An examination of the broad contours of the history of African American people in the United States from ca. 1600 to 1960. Particular emphasis is given to how African Americans influenced virtually every aspect of U.S. society, slavery and Constitutional changes after 1865, debates on the meaning of freedom and citizenship, and the efforts to contest discrimination, segregation and anti-Black violence.

Offered as AFR 175 and ENG 236. A survey of the evolution of African American literature during the 20th century. This class builds on the foundations established in AFR 113. Writers include Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and Paule Marshall.

The African continent’s place as the cradle of humanity has made it central to Anthropology. However, Anthropology’s imperial origins have long put it at odds with the people of the African Diaspora. This course examines the complexities of the relationship between Anthropology and the African Diaspora. The course explores the African Diaspora as space, place, and identity; critically examines Anthropology’s history; explores the discipline’s core theories and thinkers; broadens students' thinking of the discipline’s canon; and examines key ethnographies of and from the African diaspora. Restrictions: AFR 202 may be taken for credit a total of three times with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 20.

This course examines the social and historical construction of blackness in Europe with particular attention to the impact of European colonialism, racist ideology and antiblack policies on the experiences of people of African descent. Topics of inquiry include: What is the relationship between the Black Mediterranean, the Black Atlantic and Black Europe? How have transnational migrations, political transformations and intellectual exchange shaped African diasporic identities, activism and cultural productions in Europe? Meditations are informed by accounts of Black life in European narratives and media as well as interdisciplinary scholarship in Black Studies, Sociology, History and Cultural Studies.

How does gender matter in a black context? That is the question this course asks and attempts to answer through an examination of works by such authors as Harriet Jacobs, Frances Harper, Nella Larsen, Zora Hurston, Toni Morrison, Ntozake Shange and Alice Walker.

This interdisciplinary course explores the historical and theoretical perspectives of African American women from the time of slavery to the post-civil rights era. A central concern of the course is the examination of how black women shaped and were shaped by the intersectionality of race, gender and sexuality in American culture. Restrictions: Not open to first-years. Enrollment limited to 25.

Tourism is often lauded as the key to economic development for many countries. However, scholarly work has shown that historical relationships to imperialism and colonialism impact how people and places experience tourism. This course introduces students to debates, methods and conceptual frameworks in the study of race, sex and tourism. Through a review of scholarly texts, tourism paraphernalia, films and travelogues, the course examines the social, political and ethical considerations inherent in multiple forms of tourism including eco-tourism, wellness or health, sun-sand-sea, heritage, dark and voluntourism in locales ranging from the Caribbean and the Americas to Africa and Europe. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required.

This course focuses on historical, current, and emerging issues centering women and the law in Africa. It analyzes key incidents in African law to identify areas of commonalities and tension in the discourse surrounding the rights of women, the construction of gender, gender(ed) norms, sexuality/sexualities, and the negotiation of intimate relationships. The course asks: To what extent has the law in Africa safeguarded the rights of women and girls? What role does gender and sexuality play in African law? How are activists and lawyers utilizing the law to fight against gender-based violence? What are the shifting boundaries of African feminist jurisprudence? (E)

This course examines the mores, rules, and regulations that presently exists in African societies with regards to sex, sexual activity, and sexualities. Using an intersectional, decolonial, African, feminist perspective, it examines the social justification behind the establishment of such rules. Are these rules and norms instituted to safeguard vulnerable populations or are they based on the subjugation of entire classes of persons? Enrollment limited to 18. (E)

This course introduces some of the exciting and innovative approaches to cultural analysis that have emerged over the last three decades. Students apply these methods to a variety of texts and practices (stories, movies, television shows, music, advertisements, clothes, buildings, laws, markets, bodies) in an effort to acquire the tools to become skillful readers of American culture, and to become more critical and aware as scholars and citizens. AMS 201 is recommended but not required.

This course is designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary field of Native American and Indigenous Studies. This course looks at the diverse histories of Indigenous nations across North America, as well as histories of shared experiences with ongoing colonialism, legacies of resistance and connections to place. The class focuses on Indigenous perspectives, intellectual traditions and critical interventions across time through the work of historians, anthropologists, philosophers, literary scholars, Indigenous knowledge keepers, poets, writers and activists. This course is required for a Native American and Indigenous Studies focus for American Studies majors.

National Parks loom large in the public imagination of the United States. They have come to symbolize the greatness of America through the beauty of its vast and varied terrain and the expansive freedom these spaces imbue. While National Parks have generated a sense of national belonging since the creation of Yellowstone in 1872, they have also been spaces of Indigenous dispossession and racial exclusion. Using the tools of cultural studies, media studies, Indigenous studies, environmental history, and more, this course addresses how National Parks have shaped and have been shaped by shifting ideas about the human relationship to the nonhuman environment through an exploration of conflicts over land use, conservation, ecology, and the idea of “nature” itself. Enrollment limited to 25. (E)

It is often noted in mainstream news media that Indigenous peoples are “on the front lines” of the climate crisis, while providing little explanation as to why this is. Narratives of inherent Indigenous vulnerability obscure the ways in which Indigenous communities have mobilized to navigate environmental change, not only in the face of contemporary global warming, but historically, as settler colonial incursions radically transformed landscapes and constrained Indigenous knowledge practices that have provided tools for adaptation for thousands of years. This course considers how Indigenous climate vulnerability is largely a product of settler colonialism—not only a process and system, but also a particular way of understanding and relating to the nonhuman environment. Enrollment limited to 25. (E)

This course offers an analytical history of American popular culture since 1865. It starts from the premise that popular culture, far from being merely a frivolous or debased alternative to high culture, is an important site of popular expression, social instruction, and cultural conflict. The course examines theoretical texts that help to read popular culture and it studies specific artifacts from a variety of pop culture sources, from television shows to Hollywood movies, the pornography industry to spectator sports, and popular music to theme parks. The course pays special attention to questions of desire and to the ways popular culture has mediated and produced pleasure, disgust, fear, and satisfaction. Enrollment limited to 25.

This course places the “Culture Wars” – U.S. political battles waged over issues such as race, gender, sexuality, the family, abortion, education, guns, climate change and even the “non-partisan” COVID-19 pandemic – into the context of recent U.S. history. The goal of the course is to invite students to think critically about the workings of the Culture Wars within America’s democratic political system and about the impact of the Culture Wars on the broader sweep of life in the U.S. The course pays particular attention to the ways power relationships are manifested, and contested, through the Culture Wars. Enrollment limited to 20.

