Summer Session Course Schedule

ANTH 110: Archaeology of Gender & Sexuality 

Fanthome, Eduard

This class introduces students to the Archaeology of Gender. It highlights both the theoretical and methodological innovations that resulted from an interest in the gendering of the past and material culture. It traces the development of both the archaeological awareness of gender and women, from an approach discussed as add women and stir to the more nuanced embodied and encultured perspectives that inform feminist social theory and archaeology at the moment. This class also highlights the loci and modalities of women's participation in society, from the household to workplaces and monumental ceremonial contexts. It explores women's roles and the varying understanding of womanhood itself in these contexts that span the Bronze Age Aegean, Gold Rush Australia, plantations, and the West in early modern North America and South and Mesoamerica. Students will learn that gender and sexuality are social constructs that vary with cultural and political context and exhibit considerable dynamism in response to changing political and, at times, ecological conditions. Students will also learn to appreciate the different knowledge production modalities and epistemologies that taking gender seriously has afforded social scientists in general and anthropologists and archaeologists in particular. Students will also be encouraged to engage their own understanding of gender in response to its myriad framings presented in the class.

CHST 185C: Voices of the Tropics  

Boria-Rivera, Evelyn 

Voices of the Tropics: Latinx Literature and the Caribbean Students will become familiar with texts of the late 20th Century Hispanophone Caribbean diaspora. They will become conversant in these histories with regard to US involvement in the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola in relation to the political landscape of the domestic space, especially in relation to the family unit, sexuality, women's bodies, and reproduction. They will come to understand these English language narratives as particularly US stories, thus expanding their understanding of American literature and culture.

CSCI 004: Introduction to Computer Science for Non-Majors

Bachman, David

Introduction to elements of computer science. Students learn general computational problem-solving techniques and gain experience with the design, implementation, testing and documentation of programs in a high-level language. No prior programming experience required. Students may not earn credit for this course and any other intro level Computer Science course.

CSCI036: Foundations of Data Science 

Brown, Darin

Data science is the interdisciplinary study of the tools and theory behind using data to extract knowledge. It combines ideas from statistics, computer science, and particular domains in the hard and social sciences in order to make predictions and optimal decisions. This course covers the foundations of data science including the basics of how to structure, visualize, transform, and model data.

CSCI158: Machine Learning 

Bachman, David

Machine Learning (ML) is the process of discovering patterns in large data sets using techniques from mathematics, computer science and statistics. Applications range from biology and neuroscience to history, linguistics, and economics. In this course students will learn the mathematics and implementation of classical ML algorithms such as regression, K-Means, Decision Trees, Naive Bayes, and kNN. Students will also be introduced to neural networks, and their implementation in Python.

EA 010: Introduction to Environmental Analysis 

TBD

This course, required for the Environmental Studies major, is an interdisciplinary examination of some of the major environmental issues of our time. This course explores aspects of society's relationship with the environment using the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Topics include: environmental ethics and philosophy; ecosystems, biodiversity, and endangered species; North/South environmental conflicts; air pollution and acid rain; ozone depletion; climate change; biotechnology; and international environmental policy.

EA 116: Technopolitics of the Grid 

Wang, Jo Ann

This course is an elective course for the major in Environmental Analysis. It explores the technopolitics of the electrical grid infrastructure across multiple loci, including power generation, transmission, distribution, consumption, and storage. Drawing on works in anthropology, geography, history, and science and technology studies (STS), we first examine the grid as a complex techno-political system and how the materiality of this critical infrastructure affords new modalities and networks of power and agency. We then interrogate the socio-cultural and political implications of key policy issues, including grid integration of renewable energy sources, grid modernization through digitization, control, and optimization ("smart grids"), grid resilience against extreme weather events, grid-scale energy storage, and energy-efficient urban design ("smart cities"). This discussion-based, seminar-style course will empower you with analytical tools and comparative sensitivities to engage in informed discussions about sustainable grid policies for just energy futures.

EA 144: Visual Ecology 

TBD

NatureWorks: Aesthetics and Praxis in the Anthropocene Our relationship with the world is impacted by the images we use to understand and express our place in nature. This course engages investigation and application of ecological concepts and how these are addressed through art. We experiment with conceptual approaches to art making and strategies for how artists can create positive visions for the future. In this combined theory & praxis course, we integrate studio art with scholarly analysis and engaged field research as we create socially and environmentally responsible artworks. The focus for fall 2019 is the completion of a Field Guide to the Claremont Wilderness Park; students with experience with graphic design, illustration, and natural history are particularly encouraged to enroll.

