Sustainability-related courses explore social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability challenges and solutions. The courses vary in the degree to which sustainability is a focus of study and are classified into two categories. Sustainability Investigations courses (SINV) engage students in a deep and focused study of problems with sustainability as a major emphasis of the course. Sustainability Connections courses (SCON) engage students in making connections between the main topic of the course and sustainability. Sustainability is related to but is not a major focus of SCON courses. Beginning with the Class of 2019, all students must complete a sustainability course as a graduation requirement.
Sustainability Course Search
Sustainability Courses
in Fall 2025
Africana Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
AFST-170 Fall 2025 |
African Civilizations to 1850 Ball, Jeremy This course provides an overview to the political, social, and ecological history of Africa. We will examine the peopling of the continent, the origins of agriculture, the growth of towns and the development of metal technology. Written sources before the 1400s are almost nonexistent for most of Africa, and so we will use archaeological and linguistic sources. The geographic focus of the course will be the Middle Nile, Aksum in Ethiopia, the Sudanic states in West Africa, Kongo in Central Africa, the Swahili states of the East African coast, and Zimbabwe and KwaZulu in Southern Africa. We will also examine the Atlantic Slave Trade and the colonization of the Cape of Good Hope.This course is cross-listed as HIST 170. |
SCON |
|
AFST-220 Fall 2025 |
African American Foodways Johnson, Lynn This course examines the multifarious ways in which food has influenced the expressions of African American identity and culture. We will begin with a discussion of food as a cultural connector that preserves the ties between African Americans and their African antecedents. Subsequently, we will consider specific African American culinary practices and the origins of soul food. Additionally, we will analyze the roles of food in African American social activism. In so doing, we will pay particular attention to the relationships that exist among food consumption, human rights, and African American communal health, as represented by the anti-soul food and black vegetarianism/veganism movements. |
SCON |
Anthropology
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ANTH-100 Fall 2025 |
Introduction to Biological Anthropology Weinstein, Karen This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of biological anthropology. We will examine the development of evolutionary theory. We will then apply evolutionary theory to understand principles of inheritance, familial and population genetics in humans, human biological diversity and adaptations to different environments, behavioral and ecological diversity in nonhuman primates, and the analysis of the human skeleton and fossil record to understand the origin and evolution of the human family. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. Offered three semesters over a two-year period. |
SCON |
|
ANTH-101 Fall 2025 |
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Ellison, James STAFF, ANTH This course is a comprehensive introduction to how cultural anthropologists study culture and society in diverse contexts. We will use ethnographic case studies from across the world to examine the ways people experience and transform social relationships and culture in areas including families, gender, ethnicity, health, religion, exchange, science, and even what it means to be a person. We will examine how culture and society are embedded within, shape, and are shaped by forces of economics, politics, and environment. Offered every semester. |
SCON |
|
ANTH-262 Fall 2025 |
South American Archaeology Biwer, Matthew This course examines the development of prehistoric societies in the South American continent through archaeological data. This course will explore the interactions of culture, economics, and politics in the prehistory of two major regions: the western Andean mountains and Pacific coast, and the eastern lowlands focusing on the Amazon River basin and Atlantic coast. In addition to learning the particular developments in each region, we will address three overarching themes: 1)What role did the environment play in shaping socio-political developments? 2) What influence do ethnographic and ethno-historical sources have on the interpretation of pre-Hispanic societies in South America? 3) What were the interactions between highland and lowland populations, and what influence did they have (if any) on their respective developments? This course is cross-listed as ARCH 262 and LALC 262. |
SCON |
|
ANTH-345 Fall 2025 |
The Future in Ruins Ellison, James Distress in our world raises pressing questions about the future. What will it be like? Is it singular? Who gets to shape futures? How do futures relate to what came before, and to what exists now? Possible futures permeate people's world-building efforts. Crafted in relational presents, futures also reside amid the ruins of varied pasts. We will examine how future-making embodies hoped for futures across cultures in the present and past and in our own lives. Our pursuit will include architecture, built environments, landscapes, art, and social networks. We will explore how various agents collaborate in future-worlds, including other forms of life, materials, technologies, and milieus. We will also study temporal dimensions of future-making, and how the things humans help create constantly experience unmaking. From these lessons we will collaborate to imagine new world-building possibilities and implications for ethnographies of the future. |
SCON |
Archaeology
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ARCH-262 Fall 2025 |
