AHSE2199 Special Topics in Arts, Humanities and Social Science

Special Topics in Arts, Humanities and Social Science classes (AHSE X199) typically cover a specific topic in Arts, Humanities and Social Science and are intended to enhance and expand the selection of offerings from semester to semester.

Credits

Variable Credits AHSE

Concurrent Requisites

SCI1299

Notes

SP16:  AHSE2199:  Chemistry in Context:  Environmental Milestones, Opportunities and the Human Connection; 4 credits (Martello, Hersey)

Please note that this course must be taken concurrently with SCI1310 (4 credits).

People, institutions, and cultures are intricately connected with the natural environment, and these connections are the source of profound scientific and historical insights. Certain combinations of values, technologies, and policies lead to a symbiotic relationship benefiting humans and the natural world. But this relationship often takes a darker turn into natural resource exploitation and environmental degradation, with the potential for catastrophic results. In this course, we will take a holistic look at anthropogenic (human?derived) impacts on the environment, considering the historical, social, and political context surrounding environmental disasters and opportunities at local and global scales, while using chemistry, physics, and engineering to understand the fundamental physical basis of the human?environment relationship (giving particular emphasis to aqueous? and gas?phase chemical processes). Chemistry in Context is being developed and offered for the first time by Rob Martello and Scott Hersey as an eight credit course (4 SCI + 4 AHS credits) that satisfies Olin?s chemistry and materials science requirement. The pioneering students who enroll in Chemistry in Context will participate in the course design process by helping us locate readings, choose different assignments (including at least one project), and design laboratory exercises that you will then carry out. If you join us, you will not merely witness history and science? you will make it!

 

SP16:  AHSE2199A:  Narrative Psychology; 4 credits (Adler)

Humans are natural storytellers.  Indeed, it has been suggested that the natural mode of human thought takes a narrative form.  This course will present an examination of the scientific study of humans? approach to meaning-making through the crafting and telling of personal stories.  The course will include consideration of the ways in which we create meaning out of our experiences with a special emphasis on identity development, drawing on scientific research from personality, developmental, and clinical psychology.  This course is being offered in the Psychology Department at Wellesley; it will meet on Wellesley's campus on Mondays and Thursdays from11:10am-12:20pm.  It will be primarily filled with Wellesley students, many of whom are majoring in Psychology.  Professor Adler will reserve no more than five slots for Olin students and all will be admitted only by permission of the instructor.  If you are interested in taking this course, you should email Jon ([e-mail]) to let him know you are interested and determine if it will be a good fit for you.

 

SP16:  AHSE2199B:  World Creation as Cultural Commentary; 2 credits  (Vitols)

The worlds and cultures of fictional works echo perspectives and commentaries on the state of society and often project into the future, forecasting potential utopia or destruction. This class will explore the relationship between our political, cultural, and socioeconomic reality and those of the fictional worlds created by many science fiction and fantasy writers. Students will discuss and analyze common themes and ideologies expressed in fictional media and investigate how literature, film, and television express commentary on our worlds. The course was developed by Ben Kahle as part of his AHS Capstone and will be co?taught by him.

 

SP16:  AHSE2199C:  An Introduction to Video Gaming History and Theory; 2 credits (Vitols)

Though a relatively new technology and art form, video gaming has become an integral part of daily life in many societies. Deeply connected to the birth of the computer and the internet, video games today shape and are shaped by our society. How have video games evolved over the past few decades? How do massive multi?player role playing games affect how people conceptualize community? Why do certain games develop an intense cult following, while others sink into obscurity? This course will offer a broad introduction to the history of video game technology, from its inception to the present day. It will also examine major theoretical concerns involved in video gaming, such as the constructions of gender, identity, and community.

 

SP16:  AHSE2199D:  The Intersection of Art, Biology and Technology; 2 credits (Donis-Keller)

Please note that this course must be taken concurrently with SCI2099D (2 credits).

This project?based course will encourage participants to cross boundaries between art, biology and technology with hands?on projects inspired by contemporary and historical work in these fields. How might biology inform art practice and how might art inform biology? What role does technology play in advancing or setting back each field and how might art and biology inspire technological breakthroughs? What are the implications of being able to change the genome of an organism? These are just some of the questions we will pursue during this course. Students will conduct a CRISPR genome editing experiment and consider the ethical implications of such work. We will also work with visualization technologies such as the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Studio work will employ a variety of technologies old and new such as 3D printing in preparation for final student?directed projects that are informed by biology, art and technology. The literature in the area of art and science, particularly with respect to biology has grown considerably and we will delve into a variety of written works, films and video resources, and listen first?hand to practitioners in these areas about the challenges and rewards of interdisciplinary work in fields that most would regard as unrelated. The goal by the end of the course is to acquire an attitude that allows fluid movement from one field to the other in thinking and doing so as to garner creative strength not possible from study of each field alone.

