Course Announcements

Course Enrollment Available online

The Tri-College Course Guide contains current enrollment information for all courses it lists. After you've found a course in the Guide, click on the specific course link to see a detail box including "CUR ENR" (current enrollment) listed under "Additional Course Info". Note: the Instructor decides whether a course is actually open or closed; current enrollment is provided only as a guide in assessing that potential.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - L - M - P - R - S - T - W

If no information appears under the department or program heading below, please see the departmental office.

Can't find the course on mySwarthmore or the Tri-co Guide?

Arabic: see Modern Languages and Literatures

 

Art (Art History & Studio Arts):

OPEN Art History courses
ARTH 002 The Western Tradition
ARTH 012 The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright
ARTH 072 Global History of Architecture
ARTH 164 Modernism in Paris and New York

CLOSED Art History courses
ARTH 001F FYS: Picasso
ARTH 035 Pictured Environments

 OPEN Studio Art courses
STUA 001 Sec 01 Foundation Drawing
STUA 001 Sec 02 Foundation Drawing
STUA 009 Sculpture: Clay Modeling

CLOSED Studio Art courses
STUA 015 The Potter’s Wheel

ARTH 012: The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright’s career straddled two centuries and changed the course of architecture. We will examine his buildings and writings, from the time of his association with Louis Sullivan to his last designs in Arizona, and consider Wright’s work in relation to the diverse currents of international modernism and American architecture. Special attention will also be given to his houses and his school at Taliesin.
Thomas Morton, Tues/Thurs 1:15-2:30, Beardsley 316

ARTH 035. Pictured Environments: Japanese Landscapes and Cityscapes
Through select case studies from the eleventh century to the present, this course examines how Japanese landscapes and cityscapes have been (re)constructed and (re)imagined in the pictorial field. We will explore the complex relations between place and representation and the role of artifacts in the production and preservation of cultural memory. Case studies will offer comparative insights into the ways forms and modes of presentation critically inform the efficacy of a given artifact within the contexts in which it was made and deployed. As part of the Fall 2013 BM360˚ course cluster “Perspectives on Sustainability: Disasters and Rebuilding in Japan” (brynmawr.edu/360/), this course will also explore visual responses to the 3.11.11 disaster that struck Northeastern Japan with a special emphasis on dialogues between the past and the present. The final project for the 360˚ course cluster will involve an exhibition featuring works in the Trico special collections and archives.
1 credit. Fall 2013. Sakomura.

ARTH 072: Global History of Architecture, part I
This course will provide an intensive introduction to the history of architecture, and its chronological and cultural spans are immense. We commence ca. 10,000 B.C.E. and end around 1250 C.E. and examine select works of architecture from diverse cultures around the world. In this course architecture is seen as a cultural product that   can only be understood in relation to the societal complexities within which the architecture was produced, used, and received. Certain themes--such as cultural interaction and exchange, transmission of architectural knowledge, architectural patronage, the conception of space, and the role of technology and materials--will be addressed throughout the course.
Thomas Morton, Tues/Thurs 9:55-11:10, Beardsley 316

Asian Studies:

Astronomy - see Physics and Astronomy

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Biology:

BIOL 111.  Frontiers in Developmental Biology
Though discussion of the primary literature and independent experimental studies, students will investigate current gaps in our understanding of animal development. Potential topics include; the interplay between embryonic development and evolution; how gene regulatory networks generate complex patterns of cell identity and; the ability of cells to interpret their environment using dynamic internal structures.
Prerequisites: BIOL 001 and 002  or the equivalent and  BIOL 024,
or permission of the instructor.
Natural sciences and engineering practicum.  Laboratory required.
2 credits.
Fall 2013. Davidson

BIOL 136. Molecular Ecology and Evolution
Understanding molecular techniques and analysis has become
increasingly important to researchers in the fields of ecology and
evolution. Through discussion of the primary literature, and
independent laboratory projects, students will explore how molecular
tools are being implemented in studies of biogeography, dispersal,
mating systems, biological diversity, and speciation. Depending on
interest, topics such as wildlife forensics, conservation genetics,
human migration, molecular clocks, and bioinformatics will also be
discussed.
One laboratory each week with continuing, independent laboratory projects.
Prerequisites: BIOL 010, 011, 018, or 111, or with permission of instructor.
Spring 2014. Formica

Black Studies:

Chemistry:

CHEM 10H Registration:

You cannot register for Chem 10H lab on line, please use the supplemental lab pre-registration form.

CHEM 002.  First-Year Seminar: From Farm to Table - The Chemistry of Food and Food Production. This seminar will explore the chemical nature of food, starting from the properties of its major components: proteins, fats and oils, carbohydrates, and water. We will discuss how these properties give rise to choices in preparation, preservation, and cooking of foods. We will also examine the environmental effects of food production, including effects on water quality and climate change.
This course does not count towards a chemistry major.
Prerequisites: None.
1 credit.
Fall 2013 only. Holliday.

