students read texts and engage in discussion that elucidate the works of business, commerce & industry in Germany, the world’s third largest economy. Emphasis is placed on vocabulary expansion and writing as it relates to business and business cases. May not be taken S/U. Recommended background: at least 4 semesters of college German (210.262) or equivalent. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4), Projects and Methods (FA6) EN Foundational Abilities: Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.364. German for Medical & Public Health Professions. 3 Credits. Taught in German. An introduction to the concepts and linguistic tools necessary for understanding the German health care system and public health fields. Designed for students with B1 or above language skills in German. Readings, role plays, videos and research projects will form the basis for learning. Linguistic focus on expanding vocabulary, increasing reading and listening comprehension while also honing grammatical control to increase accuracy in speaking and writing. Topics include the German health-care system, the body, typical interactions between patients and health care professionals, as well as the history of iconic institutions such as Berlin’s Charite. Prerequisite: 4 semesters of college German or equivalent or permission of German LPD. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.262 OR AS.210.361 OR AS.210.362 Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.365. German for Science and Engineering. 3 Credits. Taught in German. This course is designed to provide language training in German tailored to students of science & engineering. Germany has long been a world leader in engineering, most notably in chemical and mechanical engineering. Over the past decades, Germany also has taken a lead in environmental sciences and information technology. In addition, Germany is now becoming an increasingly attractive place to pursue degrees in the technical fields. This course will provide practice and expansion in all language skill areas: analysis of texts, hands-on-activities, preparation of presentations, and discussion of topics. Specific areas of interest to the course members will be taken into consideration for the selection of materials. [Does not replace 210.362 as prerequisite for upper level courses or as major requirement.] Prerequisite(s): AS.210.262 OR AS.210.361 OR AS.210.362 or equivalent or placement exam. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.367. Advanced Yiddish I. 3 Credits. This course will provide students who have completed at least two years of Yiddish with the opportunity to hone their skills in all four language areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It will include advanced grammar study, readings in Yiddish literature, and work with audio/video recordings, taking into account the interests of each individual student. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.368. Advanced Yiddish II. 3 Credits. Continuation of Advanced Yiddish I ( AS.210.367 ). Students will continue to hone their skills in all four language areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. In addition to advanced grammar study and readings in Yiddish literature, the course will take into account the interests of each individual student, allowing time for students to read Yiddish texts pertinent to their own research and writing. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.371. Advanced Portuguese I. 3 Credits. Designed to sharpen students’ abilities in contemporary spoken and written Portuguese. This third-year course fosters the development of complex language skills that enhance fluency, accuracy and general proficiency in Portuguese and its appropriate use in professional and informal contexts. Students will briefly review previous grammar structures and concentrate on new complex grammar concepts. Using a variety of cultural items such as current news, short stories, plays, films, videos, newspaper articles, and popular music, students discuss diverse topics followed by intense writing and oral discussion with the aim of developing critical thinking and solid communication skills.Successful completion of Advanced Portuguese I will prepare students for the next level, Advanced Portuguese II, AS.210.372 . May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prereq: AS.210.272 or (old AS.210.278) or placement test. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.278 OR AS.210.272 or equivalent score on placement test or instructor approval. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.372. Advanced Portuguese II. 3 Credits. Advanced Portuguese II offers a systematic review of the Portuguese language focused on the development of students’ communicative skills and their knowledge of the Lusophone culture. This course fosters the development of complex language skills that enhance fluency, accuracy and general proficiency in Portuguese and its appropriate use in professional and informal contexts. Students will concentrate on complex grammar concepts and the use of appropriate written and oral registers. Using a variety of cultural items such as current news, short stories, plays, films, videos, newspaper articles, and popular music, students discuss diverse topics followed by intense writing and oral discussion with the aim of developing critical thinking and solid communication skills. May not be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prereq: AS.210.371 or placement test. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.391 OR AS.210.371 or equivalent score on placement test or instructor approval. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.411. Contacts and Contrasts in Spanish for the Professions. 3 Credits. Contacts and Contrasts in Spanish for the Professions harnesses a comparative approach to reviewing grammar and learning Spanish by offering translation practice from English to Spanish and thrusting synthesis of prior courses into coherent professional tools. Techniques may include comparing texts of medicine, public health, literature, technology, politics, and journalism between Spanish and English. Students will identify and differentiate terminology specific to these various fields and will focus on practicing correct uses of the grammatical structures relevant to English and Spanish in translation and cultural contact. In the course’s term projects, students will apply, synthesize, and reflect on their knowledge of Spanish by completing a translation exercise individualized to their professional interests. Strategies of communication mastered in this course will help students of Spanish throughout their careers. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.313 OR AS.210.314 OR AS.210.315 OR AS.210.318 OR AS.210.319 Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.412. Community Based Learning - Spanish Language Practicum. 3 Credits. This fourth-year course involves a specially designed project related to the student’s minor concentration. On completion of this course, the student will be able to use the Spanish language in real world contexts. The student-designed project may be related to each student´s current employment context or developed in agencies or organizations that complement student’s research and experimental background while contributing to the improvement of his/her language proficiency. There is no final exam. No new enrollments permitted after first week of class. The course will only meet as a group twice per semester, on a Tuesday (Sec. 01) or Thursday (Sec. 02) from 9:30-10:30. If the student has a class at that time, the instructor will request, in writing, that the student be granted an excused absence. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.411 Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Citizens and Society (FA4), Projects and Methods (FA6) EN Foundational Abilities: Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.413. Curso de Perfeccionamiento. 3 Credits. This forth-year course is an in-depth examination of the Spanish grammar, including a wider range of idiomatic expressions and usages than students might have previously encountered. On completion of this course, students will be able to achieve the ACTFL Advanced-Mid to high level in oral and written expression as well as in reading and listening skills. The course will also help to prepare students for the DELE Intermediate or Superior levels, offered by the Instituto Cervantes. May not be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Not open to native speakers of Spanish. No new enrollments permitted after the 4th class session. Prerequisite(s): ( AS.210.312 OR AS.210.317 ) AND ( AS.210.313 OR AS.210.314 OR AS.210.315 ) Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) Writing Intensive AS.210.417. Eloquent French. 3 Credits. This interactive, writing intensive course has a double agenda: 1) to guide students towards linguistic proficiency in French by exposing them to an extended range of stylistic, idiomatic and grammatical expressions; 2) to strengthen students' individual voices in written and oral expression. Recommended Course Background: AS.210.301 and AS.210.302 or permission of instructor. Contact Kristin Cook-Gailloud (kcg@jhu.g.sjuku.top). Prerequisite(s): AS.210.301 Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Culture and Aesthetics (FA3) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3) Writing Intensive AS.210.421. Yiddish For Reading Knowledge. 3 Credits. This course is designed to open up the world of Yiddish culture and letters by helping students develop the skills necessary to read Yiddish texts in the original. Students will learn the Yiddish alphabet and be introduced to Yiddish vocabulary and grammatical structures, as well as to resources for reading Yiddish such as dictionaries and grammar guides. Students will read and translate texts of increasing difficulty and will have the opportunity to tackle texts in their own field of interest. A “fast track” will be offered to students with prior knowledge of German. No prior knowledge of Yiddish is necessary. Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.210.426. French for Reading and Translation. 3 Credits. This course aims to provide proficiency in reading and translating?a variety of French texts from the humanities and social sciences. It is designed for undergraduate and graduate students with little or no background in French who wish to acquire a knowledge of French for research purposes 2) for Ph.D. candidates preparing to fulfill their a Foreign Language Proficiency requirement. Please note that this course does not provide speaking and listening skills, and can therefore not be taken as a substitute for other classes in the French Language curriculum (AS.210.xxx). Distribution Area: Humanities AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3) AS.210.561. German Independent Study. 3 Credits. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Citizens and Society (FA4) AS.210.571. Portuguese Independent Study. 3 Credits. Directed readings with Portuguese faculty. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.210.661. Reading and Translating German for Academic Purposes. 3 Credits. Graduate students only. Seniors may enroll with permission from LPD and instructor.Taught in English. This is the first semester of a year-long course designed for graduate students in other fields who wish to gain a reading knowledge of the German language. Seniors who intend to do graduate study in other disciplines are also welcome. Instruction includes an introduction to German vocabulary and grammatical structures as well as discussion of relevant translation practices. The goal of the course is for students to gain confidence in reading a variety of texts, including those in their own fields of study. No knowledge of German is assumed. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.210.662. Reading & Translating German for Academic Purposes II. 3 Credits. Taught in English. Seniors by permission & Graduate students only. This course is designed for graduate students in other departments who wish to gain reading knowledge of the German language and translation practice from German to English. This course is a continuation of the Fall semester. Focus on advanced grammatical structures and vocabulary. For certification or credit. Prerequisite(s): AS.210.661 or permission of instructor. Distribution Area: Humanities
AS.270-271 (Earth & Planetary Sciences)
http://e-catalogue.jhu.g.sjuku.top/course-descriptions/earth___planetary_sciences/
AS.270.103. Introduction to Global Environmental Change. 3 Credits. A broad survey of the Earth as a planet, with emphasis on the processes that control global changes. Topics include: the structure, formation, and evolution of the Earth, the atmosphere, oceans, continents, and biosphere. Special attention is given to present-day issues, such as global climate change, natural hazards, air pollution, resource depletion, human population growth, habitat destruction, and loss of biodiversity. Open to all undergraduates. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Ethics and Foundations (FA5) AS.270.111. The Story of Earth. 1 Credit. The four and a half billion year story of Earth's global changes focusing on the co-evolution of Earth and Life. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.114. Guided Tour: The Planets. 3 Credits. An introduction to planetary science and planetary exploration primarily for non-science majors. A survey of concepts from astronomy, chemistry, geology, and physics applied to the study of the solar system. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.202. Introduction to Ecology. 3 Credits. Ecology is the study of organisms and their environment. This course focuses on the patterns of distribution and abundance of organisms. Topics include population dynamics and regulation, competition, predation, host-parasite interactions, patterns of species diversity, community succession, the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems. We will also discuss the role of natural and human disturbances in shaping communities. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.103 OR AS.020.151 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.205. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Geospatial Analysis. 3 Credits. The course provides a broad introduction to the principles and practice of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related tools of Geospatial Analysis. Topics will include history of GIS, GIS data structures, data acquisition and merging, database management, spatial analysis, and GIS applications. In addition, students will get hands-on experience working with GIS software. Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.220. The Dynamic Earth: An Introduction to Geology. 3 Credits. Basic concepts in geology, including plate tectonics; Earth’s internal structure; geologic time; minerals; formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks; development of faults, folds and earthquakes; geomagnetism. Corequisite (for EPS Majors): AS.270.221 ; optional for others. The course is introductory and open to undergraduates at all levels; freshmen are encouraged to enroll. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.221. The Dynamic Earth Laboratory. 2 Credits. This course is a hands-on learning experience for introductory geological concepts and techniques using geological tools, such as mineral/rock samples, microscopes, and maps. A Saturday fieldtrip in late Sep/early Oct is an essential part. The course is open to undergraduates at all levels; freshmen who wish to get their hands (and boots) dirty are encouraged to enroll. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.220 , credit earned or concurrent enrollment Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.222. Mineralogy. 4 Credits. Introduction to the classification, crystallography, and physical properties of minerals. Weekly lab topics include field identification, crystal morphology and symmetry, optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. One field trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of History and Research Archives is planned. Prerequisite(s): Students must have completed Lab Safety training prior to registering for this class. To access the tutorial, login to myLearning and enter 458083 in the Search box to locate the appropriate module. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.224. Oceans & Atmospheres. 3 Credits. A broad survey of the Earth’s oceans and atmospheres, and their role in the environment and climate. Topics covered include waves, tides, ocean and atmosphere circulation, weather systems, tornadoes and hurricanes, El Niño, and climate change. For science and engineering majors Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.302. Aqueous Geochemistry. 3 Credits. Modeling the chemistry of water-rock interactions from weathering and riverine development at Earth’s surface to hot springs at depth, fluids in subduction zones in Earth’s interior, and the ancient fluids preserved in fluid inclusions. Thermodynamic basis for the calculation of equilibria and irreversible chemical mass transfer involving minerals and aqueous species at low and high temperatures and pressures. The course culminates with practical examples of research interest to individual participants. Prerequisite(s): ( AS.030.101 AND AS.030.102 ) AND ( AS.270.220 AND AS.270.221 ) or equivalents. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.303. Earth History. 3 Credits. This course will explore the evolution of life in the context of environmental, ecological, and geological changes to the Earth surface system. The goal of the class is to provide students with an understanding of how geological and paleontological records provide insight into the origin(s) of life, oxygenation of the atmosphere, the evolution of multicellularity, evolutionary radiations and extinctions, and modern global change. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.103 OR AS.270.220 OR AS.270.224 ; or permission of the instructor. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.305. Energy Resources in the Modern World. 3 Credits. This in-depth survey will inform students on the non-renewable and renewable energy resources of the world and the future prospects. Topics include petroleum, natural gas, coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, geothermal, solar, wind, biomass, and ocean energy. Global production, distribution, usage, and impacts of these resources will be discussed. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.306. Urban Ecology. 3 Credits. Urban ecology has been called the ecology in, of, and for cities. In this course, we will explore how ecological concepts are applied to urban ecosystems and the different approaches to urban ecological research. Topics will include: Biodiversity, water dynamics, energy and heat island effects, and nutrient cycling, urban metabolism, design of greenspace, and sustainability of cities. We will use Baltimore as a case study for studying cities. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.202 OR EN.570.201 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) Writing Intensive AS.270.307. Geoscience Modeling. 4 Credits. An introduction to modern ways to interpret observations in the context of a conceptual model. Topics include model building, hypothesis testing, and inverse methods. Practical examples from geophysics, engineering, and medical physics will be featured. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.310. Evolution and Development of the Vertebrates. 3 Credits. Modern vertebrates (animals with backbones) are the products of a more than 500-million-year evolutionary history. This course surveys that history and uses it to explore such core evolutionary concepts as adaptive radiation, convergence, extinction, homology, phylogenetic taxonomy, and tree thinking. Emphasis will be placed on the origins of the modern vertebrate fauna and how fossils are being integrated with developmental biology to better understand major transitions in the vertebrate body plan. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.311. Geobiology. 3 Credits. Geobiology is the study of the interaction between rocks and life. Geobiologists investigate questions ranging from how organisms obtain energy from rocks to how evidence of life is preserved in rocks and informs us about the evolution of life on our planet and beyond. It is a rapidly expanding field because of its relevance to astrobiology, microbiology, paleontology, and reconstructing environmental change during ancient periods climate change with implications for evaluating our future under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. In this course, students will learn about how organisms drive major elemental cycles that impact climate and habitability, how major evolutionary radiations have affected the trajectory of Earth surface environments, and the tools that are used to ask fundamental questions about why life has thrived on this planet and how we might detect if other planets support life. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.103 OR AS.270.220 OR AS.270.224 AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.312. Mammalian Evolution. 3 Credits. An introduction to the evolutionary history and diversity of mammals, with emphasis on the first half of the Cenozoic - the beginning of the Age of Mammals. The course will focus primarily on the adaptive radiation of mammals (including our own order primates) that followed the extinction of the dinosaurs, exploring the origins and relationships of the major groups of mammals as well as the anatomical and ecological reasons for their success. Lectures will be supplemented with relevant fossils and recent specimens. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.316. Agroecology: A Global Perspective. 3 Credits. How can we balance the increasing global food demand with sustainable ecological practices?How are the agricultural, ecological, and socio-economic aspects of food productionintertwined? This course addresses these questions and enables students to critically evaluateexisting agroecosystems around the world, with special attention paid to the challenges of globalenvironmental change. Students will be introduced to the principles of agroecology, and theywill examine interactions between biodiversity, soil, and people through case studies, peerreviewed scientific papers, and a field trip to a local agroecosystem Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.270.317. Conservation Biology. 3 Credits. In this course, students examine the meaning and implications of biodiversity with a focus on disciplines associated with conservation biology, wildlife conservation and wildlife management, including taxonomy, genetics, small population biology, chemical and restoration ecology, and marine biology. This includes exploring how conservation biology differs from other natural sciences in theory and in application. Students learn the major threats to biodiversity and what natural and social science methods and alternatives are used to mitigate, stop, or reverse these threats. The course also includes the economic and cultural tradeoffs associated with each conservation measure at the global, national, regional, and local levels. One required field trip. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2), Ethics and Foundations (FA5) Writing Intensive AS.270.318. Remote Sensing of the Environment. 3 Credits. This course is an introduction to the use of remote sensing technology to study Earth’s physical and biochemical processes. Topics covered include remote sensing of the atmosphere, land and oceans, as well as remote sensing as a tool for policy makers. Also offered as 270.618. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.319. Rocks as Clocks. 3 Credits. Introduction to radioisotope geo/thermochronology and mantle stable and radioisotope geochemistry. Course covers: (1) methods for dating of rocks and geologic processes using long-half-life radioisotope systems, including the various isotope systems available and their applicability; (2) radioisotope techniques for investigation of the geochemical evolution of the crust and mantle; (3) isotope fractionation and utility of traditional and novel stable isotope geochemistry for interrogating high-temperature processes, and (4) thermochronology and methods for interrogating upper-crustal processes. Recommended course background: AS.270.220 and AS.270.221 , or instructor permission. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.323. Ocean Biogeochemical Cycles. 3 Credits. This course will examine the cycling of trace chemicals in the ocean, consider what we can learn from the distributions of these chemicals about the ocean circulation, and ocean ecosystems. Topics covered will include oceanic biological productivity, open water cycling of nutrients and oxygen, ocean acidification and sediment cycling. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2) Writing Intensive AS.270.325. Introductory Oceanography. 3 Credits. This class is an introduction to a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological phenomena in the world’s oceans. Underlying basic principles are exposed wherever possible. Topics covered include: seawater, waves, tides, ocean circulation, chemical oceanography, biogeochemical ocean processes, and remote sensing of the oceans. Recommended Course Background: freshman Physics, Chemistry, Calculus through ordinary differential equations. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2) Writing Intensive AS.270.332. Soil Ecology. 3 Credits. The course introduces basic aspects of cycles and flows in the soil ecosystem, and provides students with an overview of the higher groups of soil organisms. Laboratory and field surveying methods are also covered. Prerequisite(s): Students must have completed Lab Safety training prior to registering for this class. To access the tutorial, login to myLearning and enter ASEN in the Search Box to access the proper course. Click here to access the Laboratory Safety Introductory Course Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.336. Freshwater Systems. 3 Credits. A study of streams, lakes, and groundwater with a focus on aspects of water quality, hydrology, geomorphology, and aquatic ecology that are relevant to human impacts on freshwater systems. US environmental policies and water resource management agencies will also be examined in the context of issues such as dams, cattle grazing, climate change, and water allocation. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.103 OR AS.271.107 or permission of the instructor. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.337. Freshwater Systems Lab. 1 Credit. A hands-on investigation of the water quality, hydrology, geomorphology, and aquatic ecology of streams and other freshwater bodies. Includes field trips to water-related facilities such as drinking water and wastewater treatment plants. Prerequisite(s): Students must have completed Lab Safety training prior to registering for this class. To access the tutorial, login to myLearning and enter 458083 in the Search box to locate the appropriate module. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.338. Field Methods in Ecology. 3 Credits. This course will introduce student to methods used in field-based ecological research addressing population, community and ecosystem-level questions. Outdoor fieldwork is an essential part of the course. Field activities will center around the riparian ecosystem adjacent to the Homewood campus and on the urban ecology of the greater Baltimore region. Students will build skills in data collection, analysis, synthesis, and presentation. Basic statistical instruction in R will be taught to aid data analysis. Prerequisite(s): Click here to access the Laboratory Safety Introductory Course ; AS.270.202 AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.340. Structural Geology Field Methods. 4 Credits. This field-based course will put into practice the methods and concepts learned in the co-requisite course, Structural Geology Seminar. The field course will focus on the use of compass, map and pencil/tablet, and will be geared toward learning traditional methods that require a complete understanding of geometric and cross-cutting/overprinting relationships as they are recorded in outcrop. Field areas will include Hutton's unconformity at Siccar Point, Barrow's isograds in the Scottish Highlands, and coastal exposures surrounding Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire and Portsoy, Banffshire. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.346 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.345. Metamorphic Petrology. 3 Credits. Introduction to metamorphic geology and the concepts on which it is built. Ideas and techniques that underpin metamorphic petrology are introduced. Focus is on utility of metamorphic geology in understanding petrogenesis crustal processes and plate tectonics. Local field trip(s) to explore the metamorphic geology of the Baltimore region. Recommended course background: AS.270.220 and AS.270.221 , or instructor permission Prerequisite(s): AS.270.220 AND AS.270.221 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.346. Structural Geology Seminar. 1 Credit. Seminar class on fundamentals of structural geology. Involves weekly readings/practical exercises on: (1) rock mechanics and deformation processes; (2) commonly-encountered deformation products/structures; (3) deformation style and associated fabrics/textures/structure; (4) metamorphism and deformation; (5) techniques for describing and measuring structures; (6) interpretation of structural data on maps and cross-sections; (7) approaches for inferring large-scale structure from limited data, and (8) methods for visualizing and analyzing structure. Recommended course background: AS.270.220 , or instructor permission. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.220 AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.350. Sedimentary Geology. 