This course considers such questions as: What does one know and how does one know it? What knowledges count as science? How is knowledge culturally situated? How has science been central to colonialism and capitalism, and what would it mean to decolonize science(s)? Is feminist science possible? The course looks at key sites and situations in media and popular culture; science writing; sociological accounts of science; creation stories; and traditional knowledges in which knowledge around the categories of race, gender, sex, sexuality, sovereignty and dis/ability are produced, contested and made meaningful. Enrollment limited to 35.

Offered as AMS 267 and SWG 267. This course examines interrelationships of race, sex, sexuality, gender, queerness, disability, class, embodiment, nation, Indigeneity, nature, and sustainability through critical engagement with a body of scholarship known as Queer Ecologies, e.g. anti-racist feminist and queer scholarship on science, labor, popular culture, cultural and environmental preservation, politics, bodies, and sexual and reproductive practices. The course draws theoretical muscle from feminist science studies, queer of color critique, critical race theory, crip theory, feminist theory, and more. Students learn basic participant observation methods, read scholarship, and analyze cultural artifacts such as web and print advertisements, television shows, films, and fiction. Enrollment limited to 18. (E)

This course examines the material culture of everyday life in New England from the earliest colonial settlements to the Victorian era. It introduces students to the growing body of material culture studies and the ways in which historic landscapes, architecture, furniture, textiles, metalwork, ceramics, foodways and domestic environments are interpreted as cultural documents and as historical evidence. Offered on-site at Historic Deerfield (with transportation available from the Smith campus), the course offers students a unique opportunity to study the museum’s world-famous collections in a hands-on, interactive setting with curators and historians. Utilizing the disciplines of history, art and architectural history, anthropology, and archaeology, students explore the relationships between objects and ideas and the ways in which items of material culture both individually and collectively convey patterns of everyday life. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

This course engages new scholarship in American Studies, with a focus on critical disability studies, critical race studies, queer ecologies, and feminist science and technology studies. This course presents an occasion to rethink approaches to interdisciplinarity, intersectionality, ethnic studies and media and cultural studies. Likely texts include works by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Theri A. Pickens, Sami Schalk, Harlan Weaver, Cutcha Risling Baldy, Aurora Levins Morales, Ron Chew, La Marr Jurelle Bruce, Moya Bailey, Candace Fujikane, Sylvia Wynter, and M. Remi Yergeau. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only; American Studies majors. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required.

What does it mean to be human? What is culture, and how does it shape the way humans see the world? Why are some forms of cultural difference tolerated, while others are not? As the holistic study of the human experience, cultural anthropology addresses these questions in a world shaped by human migration, climate change, capitalist extraction and global inequality. This course provides an overview of the discipline’s history, its distinctive method of ethnography and the breadth of topics it addresses, including public health, race, the environment, gender, language, nationalism, software design, the body, music, cities, government and more. Restrictions: First-years and sophomores only. Enrollment limited to 25.

What does it mean to be human? What is culture, and how does it shape the way humans see the world? Why are some forms of cultural difference tolerated, while others are not? As the holistic study of the human experience, cultural anthropology addresses these questions in a world shaped by human migration, climate change, capitalist extraction and global inequality. This course provides an overview of the discipline’s history, its distinctive method of ethnography and the breadth of topics it addresses, including public health, race, the environment, gender, language, nationalism, software design, the body, music, cities, government and more. Restrictions: First-years and sophomores only. Enrollment limited to 25.

What does it mean to be human? What is culture, and how does it shape the way humans see the world? Why are some forms of cultural difference tolerated, while others are not? As the holistic study of the human experience, cultural anthropology addresses these questions in a world shaped by human migration, climate change, capitalist extraction and global inequality. This course provides an overview of the discipline’s history, its distinctive method of ethnography and the breadth of topics it addresses, including public health, race, the environment, gender, language, nationalism, software design, the body, music, cities, government and more. Restrictions: First-years and sophomores only. Enrollment limited to 25.

This course focuses on the theoretical foundations of archaeological research, the variety of methods available to analyze material culture, the interpretation of results, and ethical considerations of practicing archaeology in the United States and abroad. The course provides students with a solid foundation for evaluating and contextualizing current methodological and theoretical trends within archaeology. Case studies illustrate the diversity of archaeological thought, interdisciplinary approaches to studying material culture and innovative directions in the field of anthropological archaeology. Discussions of practice address the roles and responsibilities of archaeologists in heritage management, museum development and community outreach.

This course surveys the social and cultural contexts of languages throughout the world. It examines the ways in which a human language reflects the ways of life and beliefs of its speakers, contrasted with the extent of language's influence on culture. The course focuses on topics such as identity, social factors of language use, language vitality, language politics and issues of globalization. Each language is a repository of history and knowledge, as well as the culture, of a group of speakers. Languages and cultures from around the world are discussed, with special focus on endangered languages. Enrollment limited to 40. (E)

This course explores (1) how and why humans across the globe began to domesticate plant and animal resources approximately 10,000 years ago, and (2) new directions in the archaeology of food across time and space. The first part of the semester focuses on the types of archaeological data and analytical methods used to understand the agricultural revolution. Case studies from both centers and noncenters of domestication are used to investigate the biological, economic and social implications of changing foodways. During the remainder of the semester, emphasis is placed on exploring a number of food-related topics within archaeology, such as the relationship between agriculture and sedentism, food and gender, the politics of feasting, and methods for integrating archaeological and ethnographic approaches to the study of food across the globe. Enrollment limited to 30.

This course reviews the major theoretical approaches and directions in cultural anthropology from the late 19th century to the present. These approaches include social organization and individual agency; adaptation and evolution of human culture; culture and personality, economic behavior, human ecology; the anthropology of development and change; and postmodern interpretation. The works of major anthropologists are explored, including Franz Boas, Bronislaw Malinowski, Margaret Mead, Evans-Pritchard, Claude Levi-Strauss, Marvin Harris, Eric Wolf, Clifford Geertz, Sherry Ortner and others. Prerequisite: ANT 130 or equivalent. Restrictions: Not open to first years.