CHEM 055. Physical Chemistry: Energy and Change
A quantitative approach to the role that energy and entropy play in chemical and biochemical systems. Topics include states of matter, the laws of thermodynamics, chemical equilibria, electrochemistry, the thermodynamics of solutions and phases and chemical kinetics/dynamics. Examples will be drawn from both real and ideal systems in chemistry and biochemistry.
Prerequisites: CHEM 010/010H/; PHYS 003, 004 (or 003, 004L, or 007, 008) and MATH 034 (or equivalent)..
1 credit.
Spring 2014. Newby

CHEM 056. Inorganic Chemistry
A study of the structure, bonding, and reactivity of inorganic compounds with emphasis on the transition metals. Included in the syllabus are discussions of crystal and ligand field theories, organometallic chemistry, and bioinorganic chemistry.
Prerequisite: Four prior semesters of college chemistry.
1 credit.
Spring 2014. Yatsunyk

CHEM 057. Advanced Integrated Experimental Chemistry
Integrated experimental projects incorporating analytical, inorganic, physical, and biochemistry methods.  
Two laboratory periods weekly.
Prerequisites:  CHEM 044; CHEM 056 must have already been completed or taken as a co-requisite.
Natural sciences and engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Spring 2014. Howard and Yatsunyk

Chinese - see Modern Languages and Literatures

Classic,

Closed:
ANCH 023. Alexander and the Hellenistic World

Computer Science:

Dance:

Open:
DANC 025A Dance and Diaspora (W) - Eligible for ASIA or GSST Programs.  Cross-listed with SOAN 020J
DANC 036 Dancing Identities - Eligible for GSST Program, Open to all students

Economics:

Closed:
ECON 033. Financial Accounting

ECON 045. Labor Economics
Should the minimum wage be raised?  Why are unions less common in the US than Europe, and would US workers be better off with higher unionization?  This course will attempt to answer these questions using economic theories describing the supply of and demand for labor in the marketplace.  Unemployment, the minimum wage, immigration, unions, discrimination, wage inequality, the effect of schooling on earnings, and decisions that affect labor force participation (such as fertility and retirement) will all be discussed.  Theoretical models will be compared to the most up to date empirical findings to test the value of the models.
Prerequisite:  ECON 001.
1 credit.
Fall 2013. Christensen

Education:

Open Courses for First-Year Students:
EDUC 014:Intro to Education (W)
EDUC026: SpecEd: Issues & Practice

New Courses for Fall 13

EDUC65: Classroom research for social change
In this course, students work with classroom teachers to explore the potential for classroom, school, and educational change through research.  Students will become part of an ongoing “professional community” of Philadelphia teachers who are exploring what constitutes teacher leadership, how teacher networks can contribute to individual and institutional development and renewal, and how locally based educational research can play a part in student, teacher, school and educational development.

EDUC 153: Latinos and Education.

Times to be announced --- Allard
This seminar explores the schooling experiences of Latinos in the U.S. from interdisciplinary perspectives, including sociology, history, anthropology, and linguistics. Course participants will engage with questions around educational quality and access, language and culture, immigration and demographic change, curriculum and pedagogy, and community activism in relation to the education of Latinos. Students will study asset-based approaches to research and teaching and will use one or more of these research methodologies in a collaborative, community-based research project in and for a local Latino-serving school.
Prerequisites: Ed 53 or Ed 68
2 credits.

English Literature:

New Time for FYS ENGL 009S. Black Liberty, Black Literature                                                            
How have African American writers told stories of freedom, and how have they tried to tell them freely? How has the question of freedom shaped the development of, and debates over, an African American literary tradition? Drawing upon fiction, poetry, personal narratives, and critical essays, we will examine freedom as an ongoing problem of form, content, and context in black literature from antebellum slavery to the present. Eligible for BLST credit. Writing course. 1 credit. Fall 2013 and spring 2014. TTH 1:15-2:30. Foy.