South American Archaeology Biwer, Matthew This course examines the development of prehistoric societies in the South American continent through archaeological data. This course will explore the interactions of culture, economics, and politics in the prehistory of two major regions: the western Andean mountains and Pacific coast, and the eastern lowlands focusing on the Amazon River basin and Atlantic coast. In addition to learning the particular developments in each region, we will address three overarching themes: 1)What role did the environment play in shaping socio-political developments? 2) What influence do ethnographic and ethno-historical sources have on the interpretation of pre-Hispanic societies in South America? 3) What were the interactions between highland and lowland populations, and what influence did they have (if any) on their respective developments? This course is cross-listed as ANTH 262 and LALC 262. |
SCON |
Art & Art History
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ARTH-130 Fall 2025 |
Art and Sustainability Cervino, Anthony Eng, Rachel This course promotes themes of sustainability and social engagement as the catalyst for artmaking. Primarily investigated through the design and construction of sculptures, installation art or other creative acts, students will explore creative practices exemplified by land art, social practice art, collaborative art, and social sculpture, among others. |
SCON |
|
ARTH-224 Fall 2025 |
Wheelwork Ceramics Eng, Rachel A studio course exploring expressive possibilities offered by the potters wheel. Students will examine both utilitarian and sculptural aspects of the medium. A variety of clays, glazes and firing approaches will be examined. |
SCON |
Biology
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
BIOL-131 Fall 2025 |
Introduction to Organisms, Populations, and Ecosystems: Topics in Ocean Ecology Potthoff, Michael This introductory course spans levels of biological organization from basic multicellular microanatomy to organismal physiology and ecology, as understood through the lens of evolution. Course content will be focused around a specific theme determined by the instructor, and will include evolutionary principles of variation, selection, competition and cooperation, and how their operation at different levels of organization accounts for form and function of organisms, communities, and ecosystems. We will investigate homeostasis, reproduction and development as physiological processes that take place within organisms, and as ecological processes that interact with the environment and generate diversity of form over evolutionary time. Finally we will take stock of the existing forms and levels of biological organization and ask how their relationships establish the biosphere in which we live. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. This is one of two courses required of all Biology majors before entering the upper level. It is complementary to BIOL 132 – Introduction to Molecules, Genes, and Cells, and the courses may be taken in either order. |
SINV |
|
BIOL-301 Fall 2025 |
Paleontology Key, Marcus A systematic study of the invertebrate and vertebrate fossil groups, plants, and their evolution and relationships to living forms. |
SCON |
Creative Writing
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
CRWR-219 Fall 2025 |
Creative Nonfiction: Writing about Food Su, Adrienne Students taking Creative Nonfiction: Writing about Food will write food-related essays that channel some of the techniques of fiction writing, such as characterization, conflict, and the creation of a distinctive voice. Instructor and peer critiques will provide guidance for revision. We will also read classic and contemporary literature on food, including authors such as M.F.K. Fisher, Anthony Bourdain, Yiyun Li, Margaret Renkl, Fuchsia Dunlop, Chang-rae Lee, and Jonathan Swift. |
SCON |
Economics
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ECON-222 Fall 2025 |
Environmental Economics Underwood, Anthony A study of human production and consumption activities as they affect the natural and human environmental systems and as they are affected by those systems. The economic behavioral patterns associated with the market economy are scrutinized in order to reveal the biases in the decision-making process which may contribute to the deterioration of the resource base and of the quality of life in general. External costs and benefits, technological impacts, limits to economic growth, and issues of income and wealth distribution are examined. A range of potential policy measures, some consistent with our life style and some not, are evaluated. Prerequisite: 111. |
SINV |
English
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ENGL-101 Fall 2025 |
Literature and Food Phillips, Siobhan This course looks at how literary texts take on some key questions of food and culture, including the status of the body, the preservation and evolution of tradition, the effects and redress of hunger, the morality of pleasure, and the relationship of humans to the non-human world. We will consider a range of genres-fiction, poetry, memoir, essay, reportage-to understand how elements of artistic form alter potential answers to the questions that food presents. |
SCON |
Environmental Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ENST-121 Fall 2025 |
Environmental Science for Non-Majors Van Fleet, Pamela This introductory environmental science course will explore the integrated, interdisciplinary study of natural environmental systems and human interactions with them. Students will use scientific principles to explore the consequences of human activity. Students will be exposed to basic techniques for investigating environmental topics in lectures, laboratory exercises, and fieldwork. This is an introductory course for non-majors. Students intending to major in Environmental Studies or Environmental Science should enroll in ENST 161.Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. This course does not count towards the B.A. in Environmental Studies or B.S. in Environmental Science. |
SINV |
|
ENST-161 Fall 2025 |