This course offers an overview of the archaeology of South America, from the earliest traces of human occupation over 10,000 years ago to the material culture of the present. The course focuses on how archaeologists use data collected during settlement surveys, site excavations and artifact analysis to reconstruct households and foodways, social and political organization, and ritual and identity over the millennia. Discussions also include the relevance of the past in contemporary indigenous rights movements, heritage management strategies and nationalist projects.

This course looks at the cultural construction of illness by examining systems of diagnosis, classification, and therapy in both non-Western and Western societies. Special attention is given to the role of the traditional healer, the anthropological contribution to international health care, and the training of physicians in the United States. Restrictions: Not open to first years. Enrollment limited to 30.

What do Barbies, cars, clothes, dishes, or doughnuts, etc. have to do with culture? These, and a myriad other things, are all made and used by human beings and are objects of material culture. This class considers how humans create, consume, produce, use, and ultimately discard things in their everyday lives and the meanings assigned to these objects and behaviors. A self-reflexive position is embraced as the class examines various ways in which material culture both signals identity and influences behavior. Enrollment limited to 40. (E)

Anthropological writing must convey the life-worlds of people and the textures of ethnographic encounters and fieldwork, and refine anthropological theories. How can writing do all of this at once? And as this course crafts a narrative, what does it leave out? Is ethnographic “reality” really described or are anthropological fictions created? Why then does this class look to ethnographic accounts to understand societies and cultures? Anthropological writing has dealt with these questions and more since its inception, but most profoundly since the 1980s. Students read pieces that reflect on and innovate with writing as anthropological praxis, and related issues of fact versus fiction, the politics of representation, narrative style, writing as a form of political action and the role of theory in the creation of knowledge. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required.

This course explores how art and architecture have profoundly shaped visual experiences and shifting understandings of the past and present. Featuring different case studies, each section includes work with original objects, site visits and writings about art. Unifying themes include: (1) materials, techniques and the patterns deployed to create space; (2) the design, function and symbolism of images and monuments; (3) artistic production and its relation to individual and institutional patronage, religion, politics and aesthetics; (4) issues turning on artists’ fame versus anonymity and uniqueness versus reproducibility; and (5) cross-cultural exchanges. Enrollment limited to 25.

This course explores how art and architecture have profoundly shaped visual experiences and shifting understandings of the past and present. Featuring different case studies, each section includes work with original objects, site visits and writings about art. Unifying themes include: (1) materials, techniques and the patterns deployed to create space; (2) the design, function and symbolism of images and monuments; (3) artistic production and its relation to individual and institutional patronage, religion, politics and aesthetics; (4) issues turning on artists’ fame versus anonymity and uniqueness versus reproducibility; and (5) cross-cultural exchanges. Enrollment limited to 25.

In what spaces are collections—of art and artifacts, plants and animals, papers and memories—held? What physical spaces have been created to house, preserve, sequester, and display such things? Upon what conceptual and infrastructural practices does collecting depend? To consider these questions, this class focuses on case studies from 1500-present, drawn from across the world: museums of ethnography and racial justice, private houses and public gardens, seed banks and aquaria. In addition, this class addresses the ethical implications of thinking about architecture and collecting—both literally and metaphorically—as joint, codependent endeavors. Counts for ARU. Enrollment limited to 30.

During the formative periods when the local and global forces simultaneously took actions in shaping Chinese civilization, the functions of images and objects, the approaches to things and the discourses around art underwent significant shifts, not only responding to but also mapping out the "Chinese-ness" in visual and material culture. This course of early Chinese art investigates diverse media bronze vessels, sculptures, murals, textiles, architecture and other visual and material forms in relation to political and military conquest, cross-cultural exchange, the dissemination of ordinary practices and the formation of identities. Key terms and issues for the course include expansion, connection and materiality. Counts for ARU. Restrictions: ARH 290 may be taken for credit a total of 4 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 20.

How does conquest by foreigners change the ways that images, objects, and environments (built and otherwise) are created and used? How do different forms of colonialism—settler, extractivist, etc.—remake values and thus objects, civic spaces, humans, and other living beings? What kinds of loss does colonization produce, what kinds of resilience? Focusing on recent scholarship, this class addresses these questions, highlighting the 16th–19th centuries. Discussion include: the production of colonial spaces and buildings; exchanges that brought people and objects into contact (and conflict); nationalist museum and archival projects; and current debates about decolonization, repatriation, and reparation. Counts for ARU. Restrictions: ARH 290 may be taken for credit a total of 4 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 20.

This course examines dwellings, some with adjacent gardens, constructed for monarchs, aristocrats, upper- and middle-class individuals, workers, and the indigent, with an eye, first, toward identifying criteria that governed design, and second, toward understanding how articulated and decorated space shaped behavior and expressed meaning in specific social and cultural contexts. In addition to mining a rich trove of printed images and books related to domestic architecture, students study objects intended for the home, among them furniture, wall hangings, ceramics, commissioned ensembles of paintings and sculptures, and decorations executed in wood, stucco, and metal. Restrictions: ARH 290 may be taken for credit a total of 4 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 20. (E)

This course looks at the shifting role of monuments in Western culture, from public representation of the values of dominant culture to those that challenge what Kara Walker calls the “monumental misrememberings” central to most historical monuments. The class investigates the role that monuments play in forming—and disrupting—the stories told about history. The course attends to narratives of both domination and minoritization, foregrounding work by Black, Indigenous, and queer artists, across continents and centuries. Prerequisite: ARH 110. Restrictions: ARH 290 may be taken for credit a total of 4 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 20. (E)

Since the beginning of cinema, the decadence of the ancient Romans has been a subject of fascination. Starting with HBO's Rome (2005-2007) and Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000), this course explores the multiple sources of the visual tropes used to construct this universe and seeks to analyze it in aesthetic, historical and ideological terms. Their twentieth-century counterparts from films of the silent era to Hollywood epics like Spartacus (1960) and Cleopatra (1963), as well as cult classics like Caligula (1979), are scrutinized in order to gain an understanding of how Romans function cinematically as cultural signs in varying historical contexts. Restrictions: ARH 290 may be taken for credit a total of 4 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 20. 

The capstone provides students with an opportunity to reflect on their path through the major and to develop projects that grow out of and synthesize their previous coursework. It enables students to have an overview of things achieved and to showcase their competence in an area of focus in planning for their futures. The class is designed to support the challenge of conceptualizing and developing individual projects. In the collaborative workshop space of the class, students share their projects in stages, which are discussed and edited by their peers. Prerequisites: ARH 110, ARH 190 and at least two 200-level ARH courses. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required.