4 Credits. Sedimentary rocks are the historical records of the Earth, documenting climate change, mass extinctions, and the evolution of life. This course will provide an introduction to sedimentary processes and sedimentary rocks. Focus is placed on linking physical observations to the ancient environments in which sedimentary rocks once formed. Fundamental tools for interpreting the sedimentary rock record, such as depositional models, geochronology, and chemostratigraphy will be reviewed. Two 1-day weekend field trips will occur over the course of the semester. There will also be weekly 1-hour labs. Lab and field trip times will be determined in the first week of class. Graduate and advanced undergraduate level. Recommended Course Background: AS.270.220 or instructor permission. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.353. Forested Landscapes and Ecology. 3 Credits. Forests are critical global ecosystems that provide not only timber and wood products, but an array of services including habitat for wildlife, water filtration, carbon storage, and recreational opportunities. This integrated seminar-based course features an interdisciplinary approach to understanding forested landscapes that stresses not only inventorying the biotic and abiotic components, but examining how these pieces are distributed in the landscape (patterns) and what forces drive these patterns (processes). Topics focus on the biological, geological, climatological, cultural, and historical underpinnings needed to observe, interpret, and analyze forest communities. It will cover aspects of biogeography, climate forcing of vegetation dynamics, effects of invasive species, land use change and creation of urban forests. This course has an associated 1- credit field trip that counts as a lab requirement for ENVS majors. Corequisite(s): Students must enroll in AS.270.355 [C] Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Citizens and Society (FA4) AS.270.354. Stable Isotope Geochemistry. 3 Credits. Stable isotope measurements are used to probe fundamental questions in the Earth and environmental sciences because they can be used to extract information about chemical, physical, and biological processes associated with the formation of geomaterials. Stable isotope patterns have been used for applications ranging from tracking the rise of oxygen on the early Earth to studying human diet. The majority of the course will focus on light isotope systems (O, C, S, etc.) and low-temperature applications, including: (1) tracing sources and sinks of fluids, sediments, biological materials, and contaminants, (2) studying rates and mechanisms of biochemical reactions, and (3) paleoenvironmental reconstructions. We will also review novel stable isotope applications including heavy isotope systems and mass independent fractionations. At the end of the course, students will be able to make interpretations about how stable isotope patterns inform our knowledge of how geomaterials are formed and provide information about the Earth system. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.220 OR AS.270.224 AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.355. Forested Landscapes and Ecology Lab. 1 Credit. This field oriented lab focuses on hands-on learning experiences in forest ecology. Efforts focus on foundational topics in forest ecology including: physiography and site quality; forest soils and nutrient cycling; ecological succession; forest dynamics; community structure; natural disturbance; and invasive/non-native species. Labs feature visits to local forest sites and one long weekend trip. Corequisite(s): Students must enroll in AS.270.353 [C] AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.359. Critical Minerals: Origin, Distribution, and Impacts on Society and Climate Action. 3 Credits. What makes a resource critical? Where do these critical resources come from? This course will provide an understanding of the origin and distribution of mineral deposits that are essential for climate action, particularly in meeting our rapidly growing clean energy needs—from wind turbines and solar panels to electric vehicles. But are these essential minerals sustainable? How does the extraction of these minerals impact the environment and society? Throughout the course, we will explore how geological processes, driven by plate tectonics, form critical mineral deposits and examine their role in the clean energy transition. Through case studies and debates, we will explore the environmental and societal impacts of mineral extraction. A short field trip around Baltimore, combined with the examination of ore and rock samples in class, will help connect the course material to real-world applications. The course will also cover mineral exploration techniques and resource estimation methods. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.363. How to Live Forever: The Making of the Geologic Record of Life. 3 Credits. Everything we know about the origins and evolution of life comes from the geologic record: bones and shells, stromatolites, ancient DNA, and subtle variations in the chemical and isotopic composition of rocks. But what processes — biological and abiological — determine which living things really do “live forever” as fossil biosignatures, and which are lost to the sands of time? In this course, students will learn how researchers read and interpret the geologic record of life and quantify its limitations, to better understand how life came to be and how it has changed through time. They will learn how organisms’ lifestyles and metabolisms affect the chemical and physical properties of their environment and how the process of fossilization is facilitated by physiology, ecological relationships, and diagenesis. Students will engage with a wide range of content, from interdisciplinary academic research articles to speculative science fiction, and work with geologic samples and chemical and isotopic datasets. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.365. Magmatic and Volcanic Systems on Earth and Other Planets. 3 Credits. This course will present the fundamental concepts of igneous petrology—the study of rocks that solidify from magmas—which is used to understand how crust is generated on Earth and other planetary bodies. From the generation of ocean floor basalts to granites of the upper continental crust, we will look at the Earth’s dynamic structure and the connections between its mantle and surface. Topics such as the effects of volcanic eruptions on climate, or the role of large igneous provinces on biological mass extinctions will be investigated, linking microscopic details of rocks to major events of Earth history. An overview of the main geochemical tools used by the igneous petrologist will enable students to evaluate the geochemical and petrological variety of igneous systems.This course is intended for both undergraduate and graduate students in the EPS department. There are no pre-requisites, but some background in introductory geology (e.g. Dynamic Earth) and mineralogy will be helpful. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.366. Spacecraft Instrumentation Project. 3 Credits. Investigation into the content relevant to an ongoing spacecraft instrumentation project. An interdisciplinary team will enhance the skills and knowledge of science and engineering students. Topics include mission background, planetary science, sensor design, spacecraft systems, and mission planning, and sensor fabrication, calibration, integration, and testing, data analysis and interpretation, scientific/technical writing and publication. Distribution Area: Engineering, Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.368. Geology of Baltimore Area. 2 Credits. This is a weekly reading seminar and fieldwork course focused on the bedrock geology and tectonic history of the Baltimore area. The course is majority fieldwork, with four local, half-day fieldtrips replacing four of the 1h classroom sessions. The course will consider the following four elements of Baltimore’s hard rock geology: (1) the Grenville-age basement gneisses; (2) Baltimore Terrane stratigraphy associated with rifting of Rodinia and subsequent tectonic activation of the passive margin; (3) Baltimore Mafic Complex record of subduction initiation in the ancient Iapetus Ocean; and (4) metamorphism and magmatism during the Appalachian Orogeny. For each of the four geological elements studied we will first read research papers on their age, origin and significance, before taking a fieldtrip to see associated outcrops. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.220 AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.378. Present and Future Climate. 3 Credits. Intended for majors who are interested in the science that underlies the current debate on global warming, the focus is on recent observations one can glean from model simulations. Meets with AS.270.641 . Recommended Course Background: AS.110.108 - AS.110.109 and AS.171.101 - AS.171.102 Prerequisite(s): Student may not receive credit for both AS.270.378 and AS.270.641 . Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.379. Atmospheric Science. 3 Credits. A survey of core topics in atmospheric science, including dynamics, thermodynamics, radiative transfer, and chemistry. The course addresses both basic principles and applications to weather and climate. Recommended pre-requisites: General Calculus and Physics I and/or Oceans and Atmospheres. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.399. Climate and Infectious Disease. 3 Credits. This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of climate and infectious diseases. We will examine how variability in climate factors (such as temperature and rainfall) influences the incidence of climate-sensitive infectious diseases (e.g., malaria, dengue, meningitis, influenza), learning techniques for analyzing climate data and modeling climatic impacts on disease. A major focus of the course is on scientific communication via a course project involving scientific writing and data visualization. This course is primarily targeted towards upper-level undergraduates who are comfortable with their quantitative skills. Prior content knowledge in climate science and public health is not required. Prior coding experience is not required, but would be helpful. AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2) Writing Intensive AS.270.404. Planetary Interiors. 3 Credits. This course investigates the physical processes occurring in planetary interiors. Topics include formation and differentiation of planetary bodies, planetary structure, thermal evolution, convection, and dynamo generation of magnetic fields. Standard remote sensing methods used to investigate planetary interiors and results from recent planetary satellite missions will also be discussed.Recommended: Knowledge of vector calculus, PDEs and introductory physics. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.406. Deciphering the History of Life. 3 Credits. The majority of Life that existed on our planet is extinct, and the small and biased number of lineages that survived into the present cannot tell a complete story of Life’s evolutionary history. To fill these blank pages, we need to explore the fossil record on Earth (and elsewhere in the solar system) for information that can be directly integrated with data for living organisms. However, modern biology is mostly a molecular science – and we know that biomolecules experience drastic chemical alteration during fossilization.This course tackles the ‘Molecular Gap’ between past and present life forms from a practical and research-oriented perspective! We will survey the various chemical approaches that allow to extract biologically meaningful information from modern and fossil samples, and explore their individual strengths and limitations. Then we will move on to cover the nature of different biological signatures encoding diagnostic traits across the tree of Life, and explore the importance of corrections for evolutionary relationships when integrating data. Lastly, we will discuss the potential of multivariate statistics in the systematic extraction of meaningful biosignatures from notoriously noisy modern and fossil biological data. We will use prepared training data sets during guided in-session exercises, and students will go through the complete cross-disciplinary process of developing a biosignature – translational skills, that will enable them to conduct independent research on the topic. Recommended Course Background: Three Upper Level Science Courses. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.410. Planetary Surface Processes. 3 Credits. This course explores processes that influence the evolution of planetary surfaces, including impact cratering, tectonics, volcanism, weathering, and sediment transport. These processes manifest themselves as structural deformation of planetary crusts due to loading by volcanoes, formation of craters by asteroid impacts, modification of surfaces by flowing landslides, rivers and glaciers, and the accumulation and transport of sand in dune fields on various planets. Emphasis is on the relationship to similar Earth processes, and the integrated geologic histories of the terrestrial planets, satellites, and asteroids. The focus will be on developing a physical understanding of these processes to interpret the surface characteristics and evolution of planets, satellites, asteroids, and comets from both qualitative assessments and quantitative measurements obtained from spacecraft data. A key component of the class will be the interpretation of these observations from recent and current planetary missions to the Moon, Mars, and other terrestrial bodies.Recommended Course Background: A sound knowledge of Calculus and Introductory Physics, and some prior knowledge of Earth and/or Planetary Science. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.412. Spring seminar: Geological Field Studies in California. 2 Credits. Field experience is an integral part of a geology student’s education. During this course, students will learn to digitize, synthesize, and interpret the observations they made during the January field-based class to interpret the geologic history and structure of southern California. Study USA: Geological Field Studies in California is a co-requisite for this course.For Spring 2020, the focus of the field work and course will be on applying concepts and techniques covered in Dynamic Earth ( AS.270.220 /1), Sedimentary Geology ( AS.270.350 ), Earth History ( AS.270.303 ), Planets, Life and the Universe (AS.020.334), and Isotope Geochemistry (AS.270.331). Sedimentary rocks are spectacularly exposed in this region and record over a billion years of key events in Earth history. Students will learn how these rocks have shaped our understanding of major evolutionary and environmental shifts in Earth’s past, while also learning how to map these units’ regional geographic distribution. Finally, students will also learn about the different tectonic events that have shaped the landscape that we see today in the western United States. The class is designed for upper level E&PS majors and E&PS graduate students. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.344 AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Science and Data (FA2) Writing Intensive AS.270.415. Seminar in Ecology. 1 Credit. This is a discussion-based course in current research in ecology. Each week a student will lead a discussion of a published paper in the field of ecology. Prerequisite(s): AS.270.202 Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.423. Planetary Atmospheres. 3 Credits. Fundamental concepts and basic principles of chemistry and physics applied to the study of planetary atmospheres. Vertical structure of planetary atmospheres. Atmospheric radiation, thermodynamics, and transport. Principles of photochemistry. Planetary spectroscopy and remote sensing. Upper atmospheres and ionospheres. Evolution and stability of planetary atmospheres. Recommended Course Background: basic physics, chemistry and calculus Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.425. Earth and Planetary Fluids. 3 Credits. An introductory course on the properties, flow, and transport characteristics of fluids throughout the Earth and planets. Topics covered include: constitutive relationships, fluid rheology, hydrostatics, dimensional analysis, low Reynolds number flow, porous media, waves, stratified and rotating fluids, plus heat, mass, and tracer transport. Illustrative examples and problems are drawn from the atmosphere, ocean, crust, mantle, and core of the Earth and other Planets. Open to graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Recommended Course Background: Basic Physics, Calculus, and familiarity with ordinary differential equations. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.431. Tectonics Seminar. 1 Credit. Introduction to plate tectonics and its "framework" role in understanding the Earth. Kay papers will be discussed in a weekly seminar class. Focus will be on early works that helped establish the theory, in addition to recent breakthrough contributions that have led to modifications and improvements to the theory of plate tectonics. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2) AS.270.501. Independent Study. 1 - 3 Credits. Exploration of topic(s) in earth, planetary, and/or environmental science under the direction of an instructor. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.504. Independent Research. 1 - 3 Credits. Research in earth, planetary, and/or environmental science conducted under the direction of a faculty advisor. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. AS Foundational Abilities: Science and Data (FA2), Projects and Methods (FA6) AS.270.510. Senior Honors Thesis. 1 - 3 Credits. Senior thesis research in earth sciences conducted under the direction of a faculty advisor. Prerequisite(s): You must request Customized Academic Learning using the Customized Academic Learning form found in Student Self-Service: Registration > Online Forms. AS Foundational Abilities: Writing and Communication (FA1), Projects and Methods (FA6) Writing Intensive AS.270.603. Geochemistry Seminar. 1 Credit. A variety of topics of current interest involving mineral-fluid interactions will be reviewed. AS.270.605. EPS Colloquium. 2 Credits. A weekly seminar series in which graduate students present their latest research results and attend Departmental seminars. This course is required for all graduate students in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. AS.270.606. EPS Colloquium. 2 Credits. A weekly seminar series in which graduate students present their latest research results and attend Departmental seminars. This course is required for all graduate students in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. AS.270.607. Urban Ecology. 3 Credits. Urban ecology has been called the ecology in, of, and for cities. In this course, we will explore how ecological concepts are applied to urban ecosystems and the different approaches to urban ecological research. Topics will include: Biodiversity, water dynamics, energy and heat island effects, and nutrient cycling, urban metabolism, design of greenspace, and sustainability of cities. We will use Baltimore as a case study for studying cities. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.270.614. Atmosphere and Oceanic Vortices. 2 Credits. Vortices are observed in the Earth's atmosphere and oceans and in the atmospheres of other planets. Examples are polar vortices in Earth, Mars and Titan's atmospheres, Spots on Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, Gulf Stream rings, and eddies throughout the oceans. These vortices are often the most dominant feature of the regional circulation, and understanding their structure and evolution dynamics is necessary to understand the dynamics and transport of atmospheres and oceans. In this course we focus on the structure and dynamics of long-lived vortices, i.e., vortices that exist for longer than typical wave periods. The first section of the course will consist of lectures examining the fundamental dynamics of vortices in rapidly rotating, stratified fluids, while the second section will be seminars discussing more detailed aspects of specific vortices occurring in nature. It is suggested that you have taken 270.425 Earth and Planetary Fluids or another similar introductory fluids class. AS.270.615. Inversion Modeling & Data Assimilation. 3 Credits. This graduate class will introduce modern inverse modeling and data assimilation techniques. These powerful methods are used in atmospheric science, oceanography, and geophysics and are growing more widespread. Topics will include: singular value decomposition, Green’s function inversions, Kalman filtering, and variational data assimilation. The class will include lectures on concepts and theory, and practical experience in the computer laboratory.Permission of Instructor Required AS.270.617. Seminar in Geosciences. 1 Credit. This is a discussion-based course in which students take turns leading the discussion of geoscience science journal articles and other relevant publications. AS.270.618. Remote Sensing of the Environment. 3 Credits. This course is an introduction to the use of remote sensing technology to study Earth’s physical and biochemical processes. Topics covered include remote sensing of the atmosphere, land and oceans, as well as remote sensing as a tool for policy makers. Also offered as 270.318. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.270.626. Ocean General Circulation. 3 Credits. The aim of this course is to achieve conceptual understanding of the large scale low frequency ocean general circulation. The role of the ocean circulation in earth's climate is emphasized throughout. AS.270.628. Seminar in regional field geology. 1 Credit. This course focuses on select regional geology or ecology sites and involves a weekend field trip to explore key locations. Students are required to prepare short presentations on field trip stops in advance of the weekend trip. Attendance at organizational meetings is required. Open to E&PS graduate students and upper level EPS or ENVS undergraduate majors/minors. The focus area will the Inner Piedmont and Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Two meetings to be scheduled prior to trip. AS.270.630. Physics and Chemistry of Aerosols. 3 Credits. This course will cover fundamentals of aerosol physics and chemistry. Topics covered will include aerodynamics and diffusion of aerosol particles, condensation and evaporation, particle size distributions, optics of small particles, characterization of particle composition, and the diversity of aerosols found in planetary atmospheres.Recommended Course Background: Basic Physics and Chemistry. Calculus. AS.270.633. Seminar on the IPCC Sixth Assessment. 1 Credit. This course will discuss the contents of the Working Group I contribution to the sixth assessment report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.270.634. Seminar in Urban Systems Science. 1 Credit. This seminar will provide a review of the current state of urban systems science via weekly seminars and readings by current experts in the increasingly important field of urban environmental and social sciences research. The seminar is a joint offering being coordinated by Johns Hopkins, Penn State, and Morgan State Universities. Given the distance between campuses, the course will be held in hybrid mode. Students enrolled in the course for credit will write three reflections on seminar topics over the course of the semester. AS.270.641. Present and Future Climate. 3 Credits. Meets with AS.270.378 . Prerequisite(s): Student may not receive credit for both AS.270.378 and AS.270.641 . Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.270.644. Physics of Climate Variability. 3 Credits. Earth’s climate varies over a wide range of time scales. Some of these variations, like rainy or dry summers, are a familiar part of daily life. Others, like the ice ages, have profoundly shaped the evolution of culture and ecosystems, but are largely invisible to us today. Climate variability complicates our ability to detect and attribute changes due to anthropogenic impacts. However, building systems that are resilient to variability may also help with mitigating such impacts. This course covers a range of climate variations, focusing on understanding the mechanisms and impacts of particular modes of variability. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences Writing Intensive AS.270.653. Earth and Planetary Fluids II. 3 Credits. A sequel to AS.270.425 concentrating on planetary-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Physical understanding of the underlying fluid dynamics will be emphasized. AS.270.654. Environmental Data Analysis. 3 Credits. Environmental data is often messy-contaminated with noise, fundamental nonlinear, potentially stationary. This course will build on Menke and menke's Environmental Data Analysis with Matlab to examine methods of analyzing environmental data that don't lead us to confuse noise with signal. Topics covered will include significance testing, spectral estimation, nonparametric methods, multivariate data analysis. Applications will be tailored to the student interest. AS.270.655. Baltimore Environmental Data Analysis. 3 Credits. The Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative (BSEC) aims to develop climate action plans for Baltimore that also improve the well-being of those who live in historically underserved neighborhoods. To achieve this goal an extensive and diverse range of environmental measurements are being made in and around Baltimore City. This course will introduce the science within BSEC, the measurements being made to address this science, and approaches used to analyze these data, including time series, spatial, and multivariate analysis. Students will perform data analysis projects using the BSEC and other data for Baltimore. Topics will be tailored to the student interest. No previous connection with BSEC required. AS.270.656. Geochemical modeling of water-rock interactions in the deep Earth. 3 Credits. Thermodynamic basis for the modeling of irreversible chemical mass transfer involving minerals and aqueous species at elevated temperatures and pressures. Reading will start with classic papers by Helgeson and co-workers and proceed to applications in the literature involving hydrothermal ore deposits, subduction zones, and diamond formation in the upper mantle. The course focusses on developing specific projects of research interest to individual participants.Recommended Course Background: AS.030.101 and AS.030.102 or equivalent, AND AS.270.220 AND AS.270.221 or equivalent, AND AS.270.302 or equivalent. AS.270.662. Seminar in Planetary Science. 1 Credit. This is a discussion-based course in which students take turns leading the discussion of planetary science journal articles and other relevant publications. AS.270.667. Seminar in Soil Ecology. 1 Credit. This weekly seminar explores current research focusing on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, soil functions, and the interactions among soils, microbes, plants, and fauna. Emphasis is on human impacted soils, such as urban and agricultural ecosystems. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.270.668. Geobiology Seminar. 2 Credits. Geobiology is the study of interactions between life and rocks. In this class we will explore how organisms impact sedimentary records both directly, by leaving behind biosignatures, or indirectly, by affecting their surroundings in a way that promotes formation of certain types of minerals. This will serve as a guide for interpreting geological records during the early evolution of life on Earth, the rise of animals, and major mass extinctions. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.270.675. Communication for Scientists. 3 Credits. Communication for Scientists” and the description is “This course will cover the various ways in which scientists are expected to communicate throughout the life of a project. Topics will include writing proposals, preparing impactful figures, writing press releases, interacting with the press (press conferences, radio/TV, interviews, etc.), writing for and speaking to the public, social media, and interacting with policy makers." AS.270.679. Atmospheric Science. 3 Credits. A survey of core topics in atmospheric science, including dynamics, thermodynamics, radiative transfer, and chemistry. The course addresses both basic principles and applications to weather and climate. Recommended pre-requisites: General Calculus and Physics I and/or Oceans and Atmospheres. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.270.688. Exoplanets and their Atmospheres. 3 Credits. This course covers the basic theory of planetary atmospheres as applied to extrasolar planets. The fundamental physical processes related to the structure, composition, radiative transfer, chemistry and dynamics of planetary atmospheres are covered, with an emphasis on those related to observable exoplanet properties. We also provide an overview of the observational techniques of exoplanetary atmospheres and discuss the habitability of exoplanets. AS.270.695. Graduate Skills in Earth and Planetary Sciences. 1 Credit. This seminar-style course will enable graduate students in Earth and Planetary Sciences to discuss issues and develop skills relevant to working in earth and planetary science fields. Topics will vary each iteration and may include graduate school expectations, research and communication methods, grant and funding procedures, stress management, organization and management methods, critical conversations, work-life balance, career paths, and JEDI issues and resources in the geosciences. Course open to EPS Graduate Students or by Instructor Permission AS.270.804. Independent Study. 3 - 9 Credits. Exploration of topic(s) in earth, planetary, and/or environmental science under the direction of an instructor. AS.270.807. Research. 1 - 20 Credits. Research in earth, planetary, and/or environmental science conducted under the direction of a faculty advisor. AS.270.808. Research. 1 - 20 Credits. Research in earth, planetary, and/or environmental science conducted under the direction of a faculty advisor.