Environmental Connections Bedi, Heather Beevers, Michael This introductory environmental studies course draws from the influences of the humanities and natural sciences on the social sciences in relation to the environment. The course will examine the ideas, concepts, and debates central to the field. Students will examine the relationship between humans and the environment and become familiar with a range of environmental challenges, with an emphasis on how these challenges have emerged over time and space. The course will investigate and evaluate a variety of strategies that are currently being pursued to address these environmental challenges. The course stresses the importance of “seeing connections”, thinking carefully and critically about environmental issues, and appreciating that complex questions rarely have a single solution. This is an introductory course for those majoring in environmental studies and environmental science. Non-majors should enroll in ENST 121 Introduction to Environmental Science. This course has no laboratory section. |
SINV |
|
ENST-305 Fall 2025 |
Vegetation Monitoring Sterner, Sarah In this course, students will learn standard vegetation and ecological monitoring methods used by research institutions, government agencies, and vegetation monitoring programs nationwide as they explore the ecosystems of the Cumberland Valley. During labs students will gain on the ground experience monitoring native plant communities, learn the basics of plant identification, explore ecosystem relationships and habitat types, develop a familiarity with local flora, create their own pressed herbarium collections, and enter and analyze field data. Lectures will prepare students for outdoor lab sessions as well as highlight current vegetation research and monitoring trends, ethnobotanical uses of native plants, and habitat management practices. |
SCON |
|
ENST-345 Fall 2025 |
Agroecology Douglas, Margaret Permission of instructor required. How can agricultural systems be designed to nourish a growing human population while sustaining the natural resources upon which agriculture ultimately depends? In this course, students will learn to use ecological principles as a lens to understand and improve the food system. Topics may include crop genetic resources, soil and pest management, the role of animals in agriculture, and agriculture as a producer and user of energy. Class meetings will incorporate significant student participation including presentation and discussion of primary scientific literature and other readings. Laboratory meetings will orient students to agroecosystems in the region and provide opportunities for hands-on learning and scientific investigation. Three hours of laboratory per week.Prerequisites: ENST 162 or BIOL 131. |
SINV |
|
ENST-350 Fall 2025 |
Environmental Health Benka-Coker, Akinwande This course will focus on the intricate bidirectional relationship between human activity and the natural environment, emphasizing its implications for human health. Class meetings will encompass a broad spectrum of foundational (epidemiology, toxicology, and exposure assessment methods) and integrative topics, including the quality and safety of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and our living and working environments, along with the evolving influence of weather and climate, and the dynamic fluctuations within various levels of our ecosystems. The integration of systems thinking into environmental health sciences is central to coursework, enabling students to analyze complex interactions within ecosystems and assess their impact on human health. Laboratory meetings will allow students to explore various methodologies for evaluating environmental health quality and leveraging available data resources to inform public health interventions. A keen focus will be the understanding of how environmental exposure – health outcome relationships are hypothesized, established, and clearly communicated through data, and ultimately, text, graphics, and speech. Students will be expected to become prefatorily familiar with environmental data analysis tools like MS Excel and R statistical language, although previous data analysis experience is not expected or required. This experience will culminate in a field research project that explores indoor and outdoor environmental quality, and air pollution. Prerequisite: 161 and 162 or CHEM 131 or permission of instructor. |
SINV |
|
ENST-372 Fall 2025 |
Environment, Conflict and Peace Beevers, Michael The goal of this class is to examine the complex relationships between the environment, conflict and peace. We will discuss the emergence of the environment as a topic of conflict and peace studies, and ask if the environment should be a security concern. We will scrutinize the extent to which environmental degradation, resource scarcity, natural resource wealth, and even climate change, increases the likelihood of violent conflict, and discuss the environmental consequences of war itself. We will explore whether environmental cooperation reduces the risk of violent conflicts, and whether responses to environmental problems can serve as catalyst for peace. We will strive to understand how international institutions—governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental—act to address security and peacebuilding challenges linked to the environment. The course approaches the topic from different levels of analysis (local, national, transnational and supranational), diverse theoretical frameworks and analytical methods and range of environmental issue areas. Finally, we will use a broad range of materials, employ lectures and seminar-like discussions and incorporate field trips and guest speakers. Prerequisite: 161 or INST/POSC 170. |
SCON |
|
ENST-406 Fall 2025 |
Leadership and Social Action for Sustainability Beevers, Michael Students will form a deep understanding of the theories, approaches and practices of social change and enhance their understanding of what leadership is, and how it informs organizing and advocacy. Throughout the course, students will explore their passions, values and skills, and how this informs their "leadership style." Students will learn about the tools and skills needed to organize for social change and build organizations. How do you select an issue? How do you develop a strategy and what tactics should you employ to meet your objectives? Students will learn the ins and outs of issue campaigns, community organizing, using new and traditional media, building alliances and engaging communities, understanding the power of story and narratives, and power analysis. Students will learn from leaders and organizers and get hands-on experience putting their ideas for social change into practice. The course will use a variety of readings, discussions, activities, exercises, assignments and projects. It will require that students to interview leaders and develop their own strategy for a sustainable social change they want to initiate. |