 ENGL 060. Early African American Print Cultures*
African American literature has traditionally been defined in terms of authorship, but how might we expand this definition to consider editing, illustration, printing, circulation, and reading?  And how might this expanded definition change our understanding of the field?  This course will examine a wide variety of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century African American print culture, including poetry, sermons, manifestos, newspapers, slave narratives, and novels. 
1 credit.
Fall 2013. Cohen

Engineering:

 

Environmental Studies:

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Film and Media Studies:

Open:
FMST 054 German Cinema

 

Gender and Sexuality Studies:

 

History:

Closed:
HIST 125. Fascist Europe
HIST 140. The Colonial Encounter in Africa

All othere History courses are open

Interpretation Theory:

 

Latin American Studies:

LASC 005. Introduction to Latin American Studies TU-TH 2:40: 3:55 enrollment 15
This course is intended to provide an introduction to the major concepts, issues, and debates in the field of Hispanic/Latin@ Studies. It is informed by an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Hispanic/Latin@ communities in the United States, namely those of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Caribbean, Central American and South American origin. The course presents a basic intellectual map for understanding both the similarities and the differences between contemporary Hispanic/Latin@ communities, i.e., what internal and external, separating and unifying forces affect them. Some of the main organizing themes include: the politics of labeling and subsequent questions of identity; immigration, migration, and communities formation histories; gender; race and racial constructions; language/bilingualism; educational experiences; media representation; labor markets; and demographic trends. The third and briefest part of the course will build upon the previous sections by asking how the history and current status of Latinos might influence their near-term future, under various assumptions.
1 credit.
Fall 2013. Machuca-Galvez

LASC 025. Wednesdays 1:15-4:00 enrollment 15
The Latin American Religious Arena – This course explores distinct historical, socio-cultural contexts, political and economic processes in which historical varieties of Catholicism have emerged in Latin America. Understanding religion as generative, this course will examine the foundations, theological themes, and processes of pre-Hispanic indigenous practices, Spanish Colonial Catholicism, the public role of the Catholic Church in struggles for justice and human rights in the 1960-1990 period expressed by Liberation Theology, the recent growth of Protestantism with a focus on Pentecostalism, the “end of revolutionary utopias,” the contemporary praxis of Catholicism, the public emergence of native spiritualities, and diaspora religions of the Caribbean, Brazil and Latinos in the U.S.A.
1 credit.
Fall 2013. Machuca-Galvez

Japanese - see Modern Languages and Literatures

 

Latin-see Classics

Linguistics:

Fall 2013

LING 032. International Perspectives on Deafness
This course introduces students to the range of ways in which deafness and Deaf people are categorized internationally - by medical personnel, by hearing people, and by Deaf communities. We begin with references to Deafness and Deaf people in ancient times and trace changing attitudes to Deafness, signed languages and Deafhood up until contemporary times. We also explore the notion of Deaf culture and community and consider the objective symbols and behavioural norms of this culture. This course introduces a continuum of perspectives of Deafness, and examines the range of practical and political implications of these views. We also consider the range of implications that this can have on a Deaf person's self-image. A range of views from Deaf deafened and hard of hearing people which have been pre-recorded are shared over the course of this module. This module also considers different ways of being Deaf in the modern world. A particular focus is given to the ways that Deaf women are presented and viewed in historical and contemporary communities. We also look at the relationship between the developed and the developing worlds, with special emphasis on the European experience of Deafness. In a European context, data from the European Commission funded (Leonardo da Vinci) SIGNALL I, SIGNALL II, SIGNALL 3 and Medisigns projects are drawn on ( www.signallproject.com ). As signed language use is a defining feature of what it means to be a member of a Deaf community, we will also touch on some key sociolinguistic elements of identity (e.g. gendered language use, regional variation in signed languages, bilingualism in deaf communities).
Students who are interested in taking this course in the spring 13 semester, please see or email( tfernal1) Ted Fernald in the Linguistics Department office.

Literature - see Modern Languages and Literatures

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Mathematics and Statistics:

Math 59: Topics in Discrete Math, Fall, 2013
This course will be an introduction to the theory of error correcting codes.
We start with binary linear codes, the Hamming distance, nearest neighbor
decoding, and the Hamming codes, which can detect and correct a single
error. We then see how to construct a double-error-correcting BCH code.
Next will be the Hadamard and Golay codes, which are nonlinear. Some
study of finite fields then leads to cyclic codes and t-error-correcting BCH
codes. Other topics may include the connection between block designs and
codes, Reed-Solomon codes, and Reed-Muller codes. The prerequisite for
this course is successful completion of a linear algebra course (Math 27 or
28) and an interest in proofs and theorems.

MATH 075. Advanced Topics in Geometry: Computational Geometry and Topology
This course is an introduction to the relatively new fields of computational geometry and computational topology. Topics are likely to include polygons, linkages, convex geometry, triangulations and other geometric structures for finite point sets, Voronoi diagrams, dissections, the topology of graphs and surfaces, configuration spaces, and origami. For more information, please see:

http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/dshimam1/Math075F2013.pdf

Prerequisites: At least one of MATH 055, MATH 063, MATH 067, or MATH 069. MATH 063 recommended especially.

