Course Listings

ASI-196-01 = HUM-196-01 = REL-196-01 : 2nd Half Semester. "Dancing with the Moon": Religion and Image in Chinese Poetry. "In the heart, it's intention; coming forth in words, it's poetry." So says the "Preface" to the Book of Songs, the ancient classic of Chinese poetry. In this course, we will read selections (in English) from the Book of Songs, and later poets like Li Bo [Li Bai], Du Fu, and Wang Wei. We will study how Chinese poets use image and metaphor to convey their distinctive ideas about nature, religion, and human life. On occasion, we will also read Chinese poems alongside selected English-language poems, comparing their techniques and aims. 0.5 credits. For first half semester at 9:45 TTH, see REL-275.

2nd Half Semester. CHE-461 : Bioengineering using CRISPR/Cas9. The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a revolutionary technique used to specifically edit DNA in just about any organism, from bacteria to humans. This technique introduces double-stranded DNA breaks at very specific locations in DNA. Repair mechanisms to this type of trauma are error prone, allowing this technique to knock-out gene function in an organism or even introduce new DNA sequences into an organism's genome. We will explore the biochemistry of the CRISPR/Cas9 system at the molecular level using primary literature sources. Students will investigate the potential of the system to develop miracle cures and create engineered foods. The class will also examine the ethics behind the CRISPR/Cas9 system and potentially create their own edited organisms. 0.5 Credits. Fall 2019 2nd half semester course.

2nd Half Semester. CSC 121-02 : PROGRAMMING IN HASKELL. This is a half-credit introduction to the Haskell programming language for students who already have some programming experience. Students will build on their previous knowledge of a programming language to learn an additional language. Haskellis a functional programming language, which is very different from object oriented languages like Java.

2nd Half Semester. Studies in Rural Education: According to the Center for Public Education "Approximately half the school districts in the United States are located in rural areas," yet urban and suburban schools attract most of the nation's attention both in terms of policy and academia. This course offers an introduction to rural education with attention to some of the most pressing issues facing rural schools: state and federal funding, the viability of popular reform initiatives, curricular programs including vocational education, teacher shortages, access to technology, and poverty.

HUM-196-01 = REL-196-01 = ASI-196-01 : 2nd Half Semester. "Dancing with the Moon": Religion and Image in Chinese Poetry. "In the heart, it's intention; coming forth in words, it's poetry." So says the "Preface" to the Book of Songs, the ancient classic of Chinese poetry. In this course, we will read selections (in English) from the Book of Songs, and later poets like Li Bo [Li Bai], Du Fu, and Wang Wei. We will study how Chinese poets use image and metaphor to convey their distinctive ideas about nature, religion, and human life. On occasion, we will also read Chinese poems alongside selected English-language poems, comparing their techniques and aims. 0.5 credits. For first half semester at 9:45 TTH, see REL-275.

2nd Half Semester. Perspectives on Philosophy: Science Fiction & Philosophy. Science fiction is always a kind of thought experiment, inventing new worlds that are often inhabited by something alien, or extending our current science and technology into an imagined future full of tough moral dilemmas, or simply playing with some of our most challenging ideas about space and time, the possibility of artificial intelligence, or the problems of personal identity and free will. Philosophy also uses thought experiments to question what we might otherwise take for granted, to explore familiar problems in new ways, or to construct ideas and test their possibilities. In this course, we will use science fiction literature and films as well asphilosophical essays to explore a range of philosophical questions. This is a half-credit introductory course in philosophy; no prerequisite.

REL-196-01 = ASI-196-01 = HUM-196-01 : 2nd Half Semester. "Dancing with the Moon": Religion and Image in Chinese Poetry. "In the heart, it's intention; coming forth in words, it's poetry." So says the "Preface" to the Book of Songs, the ancient classic of Chinese poetry. In this course, we will read selections (in English) from the Book of Songs, and later poets like Li Bo [Li Bai], Du Fu, and Wang Wei. We will study how Chinese poets use image and metaphor to convey their distinctive ideas about nature, religion, and human life. On occasion, we will also read Chinese poems alongside selected English-language poems, comparing their techniques and aims. 0.5 credits. For first half semester at 9:45 TTH, see REL-275.

Christianity calls for its adherents to be different from the world around them. But what if they live in a predominately Christian world? During the medieval period, groups of radical believers broke away from society to live lives purposely structured around God. Desert Fathers retreated into the wilderness, Franciscans begged and preached, Templars fought for God, and Hesychasts pursued visions of divine light. This course explores the dynamics of self-imposed difference and the impact religious countercultures had on society.