SCON |
Food Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
FDST-201 Fall 2025 |
Introduction to Food Studies Halpin, Jennifer This course introduces students to Food Studies, an interdisciplinary field that examines food through biological, cultural, ecological, economic, and other perspectives. We will treat questions of hunger, food production/procurement, inequality, ecology, food labor, health, including psychology, and the diversity of ethical, cultural, and spiritual meanings regarding food. The course will include opportunities for students to engage in active observation, experimentation, and hands-on learning through community partnerships and the College Farm. Students will encounter reading/viewing assignments from a wide range of disciplines. This course will also be open to students who do not intend to complete the Food Studies certificate but would simply like an interdisciplinary understanding of the workings of food. |
SINV |
Film & Media Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
FMST-220 Fall 2025 |
Imagining Futures: Gender, Power, and Justice in Utopian/Dystopian Worlds Fox, Charity Advancing social justice requires critical analyses of systemic power relations, which involves grappling with questions of power, privilege, and oppression. The speculative worlds of utopian and dystopian fiction provide a unique space to explore the complex problems facing humanity, examine oppressive power dynamics, and envision creative and liberatory solutions. Utopian and dystopian worlds challenge their audiences to both identify with and critique the structural injustices within their fictional worlds, understand how power functions, and imagine possibilities for sociopolitical transformation. Utopian and dystopian texts offer a valuable tool for testing ideological boundaries and shifting collective imagination, creating space for audiences to fundamentally reconsider our interconnections with one another and the futures we hope to inhabit/fear we will inhabit. In this course, we will delve into popular culture texts showcasing utopian and dystopian narratives across speculative fiction, science fiction, and futurism. Through a combination of film and media assignments, reading assignments, and active class discussions, we will explore what utopia and dystopia genre texts reveal about historical and contemporary efforts to understand gender, race, class, sexuality, justice, nature, politics, and possibilities for our collective future. Students will be expected to participate actively in class discussions and complete weekly informal writing assignments, midterm, and a final project exploring a utopian/dystopian text of their choice. |
SCON |
French
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
FREN-232 Fall 2025 |
Professional French Soldin, Adeline This course prepares students for professional work in a Francophone context. Students will learn about the job search and application process as well as cultural norms and practices in Francophone workplaces. Emphasis is placed on developing professional communication and intercultural skills specific to professional contexts. As a WID class, this course develops students’ written expression with a focus on professional genres such as CVs and cover letters, publicity, memoranda, and business proposals. It further advances students’ linguistic and intercultural proficiency by teaching them how to use specialized vocabulary and appropriate registers to conduct business in French and Francophone working environments. Students will learn about different types of organizations from various sectors of the economy, preparing them for work in a range of fields. This course also contains experiential learning components that develop oral communication including interaction with francophone companies and institutions and mock job interviews.Prerequisite: FREN 202, 225 or equivalent. |
SCON |
|
FREN-302 Fall 2025 |
Issues in Contemporary French Society Laurent, Dominique This course is designed to give students an understanding of the main tensions and controversies of contemporary French culture. Focusing on political, social, and economic topics such as Americanization, regionalism, immigration, France's place in the European Union, the course facilitates acculturation in France or provides an academic substitute for that experience. Prerequisite: FREN 231 or FREN 232. |
SCON |
Geosciences
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
GEOS-141 Fall 2025 |
Earth's Hazards Hayes, Jorden This course examines natural processes such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mass wasting events, and floods that have the potential to produce disastrous consequences for humans. All of these processes result from interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere directly or indirectly, which is the realm of earth sciences. Increasing global populations and increasingly interdependent national economies mean that few disasters are now only ‘local’. This course will use examples such as case studies of recent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to examine how natural processes can be hazardous, and whether or not humans can anticipate and mitigate these kinds of hazards to prevent future disasters. Laboratory work will include analog experiments, field trips, and video analysis of historic disasters. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. |
SINV |
|
GEOS-151 Fall 2025 |
Foundations of Earth Sciences Sak, Peter How do mountains and oceans form? Why do the positions of continents shift? Can rocks bend or flow? What is the history of life on our planet? This course explores the materials that make up the Earth and the processes that shape it, both at and below the surface. Students will take field trips around the Carlisle area as well as complete analytical and computer laboratory activities in order to acquire basic field, laboratory, and computer modelling skills. This course serves as a gateway to the Earth Sciences major, but is also appropriate for non-majors. Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week. |