AS.001 (AS First Year Writing Seminars)
http://e-catalogue.jhu.g.sjuku.top/course-descriptions/as-first-year-seminars/
AS.001.100. FYS: What is the Common Good?. 3 Credits. What is “the common good”? How do individuals consider this idea, this question, and how are societies led, or misled, by its pursuit? Together, we will explore sources from a range of perspectives: What does Aristotle’s theory of the common good teach us? Or the Federalist Papers, the design of Baltimore’s public transportation system, meritocracy in higher education, the perniciousness of pandemics, proliferation of nuclear weapons, restorative justice, or intimate love? Drawing from film, journal articles, literature, and other sources—authors/creators include Rachel Carson, James Baldwin, Bong Joon-ho, Jhumpa Lahiri, Michael Sandel, and more—this First-Year Seminar is as much about how we ask and interrogate challenging, timeless questions as it is about the answers themselves. Engaging our material and each other, we will work together to hone the habits of scholarly inquiry essential to this practice: reading, writing, talking. The seminar will culminate in a final, collaborative research project that seeks to map, and manifest, versions of the common good. AS.001.101. FYS: The Hospital. 3 Credits. Hospitals: Virtually all of us were born in one, most of us will eventually die in one, and in between all of us will spend at least some time in one. Lots of you likely aspire to spend your careers in one. Along the way we, or some third-party payer, will spend a considerable amount of our health care benefits there. Our focus will be on the history of the hospital from its origins in early modern Europe and the Islamic world, through the early modern period, to the rise of the modern urban mega hospital. The Johns Hopkins Hospital has been ranked as one of the nation’s best by US News and World Report since its annual survey began, and spent nineteen straight years at number one. So we will devote some time to its history, and the history of its affiliated programs—The School of Medicine, The Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the School of Nursing. For your major project, you will serve as advisors to the university’s Planning and Architecture committee. Drawing on your extensive knowledge of the history hospitals and medicine, you will re-envision the medical campus of the 21st century AS.001.102. FYS: Japanese Robots. 3 Credits. Japan is a world leader in biomimetic robotics. Japanese society enthusiastically embraces robotic nurses, robotic guides, robotic waiters, robotic pets, and even robotic girlfriends. What are the origins of the Japanese love of robots? What role did robotics engineers play in creating the image of loveable robots? What societal fears do Japanese robots assuage and what hopes do they foster? In the course of the semester, students will learn about the evolution of Japanese robotics, and explore the implications of this evolution to humans’ relationship with robots. While learning about Japanese robots, students will acquire skills necessary for college-level education, including how to write an email to a professor, how to organize and manage digital tools, how to navigate the information resources, and how to develop, complete, and present research projects. This course will equip students with skills essential to their success in college and beyond. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.103. FYS: When Worlds Collide - Science Goes Global. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar, we will explore instances of contact between different world cultures and pre-modern and modern science (16th-20th c.). The premise of the course is the understanding that in addition to the cultural, religious and political negotiations that took place during cross-cultural encounters, science also underwent a similar process. We understand science expansively, as the study of nature and the production of knowledge about it embedded in a particular cultural context. The historical episodes we will discuss are selections of instances where agents of the West—missionaries, explorers, businessmen, colonists, scientists—established prolonged contact with non-western cultures and engaged in conversations about their worldviews. Some cases considered include Jesuits in the Chinese imperial court, Spanish missionaries among the Maya, and English explorers in the Pacific islands. Distribution Area: Humanities, Natural Sciences AS.001.104. FYS: The Science of Color. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar is designed to introduce students to the fundamental physical and chemical origins of color and how we perceive them - from the vivid palette provided by the natural world to the brightly colored clothing we wear. Beginning with the basic principles of light and color, we will embark on an interdisciplinary investigation of color, including, but not limited to: color chemistry; color in biology; the physiology of the eye; how color affects human psychology; the history of color and light; and the use of color in art. Discover the physical and chemical explanations behind several noteworthy phenomena such as sunsets, color-blindness, rainbows, fireworks, chameleons and the Aurora Borealis. AS.001.105. FYS: The Science Behind the Fiction. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar, we will seek to answer questions including: could you forge Beskar? What would it take to make a light saber? Is "Image, enhance" really possible? What is possible today? What might be possible in the future? And, what may never be possible, as it violates the laws of nature as we know them? We will take an empiricist approach, gathering data on the needed properties via screenings and related research, and then applying physical principles to reveal feasibility. AS.001.106. FYS: Legal Fictions - Law and Humanities. 3 Credits. A legal fiction is a fact assumed or created by courts to help reach a decision. In this First-Year Seminar, we study how legal fictions and fictions about law work in order to examine the possibilities and limits of fiction’s (legal) power. Drawing from legal and literary thought, as well as plays, short stories, cases, and legal commentary, we critically explore the capacity of words to reveal (or conjure) some fundamental features of our shared worlds and discuss their impact in contemporary debates about justice. The course is designed with first-year students in mind and requires no prior knowledge of law. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.108. FYS: Heart Matters. 3 Credits. To the human imagination, the heart is more than a muscle and thumping pump keeping us alive. From the Renaissance to the present, writers have helped us make sense of our bodies, in health and in illness or pain. The history of the heart, meanwhile, starts in Antiquity, where it shapes our beliefs about life. One of our aims will be to trace the historical, cultural, and subjective meanings our minds have given to this “sublime engine.” The other will be to discover how our scientifically inquisitive minds, backed up with technical skills and technological devices such as the stethoscope, have found new ways to take care of this volatile organ. Our materials will involve a constellation of texts in medical history, modern fiction in the form of poems and short-stories, and recent scientific prose on such topics as heart transplants, heart-monitoring implants, xenotransplants as well as heartbreaks. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.109. FYS: Why'd Your Brain Sign You up for This?. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar will explore the neuroscience of choice. In addition to exploring the neurobiology of choice, we will dabble with philosophical ideas of free will and determinism. We will also touch on questions related to culpability. For example, are people who break the law but suffer from brain damage responsible for their actions? Sound interesting? Well, why stop there? Let’s sit back, eat some popcorn and take a look at how popular culture depicts the neuroscience of choice in the movies. Yes, with your help, we can do it all – but will you choose to??? AS.001.110. FYS: How We Read. 3 Credits. How does reading work as a cognitive process? How do acts of reading differ across cultures, technologies, and time? Why are reading practices and proficiencies a cultural obsession? How are we conditioned to read "a life" in auto/biographical accounts? This First-Year Seminar considers these questions through texts, museum visits, and hands-on engagement with book cultures. AS.001.111. FYS: What's Music Do?. 3 Credits. Why do we listen to music? What use is it? Can it help us learn more, run faster, feel happier? Can it improve our lives? Can it cure disease? WMD is for musician and non-musician alike. It is designed for students with all sorts of musical tastes and academic interests. It also challenges the usual “top down” approach of most courses, where the professor decides most of what will be studied before the class begins and delivers most of the class content. By contrast, in this course students are invited to relate their majors or other interests to the power of music and then share these ideas with the rest of the class. For example, neuroscience majors might study how music benefits memory in Alzheimer’s patients. Or political science majors, the power of music in diplomatic missions. Students research topics like these and then assign related texts as homework to the rest of the class, including the professor. They’re given broad freedom of choice for these texts both in content and form. The goal is not to create a “great books” class so much as a “great questions” class, since great questions can be inspired by terrible or trivial sources, just as awful or insignificant situations can spark epiphany. But whatever the text, I, as the professor, must be willing not to profess. In fact, in this classroom I’m no longer a professor but a professional student, sharing with my fellow students an interest in music and its many possibilities. And yet, even more important than pursuing these shared interests, this course ultimately aims to help students create community by practicing better communication. Even if you forget everything you learned in this class, I hope you will remember your classmates. AS.001.112. FYS: Story, Song, Food, And Film - A Thousand Years Of Jewish Culture. 3 Credits. Most Jews in America today are descendants of Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe. This First-Year Seminar will introduce students to the thousand-year history and culture of Ashkenazi Jews through their vernacular, Yiddish. How did Ashkenazi Jews maintain a distinct identity, even while borrowing cultural forms from their non-Jewish neighbors? How did Jews in the modern period challenge tradition and create new forms of Jewish identity? How did Eastern European immigrants adapt to life in America? In addition to studying a wide range of texts—including fiction, poetry, memoir, song, and film—students will learn how to read the Yiddish alphabet, and will explore food culture by preparing Ashkenazi Jewish dishes. No prior knowledge of Yiddish is necessary for this course. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.113. FYS: The Poetry of Music - Lyrics and the Art of Songwriting. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar we will examine the poetic artistry of American song, from Tin-Pan Alley and Broadway tunes to Folk songs, Billboard’s Top 40, and Hip Hop. Our focus will be on the linguistic art of song – the meaning(s), rhythm, timbre, and pitch found in words alone. Taught in a workshop format, the course will encourage students to read lyrics as poetry and then write their own. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.114. FYS: The Politics of Reproduction. 3 Credits. The idea that the “personal” is “political” finds no greater example than in the politics of reproduction. From inheritance laws, the rights of the offspring of enslaved peoples, or policies to reduce (or increase) fertility, the modern nation state has had a great deal to say about the use and produce of human bodies. In this First-Year Seminar, we will examine how formal and informal institutions have governed reproductive practices over the past 200 years. We will look at how family structures and economic development map onto fertility, and at how technological innovations in fertility control (including birth control and IVF) have influenced women's economic and political participation. We will also consider whether reproductive policies have differential impacts for LGBTQ households. Finally, we examine the “dark side” of reproductive policies -- not only sterilization campaigns but also the treatment of sex workers and sex-selective abortion -- to understand how state policies have divided households based on race, class, and occupation. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.115. FYS: Illusions, Delusions, and Other Confusions. 3 Credits. Most people think the strongest kind of evidence in a criminal case is a confident eyewitness. Most students think re-reading textbook materials or class notes is the best way to prepare for an exam. And all too many people think that measles vaccines cause autism. All three of these ideas are wrong. In this First-Year Seminar, we will explore what modern psychology has uncovered about how our intuitions concerning human nature deceive us, and lead to incorrect ideas such as the ones just mentioned. We will discuss a wide variety of topics including “the attention economy,” groupthink, and subliminal perception. AS.001.116. FYS: Literature of the Everyday: The Nineteenth-Century Realist Novel. 3 Credits. The ordinary, the common, the everyday: why does literary realism consider the experiences of the average individual to be worthy of serious contemplation? In this First-Year Seminar, we will read closely a set of novels by Flaubert, Mann, Dickens, Zola, and Tolstoy from the period in which the development of realism reaches its climax. These novels transform the conventions for the representation of lives of lower and middle class subjects, revealing such lives as capable of prompting reflection upon deep and serious questions of human existence. Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken AS.300.429 are not able to take AS.001.116 . Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.117. FYS: Composer Biographies in Film. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar focuses on the lives of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin and the depictions of their lives in film during the 20th century. The seminar provides both an introduction to film analysis and music history biography. In the last module, we will examine the canon of Western art music composers and consider historiographical issues along lines of gender, race, and other American demographics within this inherited tradition--all toward a collaborative final project. Excursions to concerts and other events will be offered. AS.001.118. FYS: Imagined Worlds - Science, Technology and Society. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminars asks how social and technological change are related by reading speculative fiction together with secondary sources from the humanities and social sciences. The imagined worlds we will examine feature technologies that intervene in biological reproduction, and technologies that affect the division of labor by which society reproduces itself, allowing us to probe the relationship between technology, gender, and work. By analyzing imagined worlds conjured by speculative thinkers, we will ask how fictional works mediate between imagination and reality. Students will also experiment with speculative methods—including games, creative writing exercises, and critical design—to probe the social and ethical dimensions of emerging technologies. Potential texts include short fiction by Octavia Butler, T. C. Boyle, Isaac Asimov, Alice Sheldon, and N.K. Jemisin, as well as Boots Riley’s 2018 film Sorry to Bother You. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.119. FYS: The Nature of Nature. 3 Credits. How well do we understand the natural world? Are there common principles that can explain everything about it? What remains to be understood? Do we understand our past well enough to predict our future? Can I really take this seminar even if I don’t have a background in science or math? Yes you can! In this seminar we are going to emulate the Greeks, who without the benefit of the technological and mathematical armamentarium available today, driven simply by curiosity and their imagination, identified some of the fundamental questions that still puzzle us today. In the process they laid the foundation for modern science. Many of their insights have stood the test of time. We will examine the nature of nature by asking deep questions about the world around us and by examining phenomena we experience in our daily lives. We’ll try to identify continuity and connectivity between aspects of nature that are usually treated separately. Perhaps you’ll discover that science and religion, and scientific and humanistic inquiry, are more similar than you might think. Our seminar is organized around weekly conversations informed by all manner of sources: popular science writing, newspaper articles, fiction, poetry, and film. We will even do simple experiments in my lab (no lab or science experience necessary) to illustrate the logic of life. AS.001.120. FYS: U.S. History of the Present. 3 Credits. Which ideas, movements, problems, and conflicts define the contemporary United States—and where did they come from? In this First-Year Seminar, we’ll study the history of this country since the turn of the 21st century to try to answer those questions. Using a range of texts and visual media, we’ll investigate the history behind concepts like "the War on Terror," “the free market,” “identity politics,” “culture wars,” and "populism," and discuss the causes and consequences of the debates they provoked in this period. We’ll also assess what’s appealing and challenging about studying the very recent past and using it to interpret our present. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.121. FYS: Socrates and his Intellectual Context. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar will focus on the figure of Socrates. Socrates wrote nothing, so we depend on others for our knowledge of him. We will examine the ways he is portrayed by several different authors, including Plato. We will also examine some other ideas around in his time - some of which were pretty radical - and consider how he may have reacted to them. Finally, we will examine his influence on later thought. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.122. FYS: Global Cinema in the 21st Century. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar introduces students to the intellectual life of the university by considering some of the riches of contemporary global cinema. After a brief introduction each week, you will watch the assigned film and read some texts to deepen your sense of how to analyze it and think about broader matters the director has taken on. During in-class discussion, we will consider what makes a particular film noteworthy, what the director seems to think about his/her national context, and how local issues intersect with broader questions about the human condition. How does the past shape us? What is justice? What is political action? Who are we responsible to? We will also consider aesthetics. What is a good director? How do we know we are watching good acting (especially when reading subtitles?) What impact do cinematography and editing have on our perception of a film? How do film makers speak to and quote one another? Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.123. FYS: Wired to Read: the Science and the Art. 3 Credits. Trying to make sense of words I have written. But how do we do we do it? How do mere shapes and lines on the page suddenly begin to mean something? Is our brain wired for reading? Apart from our eyes, are other parts of the body involved? When did humans start to write and read? These are the kinds of questions we’ll pursue. This First-Year Seminar will explore two distinctive perspectives: one literary, the other is scientific. We'll divide our attention between the study of chapters and articles that present scientific findings about how we read and a practical exploration of a novel. Literary works tax our brains in multiple ways and our example will show why and how. Maylis de Kerangal's medical fiction The Heart will serve as our case study. The book and scenes from its adaptation for the screen will enable us to experience the power of fiction as it transports us into an enhanced reality made of images and words. We'll see how written words are able to redirect our attention in ways that make us more perceptive about a "real" world of human interactions. Slowed down and staged in the book, the life-stories, fateful accidents, and heroic gestures that make up a medical universe can paradoxically bring us closer the life and death decisions that begin in the ER. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.124. FYS: Monuments and Memorials: Shaping Historical Memory. 3 Credits. Monuments and memorials traditionally serve as placeholders of memory, inviting viewers to remember and reflect. They aim to speak both to their own moment and to posterity, keeping the past present for the future. Yet what they say—and don’t say—is highly contested. Recent controversies in Baltimore, across the US, and throughout the world have dramatized their problematic power and volatility and demand our thoughtful attention. Drawing on examples from antiquity to the present, this interdisciplinary First-Year Seminar explores monuments and memorials as political, cultural, social, and aesthetic expressions, and examines the ways they operate within and beyond the historical moment in which they were created. Current debates will be considered along with the ancient Roman practice of damnatio memoriae; iconoclasm; and alternative or counter-monuments that intentionally subvert the traditional commemorative lexicon. Particular attention will be given to monuments in Baltimore, with on-site classes whenever possible. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.125. FYS: Matchmaker, Matchmaker! Love, Marriage, and Modern Jewish Identity. 3 Credits. Should children accept the match their parents make for them, or at least choose a partner their parents approve of? Is marriage a pillar of traditional society, or a passport to new ways of thinking and being? How do questions of love and marriage help us to understand changes in Jewish life and identity in the modern period? In this First-Year Seminar, we will examine these questions in a broad range of stories, plays, and films spanning Europe and America, including the American movie Fiddler on the Roof and the stories on which it is based by Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.127. FYS: Public Opinion and Democracy. 3 Credits. How does public opinion shape electoral behavior and the contours of democracy in the United States, and how have these relationships changed as techniques for measuring public opinion have evolved since the early twentieth century? To consider this question, the course introduces alternative perspectives on the features of a healthy democracy, including both historical perspectives and current arguments. Interweaved with this material, the course examines how public opinion is measured and interpreted by private pollsters, survey researchers, and data journalists. Emphasis is placed on the alternative claims that opposing analysts adopt, as well as how the technologies of data collection and analysis shape the permissibility of conclusions. Students will learn to interpret public opinion patterns, which requires a brief presentation of basic concepts from survey sampling, including what to make of the polling industry’s most boring concept: margin of error. Distribution Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.128. FYS: Deep Listening and Multimedia Sound Art. 3 Credits. Sound plays a rich and complex role in our everyday lives and in our various forms of media art. In the past thirty years, sound studies has become a new addition to the study of the human senses, as well as the relationship of these senses to history, aesthetics, epistemology, culture, and art. How do we listen to the world around us? To different media? In this First-Year Seminar, we explore listening to the lived environment, to music, and to multimedia sound art ranging from performance art to cinema. The nexus of questions surrounding listening opens us up to a host of new texts and approaches: those of acoustic ecology, or how we experience sound via the lived and natural environment; those of the relationship between the senses and our emotions; those of the nature of musical listening; and those of the art world as it engages with sound. This seminar is a mixture of sound theory and practice. We will read, debate, and bring in examples. Students will create their own projects, both written and sonic. No prior experience in sound theory or sound practice are required. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.129. FYS: Environmental Poisons. 3 Credits. An exploration of the occurrence and potential effects of poisons in the environment, from naturally occurring ones such as arsenic to those that may be introduced by mankind such as nuclear waste. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.001.130. FYS: Evolutionary Psychology. 3 Credits. In this unique, 1-credit First-Year Seminar, we discuss evolutionary psychology—the idea that the mind can be understood as an adaptation to our ancestral environment by means of natural selection. Topics range from nature vs. nurture and freewill vs. determinism to the exploration of how evolutionary principles speak to broad social issues such sexuality, gender, social class, and violence. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.131. FYS: Techno - Anthropology. 3 Credits. This course offers an introduction to anthropological perspectives on technology. We begin the human body as our most basic technology, and survey various tradecraft (fire and animal domestication, time-keeping, inscription, sailing) that have adapted us to diverse environments. We then examine the consequences of industrial technology, with its emphasis on automation, standardization and scaling. Finally, we turn to the rise of information technology such as social media, and the ways it has transformed senses of communication and place. Throughout we attend to the complex interplay of technological power and social organization. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences Writing Intensive AS.001.132. FYS: Exploring Economic Inequality. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar, we examine inequalities in income, wealth, and working conditions in the United States today. What do the historical trends look like and how do economists explain them? Is economic inequality a significant problem? If so, why? And what tools do we have in the policy arsenal to address it? We will draw on diverse sources, including economics readings, op-eds, podcasts, and short vignettes from literature to motivate our weekly discussions. Students will have the opportunity to present group research and lead class discussions drawing on the economic concepts developed in class. At the end of the semester, students will complete an individual research project exploring some aspect of current inequality, inspired by their own selection from literature, poetry, music, or film. AS.001.133. FYS: Hot Topics in Education. 3 Credits. As a public good, public schooling is often the focus of attempts at purposeful change. Politicians, for example, make policies for fixing schools (public) that never would be entertained for fixing families (private). Parents also make demands of schools, as do a host of other interested parties. Together these stakeholders make up part of the external environment to which schools adapt. But the institutional agents of schooling have interests too—e.g., teachers’ unions, associations of school administrators, the faculty of schools of education—and they too often try to shape the direction of school reform. This First-Year Seminar examines timely, often controversial, issues of education policy and practice through a sociological lens. We will address these topics with discussions of a documentary film on the history of American public schools, readings in contemporary social science, and our own research into specific policy debates. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.134. FYS: Great Books at Hopkins - a closer reading. 3 Credits. Modeled after Johns Hopkin’s longstanding Great Books course, this Freshman seminar offers a more focused selection of texts to allow in-depth reading and discussion, with greater attention to historical context. Texts will include: The Odyssey, Paradise Lost, Frankenstein, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by himself, with excerpts from additional slave narratives. In-class lectures and discussions will be supplemented by occasional guest lectures and exhibits from the archives of Eisenhower Libraries. Prior attendance in Great Books at Hopkins is not required; upper class students who have previously taken Great Books may be admitted with permission of instructor. Distribution Area: Humanities Writing Intensive AS.001.135. FYS: Free Speech and Its Limits. 3 Credits. Freedom of speech, and the related freedom of the press, are core values for democracies -- and for universities, in which the freedom to challenge accepted beliefs is assumed to be essential to advancing knowledge. The 1st Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and of the press, as do the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the European Convention on Human Rights among other statements. But like other rights, my right to freedom of speech may conflict with yours, or it may infringe on other important rights or societal objectives. As a result, freedom of speech cannot be (and in practice is not) unlimited. In this seminar, we will be asking why freedom of speech has been accorded such importance, and how and why it might legitimately be limited, in politics, in business, in everyday life, and in universities, looking both at the United States and at other liberal democracies. Reading will include opinions (both majority and dissenting) of courts in the United States, Canada, and Europe, with discussion informed by Justice Robert Jackson’s quip about the US Supreme Court (but equally applicable to other top-level courts): “We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final.” AS.001.136. FYS: Cults, Communes, and Conspiracies. 3 Credits. Cults, communes, and conspiracies are unusual social and ideological organizations. How should we understand their origins, structure, and functioning? In our First-Year Seminar, we will assess the value of alternative explanatory concepts from the social sciences, such as charismatic leadership, organizational ecology, network structure, status competition, social influence, and belief propagation. We will then interpret cases in comparative perspective, asking, for example, how cults differ from religious sects, how communes differ from political movements, and how organized crime groups differ from legal businesses. AS.001.137. FYS: The Power of Speech: Law, Politics, and the Humanities. 