English

Nowadays, writing is generally seen as one of the great human inventions. But the notion that writing was invented by humans has not at all times been self-evident and accepted. For long periods of history, writing was seen as a domain of the gods and of their representatives. In diverse traditions, letters were thought to have preceded the creation of the world. By some, the whole act of creation was conceived as a form of writing, and therefore signatures were thought to be embedded in all creatures. Some aspects of this tradition have been perpetuated even after the secularizations of modernity: there are still discourses that refer to writing without a human writer and without a human reader. The world is still thought to be full of nonhuman entities (animals, plants and anorganic matter) that leave traces and inscriptions for other nonhuman entities to read. A prominent example is the “deciphered” genetic code. Machines obviously also have learned to read and write to one another. Furthermore, psychoanalysis has asserted that the human psyche engages in writing and reading procedures of which the human subject is unaware. In this seminar, students read and discuss literary and theoretical texts that engage with these nonhuman forms of writing (and that sometimes even claim some kind of “nonhuman” status for themselves). 

The existence of many species depends on the survival of others. Humans are no exception. In the past 14,000 years, many organisms have left indelible marks and exercised on human history. The roles that individual species play in providing food, unique medical compounds, initiating the rise of civilization, and transforming global demography, are not only critical to our health and survival but also interest scientists and non-scientists alike. This course provides sufficient background of ten selected organisms and discuss their origins, biological changes, their subsequent expansion from their homelands, consequences, and the future of domestication. 

This course examines the evolution of money from the gold standard to the present; and, the institutions, instruments, and markets of modern finance, with a special focus on financial innovation and its challenges.

This is a calculus-based physics course with a laboratory component for students who are pursuing science and engineering degrees. This is the second of a two-course sequence. This intensive course introduces fundamental concepts of physics as a foundation for more advanced studies in physics and applications in other areas of science and engineering. This course covers fluids, waves, electrostatics, and circuits including fluid mechanics, damped and driven oscillators, mechanical & acoustic waves, electrostatics, electric field and potential, currents and DC circuits, capacitors and dielectrics. Competence in calculus as well as algebra, geometry, and trigonometry is essential. This course provides a solid understanding of main physics topics and introduces methods of experimental physics. 

Students will participate in business plans writing and critiques and enjoy vivid interactions with entrepreneurs and guest speakers for experience sharing and collaboration potentials. What would it take to turn a business idea into a venture? What can we gain from a classroom setting, and link it to real-world practices? Through team projects, invited talks, role plays, and various kinds of activities, students find answers to these questions and learn to become successful entrepreneurs. The major deliverable from this class is your business plan and a small scale launch of your planned business.

This course introduces students to the full range of the material and visual culture of the ancient world in Rome from the Republican period to late Antiquity. The course includes a study of the built environment, from the major urban and imperial monuments to the forts and farms of the frontiers, the images housed in public buildings, houses and tombs, as well as portable objects, and the material residues of daily life and ritual. Students in this option undertake the spring term of the yearlong course Art & Archaeology of Greece & Rome.