SCON |
|
GEOS-305 Fall 2025 |
Earth Materials Edwards, Benjamin Completion of both GEOS 305 and GEOS 309 fulfills the WID Requirement. This gives students a basic understanding of the tools and techniques used in modern science to identify and characterize solid earth materials at the macroscopic (hand samples), microscopic (polarized light), and sub-microscopic (X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy) levels. Emphasis in the first part of the course will be on minerals, while the second part of the course will introduce students to characterization techniques of other solid earth materials (soils and rocks) and their conditions of formation. This course is required for the Earth Sciences major, and will be useful to students interested in agricultural science, archeology, environmental science, forensic science, planetary science, and solid state chemistry and physics. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisites: 151 or permission of instructor. Completion of both 305 and 309 fulfills the WID graduation requirement. Offered every other year. |
SCON |
|
GEOS-307 Fall 2025 |
Paleontology Key, Marcus A systematic study of the invertebrate and vertebrate fossil groups, plants, and their evolution and relationships to living forms. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisite: 141, 142, or 151 or any 100-level BIOL course. This course is cross-listed as BIOL 301. |
SCON |
German
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
GRMN-251 Fall 2025 |
The German Political Landscape Pfannkuchen, Antje This course introduces students to the structure of the German government, the main institutions, political parties and organizations and their historical context. The central focus is on how political Germany works today and what it took to get there since 1945. Public media institutions that are an important part of German civic interactions will be studied as well as possibilities for involvement of citizens and residents. Taught in German. |
SCON |
History
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
HIST-151 Fall 2025 |
History of Environment Pawley, Emily Examines the interaction between humans and the natural environment in long-term global context. Explores the problem of sustainable human uses of world environments in various societies from prehistory to the present. Also serves as an introduction to the subfield of environmental history, which integrates evidence from various scientific disciplines with traditional documentary and oral sources. Topics include: environmental effects of human occupation, the origins of agriculture, colonial encounters, industrial revolution, water and politics, natural resources frontiers, and diverse perceptions of nature. |
SINV |
|
HIST-170 Fall 2025 |
African Civilizations to 1850 Ball, Jeremy This course provides an overview to the political, social, and ecological history of Africa. We will examine the peopling of the continent, the origins of agriculture, the growth of towns and the development of metal technology. Written sources before the 1400s are almost nonexistent for most of Africa, and so we will use archaeological and linguistic sources. The geographic focus of the course will be the Middle Nile, Aksum in Ethiopia, the Sudanic states in West Africa, Kongo in Central Africa, the Swahili states of the East African coast, and Zimbabwe and KwaZulu in Southern Africa. We will also examine the Atlantic Slave Trade and the colonization of the Cape of Good Hope.This course is cross-listed as AFST 170. |
SCON |
Intl Business & Management
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
INBM-100 Fall 2025 |
Fundamentals of Business Bai, Qing Riccio, Steven Wang, Xiaolu This course features an introductory focus on a wide range of business subjects including the following: business in a global environment; forms of business ownership including small businesses, partnerships, multinational and domestic corporations, joint ventures, and franchises; management decision making; ethics; marketing; accounting; management information systems; human resources; finance; business law; taxation; uses of the internet in business; and how all of the above are integrated into running a successful business. You will learn how a company gets ideas, develops products, raises money, makes its products, sells them and accounts for the money earned and spent. This course will not fulfill a distribution requirement. |
SCON |
|
INBM-290 Fall 2025 |
Global Business: Theory and Context Watson, Forrest This course explores the “macro-contextual” factors that confront managers of a business organization, the possible implications of those factors for organizational performance, and the choices managers make within that context. The macro-context for any firm consists of a combination of political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors. In the current era, awareness of context is increasingly important for students and practitioners alike. Topics in the course include climate change; the revolution in information technology; global population dynamics; regional and global economic integration; international trade and investment; exchange rate dynamics; and collaboration among businesses and other organizations. In keeping with Dickinson’s evolving educational priorities, the course also includes conversation about the ethical, social, and ecological responsibilities of a global enterprise. The course builds on the knowledge gained in other 200-level INBM courses and provides a bridge between those courses and the INBM Senior Seminar. Prerequisites: ECON 111, 112; INBM 100; and three of the following courses: INBM 220, 230, 240 and 250. |
SCON |
|
INBM-350 Fall 2025 |