ECON105: Microeconomic Theory 

TBD

Theories of consumer behavior, demand, production, costs, the firm, market organization, resource use, general equilibrium and income distribution in a modern market economy. Prerequisite: Econ. 52.

ECON125: Econometrics 

TBD

Introduction to techniques and pitfalls in the statistical analysis of economic data. The classical linear regression model, method of least squares and simultaneous-equation models are developed. The computer is used, but prior programming experience is not required.

ENGL034: Fiction Workshop 

TBD

This course is designed as a workshop focusing on the writing of fiction and the discourse of craft. Through examination of a variety of literary traditions, stylistic and compositional approaches, and the careful reading and editing of peer stories, students will strengthen their prose and develop a clearer understanding of their own literary values and the dynamics of fiction.

GLAS194S: Global Fellowships Workshop 

Malek, Noosha 

This course is a workshop for students applying for international fellowships entailing study, research or experiential placements, including the Fulbright program. The workshop will guide students primarily through the development of proposals and personal statements as well as other items required for a nomination. The course is designed to be an encompassing and flexible vehicle to manage the large number of students applying for international fellowships. Students may take it for a zero-credit, pass-fail.

LGCS010: Introduction to Linguistics 

TBD

For students wishing to learn about the nature of language, including: How is language structured at the levels of sound, form and meaning? Does the language we speak determine our thoughts, our perception of the world? Can animals learn to talk? How does our language reflect our culture, gender, ethnicity?

MATH052: Introduction to Statistics 

Oudich, Ali 

This course is meant to give a liberal arts student a sense of statistical theory and practice. It will emphasize the use and interpretation of statistics in the context of social justice. Mathematical topics will include: collection and summarizing of data; measures of central tendency and dispersion; probability; distributions; confidence intervals and hypothesis testing; linear regression; and discussion and interpretation of statistical fallacies and misuses. Attention will be paid to critically evaluating how statistics has been used to solve problems and make arguments that enforce or redress systemic barriers to equality and inclusiveness.

MS 050: Intro to Film

TBD

Film and video are often considered to be a distinct semiotic system or art form with their own language. This course surveys the variety of structures which can organize moving pictures: from Hollywood continuity editing, Soviet montage and cinema verite to voice-over documentary, talking heads and postmodern voices with no center at all. The course includes silent film, classic Hollywood narrative, avant-garde film and video, documentary and activist video. Enrollment is limited.

MS074: AI, the Unconscious & the Media

TBD

The unconscious is an idea which we take for granted, and idea which stretches back into the 18th century and features in the 20th century with the work of Sigmund Freud. However, today the unconscious and its importance to human intelligence and our daily function is increasingly marginalized. Simultaneously we have conceded to a regime of instrumental reason thinking for a useful purpose where human intelligence is quantifiable in a data set, that is, first machine intelligence and now artificial intelligence, or AI. Moreover, in our own time we have witnessed the commercial and widespread availability of artificial intelligence programs and related avatars and bots. In this course we will explore the contradiction between the unconscious and artificial intelligence in both a theoretical and historical context and most important to understand the differences, limits, and strengths of human intelligence, as rooted in the unconscious, as well as AI. At stake here is human intelligence and the extent to which we still value it and defend it, or not. And what role do the Arts and Humanities have in a world of ascendant AI? Through a series of readings and films we will consider all of these questions and how AI is both part of media and constructed in media.

MS131: Interactive Narrative Design

TBD

This course situates narrative writing as a key design practice for the creation of games and other interactive experiences. Learn how traditional narrative principles such as character, setting, and plot function within indeterminate and variable experiences that range from mainstream video game to tabletop role-playing and experimental digital/theatre works. Embark on creative writing and design projects that integrate narrative and algorithmic/rule-based play in digital form.