An introduction to the use of digital media in the context of contemporary art practice. Students explore content development and design principles through a series of projects involving text, still image and moving image. This class involves critical discussions of studio projects in relation to contemporary art and theory. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Enrollment limited to 14. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.     

An introduction to the use of digital media in the context of contemporary art practice. Students explore content development and design principles through a series of projects involving text, still image and moving image. This class involves critical discussions of studio projects in relation to contemporary art and theory. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Enrollment limited to 14. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.     

An introduction to visual experience through a study of the basic elements of drawing. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Enrollment limited to 18. Instructor permission required.

Entering (first semester) first-years may register. All other class years are Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permission course, meaning students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.   

An introduction to visual experience through a study of the basic elements of drawing. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Enrollment limited to 18. Instructor permission required.

Entering (first semester) first-years may register. All other class years are Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permission course, meaning students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.   

An introduction to visual experience through a study of the basic elements of drawing. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Enrollment limited to 18. Instructor permission required.

Entering (first semester) first-years may register. All other class years are Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permission course, meaning students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.   

This cross-disciplinary studio course involves two-dimensional, three-dimensional and time-based approaches. Students are introduced to a range of conceptual and practical frameworks for making and thinking about art. This course is strongly recommended for students considering the art major. By emphasizing visual thinking, risk-taking and critical reflection, this course also has relevance for other disciplines. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Enrollment limited to 15. Priority given to first years. Instructor permission required.

Entering (first semester) first-years may register. All other class years: Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.     

This cross-disciplinary studio course involves two-dimensional, three-dimensional and time-based approaches. Students are introduced to a range of conceptual and practical frameworks for making and thinking about art. This course is strongly recommended for students considering the art major. By emphasizing visual thinking, risk-taking and critical reflection, this course also has relevance for other disciplines. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Enrollment limited to 15. Priority given to first years. Instructor permission required.

Entering (first semester) first-years may register. All other class years: Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.     

This course is inspired by the vein of artistic practice that mines sites of belonging as starting points for making artwork. Sites of belonging are considered in an expansive sense, as physical locations but also spaces of created community and individual agency -- birthplaces, families born into or chosen, neighborhoods (actual and metaphorical) of connection. The course explores how characteristics of these sites, physical markers, rhythms of making, and memory directly or adjacently express these sites through the beautiful language of materials and tactility. S/U only. Enrollment limited to 12. (E)

First half of semester course.

Various spatial and pictorial concepts are investigated through the oil medium. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Prerequisite: ARS 163 or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 18. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may register to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.     

In this course, students take a materialist approach to painting. With a focus on oil and water-based pigments, students explore mixed-media and experimental painting methods, and learn varied traditions of color theory and surface techniques through prompt-based assignments. This class includes working with sites and collections on campus--like the Botanic Garden, Smith Archives, or Design Thinking--to practice idea generation and consider ways to incorporate different themes and visual resources into our studio practice. Prerequisite: ARS 163. Enrollment limited to 18. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver. 

This course is an in-depth introduction to the expressive potential of the printed image and the distinct visual and tactile qualities of etching and drypoint. The class explores how prints can function as social devices, manifestations of texture and opportunities for collaboration. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Prerequisite: ARS 163 or ARS 172, or equivalent. Instructor permission required. Enrollment limited to 12.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver. 

(1) Investigates the structure of the book as a form; (2) provides a brief history of the Latin alphabet and how it is shaped calligraphically and constructed geometrically; (3) studies traditional and non-traditional typography; and (4) practices the composition of metal type by hand and the printing of composed type on the SP-15 printing presses. A voluntary introduction to digital typography is also offered outside class. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may register to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.     

Relief printing from carved woodblocks can create images that range from precise and delicate to raw and expressionistic. It is a direct and flexible process that allows for printing on a variety of materials at large and small scales. Students use both ancient and contemporary technologies to produce black and white and color prints from single and multiple blocks. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Prerequisite: ARS 163 or ARS 172, or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 15. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may register to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.   

This course is a design investigation of sustainable architecture. Students research cutting edge innovations in green technology and present their findings through graphic boards and verbal presentations. They design systems for water collection, air filtration and cooling, energy capture, site strategies, and solar power, and model them using Revit, a 3D drawing program, as well as physical models. Through these rigorous design exercises and creative innovations, a design language is developed, culminating in a final building project. Students present their work through a progressive online design portfolio. Students document drawings and physical models, developing their skills in photography, editing, and graphic design. Students may require additional supplies and are responsible for purchasing them directly. Students may require additional supplies and are responsible for purchasing them directly. Enrollment limited to 15. Prerequisite: ARS 280 or equivalent. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may register to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.     

An introduction to visual experience through a study of the basic elements of photography as an expressive medium. Each section involves either black and white or a combination of darkroom and digital processes. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Enrollment limited to 15. Prerequisite: ARS 162 or ARS 172 or equivalent. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may register to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.     

This course emphasizes individual and collaborative projects in computer-based interactive multimedia production. Participants extend their individual experimentation with time-based processes and development of media production skills (3D animation, video and audio production) developed in the context of interactive multimedia production for performance, installation or internet. Critical examination and discussion of contemporary examples of new media art augment this studio course. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Prerequisite: ARS 162. Enrollment limited to 14. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may register to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver.     

Advanced problems in drawing, including emphasis on technique and conceptualization. The focus of this course shifts annually to reflect the technical and ideational perspective of the faculty member teaching it. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Prerequisite: ARS 163 and ARS 264. Enrollment limited to 15. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may add yourself to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver. 

In this course, the class creates and critically interrogates socially engaged art. The focus is the subset of those practices that originate and gain power from remembering events of the past. Formats include site interventions, community collaborations, performance, traditional studio practices or intersections of these. The processes and physical forms of the (art) works complicate boundaries between art and education, art and sociology, and art and activism. The course is organized as a laboratory/workshop to experiment with ideas and forms of socially engaged art. At the same time, students discuss (aesthetic and participant impact) rubrics for these projects and analyze their efficacy. Students may require additional materials and are responsible for purchasing them directly. Prerequisite: One 4-credit studio art course. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may register to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver. 