Closed:
STAT 031. Data Analysis & Visualization:

Modern Languages and Literature:

Arabic:

Chinese:

French:

FREN 077: Caribbean and African Literature and Culture in Translation
(cross-listed with LITR 077F & eligible for BLST program)
Through close reading and discussion of African and Caribbean texts, originally written in French, we will examine the " re/wri/gh/t/ing" of the local and national pre/ post/colonial H/h/istories. The emphasis will be on some cultural, social and racial issues and on their rendering in distinct literary forms: language, rhythm, influences, ruptures, etc. The theoretical readings of CLR James, F. Fanon, A. and S. Césaire, E.Glissant, among others, will guide our analysis. There will be a 1/2 credit French attachment for French reading students.
1 credit. Rice-Maximin.

German:

New GERMAN Course
GMST 20: Verlorene Unschuld: literarische und filmische Jugendporträts
This course will explore representations of youth and coming-of-age in literature and film of the German-speaking world. We will read both canonical and non-canonical texts beginning in the eighteenth century and extending into the twenty-first that engage with themes of love, education and crisis. What do these narratives reveal about national, cultural and individual identity formation during early stages of maturity? How are these narratives shaped by various political and historical contexts? In addition to works by authors such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Frank Wedekind, Ingeborg Bachmann, Bernhard Schlink, and Jana Hensel, we will also examine key theoretical texts and films that focus on narratives of youth.
1 credit. Wegener.
 
Japanese:

JPNS 035/LITR 035J. Narratives of Disaster and Rebuilding in Japan (Eligible for Asian Studies and Environmental Studies.)
This course will explore documentary and fictional representations of the modern Japanese landscape and cityscape in crisis, with special attention to the role of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster as a catalyst for change in contemporary Japan. Documentaries and fictionalizations of the 2011 “triple disaster” reignited debates over cultural trauma and the ethics of representing disaster. Through the study of literature, film, and critical discourse, we will examine the historical and cultural implications of such famous 20th Century disaster narratives as Godzilla and Japan Sinks, as well as the latest writing and films from Japan, in the context of public debates about safety, sustainability, and social change after the March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster.
The course is a part of the BMC 360o course cluster “Perspectives on Sustainability: Disasters and Rebuilding in Japan.” The final project for the 360˚ course cluster will involve an exhibition utilizing objects and texts in the Trico special collections and archives. Readings and discussions will be in English. Course enrollment is limited; priority for registration will be given to 360o students and Japanese and Asian Studies majors and minors.
1 credit. Gardener.

Literature:

New LITR Course
LITR 006G/First Year Seminar: Exploring the Boundaries of Travel Writing
This first-year seminar examines the formation of cultural identity through the lens of mobility and travel. The specific focus of this course will enable students to grapple with topics related to transcultural encounter and representations of otherness. Students will be asked to engage in critical readings of texts that complicate traditional notions of travel. They will also develop a keen perception of how spatial dynamics and historical contexts shape the perspectives from which travel is narrated. Works included in the course are colonial texts, narratives of exile and Holocaust deportation, literary road trips and documentary travelogue films.
1 credit. Wegener

Russian:

New RUSSIAN Courses
RUSS 086. Nature and Industry in Russian Literature and Culture
(Cross-Listed as LITR 086R) From pre-Christian religion and folklore based in forest, steppe and tundra and the enduring role of peasant culture to today’s Neo-Pagans,
Russian culture has been closely bound to nature, developing sustainable agricultural practices, honoring “Moist Mother Earth” and (even sophisticated city dwellers) heading out to gather berries and mushrooms. But the Soviet era pursued science-fictional plans to redesign whole landscapes, make rivers flow backwards and even revolutionize plant genetics (Trofim Lysenko). In practice, such projects led to a shrinking Aral Sea, massive pollution of industrial and agricultural sites, and the worst nuclear disaster in human history (Chernobyl) – at great human cost. Writers have both supported industrial transformation and resisted industrialization. This course will trace the evolution of these elements of Russian culture, focusing on expressions of ideology in literature.No knowledge of Russian is necessary, but students with the language may do some reading in the original.
1 credit. Staff.

Spanish:

New SPANISH course

SPAN 052. Imaginarios culturales caribeños
This course will explore the Hispanic Caribbean experience through food, sports and music.  Their artistic and literary representations offer vital insights into the political, economic, and cultural history of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, as into the experiences of Spanish-Caribbean diasporic communities.  This thematic approach will offer rich material for reflection on representations of patriarchy, gender roles, sexuality, race, and class in the popular culture of these island societies.
1 credit.
Fall 2013. Valdez