ORST175: Ethical Constructs for Orgs

Jensen, Jill

"Ethical Contructs for Organizations" With this course we will explore the way in which ethics are debated and enacted in various organizational settings.The aim is to set up groundwork and establish a vocabulary for talking about ethics in the first place. Investigations will follow a case study approach, centering on how ethics are applied within broad categories: science and technology; finance, business, and society; and the global world with its divisions and distinctions. People in all sorts of organizations need to articulate what ethics are and to set up guidelines, since these do not just fall into place naturally. They must be intellectually constructed, hence the title, ethical constructs.

PHIL036: Gender, Crime & Punishment

TBD

The course explores issues of crime and punishment through a lens of gender, also considering intersections of gender, race, class, age, and sexuality. We will examine issues that bring women into the criminal justice system and that face them in prison and on release, the impact of the system on mothers and families, and the gendered structure of prisons, among others. In addressing these themes, we will also consider the nature and purpose of punishment, the current state of the criminal justice system, including the war on drugs, mass incarceration and the growth of the prison-industrial complex, how we define or conceive of crime, the relationships between the criminal justice system and other social and political institutions, whether prisons should be reformed or abolished, changes being made, and how we can make change. Readings are from a variety of sources and disciplines, including scholarly work, pieces from the media, work by advocacy organizations, and firsthand accounts. The course is primarily discussion-based.

PHIL039: Philosophies of Place

TBD

What is the role of place and space in human life? How has place historically been valued across different philosophical traditions? How does the significance of place point beyond a merely human world? This course examines individual and collective identity in relation to space and place from a philosophical perspective. We analyze the significance of place through the concepts of spatiality, home, embodiment, dwelling, environment, bioregion, cultural landscape, and natural history, while also attending to our region of Southern California. Our readings draw from multiple traditions, including phenomenology, Indigenous philosophy, Black thought, geography, environmental ethics, and the environmental humanities.

PHIL060: Logic

TBD

Introduction to mathematical logic through the development of proof techniques (especially, natural deduction) and model theory for sentential logic and quantification theory. May also discuss properties of formal logical systems, such as consistency, completeness, and decidability.

PSYC101: Brain and Behavior

Borowski, Thomas

This course provides an introduction to the biological bases of cognition and behavior. Topics may include basic neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, visual and auditory perception, attention, language, hemispheric specialization, memory, emotion, motor control, and social neuroscience. Satisfies: BIO.

PSYC114: Human Development in Context

TBD

Human development unfolds through dynamic interactions between individuals and their various contexts, encompassing family, schools, local communities, sociocultural settings, and historical events. This course delves into the contemporary landscape of human development within diverse cultural and global perspectives. We will examine the diverse experiences of children, adolescents, and their families using theories and empirical evidence in psychological science. Key topics covered include family dynamics, parent-child relationships, socioeconomic status, migration, social change, and globalization.

PSYC181: Psychological Disorders

TBD

This course provides a broad overview to psychopathology and the study of psychological disorders, including depressive, anxiety, addictive, somatic, eating, psychotic, and personality disorders. Topics include" Theoretical perspectives for conceptualizing "normal" and "abnormal" behavior; approaches to defining, assessing and treating major symptom domains; and critical evaluation of current research on the causes and mechanisms of mental illness.

SOC030: Deviant Sex Cults

Zuckerman, Phil

Many deviant religious movements that are centered around a charismatic leader often institute non-normative sexual practices. Why? Who joins them? What is it like being in these movements? How are the experiences different for women than for men? In this class, we will examine various non-conformists religious groups such as The Children of God/The Family, The Source Family, The Shakers, the Rajneeshees, The Oneida Perfectionists, and others that engage(d) in both novel forms of religious life and non-normative sexual dynamics. Sociological, Psychological, and Historical perspectives of deviance, religiosity, and sexuality will frame our analyses.

SOC183: Consumer Society & Culture

TBD

This course will draw upon a range of related disciplinary perspectives, including sociology, marketing studies, and history, to explore the phenomenon of consumption in contemporary life. Topics will include the historical origins of consumer society; the meaning of brands; the relationships between consumers and firms; the role of consumption in identity formation; and the connection between consumer culture and media. Students will be encouraged to use course material to think reflexively about their own positions within consumer society.

SPAN033: Intermediate Spanish

Alfaro-Porras, Arianna

Review and reinforcement of four basic skills. Emphasis on conversation, reading ability and writing. Includes laboratory work and/or tutorial sessions (times arranged). Prerequisite: Spanish 2, 22 or equivalent placement.