This advanced studio course starts with a conceptual design project to explore the principles of sensory and biophilic design. This is followed by a research project, studying the multiple modalities of senior living around the world. Students spend the semester innovating on new ideas for living, and designing interpretations to be built on a specific site. Work is done using digital collage, physical model making, and Revit 3D computer modeling software. Through these rigorous design exercises and creative innovations, a design language is developed, culminating in a final building project. Students present their work through a progressive online design portfolio built throughout the course of the semester. Students document drawings and physical models, developing their skills in photography, editing, and graphic design. Students may require additional supplies and are responsible for purchasing them directly. Prerequisites: ARS 280 and ARS 281. Enrollment limited to 15. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. This course is a permissions course, meaning all students are initially placed on the waitlist. Please read the course description to ensure you meet the listed prerequisites (if any). During November/April registration: The instructor will review the class roster and be in touch about enrollment once all students have had a chance to waitlist. There is nothing else you need to do in the meantime. Please do not submit a course waiver unless requested. During add/drop (Sept/Jan): You may register to the waitlist and contact the instructor about attending the first day of class. If you receive permission to take the course, you should submit a Course Eligibility Waiver. 

Offered as LSS 389 and ARS 389. This class is for students who have taken introductory landscape studios and are interested in exploring more sophisticated projects. It is also for architecture and urbanism majors who have a strong interest in landscape architecture or urban design. In a design studio format, the students analyze and propose interventions for the built environment on a broad scale, considering multiple factors (including ecological, economic, political, sociological and historical) in their engagement of the site. The majority of the semester is spent working on one complex project. Students use digital tools as well as traditional design media and physical model building within a liberal arts-based conceptual studio that encourages extensive research and in-depth theoretic inquiry. Previous studio experience and two architecture or landscape studies courses suggested. Priority given to LSS minors and ARU majors. Enrollment limited to 14. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required.

This one-semester capstone course is required of senior and junior (completing in fall semester) Plan B majors. Students create work in media of their choice and develop the skills necessary for presenting a cohesive exhibition of their work at the end of their final semester, as required by the Plan B major. Course material includes installation or distribution techniques for different media, curation of small exhibitions of each others’ work, and development of critical discourse skills through reading, writing and speaking assignments. In addition to studio faculty, Smith museum staff may occasionally present topics of conceptual and/or practical interest. Core studio materials are provided. Students are responsible for the purchase of additional supplies required for individual projects. Restrictions: Seniors only; ARS majors only.

This seminar brings together a cohort of archives concentrators and other advanced students to explore contemporary issues at the intersection of archives and public history. The readings focus on case studies and the challenges in preservation, access and interpretation of archival materials. The class analyzes how these materials become part of a meaningful and usable past for general audiences while taking into account the dynamics of national and collective identity formation, trauma, memorialization, social justice, and the changing digital landscape in the fields of public history and cultural heritage work. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 15.

This course explores the astronomical roots of clocks and calendars, and relies on both real and simulated observations of the Sun, Moon and stars. In addition to completing weekly projects based on collecting and interpreting data, students independently research a clock and a calendar from another culture, either ancient or modern. There are no prerequisites, and students from all disciplines and backgrounds are welcome. Enrollment limited to 25.

This course explores the astronomical roots of clocks and calendars, and relies on both real and simulated observations of the Sun, Moon and stars. In addition to completing weekly projects based on collecting and interpreting data, students independently research a clock and a calendar from another culture, either ancient or modern. There are no prerequisites, and students from all disciplines and backgrounds are welcome. Enrollment limited to 25.

An introduction to observational astronomy for students who have taken or are currently taking a physical science class. Become proficient using the telescopes of the McConnell Rooftop observatory to observe celestial objects, including the Moon, the Sun, the planets, stars, nebulae and galaxies. Learn celestial coordinate and time-keeping systems. Find out how telescopes and digital cameras work. Take digital images of celestial objects and learn basic techniques of digital image processing. Become familiar with measuring and classification techniques in observational astronomy. Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken AST 103. Enrollment limited to 20.

All seats reserved for AST Majors. Others may waitlist.

This course introduces the computational, statistical and data visualization techniques essential to research and further coursework in astronomy and other STEM majors. Students learn how to use the Python programming language to analyze and manipulate data; how to create, interpret and present visualizations of those data; and how to apply statistical analysis techniques to astronomical data. Students use real databases from major international observatories spanning a variety of research areas, e.g., star properties across the galaxy, exoplanet discoveries, deep surveys of distant galaxies, asteroids and comets in the solar system, and more. Prerequisites: AST 100, AST 111 or AST 235. CSC 110 or equivalent recommended. Enrollment limited to 25.

This course begins with the discovery of the expansion of the universe, and moves on to current theories of the expansion. Students consider cosmological models and topics in current astronomy that bear upon them, including the cosmic background radiation, nucleosynthesis, dating methods, determination of the mean density of the universe and the Hubble constant, and tests of gravitational theories. Prerequisites: (AST 100 or AST 111) and MTH 111, or equivalent.

Structure and function of biological macromolecules: proteins and nucleic acids. Mechanisms of conformational change and cooperative activity; and bioenergetics, enzymes and regulation. Concurrent registration in BCH 253 is required for biochemistry majors. Prerequisites: CHM 111 or CHM 118, CHM 222 and BIO 132. Enrollment limited to 78.

Techniques of modern biochemistry: ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry, spectrofluorimetry, SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western blot and mass spectroscopy. Corequisite: BCH 252. Prerequisite: CHM 111L or CHM 118L, CHM 222L and BIO 133. Enrollment limited to 12.

Techniques of modern biochemistry: ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry, spectrofluorimetry, SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western blot and mass spectroscopy. Corequisite: BCH 252. Prerequisite: CHM 111L or CHM 118L, CHM 222L and BIO 133. Enrollment limited to 12.

Techniques of modern biochemistry: ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry, spectrofluorimetry, SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western blot and mass spectroscopy. Corequisite: BCH 252. Prerequisite: CHM 111L or CHM 118L, CHM 222L and BIO 133. Enrollment limited to 12.

The course focuses on the tools and methods used to study the physical chemistry of biological systems. Discussions include thermodynamics and equilibria, solution properties, enzyme kinetics and membrane transport processes. Prerequisite: BCH 252 and (CHM 118 or CHM 224).

This hands-on proteomics research course utilizes state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and proteomics techniques in student/faculty-designed projects. The lecture periods are used for experimental design, discussion of relevant literature, and primers on mass spectrometry data analysis and other related topics, as well as starting experimental protocols that require longer time periods. Prerequisites: BCH 252 and BCH 253. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. Classroom: Ford 138.

