English

Sociologists are interested in the systematic study of social life and social transformation. This includes various topics of analysis that include socialization; culture; race and ethnicity; sex and gender; marriage and family; religion; deviance; inequality, and globalization. The course introduces the fundamentals of sociology, including research topics, issues, theories, and methodologies. Beyond the core sociological concepts, this course encourages a better understanding of our world; what it means to be a member of society and being tolerant of our differences.

This course examines the architecture of East Asia from prehistory to the early modern period. In addition to monumental buildings such as temples and palaces, the examples range from urban planning and garden design to peasant dwellings and nomadic structures. A number of architectural traditions are covered, including Bhutanese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Uyghur. Among the socio-cultural factors that have shaped East Asia’s built environments, it looks at Buddhism and the literati as influences traversing geopolitical borders, as well as vernacular development of structural systems, spatial geometries, and material utilization based on the land, climate, and other natural conditions.

This course focuses on the use of microorganisms in biotechnological processes. This includes prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms as factories of industrial enzymes, bioenergy, and pharmaceuticals, as well as the use of microorganisms to improve food and to remove contaminants from water and soil. It introduces the methods used to improve microbial strains, products, and processes in biotechnology. The course gives students insight into and understanding of areas of biotechnology research and provides background information on the molecular biological methods. In addition, students develop and pitch their own idea relevant to microbial biotechnology.

The course is for students who wish to improve their oral presentation skills and gain insight into the basics of research communication. It introduces students to the key characteristics of oral communication, academic argumentation and knowledge criteria, and rhetorical strategies for successful oral presentations such as the classic means of persuasion, disposition, information strategies, and nonverbal delivery.