SPAN 80. Los hijos de la Malinche: representaciones culturales de la Revolución Mexicana: CLOSED
This course will examine the representations of the Mexican Revolution in novels, short stories, essays, theatre, films, and corridos by Mexican authors and artists. We will pay attention to the complexity of perspectives generated by this sociopolitical upheaval, whose legacy has been riddled with ambivalence. The objective is to gain a critical understanding of how and why the Revolution became such a fundamental part of Mexican identity and culture. Topics include: political disenchantment, solitude, class division, gender roles, national myths, and identity construction.
Eligible for LASC credit.
1 credit.  
Fall 2013. Buiza

Music:

Peace Studies:

 

Philosophy:

FALL 2013

Freshmen are Eligible to Enroll  in the Following Philosophy Courses
(These introductory level courses count as a prerequisite for intermediate PHIL courses)
PHIL 1-1 – Intro:  Knowledge & Agency (WC) – Baumann – TR – 11:20-12:35 – Papazian 324
PHIL 1-4 – Intro:  Knowledge & The World (WC) – Thomason – MWF 9:30-10:20 – Trotter 301
PHIL 5 – FYS:  Human Nature (WC) – Lorraine– TR – 11:20-12:35 – Papazian 325
PHIL 10 – FYS:  Questions of Inquiry (WC) – Raff – W -1:15-3:55 – Kohlberg 116
PHIL 12-1 – Logic – Baker – MWF 10:30-11:20 – Science Ctr L26 – (Required for PHIL majors)
PHIL 12-2 – Logic – Baker – MWF 11:30-12:20 – Kohlberg 115 – (Required for PHIL majors)
(WC) – Writing Course
FYS – First Year Seminar
NOTE:  Students may not take more than one PHIL introductory level course (FYS or Intro to Philosophy), with one exception: students may take Logic either before or after taking any other PHIL introductory course.
All courses have an enrollment limit and freshmen will be lotteried f necessary.

Physical Education:

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Courses
New Course Announcements – Fall 2013

Badminton
When:              Tues./Thurs., 1:15-2:30 pm (Fall I: 9/2-10/11)
Where:             Lamb Miller Fieldhouse West
Instructor:       Jeremy Loomis
Course Description: The course is designed so that the novice/beginner/intermediate/advance badminton player can learn new skills and advance existing skills in a life sport.  Skills included are: over head smash, drop shot, serve, overhead clear, underhand clear, serving techniques, singles play, doubles play, and court awareness. All skill levels are welcome.

Cardio Tennis
When:              Tues./Thurs., 1:15-2:30 pm (Fall II: 10/21-12/10)
Where:             Mullan Center
Instructor:       Jeremy Loomis
Course Description: This course is designed for the individual who wants a heart-pumping fun activity with the added bonus of whacking a ball.  No tennis experience required.

Gym Class Hero
When:              Tues./Thurs., 9:55-11:10 am (Fall I: 9/2-10/11)
Where:             Lamb Miller Fieldhouse West
Instructor:       Matt Midkiff
Course Description: This course is designed to give the student the basic knowledge and understanding of a variety of games and activities reminiscent of those played in elementary, middle, and high school gym classes.  Each class will begin with a general warm-up and group stretch, followed by instruction and playing of the game of that day.  The course will cycle through a variety of games, potentially including (but not limited to): basketball (half court, Knockout, H.O.R.S.E.), kickball, dodgeball, ultimate frisbee, King’s Court, soccer tennis, and others. All skill levels are welcome.

Water Aerobics
When:              Mon./Fri., 7:30-8:20 am (Fall I: 9/2-10/11 and Fall II: 10/21-12/10)
Where:             Ware Pool
Instructor:       Renee Clarke
Course Description: This calorie burning class is an excellent workout that will open your mind and body to exercise possiblities in the water.  A combination of muscle and cardiovascular conditioning will allow all levels of fitness abilities to work at their own pace during class using both circuit training and stations in shallow and deep water.

Wellness Seminar
When:              Tuesdays, 2:40-3:55 pom (Full Semester)
Where:             Lamb Miller Fieldhouse, Classroom 113
Instructor:       Harleigh Chwastyk, Sayta Nelms
Course Description: The goal of the Wellness Seminar is to help students engage in the pro-active process of becoming aware of and making choices for a more successful existence by providing an interesting and relevant program that will provide students with a base of knowledge that promotes a healthy balance of mind, body and spirit.  The course will be taught by Swarthmore College faculty and staff from various disciplines and offices. The course organization demonstrates in a very practical way, the relationship between disciplines and learning as dynamic and inter-disciplinary. This semester long course is eligible for 1 PE unit.  Students cannot repeat the course for additional PE credit.