3 Credits. "What don’t we do with words? Even silence makes manifest the power of speech. This course will introduce you to some of the ways that power has been described and thought about. In addition to studying arguments that connect the power of speech to what it means to be human, we will explore various attempts both to protect and limit speech, taking into consideration not only how we do things with words but how words affect us. Topics that will be covered include freedom of speech, censorship, hate speech, talking back, silence, and storytelling. We will read texts in philosophy, political science, law, and literature, and we will watch at least one film or play.While we discuss the power of speech, we will also reflect on the ways in which discussion fosters a community. In other words, the experience of our discussion is a topic for our conversation. First-year seminars are designed to encourage “meaningful civil exchange among students across disciplinary interests and backgrounds” as well as to “foster early, sustained faculty-student interaction and mentorship.” We will talk about how such seminars are supposed to work and how they may (or may not) realize their goals. Reading, analyzing, and discussing the texts assigned in this course will help us develop foundational critical thinking skills; how might these activities also establish a sense of (group) identity? AS.001.138. FYS: Soccer in Brazil: Opium of the Masses. 3 Credits. Did you know that we can explain various aspects of Brazil and Brazilian society such as race, politics and national identity through studying its national sport? Futebol offers a unique perspective on politics, race and citizenship in Brazil. This First-Year Seminar seeks to understand Brazilian culture through the historic national pastime of futebol. In addition to the main textbooks chosen for the seminar, by reading a variety of texts from newspapers, academic journals, fiction and film, students will be able to find their own approach to understanding the phenomenon of futebol within the social and political traditions of Brazil. Prerequisite(s): Students who have already taken AS.211.294 are not eligible to take AS.001.138 . Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.139. FYS: Medicine and Cinema. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar explores the intersection between medicine and film, looking at how medicine, medical providers, and narratives of illness and health are depicted in cinematic works. Some of the questions that the seminar pursues are: What are some of the medical issues that filmmakers focus on? How did the cinematic portrayal of medicine change over time? What role do these films play in shaping public perceptions of medicine, medical providers, and medical institutions? By watching a number of films throughout the semester and reading some accompanying texts, students will develop deeper knowledge both of the history of medicine in cinema and the tools that cinema offers to the telling medical stories. AS.001.140. FYS: What Everyone Should Know about How Science Works. 3 Credits. Science and scientists often bear the brunt of public displeasure over current events. Recent debates over CoVID (the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, masks, and isolation), climate change, and many other controversies raise questions about the reliability of scientific results and what it means to conduct research. What is and what is not scientific? How can non-scientists determine whether a scientific result is "right?" In this First-Year Seminar, we will explore what scientists do -- the practices of science -- and how they set standards of knowledge. Discussions will be organized around current pressing topics, including: What does it mean to "follow the science" or "do your own research" in the age of COVID? Will science save us from the ravages of climate change? Who or what has ultimate authority over the direction of scientific advances? When are new scientific announcements important new results and when are they just click bait hype? Who pays for science and should we care? What is meant by replication and is it bad if it doesn't happen? How does scientific publication work and what issues have arisen? Why do scientists often get bad press, and is it fair? Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.001.141. FYS: The Art of Mathematics. 3 Credits. Mathematics is so much more that simply the language of science, or a set of techniques for solving quantitative-based problems. In fact, it is not a science at all, but an art, a construct of the imagination that not only provides structure to the reality of the world, but also gives form to anything and everything we can possibly imagine. Many of its fundamental principles and methods of employment are shared by artists of all types, from musicians to painters, sculptors, and poets. In this First-Year Seminar, we will explore these principles and methods shared by mathematicians and artists, like the notions of abstraction, metaphor, and pattern, the aesthetic quality both mathematicians and artists give to their work, the geometry of representation and visualization, the imagination as a tool of discovery and structure, and the use of mathematics in art, as well as the use of art in mathematics. Along the way, we will talk to artists and mathematicians, and hopefully visit the studios and galleries of each. Distribution Area: Quantitative and Mathematical Sciences AS.001.142. FYS: The Physics of Democracy. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar considers what we can learn about democratic societies by thinking of them as complex physical systems. We will discuss voting and social choice theories and their relationship to renormalization and emergence; organization and segregation in complex systems: power laws, inequality, and polarization; and the dynamics of information and opinions: networks, bubbles, filters, and phase transitions. Distribution Area: Humanities, Natural Sciences AS.001.143. FYS: Poets, Physicists, Philosophers, and the Ultimate Nature of Reality. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar we will explore the long and mostly untold story behind the most revolutionary discoveries of modern physics—quantum mechanics and relativity—a story written, astonishingly, in the languages of poetry, fiction, and philosophy. Shuttling between twentieth-century Germany and Argentina by way of eighteenth-century Prussia, with stopovers in Plato’s Greece and Dante’s Italy, we will pursue the age-old riddle of how the human mind interacts with the physical world; tangle with theologians as they ponder the nature of free will; interrogate cosmologists as they attempt to grasp the shape the universe; and, finally, explores the implications of these profound problems for our understanding of reality today. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.144. FYS: Literary Multilingualism. 3 Credits. What does it mean to live and to write in more than one language? This is a particularly charged question in today’s globalized world. In this First-Year Seminar, we will explore texts and films produced by multilingual writers and directors, who reflect on the experiences of the multilingual subject; their concerns range from the turmoil of living between identities and cultures, to the playful experience of daily life and existence opened up through thinking and working in multiple languages. Main questions will include: In what ways do languages influence how writers write? How does the presence of multiple languages in a text structure a reading experience and for whom? How do texts by multilingual writers destabilize conceptions of national literature? While some texts we will read were originally composed in English, the majority were written by multilingual writers in other languages. Finally, therefore, we will address what it means to read translated into English texts that were, in some sense, already produced “in translation.” Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.145. FYS: The Haitian Revolution. 3 Credits. Long overshadowed by the American and French Revolutions, the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) is now widely recognized as one of the most important events in modern history. The most radical of the Atlantic Revolutions, it began with a massive uprising of the enslaved against the institution of slavery and culminated in the independence of the nation of Haiti. This First-Year Seminar will examine the origins, course, and legacy of the Revolution, addressing such issues as colonialism, racism, slavery, emancipation, human rights, and national sovereignty – issues that continue to shape the contemporary world. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.146. FYS: Nature, Nurture, Cognition. 3 Credits. Using both seminal and contemporary readings as a foundation, we will explore the foundations of cognition and how they support human cognitive development, focusing on how ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ collaborate to shape development of the human mind. This semester, we will read at least three, and possibly four books, along with supplementary readings, as appropriate. Our focus will be on understanding the roles of nature and nurture in the context of typical and atypical development, including an understanding of how knowledge about objects, language, number, and other minds all emerge during human development, from infancy to adulthood, in typically and atypically developing individuals. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.147. FYS: Reading Ancient Middle Eastern Literature. 3 Credits. The Middle East is home to some of the world’s earliest and most important literature. In this First-Year Seminar, students will read in translation a selection of texts from different traditions that flourished in the pre-Islamic Middle East. Sample readings include the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Descent of Ishtar to the Netherworld, and the battle between David and Goliath from the Hebrew Bible. As we read, we will consider why ancient Middle Eastern literature may be more relevant to our own present moment than ever before. AS.001.148. FYS: Dining and drinking in the ancient Mediterranean world. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar focuses on the cultures of dining and drinking in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, with excursions into the foodways of other ancient societies abutting the Mediterranean basin. We will investigate the social practices and values that are associated with conviviality in these societies, and how such practices and values change over time. We will consider the kinds of communities that these practices construct, and how and to what extent different kinds of people are included, excluded, or placed in a social hierarchy by their participation in these practices. Special attention will be given to feasting as represented in the Homeric poems, especially the Odyssey; to the Archaic and Classical Greek symposion; and to the Roman convivium and other dining forms extending to late Antiquity. Fueling our investigation and underpinning our discussions will be a wide variety of ancient Greek and Roman texts (to be read in English translation); images and representations of ancient dining in diverse visual media, including Greek vase painting, Roman wall painting, and mosaics; and archaeological evidence for the spaces, settings, and implements of ancient dining and drinking. Throughout, we will engage with key scholarship on aspects of this topic. The seminar includes visits to the Walters Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum, all of which house objects that illuminate our inquiry. It may also involve screenings of films or clips featuring modern imaginative reconstructions of ancient dining events. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.149. FYS: What Is Poverty? A View from Economics and the Social Sciences. 3 Credits. Social science is the scholarly study of society and social behavior. This First-Year Seminar will introduce students to the social sciences by studying poverty in America through the lens of economics and other social sciences, including sociology and anthropology. The quantitative approach taken by economics will be compared and contrasted with qualitative approaches. Illustrations of how the lives of the poor are led as depicted in ethnographic studies, movies, and literature will be studied to learn how integrated perspectives can be formed. Students will learn how to read scholarly articles with a critical eye, to speak about their interpretations of the material, and to write short critical essays. Students will also be introduced to quantitative analysis using graphs and tables. Group projects will be required. Guest lecturers bringing non-economics perspectives will visit the class. AS.001.150. FYS: Master of the Senate. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar offers an opportunity to think through the nature of political power, political institutions, and political ambition. We make our way through a single book: Robert Caro, Master of the Senate, an account of Lyndon Baines Johnson’s dozen years in the US Senate, from 1949 to 1961. Through lively discussion centered around this completely riveting text, the class will explore central questions in politics (democratic and non-democratic) that reverberate far beyond the bygone world of the midcentury Senate. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.151. FYS: Citizenship and Society in the United States. 3 Credits. Popular sovereignty — the idea that the people rule themselves — has been heralded as one of the preeminent innovations of the modern world. And over the course of the last two hundred or so years, a rising tide of nations committed themselves to the principles of popular sovereignty. Yet in recent years, the inevitability, soundness, and very viability of "rule by the people" has come into question. On the one hand, popular uprisings around the globe have rejected the decisions and practices of governing elites on the grounds that they are out of touch with the people’s needs. On the other hand, these uprisings have resurrected and strengthened authoritarian practices and have facilitated the erosion of liberal rights long considered instrumental to preserving democracy. The result — turmoil, unrest, and uncertainty about what the future holds — is evident from Venezuela to England, Turkey to the United States. Can popular sovereignty survive? In what form will the people rule, and at what cost?This First-Year Seminar is an investigation into the idea and practice of popular sovereignty in the contemporary United States. We will explore this topic by actively consulting theory and empirical research in the social sciences. We will supplement this with our own research on the 2022 election, media coverage of issues, popular attitudes about democracy, and popular representation in government and by interest/advocacy groups.Additionally, this class is organized as a collaboration between two first-year seminars: one at Johns Hopkins, the other at Williams College. Over the course of the semester, the two seminars will meet frequently via videoconference to share research and discuss readings and ideas. This is intended to broaden the perspectives brought to bear on our investigation generally and, specifically, to allow each group to share real time research on the politics of the region in which their respective institutions are located. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.152. FYS: When Chemistry Changed History. 3 Credits. The past is littered with discoveries that have altered the course of civilization. In this First-Year Seminar, we will take a deep dive into chemical discoveries that changed history, discussing how they work as well as their impact on society. Topics will range from dirt warfare, to the link between gun powder and workers’ rights, to how cats biochemically domesticated humans. AS.001.154. FYS: Phage Hunters - Discovering novel bacteriophages. 3 Credits. We often think of bacteria in the context of dangerous or annoying infections. However, bacteria themselves can be infected by even smaller and more abundant entities: viruses called bacteriophages. This First-Year Seminar will combine readings and discussion of the fundamental biology of phages and their role in controlling populations of bacteria, with lab work to discover new phages from the Johns Hopkins campus. Phages identified in this class will be added to the Science Education Alliance’s archive which is comprised of phages from over 100 academic institutions worldwide and is a resource for phage biologists and physicians directly involved in developing phages as a treatment for disease. AS.001.155. FYS: Is a Corporation a Person?. 3 Credits. Corporations are all around us. They interact with us every day in ways minute and profound. We work with them and for them. They have rights and freedoms, for instance, to speech and religious expression. They seem to have intentions, desires, voices, and goals. Yet, they can’t take a walk or feel the wind or smell the earth. If they do harm, they are notoriously hard to punish. When they come to an end, no one writes an obituary. This First-Year Seminar will query whether a corporation is a person across a range of sources and perspectives, including from law, politics, philosophy, literature, and popular culture. Can a corporation be a person? Who should decide and on what basis? What are the implications for our understanding of rights, agency, and morality and for pressing global issues such as climate change? And what are the implications for our own understanding of ourselves as “a person”? Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.156. FYS: Cognition, Language, and the Self. 3 Credits. Inextricably bound with self-identity, human language and cognition remains a research area with more questions than answers. Can we think without language? What are the differences in neural mechanisms of language and cognition? How and why does the pediatric human brain acquire language at exponential rates while taking a lifetime to acquire cognition? What is the role of language and cognition in self-identity? Are we still ourselves without language, without memories? In this First-Year Seminar, we will examine the recursive nature of language, cognition, and self through the lenses of neurology, psychology, sociology, linguistics, and cognitive science. We will learn how language and cognition develops and changes across the human lifespan through case study examination of the lived experiences of individuals with cognitive-communication disorders, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, aphasia, agnosia, and Alzheimer’s disease. We will end our semester by exploring how the interplay between language, cognition, and self makes us distinctively human and how those lessons apply to the field of artificial intelligence. Perhaps most importantly, this seminar provides students an invitation to actively reflect on their own language, cognition, and development of self. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.157. FYS: Leonardo da Vinci - Art, Science, and Medicine. 3 Credits. How does a notary’s son trained as a painter gain expertise in the construction of machines and acquire knowledge of the principles of optics, human anatomy, the flight of birds, the dynamics of air and water? How did an artist/engineer who brought few projects to completion come to have such a huge impact on later generations? This First-Year Seminar will focus critically on the myth of Leonardo’s singularity while showing his achievements to be characteristic of the artisanal culture of his time. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.158. FYS: Love, Anger, Fear, and Hope. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar, we will examine the roles of love, fear, anger, and hope in our lives. We’ll ask questions about their value, danger, and appropriateness or inappropriateness in our lives at both the individual level and the level of political life. Some examples of questions we’ll consider are these: Should we love those who have wronged us? Is enjoying a horror movie morally problematic? How is fear used in political rhetoric and how should we respond to it? Is anger acceptable, or perhaps even necessary, in protest? Is love necessary for meaningful social change? When and how is hope justifiable and useful? We’ll also draw connections between these emotions and engage with related concepts such as forgiveness and trust. While our engagement with these concepts will be primarily through philosophy, we will also consider works of art and think about the value of portraying and evoking these emotions through various forms of art. Students can expect to read philosophical texts, journalism, occasional fiction and poetry, and to watch at least one horror film, among the sources for the course. Possible authors include Berit Brogaard, Noël Carroll, Myisha Cherry, Raja Halwani, Stephen King, Adrienne Martin, Martha Nussbaum, Edgar Allan Poe, Jason Stanley, and Desmond Tutu. We will take at least one field trip to a location in Baltimore during the semester. Students will emerge from this course with a more nuanced understanding of these powerful and often controversial emotions, and the ability to talk about them in an academic and public context. AS.001.159. FYS: Apartheid as Analogy - Structures of Racial Hierarchy in South Africa, Baltimore, and Beyond. 3 Credits. Sites of racial conflict, from Palestine to Baltimore, have been compared to South African Apartheid. This First-Year Seminar examines the creation of a totalizing system of racial segregation and exploitation in twentieth century South Africa, and how it can help us understand histories of race elsewhere in the world, including our own city. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.160. FYS: The Neuroscience of Learning and Memory. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar will cover multiple topics related to what we know about how the brain allows one to learn new facts and skills and to remember the daily events of our lives. We will cover such topics as classical conditioning (e.g., Pavlov’s Dogs), operant conditioning (e.g., how to train your dog), how we remember events in our lives (e.g., when you received your acceptance to JHU), how memory can go wrong (e.g., fallibility of eyewitness testimony), how artificial intelligence and deep learning are similar and dissimilar to the brain, and how memory is affected in aging and in diseases like Alzheimer’s. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.161. FYS: Books, Authenticity, and Truth. 3 Credits. We are living through a crisis in how we take in information. Bombarded by information of all sorts coming at us on phones, tablets, and computer screens, it can be difficult to make sense of it all and harder still to determine whether something is true or false, authentic or inauthentic. The scale and speed of the change in media that we are undergoing is unprecedented in human history. Nevertheless, people in the past have faced moments of crisis – moments when writing seemed unreliable, when the format of written information changed, and when new publication formats forced reevaluations of the nature of truth. This First-Year Seminar will take us from Greco-Roman antiquity to the modern age, with stops along the way in the European Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Enlightenment. We will read selected texts that illuminate the place of writing, books, and the search for truth, think about the structure of libraries in the western Middle Ages and Renaissance, do extensive hands-on work with rare books, and visit other repositories of information, all toward the end of evaluating how the history of books and information can help us in our current quest to make sense of our world. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.162. FYS: From Shakespeare to Baltimore. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar is designed around what is on stage in Baltimore and DC this fall. We will attend several plays, both professional productions and student productions at JHU. We will pay attention to the interpretation of plays on the page, and to the ways that scripts materialize as performances on the stage. We will place these performances in the context of larger theatre histories, studying great plays from the age of Shakespeare to contemporary American theatre. No acting experience is required – just the desire to explore the theatre of today. A great way to find out about the lively theatre scene on campus, and a great way to get to know your new city. AS.001.163. FYS: Black Baltimore Archives - From Frederick Douglass to Billie Holiday. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar carefully considers the lives and works of two globally famous Black Baltimoreans: the abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), and the premier jazz vocalist Billie Holiday (1915-1959). While we will explore key writings and performances of their work, the course also wants to use their historical lives in Baltimore to enrich our knowledge of the city and archival resources that reveal its past. During the semester we will consult a variety of primary resources like newspapers, novels, photographs, rare documents, correspondence, and recorded sound to investigate the complex and intraracial world of Baltimore in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the questions we will be considering: How did the city’s black abolitionist and religious networks contribute to Frederick Douglass’s evolution as a journalist and politician? What was the role of Chesapeake Bay black musical culture—ragtime, marching bands, banjo and fiddle ditties, and riverboat music—in the creation of Billie Holiday’s unique stylistic expression and singing? In what manner did Baltimore’s racial segregation and racism define her life and art? Students are required to visit three archival repositories during scheduled in-class trips, including a visit to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The final project is an archive-laden digital story map. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.164. FYS: Curating Women. 3 Credits. From the women who created the Museum of Modern Art in New York City to the "Because of Her" working group across the Smithsonian’s museums, this First-Year Seminar investigates the hidden women of many distinct social positions, racial and ethnic identities whose labor shaped the museums we know today and considers how museums tell the stories of women, including transgender women, in the arts, sciences, and history. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.165. FYS: Biology in Deep Time. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar will explore seminal ideas in macroevolutionary theory through both classic and cutting-edge studies. Topics will include the relationship between evolution and development, how fossils shape our understanding of biological systems, and the logical basis of evolutionary inference. Students will also gain an appreciation for the historical development of these ideas and their application in modern science and beyond. This course will explore these topics using foundational texts in biology, such as The Origin of Species and writings by the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould. It will feature guest lectures from curators from natural history museums across the country as well as offer students their own opportunity to go into the field to collect fossils here in Maryland. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.166. FYS: The Pleasures of the Imagination - British culture in the eighteenth century. 3 Credits. Music, Art, Theater, Novels, Autobiographies, and Material Culture all expanded dramatically in Britain in the long eighteenth century (c. 1714-1830), creating a culture celebrating ‘happiness’, 'beauty', and the 'pleasures of the imagination'. This First-Year Seminar will introduce students to themselves experiencing and discussing these exciting cultural forms, with students attending and watching plays and movies from plays, discussing Jane Austen novels as read and as filmed, reading and discussing an Afro-British autobiography, listening to performances of different kinds of music, and discussing works of art and architecture both in the classroom and in the museum. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.167. FYS: The Natural History of the Homewood Campus. 3 Credits. Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus and its surroundings is a wonderful green space in the middle of Baltimore City. This First-Year Seminar will introduce students to both the visible and cryptic organisms living above- and belowground. A combination of observational and sampling techniques will be used to demonstrate how ecologists collect data about plants, insects, and other organisms. In the classroom, these field observations, combined with reading material will be used to discuss global environmental issues including climate change on biodiversity, invasive species, and human impacts on the landscape. By the end of the course students will be able to generate research questions based upon field observations and appreciate the diverse life forms both in Earth and in our backyard. Students should be prepared to spend many hours outside. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.001.168. FYS: The Psychology of Mass Politics in the U.S.. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar looks at the deeper psychological motivations of the American electorate. We begin by discussing the meaning of democracy and establishing a common understanding of American democracy specifically, placing the current moment into historical and international context. We then gradually dismantle the "folk theory" of democracy that assumes all voters are rational and economically-minded. Instead, we apply theories from social psychology to understand some essential questions about voter behavior. Why do people vote? How do they understand politics? How are their feelings and judgments affected by their own identities, biases, information sources, and by the messages they hear from leaders? Why have Americans grown so polarized? What role do racial and gender-based prejudice play? Is American politics headed toward a more violent future? We use evidence-based research from political science, sociology, and psychology to answer these questions. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.169. FYS: Inventing a City - Exploring Baltimore Through Maps and Mapping. 3 Credits. Using maps from the 17th century to the present, students in this First-Year Seminar will explore the historical and contemporary landscape of their new hometown -- Baltimore. These primary sources will show how Baltimore was invented and developed in popular imagination to become the most vital port on the US Eastern Seaboard, but also a symbol American post-industrial decline. Students will have the chance to map how they see Baltimore, by learning and applying Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and converting geospatial data into visual stories. With the goal of fostering a deeper understanding of this complex city, and a student’s place in it, the class will include explorations outside of the classroom. The course will culminate with the creation of a small exhibit whose content and venue will be decided upon mutually by students during the course of the semester. