Summer Session 2

Students have read plenty of novels, but do they ever consider writing one? Through readings, lectures, writing assignments, and workshops, students will explore the elements of the contemporary novel, focusing on craft issues such as structure, characterization, and plot. They will pay particular attention to first novels and the inherent challenges (and rewards) that come with getting their work out in the world. Over the course of the class, students will produce some of the novel’s building blocks: a synopsis, some character studies, an outline, and—eventually—a draft and revision of the first chapter of what very well could become their own first novel.

This is an entry-level course in economics, covering fundamentals of microeconomics and aimed at students who choose it as an elective or plan to continue their studies in economics. This course helps students develop basic analytical skills in economics and microeconomics. It provides students with a basic understanding of the market system in advanced capitalist economies. It examines the logic of constrained choice with a focus on the economic behavior of individuals and organizations. After a theoretical analysis of the determinants and the interaction of supply and demand under competitive conditions, alternative market structures will be investigated, including monopolistic and oligopolistic forms. The course examines the conditions under which markets allocate resources efficiently and identifies causes of market failure and the appropriate government response. The introduction to the role of government includes its taxing and expenditure activities as well as regulatory policies.

This computer-based course presents the main concepts in Statistics: the concept of random variables, frequency, and probability distributions, variance and standard deviation, kurtosis and skewness, probability rules, Bayes theorem, and posterior probabilities. Important statistical methods like Contingency analysis, ANOVA, Correlation analysis and Regression Analysis are introduced and their algorithms are fully explained. The most important probability distributions are introduced: Binomial, Poisson, and Normal distribution, as well as the Chebyshev theorem for non-known distributions. Inferential statistics, sampling distributions, and confidence intervals are covered to introduce statistical model building and single linear regression. Active learning and algorithmic learning are stressed. Emphasis is put both on algorithms –methods and assumptions for their applications. Excel is used while calculators with STAT buttons are not allowed. Ultimately students are required to make a month-long research project, select the theoretical concept they want to test, perform a literature review, find real data from Internet databases or make their surveys, apply methods they studied in the class, and compare theoretical results with their findings. Research is done and presented in groups, papers are Individual. Selected SPSS or Excel Data Analysis examples are also provided.

Why do people immigrate? In this course, we will review the psychological reasons and consequences of relocation and review how cultural contact can affect the lives of immigrants and host cultures. In this course, we will review key psychological theories with regard to cultural contact and will discuss the push and pull factors related to immigration, discrimination and factors that shape attitudes towards immigrants, and the effect of immigration on mental health. A key focus of this course will be on issues related to the measurement and design of psychological studies aimed at understanding immigration. Special consideration will be given to understanding immigration within a cross-cultural framework.

This course introduces students to the basic concepts and tools needed to make wise and informed personal financial decisions. The content of this course is presented from a practical point of view and with an emphasis on the consumer as the financial decision-maker. The primary objective of this course is to help students apply finance practices to their own lives. For example, students will learn how to plan and manage personal finances, how to obtain credit to purchase a home or a car, and how to invest personal financial resources in stocks, bonds, and real estate. Students will also learn how to interpret financial and economic news that have an impact on personal finances.

In this course students will discover the power of digital media and how social media, content creation, and influencers are shaping the fashion industry. Students will examine social media campaigns and how brands and influencers create impactful storytelling through content creation to connect with their followers and boost sales. Students will work on creative pieces of digital content to add to their portfolio.

In its most basic definition, sustainable development is described as “development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” As countries around the world struggle to tackle the issues of climate disruption, water scarcity, resource exhaustion, population growth and socioeconomic conflicts, attention to methods of sustainable development is paramount, and financing those methods is increasingly important. In this context we posit the question: Is it possible for the current system of financial markets to facilitate the shift from an unsustainable world fueled by fossil hydrocarbons to a more desirable one powered by renewable energy? This course will examine how financial and capital markets operate on a transnational scale; and investigate the type of international governance over markets that would be needed to potentially produce fair and sustainable outcomes. The course will also examine the role individuals must perform as World Citizens motivated by a sense of responsibility towards the well-being of others beyond national boundaries.

In this course, students will combine critical approaches to science communication with their own creative vision to explore the world of environmental storytelling. Bringing together visual culture and communication studies, natural history and environmental science, and technical skills in narrative and visual storytelling, this course offers a bridge between theory and practice, equipping the twenty-first student to enter into the emerging intersection between environmental debates and digital screen content production. Students will immerse themselves in local heritage and natural science history sites including surrounding parks and museums, developing knowledge of surrounding environmental issues to be expressed and dramatized. In addition to studying the rhetoric and aesthetics of visual language, students will learn skills in hands-on story development, construction of messaging strategies, and contemporary trends in environmental storytelling. (In addition to the designated class times, there will be optional excursions on Thursday afternoons.)

At its core, drawing is a problem-solving tool that fosters close observation and analytical thinking. Renaissance masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Brunelleschi and Michelangelo as well as countless modern designers, from the Bauhaus school to Ed Moses, use it as the language to create and explain their visions of the future. Today, drawing is at the core of modern design thinking methods. In this class, students of all skill levels will learn how to harness this powerful tool by exploring core drawing principles such as volume, space, value and color and rendering the world around them in a variety of mediums. In the process, student will also take away skills to enhance focus and memory. This course carries a supplemental fee:TBA.