Physics and Astronomy:

Class of 2017:

Astronomy 6: Introductory Cosmology
0.5 credits, meets second-half of the fall 2013 semester
this is a new course being taught this fall by David Cohen
Course description:
The subject of cosmology has seen stunning advances in the precision of measurements and in theoretical understanding over the last two decades. The basic framework for understanding the properties of the Universe as a whole is general relativity, but significant understanding can be gained and quantitative detail can be put into context without doing GR calculations or derivations. We will discuss GR at the beginning, but we will not do quantitative calculations with the field equations themselves. We will use the Friedmann equation (which is a consequence of GR but can be derived classically) to understand – quantitatively – the history and fate of the Universe, in the context of the standard hot big bang model. We will focus on observational evidence for this model: the expansion of the Universe, the cosmic microwave background, and big-bang nucleosynthesis. And we will explore more recent observational measurements of the properties of dark matter and dark energy as well as the growth of structure in the Universe.
This half-credit class is designed to give students who are excited about cosmology, and comfortable with physics and math, a short introduction to the subject. The level of the class is relatively high and aimed at students who could be astronomy or astrophysics majors. We will use a textbook that is also used in Astro 16, our sophomore classes for prospective majors. The reading has some simple differential and integral calculus and a few straightforward differential equations. Though the class has no official pre-requisites, some exposure to single-variable differential and integral calculus is required. Students concurrently taking Math 25 or higher will have an adequate mathematical background, and high-school calculus will generally be sufficient. Similarly, there are no official physics pre-requisites, but some exposure to basic physics, especially mechanics, gravity, and the properties of light, are required, even if only in high school.

No prior, specific knowledge of astronomy is presumed. The important properties of galaxies will be introduced as needed. Astro 6 is suitable for many first-year students concurrently taking Physics 5 and also for sophomores and others concurrently taking Astro 16. Those two groups are the target audience, but the class should be appropriate for other students, too.

PHYS 002M. FYS Medical Physics
I thought I'd write telling you about the first year seminar, FYS, I have developed and we are offering again this fall.  It's entitled "Physics in Modern Medicine" and assumes no prior background in physics or biology. No math beyond elementary algebra will be used.  I have attached a PDF. Do look at it and see if this topic interests you. 
The one section scheduled thus far is Monday 1:15 - 4:15. However, if there is more demand we probably will offer additional sections.  Recall, FYS's are limited to 12 students.  It will count toward the  the Natural Science and Engineering (NSE) distribution requirement you all have to fulfill, but it has no lab.
This is a fascinating and important subject in health science today.  Medical schools are realizing that preparation in basic science and technology should become an increasing part of undergraduate preparation (see recent report by the American Association of Medical Colleges). But the subject is interesting by itself. I became attracted to the field three years ago - I am a laser atomic physicist by background (I am not an MD!) - while working in collaboration with a research group at the University of Pennsylvania. We will have the opportunity of visiting many of their medical physics facilities, including their new proton beam accelerator for cancer treatment, throughout the semester. We will also have guest lectures by physicians and a biomedical engineer.
Last fall was the first time this seminar was given and it received significant (anonymous) praise:
I think any student coming in with the intention of studying science at Swarthmore, or especially those planning to go to medical school should strongly consider this seminar. ……….it is a very interesting class and a very practical application of physics……I thought the poster project was very enjoyable and presenting it was also a good experience.
I thought they (the guest lecturers) were great, and I enjoyed having new people come into the class and talk about things that were related to medical physics.
I would definitely recommend this seminar to first year students because it was a very interesting class and Professor Moscatelli did a great job guiding the seminar.
The poster project was very valuable because it forced us to practice formatting a high level presentation. It also was a good way to meet many of our future professors and to share the knowledge that we learned through this course.
The three guest lecturers were very interesting. I particularly enjoyed the last presentation because the doctor was very clear and made sure that everyone was able to follow his information. It was very interesting to learn how the material we were learned applied to higher level physics and medicine.
I would definitely recommend this seminar to first year students because it was a very interesting class and Professor Frank Moscatelli did a great job guiding the seminar.

Please look at the attached PDF and feel free to write me here with any questions or comments:

FYS Physics in Modern Medicine

Political Science:

Fall 2013 Changes

Closed:
Pols 2 section 1 (Reeves)
Pols 4 sections 1 & 2
Pols 10K
Pols 67
Pols 69
Pols 70B

POLS 001. Political Theory (not a W for fall 2013)
MWF 11:30-12:25 SCI L32(Staff)

POLS 011. Anc Pol Th: Plato-Michiavelli
Tu Th 1:15-2:30 (C Halpern)

Psychology:

Fall, 2013

Fall, 2013
Psychology courses open to first-year students:

Psyc 001 Introduction to Psychology
An introduction to the basic processes underlying human and animal behavior—studied in experimental, social, and clinical contexts.  Analysis centers on the extent to which normal and abnormal behaviors are determined by learning motivation, neural, cognitive, and social processes.
In addition to the course lectures, students are required to participate in a mini-seminar for several weeks during the semester.  Each meeting is 1 hour and 15 minutes, typically during the Monday or Wednesday (1:15-4:00), or Friday (2:15-5:00 p.m.) class periods.  Students will be assigned to a group after classes begin, but should keep at least one period open.  Student also act as participants in Psychology Department student and faculty research projects.
PSYC 001 is a prerequisite to further work in the department.  1 credit.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, 9:55-11:10.  SCI 101
Prof. Allen Schneider.