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.170. FYS: Vive la Différence? The Love-Hate Relationship Between France and the USA. 3 Credits. What do French views on culture, society, and politics tell us about ourselves? France is frequently misunderstood and criticized in US media, yet books and articles touting various aspects of a “French” lifestyle are bestsellers. French media, for its part, commonly engages in US-bashing, yet the popularity and influence of American culture there are undeniable. Why have many prominent Black American writers sought refuge in France, while many French intellectuals have chosen to bring their academic work to American universities, including The Johns Hopkins University? A cross-cultural examination will allow this First-Year Seminar to bring to light many aspects of the complex relationship between these two countries that are historical allies yet ofttimes rivals. We will explore and discuss food, language, cinema, diplomacy, and health, as well as conceptions of friendship, family, identity, and social justice. Course includes a meal at a French restaurant, a museum visit, film screening, and guest speakers. AS.001.171. FYS: Rough Magic - Shakespeare and Power. 3 Credits. “This, therefore, is the praise of Shakespeare, that his drama is the mirror of life.” Samuel Johnson’s judgment applies particularly well to Shakespeare's account of politics. This First-Year Seminar will explore how Shakespeare depicts the acquisition of power, its exercise, and its voluntary or forcible relinquishment. Through a close reading of whole plays and selected scenes and speeches it will examine political education, intrigue, conspiracy, coups, demagoguery, politically motivated assassination, the theater of violence, rhetoric, insurrection, the launching of war, civil-military relations, and ghosts, among other topics. Combines lectures and discussion with close reading of texts, analytic memos, and assignments such as the composing of a contemporary soliloquy. This course will be taught at JHU’s SAIS campus in Washington, DC. All transportation costs are included as part of the course. Private shuttle transportation provided to/from campus. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.172. FYS: Privacy and Surveillance. 3 Credits. Few topics are more pressing to contemporary society as the right to privacy, in the face of both state and corporate and state surveillance. But the idea of a "right to privacy" has not always been with us. As E. L. Godkin put it in 1890, "Privacy is a distinctly modern product." Indeed, even 300 years ago, many of our own expectations of privacy would have been unheard of. This First-Year Seminar looks at the relation of privacy to modernity, through the lenses of literature, law, and social practices. How can works of art and thought from the past help us understand our own present? Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.173. FYS: Taking TV Seriously - Analysis and Interpretation. 3 Credits. If Shakespeare were alive today, he would be writing for TV. So would Jane Austen. With the advent of cable networks, DVDs, the internet, and live streaming, TV—once considered a “vast wasteland”—has become the most dynamic and creative medium for storytelling, attracting a host of talented writers, directors, and actors. This First-Year Seminar explores the innovative narrative strategies, structures, and character studies that transformed that wasteland into extraordinarily fertile terrain and ushered in a new Golden Age of TV. AS.001.174. FYS: Women and Family in Chinese Film. 3 Credits. From the early 20th century, Chinese society underwent a turbulent process of modern transformation. Industrialization, urbanization, and democratization challenged previous gender and family norms. Meanwhile, at exactly this time, the Chinese film industry flourished, especially in the modern metropolis of Shanghai. Women and family provided a useful microcosm through which to explore national questions related to revolution, war, and modernity. They also entertained a public eager for new leisure pursuits. Popular feature films not only recorded but also interpreted and helped shape family and gender roles. Using filmic representations as the main material this First-Year Seminar will survey the "family question" (and "the woman question") in 20th century China AS.001.175. FYS: Music and Shakespeare. 3 Credits. The plays of William Shakespeare contain many musical cues. In Hamlet, Ophelia expresses herself through song when she is unable to through speech. In The Tempest, the spirit Ariel lures the shipwrecked Ferdinand to the shore by singing a song. In this course, we will think through the role of music in Shakespeare’s plays, reading The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello, with attention to the sonic worlds they create. In addition, we will explore the various musical pieces that these plays have inspired, from film to stage, opera to musical theater, delving into the methods by which they have been adapted to meet the needs of diverse audiences. In addition to the recorded audio-visual materials we will view together, we will seek out opportunities to view a Shakespearean adaptation with a musical component performed live. AS.001.176. FYS: Microbe Hunters - Student-sourcing Antibiotic Discovery. 3 Credits. This First-Year-Seminar covers concepts of biology taught through the lens of microbes and antibiotic resistance. Using environmental samples, students actively engage in the hunt for novel antimicrobials. Broader concepts include the meaning of disease, how that meaning has changed over time, and the implications of widespread antibiotic resistance for society. This is a research-based project lab course in which students participate as part of an international consortium of undergraduates at other colleges. Students will isolate and characterize antibiotic-producing bacteria from the environment using modern molecular biological techniques. This seminar is open to all students, regardless of major. No prior lab experience necessary. Distribution Area: Natural Sciences AS.001.177. FYS: The Right to the City - Race, Class, and Struggle in Baltimore. 3 Credits. Over the past decade, cities have become more important than ever before. Protests against policing, against increasing inequality, as well as attempts to rollback societal shifts all have the city as its core. While some suggest these struggles represent larger struggles over the relationship between labor and capital, Black Radical thinkers connect these struggles to anti-black racism. In the wake of one world challenging movement – Black Lives Matter – and one world altering crisis – the Covid-19 pandemic - this First-Year Seminar will reflect critically on these two traditions of thinking about the city by using Baltimore as a case study. This class will be taught alongside similar courses at other universities, offering students a deep dive into Baltimore. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.178. FYS: Words in Public. 3 Credits. Does it matter what we read? Of course. But how? And how does what we read and hear shape our lives, particularly in democracy? This First-Year Seminar explores these questions across broad categories: social sciences; public writing of all kinds (for children and adults); and the sciences. For instance, we will explore how teachers’ words of encouragement affect children across demographics, and what the implications are for future civic participation. We’ll ask what happens when a victim of hate crime publicly forgives the perpetrator, how poems and stories shape life choices, and how cognitive neuroscience can contribute to social justice. Our inquiry will be rooted in intellectual life at Homewood, ranging from Earth & Planetary Sciences research to SNF Agora Institute events. We will close with a symposium reflecting our debates and discoveries. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.179. FYS: Race Before Race - Difference and Diversity in the Ancient Mediterranean. 3 Credits. How did the Greeks, Romans, and other ancient Mediterranean peoples understand human difference and diversity? How did they form their senses of self in relation to others and articulate kinship and commonalities across ethnic lines? Did skin color, birthplace, language, and lineage matter in constructing social hierarchies? How did their concepts of class and citizenship, beauty and belonging, differ from ours? Did they have anything akin to modern constructions of race and racism, blackness and whiteness, the ‘west’ and the ‘rest’? If not, when and why were such ideas invented, and how was Greco-Roman culture conscripted in their support? Finally and crucially, what can we do to make “classics” today more equitable, inclusive, and accurate to the multicultural reality of the ancient Mediterranean? This First-Year Seminar examines these questions, and many more, through the literature, art, and history of ancient Greece and Rome, with forays into Egypt, Persia, Judea, and northern Europe. It will introduce you to the diversity of the ancient Mediterranean world, hone your ability to critically interpret and discuss art, literature, and scholarship, and explore how systems of categorizing human difference have historically served power. This course will give you a wider historical lens through which to understand race, racecraft, the “classics,” and “Western civilization,” revealing all to be dynamic and historically situated discourses that have been used to exert authority, to include or exclude, and to build communities. It will also build student community and comfort discussing sensitive subjects through a combination of field trips, guest lectures, movie nights, and communal meals. Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken AS.040.212 are not eligible to take AS.001.179 . AS.001.180. FYS: Lunar Histories. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar will take us on an exploratory journey through the history of our Moon, both as a physical body in its own right and as a formative presence in the cultural imagination. As we examine theories about the Moon’s nature and role in the cosmos - from antiquity to our modern period, and from science to make-believe - we will delve deep into perplexing questions such as the relationship between scientific and imaginative thought, the role played by conspiracy-theory and hoax in our society, the origins of speculation about extraterrestrial life, and what it means to map and write the history of other worlds... This seminar will include sessions of practical observation of the Moon from the JHU Observatory. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.181. FYS: Introduction to Lives in Medicine - Exploring the Experience of Patients and Practitioners. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar is designed to introduce you to the human side of medicine by exploring ways in which patients and medical practitioners describe their personal experience. It has been structured to allow you to engage that material by reading it, viewing it in film, discussing it, writing about it and meeting with a practicing physician. Its a course not only about content, but also about process, the process of thoughtfully and openly engaging work about the lives of others. It is a seminar style course that emphasizes a friendly, protected setting in which to explore these issues. The course is facilitated by an experienced member of the Hopkins Medical Faculty, and has been designed to open a window through which you can begin to study the human concerns of patients and practitioners. The course is most likely to appeal to premedical and pre-health related students who are interested in exploring the human side of medicine, but also to students interested in biography, memoir and life-writing. At the end of this course, you will have gained an appreciation for some of the ways in which people express themselves about the illness experience or about working with the sick. You will have had a chance to develop longer, more personal relationship to such accounts than you are likely to have in clinical encounters in medical schools, training programs or even in clinical rotations. It takes time to listen. The course draws a small sample from a very wide range of such accounts that number in the thousands, so there is no attempt to generalize; rather, every effort is made to immerse ourselves into one account at a time and to understand one person’s experience at a time. Through this kind of immersion, you will develop a sense of how illness can affect a life, and the way in which practitioners become involved to find themselves in their own work. AS.001.182. FYS: Seeing Things. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar will explore diverse aspects of how we see and fail to see the world. We’ll discuss questions such as: What can we learn about vision from illusions and hallucinations? What explains why we sometimes miss things even though we’re looking right at them? Does what we believe and desire affect what we see? What happens to our visual experience when the brain is damaged, for example in conditions such as “blindsight,” “neglect” and “visual form agnosia”? And: Is there such a thing as subliminal or unconscious perception? Though primarily psychological, the course will draw on other disciplines, especially the philosophy of perception. We’ll also think about some of the ways visual artists and magicians exploit the workings of our visual systems to achieve their aims. This will likely involve at least one outing to a local art gallery to look for examples of what we’ve learned, an in-class screening, and hopefully a guest speaker or two. Distribution Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.183. FYS: What Does It Mean to Be Religious? Creativity, Experience, and the Individual. 3 Credits. What do we mean when we say that something or someone is “religious?” Our First-Year Seminar unpacks this question through a comparative approach, and pays special attention to the ways in which this term has been applied to the study of Islamic cultures and Muslim experience. Through an exploration of the categories of experience, creativity and the individual, we offer a less presumptuous and more open-ended way of imagining the many things it may mean to be religious. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.184. FYS: The Mathematics of Politics, Democracy, and Social Choice. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar is designed for students of all backgrounds to provide a mathematical introduction to social choice theory, weighted voting systems, apportionment methods, and gerrymandering. In the search for ideal ways to make certain kinds of political decisions, a lot of wasted effort could be averted if mathematics could determine that finding such an ideal were actually possible in the first place. The seminar will analyze data from recent US elections as well as provide historical context to modern discussions in politics, culminating in a mathematical analysis of the US Electoral College. Case studies, future implications, and comparisons to other governing bodies outside the US will be used to apply the theory of the course. Students will use Microsoft Excel to analyze data sets. There are no mathematical prerequisites for this course. AS.001.185. FYS: Why We Science?. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar will explore how some important results in physics and astronomy are discovered, their transformative implications to the basic understanding of nature and their impact on the progress of society. Students will explore how simple rules obtained from the lab or in idealized settings imply the complex behaviors and dynamics observed in the natural world, and how they back-reaction on society. The seminar will explore the motivations for doing scientific research in various context, and how they relate to the application of scientific discoveries. An example of topic that will be explored is General Relativity, a subject that emerged purely from theoretical considerations by Einstein which have revolutionized our basic understanding of the physical world and have reshaped the fields of physics and astronomy. On the other hand, General Relativity is necessary for satellite timing which revolutionized communication in human society. Another example is the basic physics experiments and research that lead to the invention of the transistor and the ensuing revolution of the information age. The students will explore the value of scientific thinking and its necessity in building a more robust society that can effectively serve its citizens. We will have regular visits and talks from leading researchers throughout the Hopkins ecosphere. This will help guide the in-class discussions. AS.001.186. FYS: Tuberculosis. 3 Credits. In the age of Molecular Biology, DNA sequencing allows the identification of genes. Biochemical assays allow the measurement of gene expression. Reverse transcriptase and PCR are used to determine the RNA made by activated genes. These tools allow the study of disease organisms on the molecular level with emphasis on particular genes, known as virulence genes, which enable the disease organisms to attack the human body. This First-Year Seminar will introduce students to the disease tuberculosis, to human innate and adaptive immune systems and to the molecular biology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an intracellular pathogen which infects humans and manipulates the human immune response to escape detection and elimination. We will even grow cultures of Mycobacterium smegmatum, M. tb’s harmless relative. In addition, millions worldwide have tuberculosis, and this disease is a case study in the measures that are being used to control the spread of an epidemic disease. Students will learn through by readings from books such as The White Plague by Rene’ and Jean Dubos, The Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif, The Aetiology of Tuberculosis by Robert Koch and Fever by John Fuller, videos, class interactions and discussions, and after the introductory portion of the course, by presentations of research papers about M. tuberculosis pathogenesis and treatment. Finally, we will explore recent genomic research that has yielded specific Mtb peptides that give evidence of being the basis of first effective vaccine for tuberculosis. AS.001.187. FYS: Gender x Aging x Health in America. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar students will develop an understanding of the ways in which gender structures health and well being through adulthood and later life. The experience of sexual minorities and the ntersection of gender with class and ethnicity will also be discussed. Students will be expected to participate actively and lead discussions on specific topics. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.188. FYS: Skepticism - Ancient, Modern, Contemporary. 3 Credits. Can we gain knowledge of reality, or is everything a matter of opinion? Does it matter? Why do we want (or need) knowledge anyway? Questions like this have been the stock in trade of philosophical skeptics throughout the entire history of our Western philosophical tradition. This First-Year Seminar will involve close readings of some classic works on the topic of skepticism with a view to understanding some of the main arguments for (and against) skepticism: how they work and how they may have changed over time. Readings include selections from Sextus Empiricus, Descartes, Hume and Wittgenstein. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.189. FYS: Language, Advertising, and Propaganda. 3 Credits. Advertising pervades our culture; interactions with advertising are an unavoidable fact of modern life. This class uses tools from linguistics and cognitive science to analyze these interactions, and understand the impact of advertising on its viewers. A central theme is to treat ads as communicative acts, and explore the consequences -- what can theories of communication (from linguistics, psychology, and philosophy) tell us about ads? How do ads use central features of human cognition to accomplish their aims? Do ads manipulate, and if so, how successfully? The theories of communication we explore include Gricean pragmatics, theories of speech acts, linguistic theories of presuppositions, and more. Students will collect, analyze, and discuss advertisements in all mediums. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.190. FYS: Poisons! A History. 3 Credits. Poisons aren't what they seem. Sometimes they look like food. Sometimes they look like drugs. From cinnabar to cinnamon, from dragon blood to goat bezoars, poisons result from careful human construction, collection, and creation. They are objects of early chemistry. Far from killing us, poisons have been central to the history of medicine. Physicians in the past and present monitor dosage, drug combination, and drug preparation to mitigate poison toxicity while still maintaining drugs' therapeutic potencies. Knowledge about poisons, in other words, quietly undergirds most of human civilization. Poisons are what keep us alive. Or not.This First-Year Seminar comes to understand poisons in three ways. First, it takes on individual poisons (mercury, opium, among others) to introduce major themes in the history of science and science studies. Second, it engages with global perspectives in the history of medicine to understand how poisons were deployed, refined, and neutralized around the world. Third, it introduces frameworks in the philosophy of chemistry to analyze the social, conceptual, and practical demands on empiricism. Together, these three perspectives will shift students’ perspectives on poisons from objects that kill to critiquing them as objects that are intimately tied to ideas of cure. Distribution Area: Humanities, Natural Sciences AS.001.192. FYS: How Not to be Afraid of Poetry. 3 Credits. What is poetry? And why don't we like it? Can poetry save the world? Can it save us? This seminar will explore what makes poetry turn ordinary language into something extraordinary, something necessary to our world. Assignments will include attending to details small and large in poems, doing a recitation, becoming an expert about a single poet, exploring banned poems, attending poetry events (JHU poetry readings, attending the Baltimore International Poe Festival, visiting the Poe sites, going to bookstores), keeping a poetry journal that you will submit three times over the course of the term, and creating an anthology of poems (group or individual) for a final project. The class is a seminar, and requires you to talk and think aloud: requirements are attendance, class participation, a poetry recitation (weeks 4-6), a presentation of your chosen poet (Weeks 9-11), and a group final project presentation (last day of class). AS.001.194. FYS: The Arrow of Time. 3 Credits. This First-year Seminar will study the direction of time, pointing from past to future. It will primarily be based on the physics of entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics, covering aspects of statistical mechanics, probability, and cosmology. But it will also touch on how time's arrow manifests itself in the macroscopic world, including questions of memory, prediction, aging, and causality. Distribution Area: Humanities, Natural Sciences AS.001.195. FYS: Chemistry and Everyday Living. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar will delve into the surprising ways that chemistry weaves its way through our day-to-day living. We will discuss topics that cover a variety of useful applications from "Chemistry in Medicine" to "Chemistry in Cooking & Baking". We will explore the material covered in our weekly discussions by carrying out a few experiments to enhance our learning. No prior knowledge of chemistry in required. AS.001.196. FYS: What is Love?: A Long History. 3 Credits. "Love is mad, love is obsessive, love can be a painful or tragic, or on the contrary an experience to be treasured forever. That's what books have taught us, by giving poetic souls a chance to imagine and develop romantic ideas -- on paper. These books have in turn inspired films, or in earlier days, great operas. This course is offered to those of you who might miss the experience of getting lost in a book or story!As a historian of ideas and a specialist of narrative with a keen interest in bodies, minds and feelings, and in gender, I will explore with you in this seminar a few favorite love stories. Each is chosen because it helps us uncover a universe of romantic feelings, often in conflict with social conventions (as is Romeo and Juliet for example).Our course will also involve the study of a film (Jane Campion's Bright Star) and possibly of the opera, La Traviata -- as well as a class trip to the movies to see, if available, a recent presentation of our theme. Among the readings for this class: The Legend of Tristan and Isolde, Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther; a selection of contemporary short stories. AS.001.197. FYS: Doctors and Patients: A Few Case Studies. 3 Credits. A famous, very experienced clinician used the phrase "The Soul of Care," signaling that medicine is not merely about fixing bodies. He wants to remind us that scientific knowledge involves mastery as well as empathy. "Narrative medicine" as this domain is called, assumes that the close study of stories can play a decisive role in preparing doctors for the challenging humanistic aspects of their profession. We focus in this First-Year Seminar on stories connected to medical cases, stories that can take us beyond medical questions to deeper issues connected to the human condition. Our seminar will be centered on discussions, often prepared in teams, based on your attentive close reading and research. The aim is to exercise your observational skills and imagination. What is at stake, medically and humanly speaking, is our capacity to uncover problems, dilemmas, ethical questions woven into texts that take us into the worlds of doctors and patients. Readings will involve a combination of modern and contemporary short stories, some of them more obviously fictional than others, some of them geographically or culturally more remote. Part of our study will also involve one longer text, namely When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi, and a small "anthology" of documents of a preparatory kind. We'll have at least one guest speaker, and also see a film together. AS.001.198. FYS: Secret Science. 3 Credits. In this course, we will examine the concealment of scientific knowledge from the Scientific Revolution to present day. Although science is regularly described as a public good, it has often been a private affair. Why have various scientists, institutions, governments, and media outlets chosen to restrict the flow of scientific knowledge? How have their efforts fared in practice, and what factors explain their successes or failures? More generally, how does our picture of modern science change if we highlight work done behind closed doors? This First-Year Seminar will explore these questions through case studies on alchemy, trade secrecy, nuclear physics, and climate change denial. Students will work with formerly classified sources during several weeks of the term. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.199. FYS: Technology and Globalization. 3 Credits. In times of pandemic, trade war, and restrictions on the export of strategic technologies, it has become common to predict the ‘death of globalization.’ Such predictions are hardly new, however, and neither are the protectionist technology policies that are currently in vogue. In this First-Year Seminar, we will examine how technology historically has both helped connect people in different parts of the world and contributed to division and inequality at national and global levels. Focusing on the period from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, we will pay special attention to the impact of transportation and ICT technologies ranging from the telegraph and container ship to the airplane and the internet. But we will also consider the consequences of globalization and technological change in areas such as mining and agriculture, taking into account the perspectives of a variety of actors including multinational enterprises, governments, standard-setting scientists and engineers, and the anti-globalization movement. The local effects of globalization will be discussed on a class trip to the Baltimore Museum of Industry, and students will have the opportunity to develop a research project on a topic of special interest to them in consultation with the instructor. Course readings will be made available on Canvas; they include both original historical sources and studies by historians and social scientists. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS.001.200. FYS: Great Adaptations in the Animal Kingdom. 3 Credits. Animals have evolved a vast array of sensory systems that support a rich repertoire of natural behaviors. Some animals live in dark environments and use tactile, chemical, electrical and auditory sensors that allow them to operate in the absence of light. Other animals rely heavily on vision and take advantage of colors that humans cannot see. In this First-Year Seminar, we will explore extraordinary adaptations of sensory systems in animals that live on land and under water. Our focus will be on sensory systems that guide navigation and foraging behaviors in species as diverse as star-nosed moles, weakly electric fish, honeybees, and echolocating bats. As we delve into understanding the extraordinary sensory systems of selected species, we will also consider how these animals have inspired literary and visual artists. We aim to introduce students to a rich interdisciplinary experience that opens their eyes to new areas of inquiry as they take advantage of local resources, such as the National Aquarium, Baltimore Zoo, Wyman Park, Peabody School of Art, and Baltimore Museum of Art. AS.001.201. FYS: The Four Great Cosmic Questions: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Black Holes and the Origin of Life. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar combines current state of the art issues in Cosmology, Astrophysics and Biology around the Scientific American level. Discusses the history of thought on these issues ranging from Aristotle, Lucretius, Galileo, Newton, Einstein…to the Hubble and JWST era. For the last part of the seminar, we will consider existential issues for humanity in our Universe. Excellent books to read to start thinking about this are by Toby Ord: Precipice and Martin Rees: (1) The Future of Humanity and (2) If Science is to Save us. Our discussions and investigations will likely lead us toward many interesting and innovative paths. AS.001.202. FYS: The Human Face of Addiction. 