 

SP16:  AHSE2199E:  Designing the 21st Century Engineer:  Leadership, Values and Innovation; 2 credits (Martello, Gentile)

Do you want to contribute to a paradigm shift in the education of engineering professionals? Do you want to make a positive impact on engineering education at Olin and beyond?

This two?credit course offers a chance to learn about a new approach to values?driven leadership development called ?Giving Voice To Values? (GVV). This approach has made a dramatic impact on business education and business practice around the world, having been used in hundreds of schools and organizations, including engineering?driven businesses. GVV has yet to be adapted for use in the engineering profession? until now.

Our class will begin by exploring the GVV framework and its applicability to engineers. We will work in teams to research the most critical leadership and values conflicts faced by engineering professionals in their careers and to understand faculty aspirations and reservations around addressing these conflicts. We will conclude with a design project that will give you the chance to develop workshops or co?author educational materials for use in Olin courses and beyond. The course will be run by Rob Martello and Babson Professor Mary Gentile (an educational consultant and the author of Giving Voice to Values), using Olin?s experimental grading (EG) system.

 

SP16:  AHSE2199F:  What's Your Story?  Narrative with Purpose; 2 credits (Zastavker, Epstein)

Picture this: you are sitting across a desk from a person who holds your future in their hands. You are watching this gatekeeper read through your CV or essay or business proposal or design portfolio and that?s when they look up from your work, drop the easy demeanor and point blank ask you: ?Everyone I have talked to today has impressive credentials just like you. What makes you special? What?s your story?? And that?s when you think to yourself: ?I wish the work they were holding was already making my story clear.? Do you want your future to hinge on three minutes of improvisational thinking about who you are? We don?t! Use this class to think through and narrate your personal and professional story and ensure that when you meet your next gatekeeper your work will speak for itself. In this course students will have multiple, iterative opportunities to try various theoretical models for thinking and writing analytically about their work and life during their time at Olin, with the ultimate aim of producing a coherent suite of incisive analytical reflections that tell a compelling and original story for direct use in portfolios, applications, and interviews.

 

FA15:  AHSE2199A:  Six Microbes that Changed the World;  4 credits (Martello, Huang)

Please note that this course must be taken concurrently with SCI2099 (4 credits).

?It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.? - Arthur Conan Doyle, ?A Case of Identity? in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Penicillium.  Vibrio cholera.  Escherichia coli.  Cyanobacteria.  The archaea.  Microbes surround us, and impact our lives, our health, our societies, and our environment.  Research with microbes, the smallest of all living creatures, has enabled discovery and understanding of the fundamental workings of life, opens up rich historical narratives of diseases and cures, and may provide sustainable solutions to problems we face from bioremediation to bioenergy.   And best of all, microbes open the door to a thrilling new integrated course for a lucky group of students.

?Six Microbes that Changed the World? is an interdisciplinary course taught by Jean Huang and Rob Martello this fall.  We will use six influential microbes as a window into a rich study of the interactions between science and societal context.  This course will connect biological and historical knowledge through discussions, integrated assignments, presentations, and hands-on laboratory activities.  We are looking for a motivated group of students to join us in this experimental course; let?s explore the thrill of biology and history, together.

 

FA15:  Critical Reflective Writing; 4 credits (Zastavker, Epstein)

In this course students will have multiple, iterative opportunities to try various theoretical models for thinking and writing analytically about their work and life during their time at Olin, with the ultimate aim of producing a coherent suite of incisive analytical reflections that tell a compelling and original story for direct use in portfolios, applications, and interviews. Besides having the pragmatic value of opening doors for opportunities beyond Olin, learning to leverage analytical thinking and writing to perceive and share a personalized academic story gives our students an invaluable habit of mind for life-long learning: the understanding that what we do and learn has an ever-changing shape and story, and that at any given moment we can tap into that story and reflect on who we are, who we want to be, and what we hope to accomplish. This course is particularly intended for students writing a portfolio, personal narrative, or academic narrative for graduate schools, fellowships, job opportunities, or current Olin courses or program requirements. However, this course has value for any and every Olin student seeking to deepen analytical understanding of their work, processes, accomplishments, motivations, and goals?at Olin and beyond.

