2026-2027 Academic Year

Fall 2026

FYSM 100 First-Year Seminar
The First-Year Seminar (FYS) introduces students to Dickinson as a "community of inquiry" by developing habits of mind essential to liberal learning. Through the study of a compelling issue or broad topic chosen by their faculty member, students will: - Critically analyze information and ideas - Examine issues from multiple perspectives - Discuss, debate and defend ideas, including one's own views, with clarity and reason - Develop discernment, facility and ethical responsibility in using information, and - Create clear academic writing The small group seminar format of this course promotes discussion and interaction among students and their professor. In addition, the professor serves as students' initial academic advisor. This course does not duplicate in content any other course in the curriculum and may not be used to fulfill any other graduation requirement.

INTD 250 Playing to Learn
The instructor’s book, Electronic String Art, and the emerging book (and existing blog), Playing with Polygons, form the basis for this class. String art, in which one creates curves and intricate patterns using straight lines, has been used as a supplementary teaching tool for more than half a century. Exploring string art on a board with thread or on paper with pencil is a relatively slow process, but it is instantaneous if done electronically. This ability to quickly change and see the results allows for informal testing of ideas and the discovery of patterns (the key to mathematical understanding), even for those in early elementary years. Additional parts of the emerging book Playing with Polygons (PwP) allow users to analyze counting rules, or to create spirals or cardioids. Students will initially play with these materials but will then transition to creating supplementary pedagogical materials. Successfully created materials such as short videos will become part of the ancillary material for the book with acknowledgement of student authorship included. International students are encouraged to enroll as they can create basic videos like those already created in English for use in their native language.

INBM 300 Applied Empirical Analysis
Cross-listed with ECON 314-04. This course provides students with the opportunity to undertake their own empirical investigation on topics of their choice. Students are welcome to use the information that I have gathered but they are also encouraged to obtain and analyze data of their choosing, subject to professor approval. Students have access to start of year and end of year physical activity and stature measures for more than 10,000 middle school students, two thirds of whom had daily PE, as well as school district level data for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and APFT data from West Point Cadets. Various statistical software packages are used. The class culminates in presenting your own findings in a poster presentation that is open to the public.

INBM 300 Microeconomic Modeling Excel
Cross-listed with ECON 314-03. The class will initially explore a series of consumer theory, producer theory, and market structure topics in greater depth than was covered in intermediate level microeconomics classes (ECON 278 and INBM 220). These topics will be explored using Excel files that were created to examine the comparative static properties of the various models. Ultimately, each student will work with the instructor to build out the analysis of a specific model with the goal of creating an annotated Excel file, paper, or blended learning video on a topic of their choosing.

ECON 314 Applied Empirical Analysis
Cross-listed with INBM 300-05. This course provides students with the opportunity to undertake their own empirical investigation on topics of their choice. Students are welcome to use the information that I have gathered but they are also encouraged to obtain and analyze data of their choosing, subject to professor approval. Students have access to start of year and end of year physical activity and stature measures for more than 10,000 middle school students, two thirds of whom had daily PE, as well as school district level data for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and APFT data from West Point Cadets. Various statistical software packages are used. The class culminates in presenting your own findings in a poster presentation that is open to the public.

ECON 314 Microeconomic Modeling Excel
Cross-listed with INBM 300-04. The class will initially explore a series of consumer theory, producer theory, and market structure topics in greater depth than was covered in intermediate level microeconomics classes (ECON 278 and INBM 220). These topics will be explored using Excel files that were created to examine the comparative static properties of the various models. Ultimately, each student will work with the instructor to build out the analysis of a specific model with the goal of creating an annotated Excel file, paper, or blended learning video on a topic of their choosing.