3 Credits. The current paradigm for understanding addiction is a brain disease of compulsion, investigated in large part through animal models. Yet addiction in humans has dimensions of meaning and suffering alike that cannot be captured by neuroscience or modelled in animals. This First-Year Seminar explores addiction by combining what we know from addiction science with what we know from philosophy and the humanities, as well as therapy, journalism, film, and autobiographical narratives. We will work to understand the puzzle of why people use drugs in ways that can come to destroy their lives through these various lenses and without recourse to stigma, dogma, or dehumanization. This interdisciplinary course will develop students' skills in reading, analytic thinking, and writing; we will also visit an animal lab. AS.001.203. FYS: Eataly: Constructing Identity through Food. 3 Credits. When thinking of Italy, food is one of the first things that come to mind. But what is beyond a lavishly decked table? What are the questions that can be explored through food and its practices in Italy, but also in Italian communities around the world? This First-Year Seminar explores the relationship between food and the formation of identity through the lenses of migration, gender, race, ideology, nationalism, and diaspora. The seminar will analyze literature on food studies at the crossroads with anthropological, sociopolitical questions. We’ll discuss the relationship with memory, as well as with cultural reproduction in immigrant communities and the tension with a critical discourse around political propaganda on the notion of authenticity in contemporary Italy. Other topics include the formation of taste in conjunction with sociopolitical modes of exclusion and social class, through history, but also exemplified in films. For instance, the class will be presented with movies and readings on Roman-Jewish culinary traditions, its diasporic experience, and the contemporary cultural appropriation. The screening of the movie Big Night, on the other hand, will provide an opportunity to approach a reading through a phenomenological apparatus, and analyze the impact of Italian cinema on American and Italian American culture. A guest speaker will be invited to present their scholarship, followed by a discussion. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.204. FYS: French Identities: Race, Gender, Religion, and Sexual Orientation in Contemporary France. 3 Credits. How should a just society come to terms with persistent inequalities? France, the country of liberty, equality and fraternity, that offered sanctuary from US racism to such figures as James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Miles Davis and legalized same-sex marriages two years before the US did, is now deeply divided. This First-Year Seminar explores the tensions and contradictions between the universalist and color-blind ideals of the French republic and the realities of discrimination in contemporary French society. Topics studied include the status of the concept of race in political discourse; the law forbidding signs of religious belief in the public schools and responses to it; how American initiatives like Black Lives Matter, #metoo and critical gender studies have both sparked French activism and political movements and generated a powerful backlash; and what Americans can learn about how to fight injustice—and how not to—from the French. We will look at a wide variety of texts, including writings by activists, historians, and journalists, along with sociologies of the police and young adult novels, and will listen to popular French music and watch a number of contemporary French films. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.205. FYS: Games: History, Theory, and Practice. 3 Credits. From game theory to gamification, games have become a central part of everyday life. More and more, in fields as diverse as economics, entertainment, and education, the game has become the principal model for interpreting and interacting with the social world, and with ourselves. This First-Year Seminar will look at the history of games in the modern world, with an eye to understanding their increasing prominence in the 20th and 21st centuries. What social and technological changes brought about this shift? And yes -- we will play, and seek to analyze, some games as well (both analog and digital). Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.207. FYS:Looms and Computers: The analog origins of our digital world. 3 Credits. The loom is the ancestor of the modern computer: we owe our digital existence to an analog woven structure. In this First-Year Seminar, we will examine the digital screens that surround us, the faces and images projected upon them, and how we can understand them better through fiber art processes. Through discussions of traditional and modern artists as well as hands-on fiber experiments and techniques, we will explore the relationship between the tactile and the digital. With visiting artists and museum trips, we’ll discover new ways to engage with the screens, textiles, and pixels that surround us. AS.001.208. FYS: Imagining War. 3 Credits. "Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning." (Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, Apocalypse Now). These iconic words, uttered in an iconic film inspired by an iconic novel, invite us to think of the smell of war as a pleasurable experience, indeed, a joy. But what about the mere joy of watching a film, listening to music, viewing a painting or reading a poem about war? In this First-Year Seminar, we will ask ourselves what is the place of war in our cultural imagination? What attracts us to the “heart of darkness” and how and why does popular culture make this violent experience aesthetically pleasurable? We will cover various media, such as films, television shows, visual art, music and literature from various countries in an attempt to answer these questions and others. The seminar eschews a chronological approach organized around major historical wars in favor of a conceptual framework. As we will see, the creative impulse extends far beyond the representation of historical and particular events reaching deep into the realms of memory and trauma, hate and love, heroism and fear, cruelty and empathy. We will discuss the author/ filmmaker/ artist’s perspectives and methods and will engage in questions of ethics and moral choices in relation to the cultural artifacts we examine. Our main focus will be modern representations of war, but we will also discuss earlier periods and cultures for the sake of comparison. For projects, students will have the option to choose their topics, works, media and format (analytical paper, creative writing, a short documentary, creative film or a short podcast). Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.209. FYS: Feminism and Media. 3 Credits. What is feminism and what does it have to do with media culture? This question will be investigated in reference to such historical movements as the suffrage movement and current movements such as #metoo. We will also highlight the extent to which media technology might intrinsically help feminism, as could be argued with film animation and science fiction writing; or, rather, cases in which technologies hinder feminism, as when the pressures of social media negatively impact the social development of young women, particularly affecting the vulnerability of the female body. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.210. FYS: Democratic Erosion. 3 Credits. In a moment in time in which our very democracy at risk, this First-Year Seminar will investigate why democratic erosion is occurring, its ramifications, and how to address it. Led by Scott Warren, the co-founder and former CEO of Generation Citizen, a national civics education organization, and a current Fellow at the SNF Agora Institute, this seminar will be heavily discussion-based, relate to current events, and will explore the dynamics and interplay between the realities of democracy in the US and around the world, social entrepreneurship, social change, and policy. This course aims to introduce students to some of the most important issues and debates surrounding democratic consolidation and erosion around the world. Students will study different case studies of democratic erosion and social transformation (or proposed social transformation) from across the United States and world. We will also explore how movements across the world in response to authoritarianism and anti-democratic sentiment are driving the themes explored in the course. AS.001.211. FYS: Getting a Life. 3 Credits. Every person has a life to live, but what is this thing, “a life”, that every person has? To begin with, it’s just the temporally extended existence of the person, the proverbial three score and ten. But a person’s life is more than that, because it follows a natural progression of life-stages, from childhood to adolescence to middle age to senescence. And it’s even more still, since it is partly the creation of the person living it, who can plan it, evaluate it, anticipate its future, and remember its past. In this First-Year Seminar, we will explore these and other aspects of a person’s life through works of literature and philosophy. What makes you the same person throughout the different stages of your life? How does the passage of time color your perception of life? What makes for a good life? A meaningful life? Should you be grateful for having been born or dismayed at having to die? Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.212. FYS: Democracy, Diversity and Identity. 3 Credits. What would a just form of democracy look like in a highly diverse society? What policies and laws should the state adopt to counter long-standing injustices, and how do they fit--or conflict--with the univeralist ideals on which liberal democracy is founded? In this course, we will try to answer these questions by discussing different philosophical views on topics from equity to free speech, and from cultural appropriation to lived experience. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.213. FYS: Explorations in Contemporary Poetry. 3 Credits. In this seminar we’ll explore the many ways that contemporary poets tell stories, make music, and create meaning. We’ll read a wide range of contemporary lyric poems, and every week you’ll have the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in fun, low-pressure writing exercises. (No previous poetry-writing experience required!) Planned activities include classroom visits by contemporary poets as well as off-campus trips to poetry readings around town. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.214. FYS: Doing Things With Maps. 3 Credits. In this First-Year seminar, we will ask why maps and mapping technologies have become useful – some would say central – to the pursuit of new knowledge. Do they clarify, simplify, amplify, organize, reveal unexpected connections, point the way forward, or severely complicate our thoughts and send us back to the drawing board? We will learn/review some GIS basics, and those among you with previous experience in these technologies will be welcome to contribute ideas and share skills (no previous experience is required). Over the course of the semester students will pursue their own group projects, developed in class discussions and visits to various mapping technology hubs around Hopkins, such as Geospatial Data and GIS technologies at Milton S. Eisenhower Library, brain mapping technologies at Biomedical Engineering, and approaches to mapping the heavens at the Space Telescope Science Institute. We will also ground ourselves in the Humanities by reading The Odyssey of Homer (trans. James Lattimore, any edition) and testing out various mapping techniques on the intersecting adventures of Odysseus, his son Telemachus, and his wife Penelope. A series of short close reading assignments on selected passages from The Odyssey will help to refine analytical and writing skills, and a final group or personal project report on a topic of your choice will address the (very) general subject of “How maps enhance, change, clarify or complicate ideas. AS.001.215. FYS: Mosques, Museums, and the Mind’s Eye: Discovering Islamic Art in Person. 3 Credits. Despite its association with distant regions and time periods, Islamic art has a flourishing presence in today’s America, represented by rich museum collections, modern buildings designed in historical styles, and vibrant scholarly networks. This seminar explores how we, from the vantage point of twenty-first-century Baltimore, might experience works of Islamic art in ways that are informed by their own cultural contexts while also acknowledging the challenges involved in bridging this gap. We will spend much of the course engaging with objects and architecture in person, with visits planned to the recently reinstalled Islamic galleries at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, the Islamic Center of Washington, DC, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. You will be invited to handle artifacts in person and to try your hand at calligraphy, one of the most distinctive and esteemed Islamic artforms. In the classroom setting, we will read and discuss translations of primary sources written by historical practitioners and consumers of Islamic art, along with examples of modern scholarship that seek to understand the Islamic tradition from a variety of perspectives. As well as learning about such perspectives, you will be encouraged to develop and share—in presentations and written assignments—your own ideas about Islamic art, building on the close, firsthand encounters that run throughout the seminar. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.216. FYS: The Literature of Food. 3 Credits. Using literature as our primary lens, in this First-Year Seminar we will explore our complex relationships with food, considering it as both material fact and literary symbol. We will read prose and poetry by writers such as Chang Rae Lee, Kevin Young, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Gary Soto, and Joy Harjo, engaging issues of food and community, food labor and production, climate change, and more. As part of our explorations, we’ll spotlight aspects of Baltimore food culture and history, and students will be asked to examine and share their own personal and cultural relationships with food. Assignments will include creative writing exercises that draw on both research and personal experience. AS.001.217. FYS: From Cell Phones to Hydrogen Cars: Are the Needed Metals Sustainable?. 3 Credits. Where do critical metals that we use every day for our technologically advanced society come from? We will discuss questions surrounding the exploration and ownership of metallic resources and their exploitation. We benefit, but at what cost to others? To address these questions, we look at individual critical metals and their exploitation in a variety of countries from Africa, to South America, and Southeast Asia including Australia. As an example, cobalt is currently crucial for electric car batteries: see the book by Siddharth Kara (2022) "Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives". Should we alternatively get cobalt by the proposed mining of the deep ocean floor? Who has the right to do that? Weekly readings and discussions, and guest speakers lead to mini-research projects on such topics. AS.001.218. FYS Means of Persuasion:The Communication of Climate Change. 3 Credits. How does language get entangled in our cultural and social understandings? How do we learn to locate a person correctly in a particular social class or ethnicity? This course aims to show the ways in which language is at the center of our daily interactions and our institutions. We will learn conceptual tools to examine the ways in which writers and leaders attempt to persuade their publics in important matters such as climate change, party politics, and religious differences. AS.001.220. FYS: Reproduction in the 21st Century: Biology and Politics. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar course will explore how 21st century childbearing conditions have changed, and the relationship of politics to these changes. Among the topics to be discussed are the impact on male and female infertility of assisted reproductive technologies that promote birth, including in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. But beyond how these technologies function, such topics as how decisions are/should be made about issues such as the acceptability of using genetic material from someone other than the hopeful parents to aid couples in having children will be addressed. Also to be discussed are how genetic technologies can be used to modify sperm, eggs and embryos, including risks, benefits, ethics and politics, and how, when and whether stem cells obtained from in vitro fertilization “leftovers” can be used. The ways in which these new approaches are perceived by the general public and by politicians, and how these perceptions affect the use of the new approaches, will be explored. Topics also will include whether abortions should be disallowed, allowed only under specific circumstances such as fetal anomalies observed during prenatal screening, or available as a women’s (or couple’s) right to choose. Contraception, both female and male, also will be explored. Thus, in addition to the science, this course will focus on when and how decisions are made regarding issues related to childbearing, including the roles of politics and social media. AS.001.221. FYS: Music, Religion and Healing. 3 Credits. Our class will explore how religious and spiritual communities have understood and practiced music as a healing and reparative force, with a particular focus on Sufi spirituality and the living South Asian musical tradition of khayal. Khayal is both a vocal practice and a system of spiritual self-development, and singers are trained to activate the healing that resides in sound. We will take this journey through essays, film, music, meditative listening, and conversations with musicians as well as practitioners of reparative and healing education in the arts. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in an ethnographic project on music and healing with artists and creators in Pakistan. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.222. FYS: Exploring Intellectual Property from Marvel to Zombies to Ed Sheeran and Beyond. 3 Credits. What does it mean to “create”? Who is the “creator” of a beloved comic book or a best-selling song and by what standard(s) is that determined? What rights, if any, does “creation” convey legally, or even morally? In this First-Year Seminar, we’ll take an in-depth, interactive, inside look under the hood of intellectual property rights and the battles that shape the multi-billion-dollar global entertainment industry. Reading sections of Supreme Court and lower Federal Court decisions, as well as relevant outside articles, we will explore (allegedly) stolen award-winning films and hit songs, understand why zombies eat copyright for breakfast, investigate why artists behind iconic Marvel and D.C. superheroes believe their rights—and staggering sums of profit—got zapped far across the multiverse, and much, much more. The seminar will involve weekly readings and/or screenings, and will culminate in a final project where you, the class, will serve as the (mock) jury on a real copyright infringement case involving three of the most popular, diverse and wealthiest entertainers of all time. AS.001.224. FYS: Critical Playlists: 1961-1989. 3 Credits. Set against the background of the Cold War and highlighting the soundtrack of Stranger Things Season IV, this class asks students to bring their own playlist of five songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. In the course of the semester we will use these lists as a springboard to compile a final playlist that reflects the values and lived realities of the class. Some of the questions that will guide our evaluation of the song-texts are: What is the relationship between our taste and what we find beautiful? Can we find something ugly and repellent beautiful? How do the songs that we promote impact our society's understanding of what is good and important? Readings will include excerpts from Lessing, Hume, D. Albright, J. Chang and their critics. AS.001.225. FYS: Figures of Thought: Dangerous Women. 3 Credits. Why are we drawn to female figures such as Medusa and Mystique? How do representations of women, especially in paintings, film and theater, mediate our understanding of who or what is desirable, dangerous and powerful? In this course we will practice reading visual cues from female figures, taken from history, pop culture, and visits to the BMA, in order to explore the relationship between fiction and reality, and to ask questions about how art depicts women. Course texts include Kant, Kingston, Cass, Paglia and Friedan. Figures for study include Antigone, Medea, Salome, and Bong Joon-ho's Mother. Distribution Area: Humanities AS.001.226. FYS: Science Fiction. 3 Credits. This course explores how science fiction functions as a literature of social and political critique just as much as it offers readers an imaginative escape to future or alien worlds. Students will read classic novels, novellas, short stories, and view films that confront such themes as artificial intelligence, posthumanism, ecological catastrophe and the role of technology in creating dystopias and utopias. The combination of reading, writing, discussion, and in-class presentations offers students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a particular genre as they journey “where no one has gone before.” AS.001.227. FYS: Writing with Pictures: an introduction to writing picture books and graphic novels. 3 Credits. A picture is worth 1000 words, or so goes the old saying. This hands-on writing workshop, explores the often-overlooked importance of TEXT in award-winning graphic novels and children's picture books. Over the course of the semester, we will delve into a wide range of topics, from understanding the relationship between image and text and thinking cinematically, to effective techniques for storyboarding and creating forceful dialogue. And like all good writers, we will work on developing the kind of rich characters, strong dialogue, and compelling themes that captivate readers. To enrich our writing efforts, we will embark on various outings during the semester. These will include visits to an illustrator's studio and an independent bookstore specializing in graphic novels. We will also interact with an array of professional writers and editors both in class and at extra-curricular events. The central goal of this course is to build a community through writing. No prior experience in creative writing or visual art is necessary. All that is required is enthusiasm for the topic and a willingness to share your work with others. AS.001.228. FYS: Peripheral Nerves in Health and Disease. 3 Credits. All organs in the body are innervated by peripheral nerves, which deliver biological signals between the central nerves system and the rest of the body. This First-Year seminar will investigate how peripheral nerves interact with different organs, and how diseases and disorders of the peripheral nerves effect core bodily functions such as voluntary movement and temperature sensation. Following short lectures on each topic, students will analyze research papers and other material, discuss sources in small, rotating groups and present their findings to the rest of the class. We will also visit various research labs across campus, hear from leading researchers, and participate together in Grand Rounds at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. AS.001.229. FYS: Medical Wastes. 3 Credits. This course combines historical and ethnographic investigations of the wastefulness of modern medicine in ecological, economic, and bodily terms. Why, in the past half-century, has the production of medical waste skyrocketed? Who bears the environmental costs of the incineration of disposable medical technologies? What new sustainable solutions might be retrieved from past practices? At the intersection of medicine, science, and humanities, this course explores the human and planetary costs of our wasteful healthcare systems, and what can be done to envision a more sustainable future. Readings will be centered in historical and ethnographic investigation but will stretch across other humanities and social science disciplines, in conjunction with primary source readings from medical and public health journals, lawsuits and Congressional hearings, and new approaches to materials design for sustainable healthcare. Experiential partnerships with local, regional, and international advocacy groups will be important for this course as well, including the Planetary Health Alliance based in the Bloomberg Center in Washington DC, the Sustainability Leadership Council of Johns Hopkins University, and local environmental justice advocacy surrounding the Curtis Bay Energy medical incinerator, which was recently the subject of the largest environmental fine in Maryland history. AS.001.230. FYS: Understanding and Addressing Wasted Food. 3 Credits. How should we, as individuals and a society, reduce wasted food and create a more resilient food system? This First-Year Seminar asks students to apply diverse perspectives to understand and address the complex problem of wasted food. Students will be exposed to a scope of up-to-date research from sociocultural, health, technological, environmental, economic, political, and justice-oriented lenses through guest speakers, multimedia resources, and community engagement on and off campus. By conducting their own examination of this real-world issue and proposing solutions, students in this course will develop critical thinking, research, and presentation skills valuable for future coursework and careers in any field. AS.001.231. FYS: Death and Daring in the Modern Intensive Care Unit. 3 Credits. The class will learn by readings from books such as The White Plague by Rene’ and Jean Dubos, The Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif, The Aetiology of Tuberculosis by Robert Koch and Fever by John Fuller, videos, class interactions and discussions, and after the introductory portion of the course, by presentations of research papers about M. tuberculosis pathogenesis and treatment. AS.001.232. FYS: German Thought, German Theater: Reason, Capital, Sex and Science. 3 Credits. Over the past 250 years, Germany has produced some of the most influential currents of theory as well as drama. In this course, we will read and view plays and films that address developments in German thought and society from the Enlightenment to the present. We will ask: How effective are performances at transmitting ideas and values? How do they balance emotional involvement with intellectual understanding? These issues will be examined with respect to four themes: reason and enlightenment; capitalism; sexualities; and moral dilemmas raised by scientific discoveries. AS.001.233. FYS: The Science of Human Individuality. 3 Credits. How we become unique is one of the deepest questions that we can ask. The answers, where they exist, inform how we think about morality, public policy, faith, health care, education, and the law. Although investigating the origins of individuality is not just an endeavor for biologists, many of this topic’s most important aspects involve fundamental questions about the development, genetics, and plasticity of the nervous system. The good news is that recent scientific findings are illuminating this question in ways that are exciting and sometimes counterintuitive. The better news is that it doesn’t just boil down to the same tiresome nature-versus-nurture debate that has been impeding progress and boring people for years. Genes are built to be modified by experience. That experience is not just the obvious stuff, like how your parents raised you, but more complicated and fascinating things like the diseases you’ve had (or those that your mother had while she was carrying you in utero), the foods you’ve eaten, the bacteria that reside in your body, the weather during your early development, and the long reach of culture and technology.So, let’s dig into the science together. Our sources will be not only books and articles but also visits by guest scientists and artists as well as engagement with films and stories that explore human individuality. It can be controversial stuff. Questions about the origins of human individuality challenge our concepts of nation, gender, and race. They are inherently political and incite strong passions. Given this fraught backdrop, we’ll do our best to play it straight and synthesize the current scientific consensus (where it exists), examine the controversies, and point out where the sidewalk of our understanding simply ends. AS.001.234. FYS: Bringing the Past to Life with Poetry. 3 Credits. Unlike Disney's talking teapots and candlesticks, ""real life"" objects can't tell their own stories. Through research and writing, however, we can ""animate"" and contextualize art and artifacts with our words, illuminating the people who made and used those objects, particularly those whose own voices have been historically marginalized. How can creative writing bring the past to life both imaginatively and responsibly? How do writers choose and use literary techniques to reckon with history? Poems we will examine and discuss include ""Ode on a Grecian Urn"" by John Keats, ""Voyage of the Sable Venus"" by Robin Coste Lewis, ""The Museum of Obsolescence"" by Tracy K. Smith, ""In the British Museum"" by Thomas Hardy, ""mulberry fields"" by Lucille Clifton, and ""How to Look at Pictures"" by Rebecca Morgan Frank. This course is an experiential collaboration between the Writing Seminars* and the Homewood Museum*, where students will explore the museum's collection and curate a public exhibition featuring their writing. *By way of introduction, The Writing Seminars is Johns Hopkins University’s creative writing department, offering both a major and a minor to undergraduate students, as well as a Master of Fine Arts graduate degree; Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood Museum is an early nineteenth-century National Historic Landmark site focusing on the enslaved families who lived and labored on the land that would later become the university’s main campus. With a focus on early American decorative arts, Homewood’s collection provides students with the opportunity to have hands-on experience with museum objects and to consider the role of museums and antiques in a new and creative light. AS.001.235. FYS: Painting, Poetry, and the Novel. 3 Credits. Poets, novelists, and essayists have gravitated to painting and its powers as a way of testing the powers of their own medium; the visual arts have served them as stimulus and challenge. This course broadly concerns the relation of these two art forms; more narrowly, it concerns attempts by writers to respond adequately to paintings that moved them We are likely to read work by Virgil Lessing, Virginia Woolf, Ali Smith, W,H. Auden, Mark Doty, and Rainer Maria Rilke; and study paintings by Cezanne, Klee, Brueghel, Morisot, Turner, and Monet. AS.001.236. FYS: Nonhuman Speech. 