This hands-on proteomics research course utilizes state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and proteomics techniques in student/faculty-designed projects. The lecture periods are used for experimental design, discussion of relevant literature, and primers on mass spectrometry data analysis and other related topics, as well as starting experimental protocols that require longer time periods. Prerequisites: BCH 252 and BCH 253. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required. Classroom: Ford 104.

Survey course in the fundamentals of horticulture and basic botany. Plant structure and function, nomenclature, nutrition, seed biology, propagation, farming practices, soils, compost, and an introduction to biotechnology. Discussions include growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Course requirements include a field notebook, in-class discussions, independent engagement with written and multimedia resources, and a book review. Corequisite: BIO 123. Enrollment limited to 32.

Practical lab experiences in plant propagation, morphology, development and physiology, soils, seeds, floral design, and an herbal apothecary. Use of the Lyman Conservatory, and winter and spring observation of outdoor plants are important components of the course. Course requirements include a lab journal and an extended field observation phenology project. Corequisite: BIO 122. Enrollment limited to 16.

Practical lab experiences in plant propagation, morphology, development and physiology, soils, seeds, floral design, and an herbal apothecary. Use of the Lyman Conservatory, and winter and spring observation of outdoor plants are important components of the course. Course requirements include a lab journal and an extended field observation phenology project. Corequisite: BIO 122. Enrollment limited to 16.

Practical lab experiences in plant propagation, morphology, development and physiology, soils, seeds, floral design, and an herbal apothecary. Use of the Lyman Conservatory, and winter and spring observation of outdoor plants are important components of the course. Course requirements include a lab journal and an extended field observation phenology project. Corequisite: BIO 122. Enrollment limited to 16.

Students in this course investigate the origin, nature, and importance of the diversity of life on Earth, key ecological processes, and interactions that create and maintain communities and ecosystems, principal threats to biodiversity, and emerging conservation strategies to protect the elements and processes upon which humans depend. Throughout the semester, the course emphasizes the relevance of diversity and ecological studies in conservation. Concurrent registration in BIO 131 is recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 60.

Students pull on their boots and explore local habitats that may include the Mill River, MacLeish Field Station, Smith campus Botanic Gardens and local hemlock forests. Students gain experience with a diversity of organisms by conducting research projects that can enhance their understanding of ecology and conservation. Students practice the scientific process and document their work in a lab notebook. Research skills developed include hypothesis development, data collection, statistical analysis and presentation of results. Because research projects vary seasonally, please see the Department of Biological Sciences website for more information. Concurrent registration in BIO 130 recommended.Enrollment limited to 16.

Students pull on their boots and explore local habitats that may include the Mill River, MacLeish Field Station, Smith campus Botanic Gardens and local hemlock forests. Students gain experience with a diversity of organisms by conducting research projects that can enhance their understanding of ecology and conservation. Students practice the scientific process and document their work in a lab notebook. Research skills developed include hypothesis development, data collection, statistical analysis and presentation of results. Because research projects vary seasonally, please see the Department of Biological Sciences website for more information. Concurrent registration in BIO 130 recommended.Enrollment limited to 16.

Students pull on their boots and explore local habitats that may include the Mill River, MacLeish Field Station, Smith campus Botanic Gardens and local hemlock forests. Students gain experience with a diversity of organisms by conducting research projects that can enhance their understanding of ecology and conservation. Students practice the scientific process and document their work in a lab notebook. Research skills developed include hypothesis development, data collection, statistical analysis and presentation of results. Because research projects vary seasonally, please see the Department of Biological Sciences website for more information. Concurrent registration in BIO 130 recommended.Enrollment limited to 16.

Students in this course investigate the structure, function and physiology of cells; the properties of biological molecules; information transfer from the level of DNA to cell-cell communication; and cellular energy generation and transfer. The development of multicellular organisms and the physiology of selected organ systems is also explored. In addition to attending lectures, each student participates in discussion sections that focus on data analysis and interpretation while integrating mechanisms across scales. Concurrent registration in BIO 133 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 78.

Students in this course investigate the structure, function and physiology of cells; the properties of biological molecules; information transfer from the level of DNA to cell-cell communication; and cellular energy generation and transfer. The development of multicellular organisms and the physiology of selected organ systems is also explored. In addition to attending lectures, each student participates in discussion sections that focus on data analysis and interpretation while integrating mechanisms across scales. Concurrent registration in BIO 133 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 78.

Students in this course investigate the structure, function and physiology of cells; the properties of biological molecules; information transfer from the level of DNA to cell-cell communication; and cellular energy generation and transfer. The development of multicellular organisms and the physiology of selected organ systems is also explored. In addition to attending lectures, each student participates in discussion sections that focus on data analysis and interpretation while integrating mechanisms across scales. Concurrent registration in BIO 133 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 78.

Students in this course investigate the structure, function and physiology of cells; the properties of biological molecules; information transfer from the level of DNA to cell-cell communication; and cellular energy generation and transfer. The development of multicellular organisms and the physiology of selected organ systems is also explored. In addition to attending lectures, each student participates in discussion sections that focus on data analysis and interpretation while integrating mechanisms across scales. Concurrent registration in BIO 133 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 78.

Students in this course investigate the structure, function and physiology of cells; the properties of biological molecules; information transfer from the level of DNA to cell-cell communication; and cellular energy generation and transfer. The development of multicellular organisms and the physiology of selected organ systems is also explored. In addition to attending lectures, each student participates in discussion sections that focus on data analysis and interpretation while integrating mechanisms across scales. Concurrent registration in BIO 133 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 78.

This laboratory course introduces students to biological discovery and the biological research process. Students gain hands-on experience with the use of modern biological research methods by participating in ongoing research with a variety of organisms. This includes scientific discovery, hypothesis development, data collection and analysis, as well as presentation of discoveries and results. Research projects vary with each Instructor. Concurrent registration in BIO 132 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 16.

This laboratory course introduces students to biological discovery and the biological research process. Students gain hands-on experience with the use of modern biological research methods by participating in ongoing research with a variety of organisms. This includes scientific discovery, hypothesis development, data collection and analysis, as well as presentation of discoveries and results. Research projects vary with each Instructor. Concurrent registration in BIO 132 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 16.

