‘Majors’ Articles at Brandeis Summer School Blog

Tag: majors (page 1 of 2)

Brandeis Summer School students walking up the stairs to an academic building on campus.

Still Undecided on your Major/Minor?

May 16, 2019 / BrandeisGPS / Comments Off

Do you want to explore your major or minor options but haven’t had the time? Brandeis Summer School provides students with a general overview of many different fields of study by offering several introductory courses over the summer.

Perhaps you want to consider philosophical questions such as: What can we know about the world external to our senses? What can we know about the thoughts and feelings of others? What is the relationship between our minds and our brains? What makes an action right or wrong? The PHIL 1A: Introduction to Philosophy course aims to motivate these questions and introduce students to the methods of contemporary analytic philosophy.

Maybe you want to study the basics of neuroscience from a biological perspective: How does the brain talk to the body? How is visual information transformed from the eye to the brain? How does learning and memory work? The NPSY 11B: Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience course considers cells, circuits of neurons, and regions of the brain, but does not require prior specific biological knowledge.

Or maybe you wonder about “Globalization” and how it touches our lives more each and every day. The IGS 10A: Introduction to International and Global Studies class introduces the historical origins of globalization, then addresses the challenges of globalization to national and international governance, economic success, individual and group identities, cultural diversity, and the environment.

Perhaps you want to join the journey through the bio-cultural transformations of humanity, which highlights the emergence of bipedal locomotion, the increased levels of encephalization, changes in subsistence practices, the control of fire, the appearance of language, and the anthropogenic impacts of the global dispersal of modern humans, in ANTH 5A – Human Origins.

Whatever your interest, the Summer School offers courses from a wide variety of academic disciplines including: Anthropology, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Contemporary Art, Economics, English, Fine Arts, Health Care Policy, History, International and Global Studies, Literature, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Screenplay Writing, Sociology, and Theater Arts.

Explore all of our summer course offerings and register today!

If you have questions you can always email us at summerschool@brandeis.edu.

We look forward to learning with you this summer!

Vector icons with pictures of objects and subjects of culture and art. White figures on a colored background with a shadow.

Pursue your Passion for the Arts this Summer!

May 13, 2019 / BrandeisGPS / Comments Off

Are you interested in exploring your creative side this summer? It is the perfect time to take a course in the arts with Brandeis Summer School!

Summer class options include:

FA 165A: Contemporary Art – ONLINE CLASS!

This course addresses art at the turn of the 20th century with attention to intersections of art and identity, politics, economy, and history. It will begin with discussions of art in the United States as New York City established itself as the capital of contemporary art and then move to consider art communities around the world that have become prominent as the art world, like politics and the economy, have become increasingly globalized.

ENG 21A: Young Adult Literature

Like myth, Young Adult literature brings us to the most elemental aspects of literary experience, and it does that in the most compelling and interesting way. It takes the experiences of young adults as seriously as they should be taken, and offers joy and consolation to its audience. In this course students will examine what is genuinely great about the work of Young Adult authors like J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Philip Pullman, and Lois Lowry. You’ll study how literature works, and in particular what makes narrative powerful.

ENG 79A: Screenwriting Workshop: Beginning Screenplay

There’s never been a better time to become a screenwriter. Breakthroughs in technology, production, and distribution have heightened the demand for good scripts. Whether you want to write a micro-budget indie or a Hollywood blockbuster, this course provides all the essential tools you’ll need. Learn the fundamentals – structure, story arc, character development – and develop the first act of your feature screenplay. You’ll also watch and analyze recent movies. You’ll never look at a movie the same way again!

FA 3A: Introduction to Drawing I

Through a solid understanding of its form and principles, students will be encouraged to instigate intuitive and open responses to perceptual and conceptual sources. Students will address the role of drawing as part of their creative process.

