Course Sections | Registrar

This course will examine a variety of advanced physical chemistry topics including quantum mechanical tunneling, Hückel theory, group theory with applications to molecular orbitals and IR spectroscopy, and reaction kinetics and mechanisms. Students will read and present relevant journal articles. This is a first-half semester course

Addiction (whether involving the use of substances like alcohol or other drugs or behaviors such as gambling) can have steep costs for both individuals and society. To reduce the burden and suffering associated with addiction, it is critical to have a better understanding of the biological factors that are promote the development of addictive disorders. In this course, we will consider the neuroscience of addiction, with a focus on brain systems that support reward and craving, and how our understanding of the biological basis of addiction can be used to develop effective treatments and prevention strategies. Students should sign up for the NSC number for it count as NSC. Students should sign up for the PSY number for it to count as PSY.

Addiction (whether involving the use of substances like alcohol or other drugs or behaviors such as gambling) can have steep costs for both individuals and society. To reduce the burden and suffering associated with addiction, it is critical to have a better understanding of the biological factors that are promote the development of addictive disorders. In this course, we will consider the neuroscience of addiction, with a focus on brain systems that support reward and craving, and how our understanding of the biological basis of addiction can be used to develop effective treatments and prevention strategies. If student wants it to count as PSY, sign up under the PSY number. If student wants it to count as NSC, sign up under the NSC number.

"All rites begin in simplicity, are brought to fulfillment in elegant form, and end in joy." So says Xunzi, the great Confucian writer of antiquity. Is he right? What are rituals? Are they routine acts, which we do simply because we've always done them? Or are they meaningful acts, which we do because they actually signify something? If the latter, what do they signify? Can we say that all rituals somehow religious? If so, why? If not, why not? In this half-course, we'll read selections from various writers on ritual. Using film and other media, we'll also look at a variety of ritual activities from different cultures, including College rituals, religious ceremonies, holidays like Thanksgiving, and the "little rituals" of everyday life in, e.g., media, sports, or politics.