‘Minors’ Articles at Brandeis Summer School Blog

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!

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.

Brandeis Anthropologist Javier Urcid teaches 2 courses this summer

April 30, 2012 / Editor / Comments Off

Brandeis Associate Professor and Chair of the Brandeis Anthropology Dept., Javier Urcid, will be teaching two classes this summer. Prof. Urcid will be teaching ANTH 5a: Human Origins and ANTH 116a: Human Osteology. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Prof. Urcid studies the development of ancient complex societies in Mesoamerica: the origin and societal functions of early writing, political economy and settlement patterns, and the social and ideological dimensions of mortuary practices.

Recently, Prof. Urcid was the feature of a video on his work helping students understand ancient societies using Brandeis’ rich collection of artifacts.

Several Anthropology courses are being offered this summer:

ANTH 1a: Introduction to the Comparative Study of Human Societies with Ieva Jusionyte
Sage class number: 2109

ANTH 5a: Human Origins with Javier Urcid
Sage class number: 2070

ANTH 61b: Language in American Life with Laura Ann John
Sage class number: 2110

ANTH 105a: Myth and Ritual with Adam Gamwell
Sage class number: 2111

ANTH 116a: Human Osteology with Javier Urcid
Sage class number: 2072

ANTH 129b: Global, Transnational, and Diasporic Communities with Noah Tamarkin
Sage class number: 2073

ANTH 144a: The Anthropology of Gender with Anna Jaysane-Darr
Sage class number: 2112

To register for 2012 Brandeis Summer Classes, visit:

http://www.brandeis.edu/summer/registration/ready.html

Basic Guide to Courses for Brandeisians

March 21, 2012 / Emily Troge / Comments Off

We all know that the Brandeis students are of a completely different breed. We can all relate to each other for one reason or another – that main reason being our Brandeisian pride. Here is an unofficial guide to Brandeis courses:

INTERESTS:
First off, high school and college are extremely different. If you found that you did not particularly excel in something during your high school career, do not be turned off from this subject matter in college. Courses are taught differently and who knows, you may be avoiding a course that you would do really well in. It could be a potential major, minor, or career path to take after undergrad. It is also important to keep in mind that as much as your parents may want you to pursue an undergraduate degree in Art History, Biology, or Mathematics, this is your time to shine and find something that you are passionate in. If you choose a major or minor based off of what your parents want you could ultimately be stuck in a career that you do not enjoy.

SHOPPING PERIOD:
For those of you new to Brandeis, you may not fully understand the “Shopping Period” that we offer during the Fall and Spring semesters. The shopping period is self-explanatory, it is a two week period where you can try out different courses and see what you are most interested in or what fits your schedule best. No one wants to be stuck in a course that might drop his or her GPA. Also, why bother taking a course if you know that you won’t enjoy it and get all that you can out of it?

DON’T OVERWHELM YOURSELF:
Upon your arrival it may have appeared that every upperclassman had eight majors and sixteen minors. this is not the case! Some people are fortunate enough to have found different subject matters that interest them and they chose to pursue undergraduate degrees in those various subjects, but it is perfectly fine to only have one major. However, if you do find other courses that spark your interest, then take a few more classes in it. If you find that you can devote the time and energy into declaring a major or minor in it, then talk to your advisor and find out if he or she thinks it would be beneficial to you and your academic resumé.

BUILD A SPREADSHEET:
Organization is key. I have found that what helps me most is designing a spread sheet that clearly distinguishes each semester and the possible courses that are available and would fulfill my major, minor, and/or university requirements. This way, you don’t find yourself in your eighth semester begging a professor to let you into a class before you didn’t realize that you forgot a major/minor/university requirement somewhere along the way.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF SUMMER SCHOOL:
Granted, in high school, Summer School seemed like a punishment for those who didn’t necessarily do as well as they could/should have in a particular course. In College, the concept of Summer School is completely different. In fact, it might be the students that are more proactive in their studies who enroll in summer courses. People enroll for a multitude of reasons. Maybe you have an internship in Waltham, Boston, or the surrounding area. Perhaps you want to double major and you wouldn’t normally have enough time to complete all of the requirements in your seven or eight semesters at Brandeis. These are just a few of the many reasons why students partake in the Summer Program here at Brandeis University.

Be sure to subscribe to this blog to hear about more Summer School updates as well as Brandeis updates.

The Benefits of the Brandeis Summer Program

March 6, 2012 / Emily Troge / Comments Off

Summer registration is just around the corner, making this weekend the perfect time to think about enrolling in the Summer Program at Brandeis University. The unique programs that our University has this summer will gladly facilitate the learning experience of your undergraduate career.

Some of you may believe that Summer School is attached with the negative stigma that it had in the 90’s, along with detention and demerits. This is one of the greatest misconceptions of the Summer Program. In fact, those who enroll in summer courses are of the most proactive students at this campus. In order to redesign the phrase “Brandeis Summer School,” I would strongly advise you to read the following:

Major(s)/Minor(s) – As Brandeisian students, we know many individuals who have decided to declare everything more than the single major that we are all required to have. Since Brandeis students typically have only 7 or 8 semesters at the University, sometimes it is difficult to find the time to take all of the requirements for the various majors and/or minors. These students should be strongly encouraged by an advisor, parent, or even a peer to enroll in summer courses.

Midyears – Even though Brandeis makes the Midyear transition extremely easy and manageable for all of these students to graduate with the rest of their class, it could be helpful for a student who arrived as a Midyear to enroll in a summer course or two. There is no reason why anyone should have anxiety over the number of credits that he or she has.

Internship Opportunities – There are countless majors and minors that require some sort of internship along with the rest of the required courses. If you are like me, then it is difficult to imagine putting in an additional 10 hours every week for an internship on top of all of your classes. Every summer there are different internship opportunities available. If you know that your major or minor requires some sort of internship, keep posted on the summer course announcements.

Going Abroad – Going abroad is a right of passage that many students choose to take in their college years. Although it is not necessarily for everyone, there are some concerns for those who are on the fence. One of the largest reasons that I believe students do not go abroad is because of academic requirements that need to be finished on the home front. That being said, the Summer Program is the perfect place to knock a few courses out of the way. This will free up your schedule and allow you to take interesting courses abroad that are not available here at Brandeis.

Graduating Early – Attention, eager beavers that want to get into the “real” world as quickly as possible, Summer School can, yet again, be used to your advantage. By taking a few summer courses and maybe one or two extra courses over your years at Brandeis, you will be able to receive enough credits to graduate early!

University Requirements – In order maintain the liberal nature that Brandeis has come to be, we are required to take many courses outside what we are comfortable with an expand our academic horizons. That being said, sometimes certain University Requirements escape out from under us and are found to be offered during inconvenient times (schedule conflicts, early in the morning, etc.). In order to receive the proper credits for these courses, Brandeis University allows you to enroll in courses that satisfy many, if not all, of the University Requirements.

Location, Location, Location!! – Last, but not least, we have one of the most positive reasons to be at Brandeis University over the summer, which is being at Brandeis University over the summer. With incredible weather and its close proximity to Boston, there are countless things to do to enjoy yourself over the summer weeks.

Tag: minors