FA 178B: Seminar on Chinese Calligraphy: History and Practice

This seminar examines the art and history of Chinese calligraphy. The goal is to introduce students of different Chinese-language levels (not limited to native-speakers) to canonical works of calligraphy as well as the enthusiasm and creativity these works have generated through the ages. From anonymous oracle bones and stone inscriptions to famed masterpieces, such as Wang Xizhi’s “Lanting Pavilion Preface,” and from original renderings to copies of others’ compositions, this course showcases the kaleidoscopic range that makes calligraphy a visual-linguistic art form beyond “words.” The multifaceted functions of stylized writing—such as for political, religious, and expressive purposes—will also be explored.

ENG 180A: The Modern American Short Story

Short stories bring you to the heart of narrative in a way that no other kind of literature does. Novels, plays, and movies have time to do world-building, and therefore they can give you a sense of what’s unique about their world. But short stories have to be far more direct, have to interact with readers in their own world. Over 5 weeks students will explore many of these worlds as they read and discuss several short stories every class!

THA 130A-1 & 2: Suzuki

Developed by the Japanese theater artist Tadashi Suzuki, the Suzuki method of acting training develops physical strength, stamina, and agility while engaging the imagination and will of the actor. Through a series of walks, statues, and marches, students are taught to breathe and move from the core of their bodies. This training allows students to act from physical impulse, resulting in a deep and personal experience of language and the world of play. This class also counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement.

View all of the Summer Arts Courses and Syllabi Online.

Enroll today! Space is limited!

Questions? Email us at: summerschool@brandeis.edu

Student reviewing course materials on his laptop with a background illustrating the stock market rising.

Thinking about a Economics major or minor? Start your study with ECON 10a this summer!

May 1, 2019 / Editor / Comments Off

ECON 10A: Introduction to Microeconomics is intended for all possible economics majors, minors, and for all other students who plan to take Econ 20 (Introduction to Macroeconomics) later in their academic career. This is the first economics course that economics students should take at Brandeis, and anyone contemplating a major or minor should start with this course.

The course will give you an idea of the range of behaviors that economists investigate, introduce you to the basic tools that we use to analyze economic behavior, and apply these tools to public policy issues. Perhaps most important, this course will introduce you to the “economic way of thinking,” an approach to decision making that applies to personal decisions, to the decisions of businesses, labor unions and other organizations, and to the larger choices that society faces.

This course satisfies the School of Social Science (SS) distribution requirement and the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) component of the General University Requirements. It is also the first course for any student considering a concentration or minor in Economics.

This course has two “broad” goals. First, it is hoped that everyone will come out of this course a more educated citizen, being able to use basic economic principles to critically evaluate the arguments for and against public policy proposals (various tax proposals, immigration reform). Second, this course should give students the theoretical tools necessary for success in subsequent economics courses.

Learn more about registration for the Brandeis Summer School here.

Faculty Spotlight: Casey Golomski

April 10, 2013 / anbrooks / Comments Off

Brandeis University Summer School interviewed Casey Golomski, a lecturer in the Anthropology Department at Brandeis. This summer, Casey will be teaching ANTH127a “Medicine, Body and Culture.” Registration is now open – click here to be directed to the enrollment page.

Brandeis University Summer School: How long have you been teaching at Brandeis?

Casey Golomski: My home is in the Department of Anthropology. I am also Lecturer in Anthropology at UMASS Boston, and I formerly taught at Northeastern University. I matriculated to the Brandeis Anthropology PhD program in 2006 and successfully defended my dissertation this past March, so I will graduate this spring. Last spring I independently convened the course ANTH80a, “Anthropology of Religion.” I otherwise teach regularly “Introduction to Cultural Anthropology,” “Peoples and Cultures of Africa,” and “Watching Film, Seeing Culture.”

BUSS: What courses will you teach this summer? What can students expect?

CG: This summer I will teach ANTH127a, “Medicine, Body and Culture.” This course is a broad yet nuanced introduction to medical anthropology, engaging the social, economic and political dimensions of illness and healing across cultures. I’m very excited for the opportunity to convene this course. I consider myself a cultural anthropologist, but I am very involved in issues of bodies, aging and medicine. In the past, I’ve done work with traditional and Christian spiritual healers in southern Africa, as well as youth and shamanistic healing in the Hmong Diaspora in the US. My current research focuses effects of death and demographic shift from HIV/AIDS on life cycle rites in the the Kingdom of Swaziland. In the course, I’ll share some of these findings and works-in-progress.