This laboratory course introduces students to biological discovery and the biological research process. Students gain hands-on experience with the use of modern biological research methods by participating in ongoing research with a variety of organisms. This includes scientific discovery, hypothesis development, data collection and analysis, as well as presentation of discoveries and results. Research projects vary with each Instructor. Concurrent registration in BIO 132 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 16.

This laboratory course introduces students to biological discovery and the biological research process. Students gain hands-on experience with the use of modern biological research methods by participating in ongoing research with a variety of organisms. This includes scientific discovery, hypothesis development, data collection and analysis, as well as presentation of discoveries and results. Research projects vary with each Instructor. Concurrent registration in BIO 132 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 16.

This course examines bacterial morphology, growth, biochemistry, genetics and methods of controlling bacterial activities. Emphasis is on bacterial physiology and the role of the prokaryotes in their natural habitats. The course also covers viral life cycles and diseases caused by viruses. Prerequisites: BIO 132 and CHM 111 or equivalent advanced placement courses. Corequisite: BIO 205.

Experiments in this course explore the morphology, physiology, biochemistry and genetics of bacteria using a variety of bacterial genera. Methods of aseptic technique, isolation, identification and growth of bacteria are learned. An individual project is completed at the end of the term. Corequisite: BIO 204. Enrollment limited to 16.

Experiments in this course explore the morphology, physiology, biochemistry and genetics of bacteria using a variety of bacterial genera. Methods of aseptic technique, isolation, identification and growth of bacteria are learned. An individual project is completed at the end of the term. Corequisite: BIO 204. Enrollment limited to 16

How do plants work? This course explores key processes in plant physiology and how these processes interact with the (changing) environment. Key concepts include photosynthesis/carbon sequestration, water and nutrient uptake and transport, growth and carbon allocation, and plant-soil interactions. The course encourages students to think about these processes in an environmental justice context e.g. food justice, urban tree resilience and natural climate solutions. Corequisite: BIO 207. Prerequisites: A course in ecology, organismal biology or environmental science.

This laboratory is both a survey of plant physiological techniques and a course-based research experience in plant physiological research. Field trips are taken to MacLeish Field Station and experiments are conducted in Lyman Plant House. Students gain hands-on experience with sophisticated instrumentation and techniques used to measure micro-climate, plant-water relations and gas exchange (photosynthetic rate and respiration). Corequisite: BIO 206.

An exploration of genomes and genes that highlights the connections between molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and evolution. Students analyze the principal experimental findings that serve as the basis for the current understanding of topics in genetics (such as DNA, RNA and protein structure and function, gene organization and networks, gene expression and regulation, and the origins and evolution of molecular mechanisms). Students examine the computational tools and rapidly expanding databases that have advanced contemporary biology. Concurrent registration in BIO 231 recommended. Prerequisites: BIO 130 or BIO 132 or equivalent.

An exploration of genomes and genes that highlights the connections between molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and evolution. Students analyze the principal experimental findings that serve as the basis for the current understanding of topics in genetics (such as DNA, RNA and protein structure and function, gene organization and networks, gene expression and regulation, and the origins and evolution of molecular mechanisms). Students examine the computational tools and rapidly expanding databases that have advanced contemporary biology. Concurrent registration in BIO 231 recommended. Prerequisites: BIO 130 or BIO 132 or equivalent.

An exploration of genomes and genes that highlights the connections between molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and evolution. Students analyze the principal experimental findings that serve as the basis for the current understanding of topics in genetics (such as DNA, RNA and protein structure and function, gene organization and networks, gene expression and regulation, and the origins and evolution of molecular mechanisms). Students examine the computational tools and rapidly expanding databases that have advanced contemporary biology. Concurrent registration in BIO 231 recommended. Prerequisites: BIO 130 or BIO 132 or equivalent.

An exploration of genomes and genes that highlights the connections between molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and evolution. Students analyze the principal experimental findings that serve as the basis for the current understanding of topics in genetics (such as DNA, RNA and protein structure and function, gene organization and networks, gene expression and regulation, and the origins and evolution of molecular mechanisms). Students examine the computational tools and rapidly expanding databases that have advanced contemporary biology. Concurrent registration in BIO 231 recommended. Prerequisites: BIO 130 or BIO 132 or equivalent.

A laboratory designed to give students an introduction to genomics and the molecular biology of genetics. Students gain experience with a variety of classical and modern techniques used in human genetic analysis and several experiments using students' DNA are performed throughout the semester. Laboratory and computer-based projects include PCR, restriction analysis and DNA sequencing as well as contemporary bioinformatics and genome database analyses. Corequisite: BIO 230. Enrollment limited to 16.

A laboratory designed to give students an introduction to genomics and the molecular biology of genetics. Students gain experience with a variety of classical and modern techniques used in human genetic analysis and several experiments using students' DNA are performed throughout the semester. Laboratory and computer-based projects include PCR, restriction analysis and DNA sequencing as well as contemporary bioinformatics and genome database analyses. Corequisite: BIO 230. Enrollment limited to 16.

A laboratory designed to give students an introduction to genomics and the molecular biology of genetics. Students gain experience with a variety of classical and modern techniques used in human genetic analysis and several experiments using students' DNA are performed throughout the semester. Laboratory and computer-based projects include PCR, restriction analysis and DNA sequencing as well as contemporary bioinformatics and genome database analyses. Corequisite: BIO 230. Enrollment limited to 16.

A laboratory designed to give students an introduction to genomics and the molecular biology of genetics. Students gain experience with a variety of classical and modern techniques used in human genetic analysis and several experiments using students' DNA are performed throughout the semester. Laboratory and computer-based projects include PCR, restriction analysis and DNA sequencing as well as contemporary bioinformatics and genome database analyses. Corequisite: BIO 230. Enrollment limited to 16.

A laboratory designed to give students an introduction to genomics and the molecular biology of genetics. Students gain experience with a variety of classical and modern techniques used in human genetic analysis and several experiments using students' DNA are performed throughout the semester. Laboratory and computer-based projects include PCR, restriction analysis and DNA sequencing as well as contemporary bioinformatics and genome database analyses. Corequisite: BIO 230. Enrollment limited to 16.

This course explores the diversity of plant life and investigates its evolutionary origins and history through a mixture of lecture, lab, and discussion activities. A key focus of the course is the ecological and environmental context of major evolutionary developments in the Land Plants, including their adaptations to various abiotic challenges, as well as antagonistic and mutualistic interactions with other organisms. The survey of plant diversity is guided by recent phylogenetic studies, and students make use of the outstanding living collections in the Lyman Plant House. Corequisite: BIO 265. Enrollment limited to 20.