Investments Zhu, Mengnan This course aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of key investment theories and concepts from a practical perspective. The course first explores the fundamental principles of investment in financial markets, providing a solid groundwork for subsequent in-depth discussions. Participants will then delve into an array of topics vital to their success in the investment field, such as the evolving role of investment in the market dynamics, investors’ decision-making process, determinants of the risk-return portfolio, asset valuation and allocation, and understanding of current issues and debates in financial markets. Prerequisites: 250. |
SCON |
International Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
INST-170 Fall 2025 |
International Relations Jacobs, Rachel An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as POSC 170. |
SCON |
|
INST-277 Fall 2025 |
International Politics of the Middle East Webb, Edward This course examines key factors and events in the formation of the modern Middle East state system and evolving patterns of conflict and cooperation in the region. Students will apply a range of analytical approaches to issues such as the conflicts between Arabs and Israelis, Iraq's wars since 1980, and the changing place of the region in global politics and economics.Prerequisite: one course in any of International Studies, Middle East Studies, or Political Science. This course is cross-listed as POSC 277 and MEST 266. |
SCON |
|
INST-290 Fall 2025 |
Environment, Conflict and Peace Beevers, Michael The goal of this class is to examine the complex relationships between the environment, conflict and peace. We will discuss the emergence of the environment as a topic of conflict and peace studies, and ask if the environment should be a security concern. We will scrutinize the extent to which environmental degradation, resource scarcity, natural resource wealth, and even climate change, increases the likelihood of violent conflict, and discuss the environmental consequences of war itself. We will explore whether environmental cooperation reduces the risk of violent conflicts, and whether responses to environmental problems can serve as catalyst for peace. We will strive to understand how international institutions—governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental—act to address security and peacebuilding challenges linked to the environment. The course approaches the topic from different levels of analysis (local, national, transnational and supranational), diverse theoretical frameworks and analytical methods and range of environmental issue areas. Finally, we will use a broad range of materials, employ lectures and seminar-like discussions and incorporate field trips and guest speakers. |
SCON |
|
INST-290 Fall 2025 |
Global Security Nation, Robert The course offers an introduction to Security Studies as an academic field and a practical foundation for professional engagement with security affairs. The search for security is basic to all social and political interaction, but security itself is a contested concept that can be applied in different ways to individuals, states, and the global system. Traditionally, the formal study of International Security has focused on the nation-state, including territorial defense, the role of military assets in pursuit of national interests, and the struggle for power. These concerns remain vital, but in the 21st century the security challenge has broadened to include new kinds of issues and approaches. These include the alternative discourse of Human Security as well as transnational challenges such as criminal trafficking, terrorism, environmental disintegration, pandemic disease, etc. Our course will look closely at both traditional and new security challenges. We will confront the problem of global security conceptually, develop a comprehensive portrait of global security challenges, and explore ways and means available to address them. |
SCON |
Italian
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ITAL-201 Fall 2025 |
Intermediate Italian Galli, Sara Lanzilotta, Luca Intensive introduction to conversation and composition, with special attention to grammar review and refinement. Essays, fiction and theater, as well as Italian television and films, provide opportunities to improve familiarity with contemporary Italian language and civilization. Prerequisite: 102 or the equivalent. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement. |
SCON |
Lat Am/Latinx/Caribbean Stdies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
LALC-239 Fall 2025 |
Spanish for the Health Professions Sagastume, Jorge This is a specialized course emphasizing Spanish language and culture as they relate to health and medicine. The course goal is written and oral communication and cultural fluency as they relate to Global Health Care, Food Security, Immigration, and the delivery of health-care services to Limited-English-Proficient, Hispanic patients. Off-campus volunteer work with native Spanish speakers is required. Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or above, or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed as SPAN 239. |
SCON |
|
LALC-262 Fall 2025 |
South American Archaeology Biwer, Matthew This course examines the development of prehistoric societies in the South American continent through archaeological data. This course will explore the interactions of culture, economics, and politics in the prehistory of two major regions: the western Andean mountains and Pacific coast, and the eastern lowlands focusing on the Amazon River basin and Atlantic coast. In addition to learning the particular developments in each region, we will address three overarching themes: 1) What role did the environment play in shaping socio-political developments? 2) What influence do ethnographic and ethno-historical sources have on the interpretation of pre-Hispanic societies in South America? 3) What were the interactions between highland and lowland populations, and what influence did they have (if any) on their respective developments? This course is cross-listed as ARCH 262 and ANTH 262. |
SCON |
Law & Policy
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
LAWP-290 Fall 2025 |