3 Credits. Humans are increasingly thinking about their relationship with nonhumans, ranging from AI to animals to corporations, including what it means to communicate with nonhumans or nonhuman systems. AI speech can now be mistaken for human speech but is commonly thought not to have meaning or intention in the same way. Many animals have complex verbal and nonverbal modes of communication; elephants, for instance, raise distinct sounds of alarm based on the kind of danger that is coming. Corporations in the United States have legal personhood, which includes the right to free speech, and are often talked about as if they have intentions, values, and desires. This class will query how we should interpret nonhuman communication across a range of sources and perspectives, including law, literature, philosophy, science, and popular culture. How do we know what such communication means, or if it has meaning, and according to what criteria? What is the relationship between communication and rights, including the right to personhood? And how does nonhuman communication change our understanding of how humans create meaning and connection with one another? AS.001.237. FYS: Calling Home. 3 Credits. What do we call "home"? It seems that when we call (something) home, we are all reaching out toward different places or ideas. Is it a haven? a source of identity? the object of longing? a domain of hierarchy and oppression? This course offers a critical examination of the apparently self-evident notion of home. Through the lens of disciplines like anthropology, literature, or socio-legal studies, we will explore home in diverse cultural settings, as realms of care, intimacy, and belonging yet also as sites of subjection, discrimination, and gender/racial inequality. Our analysis will extend to a variety of media such as films, podcasts, music, museum exhibits, and personal experiences. AS.001.238. FYS: Italy through Different Eyes: Women and others on the Grand Tour. 3 Credits. Traveling through Europe has been an enriching experience, with its apex in the 18th and 19th century. The Grand Tour of Italy is “the most interesting of all possible voyages” wrote Abbé Gabriel-Françoise Coyer in his travel journal (1763). It was a sort of “gap year” but represented much more. It was a formative journey, where the young elite would deepen their knowledge in classical literature and refine their taste for art and architecture. It was also an immersion in the leisure that traveling offered. The phenomenon of the Grand Tour produced an immense amount of travel literature, journals, and provided a backdrop and inspiration for countless novels. It also played and defining role in constructing identity, individual and national, setting a canonical cultural path. How can we retrace part of this path through Italy through a different point of view? Introducing a less normative dominated reading of the lived experience of the Grand Tour? In this course we will (re)discover Italy in the glory of the Grand Tour golden era through the writing of women writers, the American antislavery activist Fredrick Douglass and A range of queer and other rubbles and outcast visiting Italy. In class, we will look at excerpts of texts including some by Mary Shelley, Vernon Lee, Margaret Fuller, Madame De Stäel, J.A. Symonds, Goethe, Lord Byron. We will take advantage of the great collections of art like (Waters Museum and BMA) becoming grant tourists ourselves and discuss and analyze the styles and subjects of art and architecture of Italy (mostly in Venice, Florence and Rome). We will also take advantage of the Special Collections at the Sheridan Library that houses rare books and documents that we can look closely. Every week the material will be presented in different forms, book excerpts, articles, collections, but also movies, theater pieces and music. AS.001.239. FYS: What's Up Mr. Disney?. 3 Credits. The question of what makes Disney characters so popular will guide us through this First-Year Seminar as we examine the films and particular Disney figures, embedded in narratives, from an angle that is both celebratory and critical. We will curate the characters to be analyzed and place them in their social, cultural, literary and filmic contexts, while taking special note of the global, political, economic and technological issues that have shaped the animation enterprise. A special emphasis of the course will be on the question of audience, and our own responses to the aesthetic, ethical, and visceral aspects of select Disney characters -- including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Maleficent, and Mother Gothel. AS.001.240. FYS: Death in the Renaissance. 3 Credits. During the Renaissance, Christians frequently depicted the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the personifications of disease, famine, war, and conquest. Nearly half of all children died before the age of five and ten percent of women died of childbirth or of pregnancy related complications. Wars consumed the continent during the bloody sixteenth century, thanks to advances in military technology and religious violence. With no knowledge of the cause of disease and absent antibiotics, disease was as terrifying as mass murder. In this class, we explore death, dying, health, and hope in early modern Europe. How did death and the fear of death shape society? How did it affect politics and economics, gender and family? At the center of death – and life - was religion; in this chaotic world, disease was a punishment and God the only cure; as a result, we will explore how religion was the other side of the coin of death and disease. We will learn how to read primary sources of Renaissance people grappling with their mortality and examine Renaissance art. In the process, we will investigate one of the biggest questions human beings confront: What is the meaning of life in the face of death? AS.001.241. FYS: Nobel Physics. 3 Credits. Is physics a noble science built on inspiration, ingenuity, and ideas? What does it mean to win a Nobel Prize? Why was the prize established? What ideas are awarded? Who gets credit? How long does it take? Has a prize ever been rescinded? How well do Nobel ideas stand the test of time? - Sources that we will explore include library archives, the speeches of Nobel Laureates, and released records of nominees, as well as some of the topics for which the prizes were awarded- We can explore JHU's influence on nobel-awarded physics research, and at the University's involvement in Nobel-based or Nobel-related physics and astronomy research- Experiential components of the semester may include looking at how Nobel prizes are depicted in the media and popular culture, documentaries and biopics of prize winners and research (e.g. the movie Particle Fever for the Higgs) and popular-level books; recreations of demonstrations or laboratory setups of Nobel-winning experiments; recordings of an awards ceremony; class discussion and activities related to the 2024 prizes that will be announced during October/November 2024; invitations to guest speakers; and possibly a museum or laboratory visit. AS.001.242. FYS: Johns Hopkins: Toward a New Biography of the Founder. 3 Credits. In this course you will learn about the life and legacy of Johns Hopkins – his ancestors, his family, his Quaker faith, his business career, his philanthropy and what we know about why he decided to found the university that you now attend. Along the way, we will examine rare artifacts, explore archival records, discuss current controversies, and visit some of the most important local landmarks associated with Johns Hopkins’ long and eventful life. AS.001.243. FYS: Diamonds. 3 Credits. In this seminar, students will learn about the hardest mineral on earth, diamond. Its unique Crystal structure, Chemical makeup, unusually low Compressibility, and unusually high thermal Conductivity are some of the physical properties that make it extraordinarily useful. We will also learn about geologic formation, diamond mining, the gem industry, and modern replacements. Class materials will include textbook excerpts, the movie Blood Diamond, and a field trip to the Smithsonian Hall of Geology, Gems, and minerals. AS.001.244. FYS: Death and the Meaning of Life. 3 Credits. It is difficult to think about the fact that you will die. It is confusing theoretically and it is confusing emotionally. We will be spending the course trying to think our way through the confusions. On the theoretical side, thinking about the fact that you will die raises a cluster of philosophical questions. What are you? Are you necessarily the sort of thing that ceases to exist when your biological life ends? What is it that connects you to your childish self and makes some person in the future you? And does the fact that you die diminish the value of your life? If it means the end of your existence, does it make life absurd, or meaningless, or only more precious? We will address these questions as well as whether death should be feared, whether death is bad, and whether immortality would be desirable.Being confronted with the fact of your death can also help focus questions about how you should live. It presses you to think about what makes life worth living? What makes a life meaningful? Are there objective answers to what makes a life meaningful, or is this a personal choice? If meaningfulness involves some kind of overarching project (e.g., achieving something, leaving something behind, participating in something larger than ourselves) is meaningfulness worth pursuing, or should we instead throw off the tyranny of purposes and just live?These are the things we will be talking about over the course of the semester. AS.001.245. FYS: Being and Knowing on Turtle Island- American Indian Philosophy. 3 Credits. More than 500 federally-recognized Native tribes and many more who are not federally recognized live within the borders of the United States. Each of these communities has its own history, identity, traditions, relationship to the land, and story of survivance. This First-Year Seminar examines the views of Indigenous communities on topics such as truth, knowledge, identity and the self, causation, and ethics. It also investigates contemporary American Indian thought as it relates to colonialism and anti-colonialism, land, futurity, sovereignty, and resistance. Students will hear from guest lecturers working at the forefront of the discipline and enrich their learning through a trip to the Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. AS.001.246. FYS: Imagining Climate Change. 3 Credits. Climate change poses an existential threat to human civilization. Yet the attention and concern it receives in ordinary life and culture is nowhere near what science tells us is required. What are the causes of this mismatch between crisis and response? What accounts for our collective inability to imagine and grasp this new reality, and how can it be overcome? In pursuit of these questions, we will pair literary works and films with texts from politics, philosophy, literary theory, and religion, that frame climate change as a fundamental challenge to our ways of making sense of the human condition. AS.001.247. FYS: African Cities: Past and Present. 3 Credits. What are the implications of Africa’s urban revolution? In the last century, Africa’s cities have boomed at a dizzying pace, witnessing the most rapid urbanization in human history. This trend is unstoppable; yet it comes with opportunities and challenges. This first-year seminar invites students to explore Africa’s cities, their evolution from precolonial times to the digital age, their quest for modernity, and the unique repertoires of urban life they have registered thanks to the creativity of their overwhelming young denizens AS.001.248. FYS: Who has an accent? Dialects of English. 3 Credits. Language is at the heart of human interaction. What are the linguistic habits that unite or divide us? This First-Year Seminar introduces students to dialects of English speakers around the world. Students will explore the major properties that cross-cut different varieties of English, including regional or socially-driven accents of North America, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, as well as other World Englishes. Particular attention will be paid to pronunciation, so students will practice the International Phonetic Alphabet and learn acoustic analysis through hands-on activities, but discussion will also focus on dialectal differences in word choice, sentence structure, and linguistic meaning. We will engage with known and emerging varieties of English by drawing on academic sources, multimedia materials, and real-world experience. Who speaks with an accent? Everyone! AS.001.250. FYS: Queer Archives. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar offers an in-depth exploration of Baltimore’s queer and trans archives, expansively defined, engaging with interdisciplinary scholarship on "the archive" within queer and trans studies. Beginning with a brief survey of U.S. LGBTQ history, students delve into archival research methods and hands-on explorations in JHU Special Collections. We then engage with queer theory, performance studies, and public humanities scholarship to ask what we can know of the recoverable past and what silences the archive might contain, approaching the queer archive as a complex record of activity that includes ephemera of events, shows, and collective affect; innuendo and gossip; residues of queer nightlife; performance and gesture. We ground these theoretical explorations by visiting Baltimore-based institutional and non-institutional archives, where we engage with 1970s LGBT newspapers and 1960s medical documents, oral histories recorded by local trans artists, street youth photography, and the embodied archives of vogue performance. Throughout the course, we underscore the transformative potential of engaging with the queer and trans past to forge solidarities in the present and map more just and gorgeous futures. AS.001.251. FYS: Ancient Bodies through Ancient Things. 3 Credits. How can we move from our own interactions with ancient objects today to a sense of the richness and particularity of people’s lived experience in the distant past? This First-Year Seminar is based in the Archaeological Museum on campus, allowing for daily hands-on work with artifacts. We use the lens of bodies as we learn to interrogate ancient things for indications of how people cared for, ornamented, protected, altered, understood, and represented not only their physical but also their socio-cultural persons. The class pairs readings for discussion with analysis of objects. Weekly themes draw out certain types of bodily experience, working with objects that were, e.g., worn in battle; held/worn during birth; connected to healing; used to adorn or shape the body (such as jewelry, clothing, and magical amulets); utilized by craftspersons in their handwork; involved in rites of passage; or incorporated into contexts of bodily death. Our approach is deeply cross-disciplinary, integrating techniques and interests from the fields of classics, archaeology, history of art, the life sciences, and materials analysis. Outings will take us to other museums in the area to engage with their collections, as well. AS.001.252. FYS: Energy and Climate Change. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar, we will try to understand together the basic physics of energy and climate change. We'll try to derive estimates, from basic high-school physics, for how much energy it takes to drive a car across the country; fly across the country; to get ChatGPT to write an essay for us; to heat and light our homes; send a SpaceX Starship into space; etc. Should you be riding that electric scooter or e-bike when you could ride a (muscle-powered) bike? We'll figure out how much carbon is put into the atmosphere each time we do any of these things, and how that carbon affects the climate. We'll think about ways to save energy, reduce carbon emissions, and sequester carbon. We'll study various prospects for clean energy and what needs to be done to have them implemented. We'll try to figure out if we should be thinking about geo-engineering. We'll spend the first few weeks working together to identify specific questions we'd like to think about and then follow through the rest of the semester, relying on varied sources along the way. AS.001.253. FYS: The Drama of Artificial Intelligence. 3 Credits. From the rise of machine consciousness to the ethics of automation, artificial intelligence has captured the human imagination. This First-Year Seminar explores how playwrights and theater artists engage with AI as a dramatic subject, a creative tool, and a lens for examining the human condition. Through an interdisciplinary approach, and co-taught by faculty in Psychological and Brain Sciences and Theatre, students will analyze plays and performances that grapple with the hopes and anxieties surrounding AI. Works such as Karel Capek’s R.U.R. (which introduced the word “robot”), Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime, Jennifer Haley’s The Nether, and Nick Payne’s Constellations will serve as key texts alongside contemporary plays such as Julia Cho’s The Language, Rolin Jone’s The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow, The Effect by Lucy Prebble, and Photograph 51 by Anna Ziegler. We will also discuss experimental performances that integrate AI technologies. AS.001.254. FYS: Passion and Politics. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar examines the significance of passions, or emotions, in contemporary political life. It aims to understand the risks and possibilities associated with emotion, and to reflect critically on how debates over political inclusion and exclusion, justice and injustice are informed by emotions—real and imagined. We will consider questions such as: How did “reason” and passion-less “interests” come to serve as foundational ideals in modern, liberal societies? Why and when are emotional forms of political expression and conduct accepted, and when are they demonized? How and when do public expressions of fear inspire measures to protect national security? Under what conditions does anger fuel struggles for justice? What, if anything, is different about how passions operate within populist political parties and movements? And how are human experiences of emotion changing in algorithmically driven public spaces? Such questions will allow us to secure footholds in contemporary political environments often densely populated with impassioned rhetoric, backlash dynamics, and public fascination with political scandal, provocation, and conspiracy. We draw on some canonical texts in political thought before moving into multidisciplinary readings on moral psychology and the contemporary politics of emotion. Students will also have the opportunity to gather and assess emotional “artifacts” from contemporary political discourse. Topics for the seminar include: passions and interests; the politics of fear; anger and justice; dark sides of empathy; populism and resentment; algorithms and attention; and the carnival of conspiracy. AS.001.255. FYS: Lab Animals. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar explores the scientific-technological, philosophical, social, and ethical dimensions of using animals for scientific research from the early nineteenth century to present. Why did scientists use animals and how did they choose “the right animal for the job”? How did philosophers define a “model organism”? What were the political economies formed within research communities sharing research animals? How did financial and material infrastructure take shape for large-scale, long-term maintenance of genetically standardized mice or zebrafish? How did the interpretations of animals reflect the social imaginaries of researchers and our society? And how did animals “speak” back? These are questions we are going to examine through reading scholarly publications, watching documentaries, visiting laboratories, and doing mini research projects together. AS.001.256. FYS: Monuments and Memory in Asian History. 3 Credits. Sites like the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, and Angkor Wat conjure images that often have more to do with fantasy than fact. Modern monuments like Yasukuni Shrine and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial similarly evoke history, memory, and myth. Why (and how) were these monuments built? How have their meanings changed over time and why? What forces have transformed them into symbols of national identity and cultural otherness? This First-Year Seminar will explore the ritual, political, historical, and religious significance of monumental sites in Asia. We will also examine their more recent role as sites for political mobilization, as signifiers of cultural and national identities, and as commodities in global and local tourism. AS.001.257. FYS: Humans, Computers and Artificial Intelligences in Chemistry. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar, we will discuss the role of humans, computers, data-aggregators, and large language models in discovering or creating chemical principles - and in how such knowledge is distributed. We will start by discussing the nature of scientific research (e.g. Pasteur's quadrant), and its implications on the funding of science. The results of such work must be published in order for science to be advanced. Should access to it be free (open) to consumers? If not, how is the curation of knowledge to be subsidized? Such dissemination must go beyond scientists, and we will explore ways in which we can communicate science to the public effectively. This will lead us to explore how the information will be synthesized. Whoever can best do this task will undoubtedly make the discoveries of this century. Will it be humans, computers or A.I.? We will explore who might win the 2025 Nobel Prizes in Chemistry and Physics, and whether an A.I. will eventually outperform them. AS.001.259. FYS: Global Nude: The Art of the Human Body in the World. 3 Credits. Ever wonder: we are all born nude, but most of us wear clothes, at least when facing the public in our adult life. We are told nude is not the same as just “naked”: it is an art form. However, in grand museums, we see plenty of representation of nudes in, let’s say, the European wings. But if we turn the corner to other galleries dedicated to other traditions of art, we might see none. We gaze at a marble statue of a classical nude there, and when we go watch a film with nude scenes in a cinema with friends and strangers, we respond very differently in these two spaces. We quickly ask ourselves, is this pornographic? Is this art? Am I cool? Do I look prudish? In this First-Year Seminar, we will go to museums, watch movies, and take a global, historical, and multimedia perspective to approach nude as art in the world. How is nude defined? What are the philosophical and scientific ideas that find nude as an ideal vehicle? What are the historical and cultural particularities of classical nude that have been taken for centuries as universal? How do other art traditions approach the representation of an unclothed nude body? How are nudes gendered, sexualized, classed, and racialized? How do modern media transform nude? These are among the questions that this class explores. The Truth is naked, as the saying goes. Nude is therefore a mirror reflecting both the foundations and aspirations of humanity. AS.001.260. FYS: Whatever Happened to the Space Age? A Global History from Sputnik to SpaceX. 3 Credits. Remember the moon landing? Of course you don't, but no one who watched it on television would have guessed that the last moon walk would be in 1972. Now some of us are ready to 'Occupy Mars'. This First-Year Seminar will explore the Space Age from the launch of the Soviet Sputnik in 1957 to the International Space Station, including military and civilian programs, unmanned and manned missions, and new competitors in our current space race, such as China, India, and the European Space Agency. We will read contemporary and historical accounts (October Sky and The Right Stuff) and screen some classic space age feature films and documentaries. We will pay particular attention to Johns Hopkins University's contributions, notably the Hubble and Webb Space Telescopes and the Applied Physics Laboratory's satellite program. We'll talk with experts at the Space Telescope Science Institute and APL, and tour the National Air and Space Museum collections with the curator of manned spaceflight. In groups, students will prepare future space mission proposals for NASA and SpaceX, and present them to a distinguished panel of Hopkins space scientists and engineers. AS.001.261. FYS: Museum Matters. 3 Credits. Museums are crucibles, places where public memory, identity, and cultural values are debated, hammered out and refined. This First-Year Seminar examines this premise through guided discussion, close looking at exhibitions past and present, written reflection, and visits that go behind the scenes of many of Baltimore's history, art, industry, and science museums. Just what is a museum and how does it compare to other sorts of cultural institutions? What responsibilities do museums have to their communities? to their collections? How do they balance the two? How are they adapting to broader social, economic, and cultural changes? And what is their future? Learn how to decode museums. Discover the varied roles they play in the life of a city like Baltimore. AS.001.262. FYS: Flowers in Art and Life: From Lotus-Eaters to The Flowers of Evil. 3 Credits. "What a strange thing! to be alive beneath cherry blossoms" wrote the Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa. Aristotle quotes the musician Stratonicos as saying: while a meal “smells delicious”, a fragrant flower “smells beautiful.” Maurice Maeterlinck, in 1907, ascribes intelligence to flowers. Why do flowers cause positive emotions? What is their relationship to memories? In this First-Year Seminar, we'll consider flowers in an interdisciplinary perspective, including literature, art history, aesthetics, and even ethics, including Ovid's Narcissus, the rose of Sharon in the Song of Solomon, Emily Dickinson's gardens, Marcel Proust's hawthorn-blossoms, and Zuzanna Ginczanka’s “girls like pasqueflowers”. Topics will range from beauty to synesthesia, metaphor to metamorphosis. A foray into music (Felix Mendelssohn and Gustav Mahler) may be included. Additionally, visits to the Cylburn Arboretum, Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens, the Walters or the BMA will enrich our FYS. We'll drink passionflower and linden flower teas and we'll eat orchids! AS.001.263. FYS: The Utopian Imagination. 3 Credits. How have we imagined utopic societies in the past and how do we do so now? What are the paradoxes and contradictions involved in imagining social alternatives? This First-Year Seminar examines modes of thought and imagination concerned with alternative, often future, worlds. We will consider classic and contemporary works of utopian (and dystopian) literature alongside instances of utopian thinking as manifested in philosophy, socioeconomic and political theory, art, architecture, and historical and current events. Through class discussions and brief writing assignments, collaborative projects, film screenings, and guest visits, we will engage a variety of themes including the relationship between technology and work, social hierarchy, the nature of history, and the character of social imagination. Texts may include works by Octavia Butler, Philip K. Dick, Thomas More, Samuel Butler, Ernst Bloch, Herbert Marcuse, Walter Benjamin, Le Corbusier, Marge Piercy, Ursula Le Guin, and W.E.B Du Bois, Samuel Delany, and Margaret Cavendish. AS.001.264. FYS: Luv Machines: Gender, Sexuality and Dating in Automation and Computation. 3 Credits. How do we understand and represent ourselves and others in the realm of digitally mediated love and intimacy? Through interdisciplinary readings and hands-on projects, this First-Year Seminar explores the intersection of technology, identity, and relationships, both before and after the advent of the computer age. Seemingly inescapable, computational systems shape the way we connect. However, algorithms, artificial intelligence, and search engines are not neutral—they are deeply entangled with questions of gender and sexuality. Amidst the promises of revolutionary changes brought by technological progress, we will critically examine how digital platforms both challenge and reinforce traditional norms around love, desire, and identity. AS.001.265. FYS: Who is Baltimore? Applying a Sociological Lens to Charm City. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar will introduce students to Baltimore by investigating various populations and institutions in their adopted hometown. Students will explore questions like: How has immigration shaped the city over the past 300 years? Who is trying to change Baltimore and how are they doing it? Who has power in Baltimore and how do they use it? We will learn about and apply social science research methods, such as analyzing survey data, mining university archives and special collections, and walking the streets of Baltimore observing and interviewing locals. We’ll also investigate research on Baltimore undertaken by Hopkins faculty to help students identify possible courses or research to pursue in the future. AS.001.266. FYS: Cycles of Life and Death: Exploring Buddhist Death and Ritual. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar examines how Buddhist traditions understand and navigate death, dying, and the afterlife. More specifically, drawing on case studies from South, East, and Southeast Asia, the course investigates historical practices and contemporary adaptations, offering insights into how Buddhist communities confront mortality, support the dying, and honor the dead. Engaging with sacred texts, ethnographic accounts, visual media, and field trips (Buddhist temples, museums, parks, and cemeteries) students will gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between ritual, mythology, material culture, and cultural context in shaping Buddhist responses to life's ultimate transition. AS.001.267. FYS: George Eliot's Middlemarch: Passion, Idealism, and Science. 3 Credits. This FYS will be devoted to reading a single work, often called the greatest English novel: George Eliot’s Middlemarch. It's a love story, and story about loving one's work; one of its protagonists is a scientist, the other an idealistic and passionate young woman. It's a novel that readers remember through their lives, and return to reread as their life changes. It's beautiful and the questions it raises continue to matter:What happens when love and your career conflict? How much are you willing to compromise your committments? How can you maintain your ideals when you also need to have an income? And how can stories help us understand, and perhaps change, a disappointing world? Our conversations will address these questions, try to understand why the novel is considered so highly, and reflect on how it speaks to our contemporary concerns. Students will be asked to read the novel with patience and energy and to write informal response papers. AS.001.268. FYS: What Makes Us Human?. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar, we explore the long history of humans thinking about what it means to be human. In myth, religion, science, art, literature, and philosophy, humans have never stopped posing the question of how we fit in, or fail to fit in, to the natural world; what our relation is to the cosmos, to gods, to animals, and even to other beings we may not yet have encountered. In our own quest we will read fascinating stories, poems, and philosophical texts; visit museums to view and discuss provocative works of art; and delve into the ramifications of our thinking they impact our relations with machines, with non-human animals, and with each other. AS.001.269. FYS: What is the Meaning of Life?. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar explores how works of literature and philosophy respond to the question of the meaning of life. We will focus on the conditions of modern life – alienation, boredom, technology, modern warfare, the loss of tradition, the “death of God,” ecological crisis – that give rise to this perennial question in new and urgent ways. As meaninglessness looms, the capacity for revivifying and creative responses to this existential challenge emerge. Through close readings of literary texts such as Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych, Kafka’s A Report for an Academy, Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, James’s The Beast in the Jungle, Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, Chekhov’s The Bet, and Coetzee’s The Lives of Animals alongside philosophical texts by Kierkegaard, Sartre, Beauvoir, Camus, Heidegger, and others, we will seek to understand how thinkers and writers in the modern era pose key questions about whether life has meaning, and how we can discover or create it. Visits to the rare books collection in Sheridan Libraries, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Charles Theatre will enrich our discussions of these themes. Students will also engage in a series of in-class writing exercises throughout the semester, culminating in a hybrid creative/critical project that explores the philosophical ideas and literary forms they encounter in these works. AS.001.270. FYS: Computer-Verified Proof: a Hands-On Intro to Interactive Theorem Proving. 3 Credits. TBD AS.001.271. FYS: Happy Birthday Jane Austen! Exploring the Magic of Her Fiction. 3 Credits. Jane Austen was born 250 years ago and remains widely read, but why? The world she inhabited and describes is very remote, so there must be something magical about how she uses words to create a fictional universe. The novel Emma (1815) will serve as our test-case as we delve into its pages to discover Austen’s world and her genius for plotting stories that involve romantic situations. We will need extra tools as well: they are provided by films (Clueless as well as Autumn de Wilde's Emma.), a few scholarly readings, and visits to our BMA museum as well as to the Morgan library. What I am aiming for in this First-Year Seminar is double: to renew or enrich your appreciation of books as long-lasting artefacts made entirely of words, and to help you enter, in your imagination, into a very different reality, which is filled however with aspirations for love and happiness that remain as true now as in her own time.Required for success in this course is a) a willingness to study pages of her text closely (as she wrote to her brother, her literary labors involved a fine brush to create their effects) and b) teamwork leading to oral presentations. AS.001.272. FYS: Learning to Walk: Experiments in Experience. 3 Credits. This is a First-Year Seminar about the literature and phenomena of walking: its great poets, its cultural and social meanings, and the practices that organize our attention to movement through space. How does walking relate to necessity and freedom, public and private space, the environment, and the rhythm of thinking itself? We’ll consider major writings and films on walking through urban and wild places, including H.D. Thoreau’s praise of “sauntering,” Walter Benjamin on the urban “flâneur” (stroller), Gwendolyn Brooks’s poems of Chicago streets, Agnès Varda’s documentary of the “gleaner” who makes her art from what others leave behind, Sunaura Taylor’s reflection on walking and disability, and W. G. Sebald’s knack for discovering history wherever he roamed. We will also learn how famous planners and urbanists shape the experience of walking from the Appalachian Trail to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Most importantly, we’ll adopt these practices of attention to explore Johns Hopkins campus and Baltimore City's landscapes, environments, and geography. About half our sessions will meet outdoors for walks through the many neighborhoods surrounding Johns Hopkins and elsewhere in Baltimore, sometimes joined by a special guest, writer, or artist. Here, we’ll learn how to be something more than detached passers-by. Instead, we’ll become active investigators of the most ordinary parts of our reality and experience. Aside from reading and participating in our walks and discussion, brief exercises prompt you to move through the world and to craft compelling records of your experiences, observations, and curiosity. AS.001.273. FYS: The Long Civil Rights Movement in 20th-Century America. 3 Credits. This seminar traces the development of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States over the course of the 20th Century. By exploring some of the major sites of conflict, activism, protest, opposition, and resistance in modern African American History, we will begin to complicate traditional understandings of Black freedom struggles in the United States. Why and how did African Americans mobilize and organize for their rights? How did they imagine citizenship, Black freedom, and equality within the United States? How did these events impact public life and public policy? What are the legacies of the movement? Students will analyze a broad range of primary and secondary source materials, including the writings of W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and more. Additionally, students will watch a series of civil rights films related to the broad themes of the course and will visit local museums and archives as part of a larger experiential component, to better understand the significance of the modern Civil Rights Movement on contemporary American society and culture. AS.001.274. FYS: Queer Performativity. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar examines the intersections of queer theory, performance studies, and LGBTQ history with a focus on “queer worldmaking:” the ways in which performances—both theatrical and everyday rituals—can establish oppositional publics and politics. We take an interdisciplinary approach to historical research, considering embodied memory, gesture, and ritual as methods for learning, preserving, and transmitting cultural knowledge. Case studies include the ballroom and voguing scene in Baltimore and beyond, migratory street youth subcultures, drag performance, and queer nightlife. AS.001.275. FYS: French Food for Thought. 3 Credits. "What is it with the French and snails? Did you know they have a specific word for eating badly? (“la malbouffe”) Where did restaurants come from? This First-Year Seminar will explore the rich and diverse culinary traditions of France, from production to creation, presentation, and consumption. How are food practices informed by historical, political, and cultural factors? To what extent do they contribute to our values and worldview? Students will delve into perceptions of food and eating, shopping habits, the art of meal preparation, the importance of local ingredients and regional dishes, the role of food in French social life, as well as the politics of food and the environment. We will read and discuss materials from a broad range of sources, from scholarly journals and book excerpts to the popular press; examine paintings and archival documents; listen to songs; watch and analyze films; and of course, taste a wide variety of French foods. AS.001.276. FYS: Friends or Foes? US-European Relations since 1979. 3 Credits. This First-year Seminar offers students the opportunity to better understand current debates through the lens of key documents and controversies that illustrate shared interests and disagreements between the US and Europe since the pivotal year 1979. Topics include but are not limited to: NATO, arms limitations and reduction, the Polish Crisis, Chernobyl, Gorbachev, German unification, collapse of the Soviet Union, 9/11 and the GWOT, the financial crisis of 2008-2012, Ukraine, the EU, the rise of China and climate change. The seminar includes a visit to the Delegation of the European Union in DC and other conversations with experts. AS.001.277. FYS: Foundations of Acting. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar is an Ensemble-focused exploration of foundational exercises and techniques in the art and craft of Acting. Together we'll practice in voice, movement, listening, and improvisation. Students will read a selection of plays and develop interpretive storytelling skills, building toward scene work and monologue performance. This class requires no previous acting experience, but will offer preparation for advanced acting and performance classes. AS.001.278. FYS: Games People Play. 3 Credits. What is play? How does play form part of our social being and innermost sense of self? What importance do particular games hold not only in players’ intimate lives but also in social formations, from quirky subcultures to nations and empires? Historians of play contend that games precede formal philosophy and religion and are arguably the forgotten basis on which societies took shape. As a way of being in the world, play may be understood as a mode of symbolic action and of engagement with the object world. But playfulness is also something more than behavior and meaning alone; it is also that tacit context surrounding activity and signaling “this is play.” When we play today, we may be training or distracting our minds, creating or destroying entire worlds, teaching or transgressing ways of being in the world. Anytime we play a game we enter into it by free volition, yet we surrender our autonomy to its rules and constraints. Play is deeply paradoxical and paradoxically deep! This First_year Seminar will explore the bounding of time and space, the shaping of identities, the cultivation of skill, and the construction of social reality through play. Through ethnographic studies of virtual worlds, simulations, casinos, sports, and war games we will encounter new approaches to understanding imagination, labor, competition, hierarchy, and other key cultural ideas. In addition to outings to observe leisure spaces and film screenings, we will also play selected games, examine their mechanics, and reflect on their worlds of possibility. Finally, you will draw on course materials to design a game of your own and play-test it with classmates. AS.001.279. FYS: Social and Physical Geography of Baltimore: Making Sense of the City. 3 Credits. Using multiple disciplinary perspectives, this First-Year Seminar asks us to think about why Baltimore is the way it is, and how we might understand the potential for change. We begin with some history and geography, looking at the impact of the port and of the Jones Falls on the development of the city and its social geography. Through an examination of redlining and housing policy, we then investigate the question of how both geography and policy decisions have lasting repercussions on opportunities for different groups of people. Core questions include, what determines the trajectory of cities and the people within them? How do natural, political, and social factors interact to explain the outcomes of different urban populations? What are the levers available to both policy-makers and activists to change these outcomes? Key texts include David Harvey's A View from Federal Hill, Antero Pietila's Not in My Neighborhood, and Stefanie DeLuca's Coming of Age in the Other America. The course incorporates field trips to see different geographical features, historical sites, and current neighborhoods firsthand, as well as interactions with community members through community-based learning. AS.001.280. FYS: Spilling the Tea: The Political Economy & Ecology of Tea. 3 Credits. Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, with almost 7 million tonnes grown, harvested, processed, and packaged annually. Whether you use loose leaf or tea bags, drink green tea or black, add sugar or cream, use it to stay awake or go to sleep, or consume it in solitude or with friends to share gossip, you are participating in the worldwide consumption of tea, which has created economic relations (and wars), new ecosystems for plants and animals (and humans), and is culturally significant in public and private spaces. In short, tea organizes people’s homes, government meetings, economies, investment markets, and landscapes. In this First-Year Seminar, we will examine the history and present-day production of tea and how it creates and recreates social relations and environments. In addition to learning about tea (and tasting different kinds), students will be exposed to research methodologies in the fields of sociology, anthropology, and communication studies. By the end of class, students will have an understanding of the different kinds of teas (and how to prepare them), the role tea plays in society, and how tea functions within ecosystems. AS.001.281. FYS: The Political Economy of the Pinkertons. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar explores the history of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, the first American detective firm and a major force in American politics from the 1850s through the 1930s. We will follow the Pinkertons from Civil War battlefields to the bloody fights over the American West, as they chase train robbers, break strikes, and create a trail of enemies along the way. Over the course of the semester, we will visit the B&O Railroad Museum and also investigate representations of the Pinkertons in popular culture, including the video game Red Dead Redemption 2. AS.001.282. FYS: Explorations in Biological Anthropology: What it Means to be Human. 3 Credits. "This First-Year Seminar is an introduction to the field of biological anthropology, which is broadly a mixture of social studies and biological studies that focus on human evolution and human biosocial variation. We will explore evolutionary theory and mechanisms of inheritance, the diversity of living primates, the fossil record, human evolution, and modern human biological variation. We will begin the semester by learning the basic principles of evolution and natural selection as proposed by Charles Darwin. We will then move on to consider the primate condition across species and through time. This involves examining the taxonomy of extant monkeys and apes as well as the fossil and archaeological record of our hominin ancestors that begins some 7 million years ago. This will involve excursions to local zoos and museums, as well as visits to labs right here at Hopkins. Following a survey of human biocultural evolution, we will consider how this history has influenced contemporary human biological variation. AS.001.283. FYS: Hoop Style: The Culture, Language, and Iconography of the NBA. 3 Credits. In this First-Year Seminar, we’ll gather high-level hoopheads to study the National Basketball Association (the coolest professional sports league in the world). Our key questions will be why is the NBA so dope and how did it get to be so dope? Said another way, we’ll use the methods of humanistic, linguistic, and rhetorical visual analysis to study the culture, language, and iconography of the NBA. No zone defenses here: we’re bringing a full-court press to cultural artifacts like the dunk contest, the euro-step, Allen Iverson’s hip-hop fashion (and David Stern’s short-lived player dress code), why some folks say they like the college game better than the pro game, uniform/court/mascot designs, how advanced statistical analytics have the changed the game (deep breath), and much, much more. We’ll read texts like David Halberstam’s The Breaks of the Game (about the 1978 Portland Trailblazers) and the posts from the now defunct but very influential FreeDarko blog. We’ll watch videos like the 1990s Chicago Bulls documentary The Last Dance, Hustle, and Hoop Dreams. Oh, and if you’re into experiential learning, we’ll probably check out a Wizards game in D.C. and play a little pick up at the gym. I hope my knees hold up. See you at the rim. AS.001.284. FYS: Forensic Isotopes: Where does your food come from and should you care?. 3 Credits. Knowing where your food comes from is important for various environmental, health, ethical, and aesthetic reasons. Stable isotopes – forms of the same element with different masses – can be used to verify the origin of food. In this First-Year Seminar, we will discuss motivations for determining food sources including questions of the environmental cost of different modes of production, the different environmental factors that impact nutrient levels in food, how regional laws affect food production practices, and how protected designation of origin labels impact how food is made and distributed. We will also discuss how stable isotope signatures can be used to identify food origin and how we assess confidence in stable isotope-based identifications. Have no doubt: in-class food tastings will most definitely be used to guide the discussion of aesthetic motivations for knowing where food comes from. AS.001.285. FYS: Seeing Nature- Environment and Art. 3 Credits. This First-Year Seminar combines ecology and art, allowing students to create art inspired by observations of the natural environment. Taken together, these dual methodologies of scientific observation and artistic production will encourage students to explore core questions about human creativity as influenced by nature. The course invites participants to consider their sensory experiences about the poetics and intricacies of the natural world. Together we will focus on ecological details, observing natural patterns and exploring their symbolic meanings. We will also learn to appreciate the visual language of fine art by taking a broader view of landscapes. Through museum visits, recording sounds in nature, and creating visual representations such as drawings, photographs, and video, students will develop various art techniques, culminating in a multimedia art form. AS.001.286. FYS: Poetry for scientists and everyone else. 3 Credits. “Why poetry?,” you might ask. At first glance, science and poetry seem like unlikely companions, yet this course will explore the ways in which they can complement each other. Poetry encourages us to slow down, reflect, and engage with big ideas. We will read a diverse selection of poems from various languages and cultures that explore questions of scientific discovery, space, the environment, biology, aging, and medicine. We will examine how these poems grapple with scientific concepts, the natural world, and the human experience. Students will also be invited to discover and share poems that speak to their scientific and intellectual interests. Throughout the course, we will approach poetry not as an intimidating art form to be decoded, but as a space for reflection, playful exploration of ideas, and deeper thinking. Readings are in English and English translation ranging from Dylan Thomas, Marianne Moore, Jane Hirshfield, Scott Momaday, David Ignatow to German writer Johann Wolfang von Goethe, French poet Jacques Prévert, Swedish author Harry Martinson and Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska. AS.001.287. FYS: The Science and Non-science of our Medicines. 3 Credits. The process of developing new medicines for humans involves tremendous effort across many scientific disciplines. Science has been the driving force behind numerous groundbreaking medicines discovered over the past century. Equally fascinating are the ongoing debates about the true value of medicines in relation to patients' quality of life. This First-Year seminar explores both the scientific and non-scientific aspects behind our medicines through a discussion-driven format. Some of the key questions to be addressed in this course include: How are medicines discovered and developed? How has science influenced the discovery of new treatments? Why does it take so much time and money to bring a new medicine to market? Who decides the price of a drug? Who actually pays for your medicines? Are new medicines really as expensive as they seem? By examining multiple sources of information and engaging in thoughtful discussions, students will develop their own informed opinions on these issues, rather than simply accepting what they see in the media at face value. AS.001.288. FYS: Planetary Health[care]: Practicing Medicine in the Anthropocene. 3 Credits. Over the past century, we have increased life expectancy, reduced poverty, and expanded access to education and healthcare, but these achievements now face growing threats from environmental degradation, climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The emerging field of Planetary Health recognizes that human well-being is inseparable from the health of Earth’s natural systems, which are under unprecedented strain. Healthcare is both a driver of these challenges and a sector uniquely positioned to be part of the solution. From interdisciplinary discussions to off-campus experiences, this First-Year Seminar will challenge students to rethink medical practice—not as an isolated pursuit, but as part of an interconnected system. As we enter the Anthropocene—an era in which human activity is the dominant force shaping the planet—clinicians must confront the responsibility of navigating a world at a crossroads: one where we can either build on our progress or risk backsliding on the very health gains that define modern medicine. To meet this challenge, we will explore not only scientific and technological solutions but also the wisdom embedded in the arts, faith-based traditions, and indigenous knowledge—recognizing that healing has always been a profoundly human endeavor. Engaging with the legacy of innovation at Johns Hopkins Medicine, we will ask ourselves and each other: How must we redefine the role of medicine to meet the challenges of this new era? AS.001.289. FYS: Origins of Language: Creation, Acquisition, and Invention. 3 Credits. Any list of human accomplishments will include natural language. While every human society has a language, no other animal has a communication system with this scope and complexity. How do languages emerge and evolve, and how are they learned? What happens when a child is born into an environment with no accessible language (e.g., deaf children who are born to hearing parents who do not know a sign language)?In this seminar, we’ll explore how children acquire – or even create – language in different environments. Case studies include international adoptees, blind children, deaf children, and autistic children. We’ll also examine real-world cases like homesign systems, pidgins and creoles, and Lengua de Señas Nicaragüense (also known as Nicaraguan Sign Language). We’ll also discuss languages which have been consciously and painstakingly designed (Game of Thrones, Avatar, etc.), constructed international systems (Esperanto, International Sign), and large language models (e.g., ChatGPT4). This course invites students to think critically about what language is, where it comes from, and variation in human experiences.
History
School of Arts and Sciences
The Department of History offers students the opportunity to work intensively in the classroom and with individual faculty to discover the richness and complexity of history. Undergraduates begin with general courses, but progress quickly to courses that explore topics in depth and provide experience in researching, analyzing, and writing about the past. Graduate students work independently and with faculty advisors on reading and research in their fields of interest, while departmental seminars bring them together to discuss their research, forging a collegial intellectual culture. The department emphasizes European history, United States history, and the histories of Africa, Latin America, and East Asia. Faculty and students participate in a variety of interdisciplinary programs, including Africana Studies, East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, Judaic Studies, Museums and Society, the Program for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality, and International Studies. Students also have opportunities to work with the Singleton Center for the Study of Premodern Europe and the Stern Center for the History of the Book in the Renaissance.
International Studies
School of Arts and Sciences
The International Studies major is an interdisciplinary program drawn from the departments of political science, history, economics, languages, sociology, and anthropology. There are three programs in International Studies: a regular undergraduate major leading to the B.A. degree in four years, and two programs leading to a B.A. and M.A. degree. One of these B.A./M.A. programs is in partnership with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. and the other is with political science institute Sciences Po in Paris. The three programs, and all other aspects of the International Studies Program, are described on the International Studies website .
Chemistry
School of Arts and Sciences
The Department of Chemistry, in conjunction with other departments of the university, offers a broad education and the opportunity to do research in chemistry and related fields. The great diversity of the field of chemistry, ranging between physics and biology, is reflected in the research interests of the faculty. Undergraduate chemistry majors usually go on to graduate study in chemistry, chemical engineering, biology, oceanography, geochemistry, biophysics, environmental sciences, or medicine, while others enter the chemical industry. The Ph.D. in chemistry leads to professional careers in colleges and universities, research institutes, industry, and government laboratories.
AS.361 (Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies)
http://e-catalogue.jhu.g.sjuku.top/course-descriptions/latin-american-caribbean-latinx-studies/
AS.361.100. Introduction to Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies. 3 Credits. An interdisciplinary introduction to the ways of life of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx peoples, their origins, historical legacies, and current cultural expressions. This course assumes no prior knowledge and incorporates the insights of several disciplines including anthropology, history, political science, economics, cultural studies, literary criticism, and ethnomusicology. The course seeks to comprehend the region from multiple perspectives and to provide a broad conceptual overview. Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken AS.361.130 are not eligible to take AS.361.100 . Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Ethics and Foundations (FA5) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.361.200. Popular Music in Latin America: Dissent, Resistance, Tranformation. 3 Credits. Popular music is central to Latin American cultural practices. From Carmen Miranda to Bad Bunny, from Carlos Gardel to Karol G, this course examines the works of numerous performers and songwriters who have defined the Latin American songbook, elevating it to one of the most sophisticated art forms in the Americas. We will explore a vast range of musical genres that constitute the diverse soundscape of Latin American popular music, from Argentine Tango and Brazilian Samba to Colombian Salsa, Dominican Dembow, and Son Cubano. Our exploration will encompass its Afro-diasporic, Indigenous, and European origins, the impact of the cultural industry, and its intersections with the region’s social and political history. We will delve into the stories behind the songs, reflecting on their instrumental roles in shaping identity, citizenship, sensibility, political dissent, and resistance. Through listening sessions, critical and theoretical texts, and open discussions, participants will enhance their understanding of the musical and artistic forces that have shaped Latin American history and culture. Distribution Area: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.361.300. Documentary Cinema in Latin America: Memory, Politics, Poetics. 3 Credits. How can films create and reframe historical narratives? How do films convey collective histories, such as the struggle to defend the rights of nature in the Amazon rainforest, the post-revolutionary racialization of Afro-Cuban farmworkers in the outskirts of La Habana, or the bloody 1973 coup d’état in Chile? How can experimental aesthetics settle with a population struggling with hunger in Brazil? This seminar delves into the documentary mode within Latin American cinema, exploring the intricate relationship between personal and collective memories, politics, and the poetics of filmmaking. Despite being broadly defined by a commitment to concepts like “fact” and “reality,” documentaries blur the distinction between fictional and non-fictional narratives. Documentaries denounce, interpret, and construct the telling of historical events; they also investigate, reflect, and reenact autobiographical accounts. Our course takes a multidisciplinary approach, analyzing several films as both works of art and historical documents, that is, works that recount the region’s social, aesthetic, political, and economic realities. We will examine various topics, including memory, identity, politics, ethics, aesthetics, nature, human and more-than-human rights, and social justice, by analyzing productions from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, México, and more. We’ll draw from various fields and disciplines, including film and media studies, performance studies, philosophy, anthropology, and memory studies. This course presents an exceptional opportunity to expand our knowledge and understanding of Latin America by analyzing some of the most thought-provoking films ever made. AS Foundational Abilities: Culture and Aesthetics (FA3), Citizens and Society (FA4), Democracy (FA4.1) EN Foundational Abilities: Creative Expression (FA3), Engagement with Society (FA4) AS.361.623. LACLxS Reading Seminar: Caribbean Worlds. 3 Credits. This interdisciplinary graduate seminar examines the Caribbean as a dynamic and multifaceted region shaped by its diverse populations, colonial entanglements, and enduring struggles for sovereignty and self-determination. Emphasizing the Caribbean’s role as a site of political, economic, and cultural innovation, the course engages major themes including indigeneity, slavery and colonial domination, race and racism, gender and sexuality, diaspora, and contested models of “development.” These issues will be analyzed through the writings and perspectives of Caribbean thinkers—both historical and contemporary—who have critically shaped regional and global discourses. Rather than positioning the Caribbean as simply “peripheral,” this course foregrounds the region as a generative space of intellectual, cultural, and political resilience with profound relevance to broader conversations in Latin America and the Global South.
External Credit Policies
...for AS.171.101 General Physics: Physical Science Major I or AS.171.103 General...
Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies (LACLxS)
School of Arts and Sciences
...Languages and Literatures AS.210.171. Portuguese Elements...FA4) Writing Intensive AS.211.103. The missing...
Space Science and Engineering, Minor
School of Arts and Sciences
...like AS.171.103 General Physics I for Biological Science Majors and AS.171.104...
Pre-medicine, Post Baccalaureate Certificate
School of Arts and Sciences
...Biological Science Majors ( AS.171.103 ) & General Physics/Biology Majors II ( AS.171.104 ) with...