This course introduces students to the technical, conceptual, and aesthetic skills involved in video production through the single camera mode of production. Still the most dominant mode of film and video production, the single camera mode places an emphasis on using the camera to fullest capacity of artistic expression. In addition to the multiple skills and concepts involved with the camera, the course also introduces students to the principles and technologies of lighting, audio recording and mixing, and non-linear digital video editing. Special focus is given to producing content for successful web distribution. This course will provide students with an intensive overview of the entire filmmaking process as they work with a production unit to produce a short narrative or documentary film for web distribution. Learning outcomes include understanding how a film is made from conception through distribution, and how to develop a story for maximum audio-visual impact. The course carries a fee for art supplies and equipment:TBA

This course examines how people, particularly young people, consume media technologies and their contents in contemporary media-saturated life. Employing essential readings on media consumption, fashion, and identity as the theoretical backbone, students will engage in active site-based research project throughout the course. By offering an opportunity to undertake a field study in Milan, the course seeks to develop in-depth theoretical knowledge of the intersections of media consumption, fashion, and identity, as well as to cultivate critical reflection of students’ own consumption of media technologies. (Additional fee: 250 CHF, for transportation and related activities in Milan)

This course provides the basic analytic tools necessary for the understanding of international relations. After a brief introduction to the realist and liberal approaches to the study of international relations, the course covers various fundamental concepts, such as national power, foreign policy, conflict, political economy, international trade, and international organizations.

The three most influential religions of the world all originated within a small geographical area that we now call the Middle East. To many it is the Holy Land; to others still it is the root of modern wars. This course surveys the rise and historical development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from their modest beginnings to their global influence, with particular emphasis on the historical and intellectual forces that made these growths possible. Readings in primary and secondary sources will consider the ancient kingdom of Judaea, the Jewish origins of Christianity, the philosophies of medieval Christianity and Islam, the earliest conflicts between Christianity and Islam (including the Crusades), and the search for religious identity in a globalized and pluralistic modern world.

This advanced writing course consolidates students’ academic communication skills through the theme of business and work ethics. Students will engage with philosophical texts and case studies dealing with various aspects of business and/or work ethics -- distributive justice, social responsibility and environmentally conscious business practices among others -- in order to improve critical reading, argumentative writing, and oral presentation/debating skills. The course helps students understand that academic communication primarily involves entering a conversation with others and particular emphasis will be placed on responding to other people’s arguments as well as developing their own arguments based on those responses. Using the broad theme of business and work ethics as a medium for discussion, students will not only explore what it means to join an academic community and their role in that community as purveyors of knowledge but also work towards entering the job/internship market with polished application materials. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

This course examines the intersection of language and culture: how language shapes our perception of the world and vice versa. Students will reflect on their own experiences with language and view that experience in light of readings that engage themes such as technology, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic class, bi/multilingualism, dialect, and political power. Readings will include essays from major publications, ethnographic studies, memoirs, and literary texts.

Since the Black Death in the fourteenth century, quarantines and limitations on social contact have played an important role in mitigating and ending the spread of contagious diseases. City states such as Venice and Milan and the Swiss cantons played pioneering roles in controlling epidemics. This course examines changing views of pandemics and public health policies throughout global history through the lens of the successes and failures of measures and policies designed to fight pandemics from antiquity to the current COVID-19 crisis.

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the multiple European realities and to provide the necessary tools for understanding how the EU can face these challenges in an ever-changing world. This interdisciplinary course will allow students to approach these major issues through the lenses of political science, economics, and history. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify the main competences of the European Union as well as the current challenges.

This course, taken in tandem with POL 281 for a total of 6 credits, will focus on natural resource conservation, sustainable development, and cultural encounters in the Namibian context. The first half of the summer session will take place on the Franklin campus where we will examine environmental problems such as climate change, desertification, biodiversity, and sustainable agriculture. We will investigate how States have attempted to solve these problems, including international organizations such as the UN, the EU, and NGOs such as Greenpeace and the WWF. The effectiveness of international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol will also be examined. The second half of the session will take place in Namibia. Our focus will include an assessment of global warming on Namibia’s desert ecosystems; learning from indigenous settlements such as the Himba who have lived in harmony with their natural surroundings for centuries; and field studies in the Fish River Canyon, Sesriem Canyon, and Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage site featuring ancient rock carvings. Lectures will be offered in sustainable development, responsible tourism, and conservation practices. Game drives in Etosha National Park are also included. Please note that accommodations in Namibia will be in safari tents in campgrounds equipped with showers and toilets or in travelers’ lodges. This Academic Travel course carries a supplemental fee TBA.

(This travel course must be taken in conjunction with POL 281T.) It has become increasingly apparent in recent years that environmental problems have been proliferating and nation-states are not able to cope with them individually. International cooperation is essential to finding and applying solutions. This course will first examine the nature and the sources of the main environmental problems affecting the lives of nations, such as climate change and its effects, including the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect, acid rain, desertification, pollution, disposal of radioactive and chemical waste material, etc. Students will investigate the environmental problems connected to trade globalization and the question of sustainable development and will study how states have tried to deal with these problems and the role of international organizations such as the UN and the EU and non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace, etc. The effectiveness of international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol and the problems in their application will also be examined.