The following two First Year Seminars may need to be lotteried to meet the cap of 12.  The lotteries will be conducted on Friday afternoon, August 30, and the results will be posted on the main door of Papazian .  Students will be notified by email.)

PSYC 006. First-Year Seminar: Happiness.
What is happiness?  How important is it to people?  How important should it be to people?  Do people know what makes them happy?  If they do know, are they able to make decisions that promote happiness?  This course asks all of these questions and tries to answer at least some of them by examining current psychological research.
PSYC 006 serves as an alternate prerequisite for further work in the department.
No prerequisite.  1 credit
Wednesdays, 1:15-4:00.  Trotter 215.
Prof. Barry Schwartz.

PSYC 007. First-Year Seminar: Early Social Cognition
Humans are helplessly social: we spend much of our lives interacting with others, continuously encoding and processing information about our social world. What are the origins and developmental trajectory of our social cognition? Are we prejudiced from the start? How do we learn us vs. them distinction? When and how do young children come to appreciate the content of others’ minds? This course explores the underlying cognitive processes that shape infants’ and children’s understanding of the social world.
PSYC 007 serves as an alternate prerequisite for further work in the department
No prerequisite.  1 credit
Mondays, 7:00-10 p.m. Papazian 325.
Prof. Stella Christie

Psychology Department Course List Fall 2013

 Open Classes

Psych 001: Intro to Psychology (Schneider)
           Tuesday  & Thursday 9:55am- 11:10am
Psych 006: FYS: Happiness (Schwartz)
           Wednesday 1:15pm-4pm
Psych 007: FYS Early Social Cognition (Christie)
           Monday 7p-10p
Psych 025 Section 2: Research Design/Analysis (Norris)
           Tuesday  & Thursday 9:55am- 11:10am
Psych 031A: Social, Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience (Norris)
           Tuesday & Thursday 2:40pm-3:55pm
Psych 036:  Thinking, Judgment and Decision- Making: Open to Juniors and Seniors Only,  by permission (Schwartz)
           Tuesday  & Thursday 9:55am- 11:10am
Psych 038: Clinical Psychology (Krause)
           Tuesday & Thursday  1:15pm-2:30pm
Psych 091: Advanced Topics Behavioral Neuroscience: By permission (Schneider)
           Monday 1:15pm-4:00pm
Psych 104: Research Practicum in Language and Mind (Grodner)
           Wednesday 7pm-10pm
Psych 106: Research Practicum in Cognitive Development By permission (Christie)
           Wednesday 1:15pm-4:00pm
Psych 108: Research Practicum: School Psychology Research (Vélez)
           Wednesday and Friday 9:30am-11:20am
Psych 109: Research Practicum: Clinical Psychology Research (Vélez)
            Wednesday and Friday 9:30am-11:20am

Closed Classes

Psych 025 Section 1: Research Design/Analysis (Baird)
Psych/Ling 034: Psychology of Language (Grodner)
Psych 135: Seminar in Social Psychology (Ward)
Psych 138: Seminar in Clinical Psychology (Reimer)

Advanced Placement
Students may meet the introductory prerequisite for further work in psychology with an AP score of 5 or an IB grade of 6 or 7 in psychology, but this practice is not encouraged.  In either case, an entering student should seek guidance from the department chair, Prof. Andrew Ward, or academic coordinator about selection of a first psychology course.  Students electing the AP or IB placement option are not permitted to take a core course (numbered in the 30s) in their first semester.  (Swarthmore credit is not granted for AP or IB work in psychology.)These students may take the first-year seminars in their entering semester.
There is extensive information about the Department of Psychology on our web site, readily available on the college’s home page under the Academics menu:
http://www.swarthmore.edu/academics/psychology.xml

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Religion:

**First year seminar still open**
Food and Religion - REL 19
Why do some people eat the body of their god? What is soul food? Is a pig an abomination? Is there really “devil’s food” and “angel’s food”? Which is more spiritual, to feast or to fast?
All of these questions are linked by a common theme: they point to the relationship between food metaphors, food symbolism, and the material relationship of food to religious experience. This seminar will introduce students to the academic study of religion, using food as an entry point. From diverse methodological perspectives, we will investigate the significance of food across a variety of traditions and explore such issues as diet, sacrifice, the body, healing, ethics, and religious doctrines involving food. There will be several projects that involve preparing food dishes and creating food-related religious forms. Topics to be covered include fasting and spirituality, eating the body of god(s), sacred vegetarianism, food controversies, and edible spirits.
Religion 019
Wednesday 1:15-4:00 pm
Pearson 210
Fall 2013 Prof. Chireau