To explain the syllabus a bit, we begin with historical precursors to the field, so how earlier scholars were writing about medicine, culture, society and power and consider how they laid certain intellectual foundations we still work with today. I designed a number of interesting case studies modules on: race and medicine the US; health, environment, and ecology, including how we are affected by wind; chronic illness; and even sleep and sleeplessness! This course attracts many students who are Biology, International Global Studies, or Health Science Society and Policy majors or are pre-med, and we are going to interrogate “biomedicine (our own system and understandings of health) and programs and initiatives of “global public health,” as well as learning how undergraduate students in Africa learn to become doctors in some resource deprived settings there. At the end of the course, we consider how to apply our culturally-nuanced findings in practice and public policy. We draw case studies from Anglo-, Hispanic- and Native North, Central and South America, Western Europe, Eastern and Southern Africa, East and South Asia and the Pacific.

BUSS: What is unique about summer courses – either for the students or faculty?

CG: I like the opportunities that summer school schedules provide. While the course is condensed to make up for a full semester’s content, I make sure to stagger the work expectations so students are able to better relish the material. While the readings are pretty equitable across the course schedule, some days will be more concentrated my own material and lectures. Other days use a “conversation circle” format where we each share individually- or group-assigned readings with each other. We will read scholarly and some popular writing which can be a much quicker read, like the best-seller “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” I think summer is a good time to catch up on “leisure” reading, and this combination lets students see how books in the library and popular books can converse in interesting ways. We will watch a number of films as well. Students will have three different options for a final project, including doing their own short ethnographic investigation which a summer course permits more time and freedom to take on.

Registration for ANTH127a and all summer course is now open. Click here for more information, or to sign up!

Faculty Spotlight: Jason Pontrello

March 20, 2013 / anbrooks / Comments Off

Jason K. Pontrello, Associate Professor of Chemistry, will be teaching Organic Chemisty this summer at Brandeis.

Brandeis Summer School interviewed Jason Pontrello, Ph.D, an assistant professor in Chemistry at Brandeis University. Jason has been teaching at Brandeis since the Fall of 2008 and will be teaching two courses this summer. Check out the great interview below:

Brandeis University Summer School: How are your lab classes different than most?

Jason Pontrello: My lab courses focus on hypothesis development and interpretation of data rather than reproduction of expected or anticipated results from prior work. Half the lab experiments in the Fall semester incorporate the synthesis of a small molecule designed to inhibit the Tat protein/TAR-RNA interaction necessary for HIV replication. The experiments in the Spring semester incorporate the synthesis of metalloprotease inhibitors as well as compounds designed to affect protein aggregation in Huntington’s Disease. Students find, follow, and adapt procedures recently published in scientific literature, rather than relying on standardized textbook experiments. To carry out the reactions, students must learn how to use equipment that is commonly used in synthetic chemistry research labs. In addition, the Huntington’s Disease project represents a collaboration between introductory organic and biology teaching labs. The compounds organic chemistry students synthesize are tested in both in vitro and in vivo assays in the biology lab.

BUSS: What courses will you be teaching this summer?

JP: Organic Chemistry Lectures (Chemistry 25a/b) and Organic Chemistry Laboratories (Chemistry 29a/b)

BUSS: What do you think are the benefits of Brandeis Summer School for students?

JP: While the pace of a summer course is challenging to adapt to and required commitment to the enrolled course, the structure of the program and small size of the class (about 40 students) compared with the Fall/Spring semesters carry substantial benefits. Students are immersed in the subject of organic chemistry during 2 hour lecture, 4 days a week. This makes it possible to begin talking about a topic, and to finish during the same lecture or the next day. During the Fall/Spring semesters, with 3 lectures a week, topics often become fragmented and relevance can be lost as students are focusing on many other course requirements as well. I also noticed a strong group dynamic created among students in the summer classes. This same dynamic is experienced during Fall/Spring semesters, but it is more focused around the smaller recitations rather than the larger lecture course as a whole.

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