This lab introduces students to plant morphology and identification through hands-on work with plant material. In addition, the class focuses on local native plants and the outstanding botanical collections in the Lyman Plant House. Includes field trips to other sites of botanical interest in the region. Corequisite: BIO 264. Enrollment limited to 20.

A review of the evolutionary origins, adaptations and trends in the biology of vertebrates. BIO 273 is recommended but not required. No Prerequisites. Enrollment limited to 25.

A largely anatomical exploration of the evolutionary origins, adaptations and trends in the biology of vertebrates. Corequisite: BIO 272. Enrollment limited to 20.

An introduction to the immune system covering the molecular, cellular and genetic bases of immunity to infectious agents. Discussions include immunodeficiencies, transplantation, allergies, immunopathology and immunotherapies. Concurrent registration in BIO 307 recommended. Prerequisite: BIO 202, BIO 204 or BIO 230.

Instrument specific course highly recommended for students interested in using state-of-the-art microscopy techniques in research (special studies, honors, SURF, etc.). Participants get exposure to basic and advanced light and electron microscopy techniques available at Smith. Mechanical and optical components are reviewed. Operational parameters for improving image quality and data collection using digital imaging and image analysis techniques are discussed. Emphasis is on the use of these exciting technologies performing quality and up-to-date research in many disciplines ranging from the live science and geology to art and engineering. Evaluation is through engagement in assigned activities. 400-level work cannot overlap with this course work. S/U only. Restrictions: BIO 314 may not be repeated. Enrollment limited to 12.

Advanced molecular biology of eukaryotes and their viruses (including coronavirus, Ebola and HIV). Discussions include genomics, bioinformatics, eukaryotic gene organization, regulation of gene expression, RNA processing, retroviruses, transposable elements, gene rearrangement, methods for studying human genes and genetic diseases, CRISPR, molecular biology of infectious diseases, genome projects and whole genome analysis. Reading assignments are from the primary literature. Each student presents an in-class presentation and writes a paper on a topic selected in consultation with the instructor. Concurrent registration in BIO 333 recommended. Prerequisite: BIO 230 or BIO 232. Enrollment limited to 30.

A laboratory course designed to complement the lecture material in BIO 332. Advanced techniques used to study the molecular biology of eukaryotes are learned in the context of a semester-long project. These methods include techniques for studying genomics and gene expression including: CRISPR, RNA interference, DNA sequence analysis, RT-PCR, genomics, bioinformatics and others. Corequisite: BIO 332. Prerequisite: BIO 231. Enrollment limited to 16.

This course focuses on methods and approaches in the emerging fields of bioinformatics and molecular evolution. Discussions include the quantitative examination of genetic variation, selective and stochastic forces shaping proteins and catalytic RNA data mining, comparative analysis of whole genome data sets, comparative genomics and bioinformatics, and hypothesis testing in computational biology. The course explores the role of bioinformatics and comparative methods in the fields of molecular medicine, drug design and in systematic, conservation and population biology. Concurrent registration in BIO 335 strongly recommended but not required. Prerequisite: BIO 132, BIO 230, BIO 232, or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 20.

This lab introduces the computational and quantitative tools underlying contemporary bioinformatics. Students explore the various approaches to phylogenetic reconstruction using molecular data, methods of data mining in genome databases, comparative genomics, structure-function modeling and the use of molecular data to reconstruct population and evolutionary history. Students are encouraged to explore datasets of particular interest to them. Corequisite: BIO 334 or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 20.

A study of major patterns of distribution of life and of the environmental and geological factors underlying these patterns. The role of phenomena such as sea-level fluctuations, plate tectonics, oceanic currents, biological invasions and climate change in determining past, present and future global patterns of biodiversity are considered. Fundamental differences between terrestrial and marine biogeography are highlighted. Prerequisite: a course in ecology, evolution, or organismal biology or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 20.

This course focuses on the origin and diversification of microorganisms, with emphasis on eukaryotic lineages. The first weeks of lecture cover the origin of life on Earth and the diversification of bacteria and archaea. From there, students focus on the diversification of eukaryotes, examining the many innovations that mark some of the major clades of eukaryotes. Evaluation is based on a combination of class participation, short writings and an independent research paper. Concurrent registration in BIO 371 is strongly recommended but not required. Prerequisite: BIO 230 or BIO 232, or equivalent.

This research-based lab allows students to explore the eukaryotic microbiomes associated with various environments on campus, including the greenhouse and marine aquaria. Students in the course master the basics of light microscopy, PCR and analyses of high-throughput sequencing data. Students also use the scanning electron microscope to survey their communities. The work in the course culminates in a poster presentation on the discoveries of the semester. Corequisite: BIO 370. Enrollment limited to 18.

An advanced course covering ecological modeling and data analysis. Students explore the principles of mathematical modeling to describe population dynamics and species interactions. Students also learn modern analytical approaches in the study of ecological communities and ecological experiments. In addition to theoretical quantitative foundations, students acquire the analytical skills to implement mathematical and statistical models using the R computing language. Prerequisites: BIO 130/BIO 131, BIO 266/BIO 267, BIO 268/BIO 269 or BIO 364/BIO 365 and SDS 201 or SDS 220, or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 20.

Coral reefs occupy a small portion of Earth’s surface, but their importance to the marine ecosystem is great. This course considers the geologic importance and ecological interactions of coral reefs. It focuses on the status of coral reefs worldwide, considering effects of environmental and anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., major storms, eutrophication, acidification, overfishing). Methods for reef conservation are examined. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required.

Offered as BKX 203 and PYX 203. This course focuses on various professional practice aspects of publishing, including manuscript selection, book design and production, and product marketing and distribution, through Nine Syllables Press, in partnership with the Boutelle-Day Poetry Center. Students learn about the publishing industry and contemporary US poetry landscape. Students have the opportunity to learn about and practice designing professional chapbook interiors and covers, producing and marketing chapbooks for a selected manuscript from Nine Syllables Press. Cannot be taken S/U. Priority given to BKX and PYX concentrators. Enrollment limited to 15. Instructor permission required. (E)

Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required.

Normally, Buddhist studies minors only. Instructor permission required.