Gender Identity & International Human Rights Law Rebeiz, Mireille This course examines the intersection of gender identity, gender violence, and international human rights laws. It explores the definitions of gender identities and their protections (or lack of) in main international human rights texts. Through the lens of gender and legal feminist theories, this course examines various human rights such as the right to equality and non-discrimination based on sex, the right to privacy and family life, the right to peace and clean environment. It studies cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and enforced disappearance of persons. This course offers a transnational legal perspective and gives examples from different legal traditions (common law and civil law) and different countries. |
SCON |
Middle East Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
MEST-266 Fall 2025 |
International Politics of the Middle East Webb, Edward This course examines key factors and events in the formation of the modern Middle East state system and evolving patterns of conflict and cooperation in the region. Students will apply a range of analytical approaches to issues such as the conflicts between Arabs and Israelis, Iraq's wars since 1980, and the changing place of the region in global politics and economics.Prerequisite: one course in any of International Studies, Middle East Studies, or Political Science. This course is cross-listed as POSC 277 and INST 277. |
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Physics
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PHYS-212 Fall 2025 |
Introduction to Relativistic and Quantum Physics English, Lars Jackson, David Completion of both PHYS 211 and PHYS 212 fulfills the WID Requirement. A project-based course focusing on special relativity and quantum physics. Projects, such as the detection and measurement of ionizing radiation, relativistic mass increase, or the investigation of delayed choice experiments, are used to understand the concepts of the atom, nuclear structure, relativity, and quantum mechanics. Prerequisite: 132 or 142, and Math 171 or permission of instructor. NOTE: Completion of both 211 and 212 fulfills the WID graduation requirement. |
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Political Science
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POSC-170 Fall 2025 |
International Relations Jacobs, Rachel An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170. |
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POSC-277 Fall 2025 |
International Politics of the Middle East Webb, Edward This course examines key factors and events in the formation of the modern Middle East state system and evolving patterns of conflict and cooperation in the region. Students will apply a range of analytical approaches to issues such as the conflicts between Arabs and Israelis, Iraq's wars since 1980, and the changing place of the region in global politics and economics. Prerequisite: one course in any of International Studies, Middle East Studies, or Political Science. This course is cross-listed as MEST 266 and INST 277. |
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POSC-290 Fall 2025 |
Global Security Nation, Robert The course offers an introduction to Security Studies as an academic field and a practical foundation for professional engagement with security affairs. The search for security is basic to all social and political interaction, but security itself is a contested concept that can be applied in different ways to individuals, states, and the global system. Traditionally, the formal study of International Security has focused on the nation-state, including territorial defense, the role of military assets in pursuit of national interests, and the struggle for power. These concerns remain vital, but in the 21st century the security challenge has broadened to include new kinds of issues and approaches. These include the alternative discourse of Human Security as well as transnational challenges such as criminal trafficking, terrorism, environmental disintegration, pandemic disease, etc. Our course will look closely at both traditional and new security challenges. We will confront the problem of global security conceptually, develop a comprehensive portrait of global security challenges, and explore ways and means available to address them. |
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POSC-290 Fall 2025 |
The German Political Landscape Pfannkuchen, Antje |
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Psychology
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PSYC-120 Fall 2025 |
Introduction to Health Psychology Dixit, Supriya This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the interdisciplinary field of health psychology, which uses scientific research methods to study the bi-directional relationship between psychology and health. We will discuss psychological states such as stress and how they affect the body, and mental processes such as finding meaning that are associated with effective coping and positive health outcomes. We will also study health behaviors such as exercise, sleep, eating, and substance use. Finally, we will explore how psychological concepts and research can be applied to health promotion and illness prevention. Course content will be especially relevant to students considering careers in health care or public health. |
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Sociology
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SOCI-237 Fall 2025 |
Global Inequality Lee, Helene Exploring the relationship between globalization and inequality, this course examines the complex forces driving the integration of ideas, people, societies and economies worldwide. This inquiry into global disparities will consider the complexities of growth, poverty reduction, and the roles of international organizations. Among the global issues under scrutiny, will be environmental degradation; debt forgiveness; land distribution; sweatshops, labor practices and standards; slavery in the global economy; and the vulnerability of the world's children. Under specific investigation will be the social construction and processes of marginalization, disenfranchisement and the effects of globalization that have reinforced the division between the world's rich and poor. Offered every year. |
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Spanish
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SPAN-239 Fall 2025 |
Spanish for the Health Professions Sagastume, Jorge This is a specialized course emphasizing Spanish language and culture as they relate to health and medicine. The course goal is written and oral communication and cultural fluency as they relate to Global Health Care, Food Security, Immigration, and the delivery of health-care services to Limited-English-Proficient, Hispanic patients. Off-campus volunteer work with native Spanish speakers is required. Prerequisite: 202 or 205. This course is cross-listed as LALC 239. |
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Theatre & Dance
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THDA-235 Fall 2025 |
Costume Design as Artistic Practice STAFF, THDA Skaggs, Sarah This course connects students with the process of costume design from concept to creation to performance. The first half of the semester will be connected with the department’s production program where students will assist the resident designer and observe the process of manifesting design ideas on stage while studying design skills in a studio setting. The second half of the semester will focus on students designing for other students in semester showcase productions and/or Freshworks.Prerequisite: 132 or permission of the instructor. |
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Women's, Gender & Sexuality St
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WGSS-100 Fall 2025 |
Introduction to Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Fox, Charity This course offers an introduction to central concepts, questions and debates in gender and sexuality studies from US, Women of Color, queer and transnational perspectives. Throughout the semester we will explore the construction and maintenance of norms governing sex, gender, and sexuality, with an emphasis on how opportunity and inequality operate through categories of race, ethnicity, class, ability and nationality. After an introduction to some of the main concepts guiding scholarship in the field of feminist studies (the centrality of difference; social and political constructions of gender and sex; representation; privilege and power; intersectionality; globalization; transnationalism), we will consider how power inequalities attached to interlocking categories of difference shape key feminist areas of inquiry, including questions of: work, resource allocation, sexuality, queerness, reproduction, marriage, gendered violence, militarization, consumerism, resistance and community sustainability. |
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WGSS-101 Fall 2025 |
Imagining Futures: Gender, Power, and Justice in Utopian/Dystopian Worlds Fox, Charity Advancing social justice requires critical analyses of systemic power relations, which involves grappling with questions of power, privilege, and oppression. The speculative worlds of utopian and dystopian fiction provide a unique space to explore the complex problems facing humanity, examine oppressive power dynamics, and envision creative and liberatory solutions. Utopian and dystopian worlds challenge their audiences to both identify with and critique the structural injustices within their fictional worlds, understand how power functions, and imagine possibilities for sociopolitical transformation. Utopian and dystopian texts offer a valuable tool for testing ideological boundaries and shifting collective imagination, creating space for audiences to fundamentally reconsider our interconnections with one another and the futures we hope to inhabit/fear we will inhabit. In this course, we will delve into popular culture texts showcasing utopian and dystopian narratives across speculative fiction, science fiction, and futurism. Through a combination of film and media assignments, reading assignments, and active class discussions, we will explore what utopia and dystopia genre texts reveal about historical and contemporary efforts to understand gender, race, class, sexuality, justice, nature, politics, and possibilities for our collective future. Students will be expected to participate actively in class discussions and complete weekly informal writing assignments, midterm, and a final project exploring a utopian/dystopian text of their choice. |
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WGSS-300 Fall 2025 |
Feminist Perspectives and Theories Fox, Charity This course deepens students’ understandings of how feminist perspectives situate power and privilege in relationship to interlocking categories of gender, race, class, sexuality, ability and nation. Through foundational theoretical texts, it expands students’ understandings of significant theoretical frameworks that inform women’s, gender, critical race and sexuality studies, as well as debates and tensions within them. Frameworks may include political activisms, materialist feminism, standpoint epistemologies, critiques of scientific objectivity, intersectionality, postcolonialism, psychoanalysis, queer theory, transnational critique and feminist legal theory. Helps students develop more nuanced understandings of the relationship between everyday experiences, political institutions, forms of resistance and theoretical meaning-making. Prerequisite: WGSS 100 or 208. |
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WGSS-302 Fall 2025 |
Gender Identity & International Human Rights Law Rebeiz, Mireille This course examines the intersection of gender identity, gender violence, and international human rights laws. It explores the definitions of gender identities and their protections (or lack of) in main international human rights texts. Through the lens of gender and legal feminist theories, this course examines various human rights such as the right to equality and non-discrimination based on sex, the right to privacy and family life, the right to peace and clean environment. It studies cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and enforced disappearance of persons. This course offers a transnational legal perspective and gives examples from different legal traditions (common law and civil law) and different countries. |
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