 

SP15:  Foundations of Psychology; 4 credits (Adler)

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior, thought, emotion, and motivation.  Everything we do as people ? from our work to our personal relationships to our sense of self ? is impacted by psychological principles.  This course will introduce you to some of the most significant insights that psychologists have produced about the human condition while teaching you how to think like a psychologist.  You will have the opportunity to explore questions that you value in the way a psychologist would pursue them, via hands-on projects, data collection, and analysis.  We will discuss such significant topics as: what it means to be normal, how identity develops, how stable mental health is and what to do to improve it, the intersection of psychology and technology, the psychology of sustainability, the reasons we hold stereotypes and prejudice, sex differences between men and women, and many others.

There are no prerequisites for this course.  Having taken A.P. Psychology or psychology courses at Wellesley or Babson will give you a nice foundation for this course, but they will not be redundant with it.

 

SP15:  2199A:  Paradigms, Predictions and Joules:  A Historical and Scientific Approach to Energy and the Environment; 3 credits (Martello, Brabander)

Please note that this course must be taken concurrently with SCI2099 (3 credits).

This interdisciplinary course, featuring faculty and students from both Olin and Wellesley colleges, will focus on ?grand challenges? at the interface between energy and the environment through the disciplinary lenses of the history of technology and environmental science. We will study the changing relationship between human societies and their natural environment, focusing upon the consequences of human energy use (agricultural production, power generation, and other forms of energy) at the local, regional, and global scales. By combining the tools, analytical frameworks, and skills found in the history and environmental science fields, we will build first-­?order ""hindcast"" models that explain the observations and trends that we observe from historical case studies. By the end of the semester we will determine the key components required for assembling forecast-­?oriented energy use models that extrapolate the impacts of present environmental technologies and practices into the future.

This course will include equal numbers of Olin and Wellesley students, and will alternate class sessions at both campuses. Students will begin the semester with a series of readings and exercises that build skills and familiarity in the broad area of environmental studies: for example, we will work with framing environmental concept maps using environmental engineering principles (e.g. control volumes, flux, residence time) and environmental science concepts (energy conservation and energy density calculations), historical research and analysis, environmental ethics, and writing/presentation exercises centered around important case studies of interactions between societies, energy technologies, and the natural environment. We will use these skills and perspectives for the remainder of the semester as we conduct two research projects related to energy use, sustainability, and environmental impacts in both ancient societies and the modern day. This course involves extensive team project work and will offer many opportunities for students to identify their own goals and shape their studies in order to achieve those goals.

 

SP15:  2199B:  Digital Documentary Storytelling; 2 credits in Session I (Vitols)

In this workshop, students learn the basic principles of documentary filmmaking.  Providing a brief introduction to the theory and history of documentary media production, class discussion will address the ethical, aesthetic, technological, and economic concerns of non-fiction film art. Students will put the ?theory? into ?practice? by creating their own short digital documentary. While no previous experience in filmmaking is required, this is NOT a technical course.

 

SP15:  2199C:  Hacktivism:  Hacking for the Greater Good; 2 credits in Session II (Vitols)

This workshop focuses on one intersection of activism and technology: hacking. Students will explore the history, ethics, and philosophy of hacking, while also working in groups to use technology for political and social change. Prerequisites include creativity and the desire to use technology to make the world a better place. While no previous experience in coding is required, this is NOT a technical course.

 

FA14:  Six Microbes that Changed the World; 4 credits (Huang, Martello)

?It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.? - Arthur Conan Doyle, ?A Case of Identity? in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Penicillium.  Vibrio cholera.  Escherichia coli.  Cyanobacteria.  The archaea.  Microbes surround us, and impact our lives, our health, our societies, and our environment.  Research with microbes, the smallest of all living creatures, has enabled discovery and understanding of the fundamental workings of life, opens up rich historical narratives of diseases and cures, and may provide sustainable solutions to problems we face from bioremediation to bioenergy.   And best of all, microbes open the door to a thrilling new integrated course for a lucky inaugural group of students.

?Six Microbes that Changed the World? is an interdisciplinary course taught by Jean Huang and Rob Martello for the first time this fall.  We will use six influential microbes as a window into a rich study of the interactions between science and societal context.  This course will connect biological and historical knowledge through discussions, integrated assignments, presentations, and hands-on laboratory activities.  We are looking for a motivated group of students to join us in this experimental course; let?s explore the thrill of biology and history, together.