English

This course focuses on topics related to the processes and functions carried out during the lifetime of a cell. Topics including the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons as well as molecular motor proteins and cell motility are covered in detail. We also focus on cell-cell communication, signal transduction and cell signaling in the context of unicellular and multicellular organisms. In addition, we spend time discussing the cell cycle with an emphasis on the regulation of transitions between cell cycle stages.

Each process covered in class plays a role in some important aspect of cell physiology and we touch on examples of defects in these systems that can lead to disease. Each topic includes discussions of experimental strategies and laboratory techniques.

Prerequisites: General Chemistry (at least 1 semester), General Biology (at least 1 semester), Biochemistry I

This course examines stars and planetary systems in detail. It covers the building blocks of stars and planets, how they form, and how they evolve over time. It also covers telescopes and surveys, present and upcoming, used to understand the physics of these systems. Topics to be covered include: stellar structure, star and planetary formation and evolution, stellar spectra in relation to fundamental properties, end states of stars, exoplanet detection and characterization, planetary atmospheres and interior structures, and stellar activity and its effect on habitability.

This course gives an overview of the early history of the Celtic-speaking peoples in Britain. After outlining what is known of Late Iron Age Britain, the course studies the wide-ranging changes caused by Roman Conquest, and examines what can be learned from various types of evidence about aspects of daily life, art and religion. When the Romans left it considers what was their enduring legacy, and what the newly independent Britain was once again like before the arrival of a new external threat with the coming of Germanic speakers, the ancestors of the English. These are the 'Dark Ages' in terms of scanty direct textual documentations, when traditions associated with the enigmatic but influential figure of Arthur developed. The course also examines the emergence of new kingdoms and sees how Christianity spread over the whole land. Finally it looks at the languages and written culture of late antique and early medieval Britain, starting with the earliest evidence of the British Celtic languages such as curse tablets and burial stones, but focusing on medieval Welsh literature, such as the heroic poems and the magical Mabinogion narratives, which are read in translation.

This course offers a general perspective of the basic concepts of pragmatics and discourse studies, and their application to the analysis of discourse in English. It examines samples of naturally occurring discourse and text. This course also discusses a wide variety of current issues and topics within the field.

This course examines key philosophical and methodological approaches in the field of Art History. The development of professional skill sets will be a key focus. As such, the course serves as an essential introduction to Art History for those considering a career in the arts, education, or the museum and design sectors.

This survey course covers the plant kingdom, diversity and ecology of plants, plant structure, function and behavior. Demonstrations and practical exercises are included. Prerequisites: ICBI 121 Biology I.

This course introduces one interpretive key to the understanding of modernity and its relationship with postmodernity: the cultural process of secularization and the mental and social changes that secularization brought with it. 

The course searches for deeper insight on our contemporary world and examines the necessary elements to judge some of its cultural trends.  

Students conduct independent research on folklore in addition to reading works of modern literature, and consider how myth and religion continue to affect the ways modern people engage in political activity as well as influence their understanding of how the world works. Students also explore what stories are the most meaningful in their lives or in the lives of their friends and contemporaries. 

The course covers the integration of European countries through the lens of economic theory and policy. It uses microeconomic and macroeconomic tools to examine the motivation for and development of core EU policies. First it examines the origins of economic and later European integration, through to the Single Market. The course covers core policies such as trade, agriculture, and competition with microeconomic tools, examining economic efficiency. Then it discusses fiscal and monetary policies of the EU, including the common currency. Two crises that highlight the triumphs and pitfalls of European integration are studied in-depth: Brexit and the Financial Crisis. Using the economic policy analysis tools developed in class, students pursue research, independently and with classmates, on other EU policies such as the environment and social protection.

This course surveys the topic of gods’ minds: how (we think) they think, what (we think) they want and know, and why they might matter for human relationships. Drawing from many fields including theology, philosophy, cognitive science, cultural anthropology, behavioral economics, and evolutionary biology, this course examines human fascination with the gods from a variety of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives.

This course provides students with the opportunity to explore the connections between language, culture, and society with a comparative approach. Using a range of contemporary materials in different media (including political writing, journalism and visual media), students investigate the factors of geography and national identity, history and memory, politics and society, culture and media in the countries where the languages they are studying or encounter across Europe are spoken.