RELG 005. World Religions
Wars are fought; walls go up; hope marches on. Religion plays a crucial role in culture, politics, global events, and in the lives of contemporary peoples world-wide. This class, by examining what religion is and how it manifests itself in multiple ways around the world and in the United States, provides students with religious literacy and analytic skills to better engage as citizens of the world in the 21st century. This course introduces students to both the academic study of religion and to religions as practiced around the world. We will explore textual traditions and lived practices of religions-and investigate the relationships between such texts and practices-in numerous historical and cultural contexts. Topics covered include: definitions and meanings of the term "religion;" understandings and expressions of the sacred; the relationship between violence and religion. We will examine the myths and rituals, the beliefs and practices, institutions, and expression of global religious traditions.
Eligible for PEAC credit. 1 credit. Kistler
MWF  9:30-10:20 am  Kohlberg 116

RELG 011B. First-Year Seminar: The Religion of Islam (W)
This course is a comprehensive introduction to Islamic doctrines, practices and religious institutions in a variety of geographic settings from the rise of Islam in the seventh century through the modern era. We will pay particular attention to how Muslims have approached their foundational religious text, the Qur’an, and to their often competing understandings of the Islamic tradition and of what it means to be a Muslim. Topics include: Muhammad and the emergence of Islam; the Qur’an as scripture and liturgy; the spread of Islam; sectarianism; war and peace; law and ethics; Islamic mysticism; women and gender; religious authority; contemporary religious and political trends; the modern reaffirmation of Islamic identity; and Islam in America and Western Europe.
Writing course.
Eligible for ISLM or MDST credit. 1 credit Kistler
MWF  11:30 am-12:20 pm  Kohlberg 116

RELG 109. Afro-Atlantic Religions
This seminar explores the historical experiences of the millions of persons who worship African divinities in the West. We will consider the following questions: How were these religions and their communities created? How have they survived? How are African-based traditions perpetuated through ritual, song, dance, drumming, and healing practices? Special attention will be given to Yoruba religion and its New World offspring, Santeria, Voodoo and Candomblé.
Eligible for BLST or LAS credit.
2 credits. Chireau
              

Russian - see Modern Languages and Literatures

 

Sociology and Anthropology:

Open
ANTH 020J 01. Dance and Diaspora (W) (CR DAN 025A)Controlled by Dance
ANTH 021D 01.Anthropology of Art & Aesthetics           
ANTH 043E 01.Culture, Health, Illness (T)                                   
ANTH 072C 01.Memory, History, Nation (T)                              
ANTH 095  01. Independent Study  Permission of the Instructor
SOCI 025B   01       Transforming Conflict                                          
SOCI 036D   01      IntroFld: Qualitative Methods (M)                                
SOCI 040H   01      Security and Defense 
SOCI 048D   01      Sociology of Humor                                                
SOCI 095     01      Independent Study  
SOAN 001A 01      Intro: Anthropology & Sociology  
SOAN 096   01       Thesis                                                                       
SOAN 097   01       Thesis (W)                                                             
SOAN 180   01       Senior Honor Thesis                                                                                                                            

Closed
ANTH 009C 01       Cultures of the Mdl East (W)                              
ANTH 112   A/B     Cities, Spaces, & Power (T)                                              
SOCI 006H   01      Soc Problems of Phila (CR EDUC 074)               
SOCI 040I   01       Race and Place                                                    
SOAN 030P 01      Introduction to GIS (M)  Controlled by POLS

Fall 2013 Changes
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology has changed the labeling of its courses to reflect the discipline that the course is anchored in, thus courses taught by anthropologist will be coded as ANTH and course taught by a sociologist will be coded SOCI.

We will still have the SOAN designation for joint classes and the thesis.
These changes do not have any implications for the number and distribution of courses that a student might take in our department.
3/19/13

New Course Fall 2013
SOAN 040I  Race and Place: T/R 2:40- 3:55pm Kohl 202
Using Philadelphia neighborhoods as our site of study, this course will
analyze the relationship between race/ethnicity and spatial inequality,
emphasizing the institutions, processes, and mechanisms that shape the lives
of urban dwellers. We will survey major theoretical approaches and empirical
investigations of racial and ethnic stratification in cities,their
concomitant policy considerations, and the impact at the local level in
Philadelphia. Professor Nina Johnson                              

Spanish - see Modern Languages and Literatures

 

Statistics -  see Mathematics and Statistics

Theater: