Course Registration

Mid-May: Students will receive WPI login information. 

Mid-May: Math Placement Exam Opens 

Mid-May: Students will receive an email from their Academic Support Advisor with information about the next steps leading up to course registration.

May-June: Review information below about Great Problems Seminars and your major recommendations. 

June 3-June 14: Students and families are invited to participate in one of our First-Year Welcome Experiences where students will have an opportunity to meet with their Academic Support Advisor and submit their course preferences. If you are unable to attend an in-person or virtual First-Year Welcome Experience, your Academic Support Advisor will contact you in mid-June regarding next steps for course registration.

Mid-July: Your Academic Support Advisor will register you for Fall courses based on the course preferences you selected at your First Year Welcome Experience, as well as course availability.

Students will have the opportunity to connect with their Academic Support Advisor and submit their course preferences at one of our First-Year Welcome Experiences. Students and families who are not able to attend one of our in-person programs will be able to participate in a virtual experience and connect with their advisor. Your Academic Support Advisor in the Office of Academic Advising will review your course preferences and register you for your fall courses by mid-July based upon your preferences and course availability. When this is completed, you will receive outreach via your WPI e-mail address to review your schedule. 

Mid-November: First year students course registration becomes live.

Registration for Spring Semester courses will occur in Mid-November.  Please make sure to create more than one plan for your C and D term courses just in case you don’t get into your first selections. Your Insight Advisor is available to assist you with your schedule.

Below, click on your major to see what you should consider taking for the Fall and Spring semesters. If you have any questions, you have been assigned an Academic Support Advisor in the Office of Academic Advising who you can contact to get help.  If you have any problems, email academic-advising@wpi.edu and we will be happy to help!

List of Majors:

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING
BIOCHEMISTRY
BIOINFORMATICS & COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
BIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
CHEMISTRY
CIVIL ENGINEERING
COMPUTER SCIENCE

DATA SCIENCE
ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
INTERACTIVE MEDIA & GAME DEVELOPMENT
BUSINESS, FINTECH, MGMT ENG, INFORMATION SYSTEMS
MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES & ACTUARIAL MATHEMATICS
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
PHYSICS
PRE-HEALTH
ROBOTICS ENGINEERING
SOCIAL SCIENCE & POLICY STUDIES
UNDECIDED - students can speak with a professor in their major of interest or meet with staff in the Career Development Center (CDC) to discuss majors/career options

Students can change their major, minor, or concentration in Workday. Students wishing to add a minor should reach out to their advisor. Each academic department's webpage has information on minor requirements.

1. Completing the Math Placement Exam is required for students who intend to register for Calculus in the Fall semester. Be sure to consider your Math Placement results when selecting course preferences. It is the best guide for selecting the most appropriate math course in A and B terms.
2. Students considering a foreign language should consider taking the placement exam to determine which level of the language you should begin with:
   1. For Spanish Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Angel Rivera (arivera@wpi.edu)
   2. For German Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Daniel DiMassa (ddimassa@wpi.edu)
   3. For Arabic Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Mohammed El Hamzaoui (melhamzaoui@wpi.edu)
   4. For Chinese Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Wen-Hua Du (wdu2@wpi.edu)
   5. For English Language (International Students) Information, Please Email: Professor Althea Danielski (amdanielski@wpi.edu) and Professor Esther Boucher-Yip (efboucher@wpi.edu)

Consider if you have AP, IB, or Transfer Credit when selecting course preferences. We recognize that you may not have received all of your scores by the time you select your course preferences. We suggest that you assume you will receive credit for the exams you took. Keep in mind that you cannot receive credit for the same course twice, so if you received credit from your exams, you should not take the course again.

• Courses WPI Accepts AP Credit for
• Courses WPI Accepts IB Credit for
• Information on transferring course credit

Program Tracking Sheets can help you to see the full curriculum for your intended program of study.

Find your Program Tracking Sheet for your major here

The Office of Academic Advising is here to guide and connect you with resources to assist with your academic plans and goals throughout your time at WPI. As a first year student, here are some important things to know:

• You will need to declare your major by the end of B-Term, at which time you will be assigned a Faculty Advisor in your major—an individual that will serve as your primary advisor for the remainder of your time at WPI. If you are still undecided, the Office of Academic Advising has many resources to help you explore your options and interests. Contact us for more information.
• The Office of Academic Advising oversees the Academic Resources Center (ARC). The student-based, collaborative learning environment of the ARC offers individualized assistance in a variety of introductory subjects through a comprehensive peer-tutoring program designed to assist WPI students in achieving their academic potential. The ARC offers group, drop-in tutoring (Math and Science Help or MASH) as well as 1-on-1 peer tutoring. 
• We also host the Summer Academic Success Program (SASP), an opportunity for students who have struggled academically during the school year to take courses during E-Term to help improve their academic performance. 
• You can schedule an appointment with an advisor through Tutortrac. Note: Incoming first-year students do not have access to Tutortrac until the start of the academic year

Meet our Academic Advising team.

How many courses are there that give you credit for working on one of the world’s most pressing challenges?  And while you are working on issues of pandemic, food, energy, climate change, sheltering the displaced, you will also develop great friendships, important skills and valuable relationships with faculty.  Best of all, your solution could make a real difference in someone’s life. 

The Great Problem Seminars (GPS) give first-year students and faculty the opportunity to step outside their disciplines to solve problems focused on themes of global importance, culminating in annual Poster Presentation Days that celebrate students’ innovative research. While tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems, students who choose these classes will develop skills, knowledge and confidence valuable not only for the rest of their college career, but also for life.

Each GPS consists of two linked courses that are taught by two professors from different disciplines. In the first term you will explore many facets of a great problem, such as air pollution, access to clean water, or disease control. In the second term you will work in a team to produce a solution and share it with the WPI community.

GPS topic examples include:

• Climate Change
• Extinction: Who will survive?
• Heal the World
• Humanitarian Engineering
• Ignorance is NOT Bliss
• Livable Cities
• Seeking Sustainability
• Power the World
• Recover, Reuse, Recycle
• Shelter the World

Alumni of the GPS give more information about their experience in the video below and credit the course for:

• Increased confidence
• Increased willingness to take on a leadership role
• Increased comfort tackling their IQP
• Stronger applications for internships and co-ops

GPS Can Change Our World

Unlike most work in courses, these projects live on—used by people all over the world with over 65,000 downloads of student project materials to date!

Read more about GPS here.

GPS courses are a two-term linked project experience taught by two faculty members.  In the first term you will explore many facets of a great problem and then, in the second, work in a team with support of faculty to produce a solution, and show it off to the whole campus!  Note that each course carries different credit. Click here to learn more about where the GPS credit  will count in your degree program.

Great Problems Seminars are available in either A-Term and B-term or B-term and C-term.

Marja Bakermans, Associate Teaching Professor

The goal of my research program is to promote conservation of biodiversity by maintaining viable wildlife populations across the landscape. Specifically, my research addresses the influence of anthropogenic disturbances, like forest management, urbanization, and agriculture, on wildlife. It is my goal to open students’ eyes to the evolving and interconnected world of science by using my research as an example of how to assimilate science and the role of conservation in today’s world. Ultimately, it is my goal to provide an inclusive and enjoyable environment that fosters the learning process for students and allows us all to be lifelong learners. Learn more.

Courtney Kurlanska, Assistant Teaching Professor

The goal of my research program is to promote conservation of biodiversity by maintaining viable wildlife populations across the landscape. Specifically, my research addresses the influence of anthropogenic disturbances, like forest management, urbanization, and agriculture, on wildlife. It is my goal to open students’ eyes to the evolving and interconnected world of science by using my research as an example of how to assimilate science and the role of conservation in today’s world. Ultimately, it is my goal to provide an inclusive and enjoyable environment that fosters the learning process for students and allows us all to be lifelong learners. Learn more.

Geoffrey Pfeifer, Associate Teaching Professor

Professor Pfeifer’s research focus is on Contemporary Continental thought, social and political philosophy, global justice, and development ethics. He teaches for the first year Great Problems Seminars program and also holds a joint appointment in the department of Humanities and Arts where he teaches philosophy courses.  Learn more.

Derren Rosbach, Associate Teaching Professor

The overarching goal of my teaching and research is to contribute to an interdisciplinary understanding of environmental governance and policy. More specifically, I focus on the building of individual, organizational and institutional capacities to participate in collaborative efforts to address complex social and environmental sustainability problems through the application of science and technology.  Learn more.

Elisabeth “Lisa” Stoddard, Assistant Teaching Professor

Professor Stoddard’s research focuses on the policy and politics of food production in a changing climate and global economy. Her work analyzes the ways in which the governance of agriculture and livestock production shapes our food systems’ vulnerability and capacity to adapt to drought, floods, the global spread of disease, and other hazards. She is also interested in issues of environmental injustice in the livestock industry and the ability of social movements to make powerful changes, especially in the age of social media.  Learn more.

Robert W. Traver, Teaching Professor

Two overarching questions direct Dr. Traver’s career: What is the nature of teaching? What is the teaching of nature? The majority of Dr. Traver’s fourteen years at WPI deals with the development and administration of education programs that involve science and engineering content and related teaching and training of teachers. Currently he focuses on project-based undergraduate engineering education with emphasis on related instruction and on project design and delivery for sustainable development.  Learn more.

Global climate change is here, from sea level rise, to stronger storms, and more dangerous wildfire seasons – just to name a few impacts. What does it mean to live in this new environment? What does it mean for our ecosystems and civilization? How can we adapt to a new and unpredictable climate and mitigate practices that could lead to further warming? We will examine the causes and consequences of climate change on the environment and people, incorporating a local to global approach. Both scientific (environment, ecology, wildlife, weather events) and humanistic (politics, ethics, economics, social justice) pieces of the climate puzzle will be investigated. This course will place a special emphasis on valuing differential impacts on vulnerable people and habitats. While working toward identifying a problem that your team can solve, you will build skills in critical thinking, teamwork, communication, and ethics.

This GPS carries 1/3 unit BB1000 credit and 1/3 unit INTL1000 (counts towards HUA) credit.

Course numbers FY 1100 sand FY 1101

This course focuses on material resources and reusing them—recycling. It blends engineering with humanities and builds a framework for the world in which students will live, showing them how they can make the world different through their ingenuity and innovation. Policy and societal issues are also discussed in the context of the recovery and recycling. Students collaborate with the NSF Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling (CR3) and work on projects sponsored by leading global corporations.

This GPS carries 1/3 unit ES 1000 credit and 1/3 unit HU1100 credit.

Course numbers FY 1100 and FY 1101

If the moment we are living in has revealed anything, it is that our contemporary modes of life are deeply unsustainable. The world’s ecosystems and social systems are vulnerable to a number of accelerating threats from environmental degradation and climate change to economic inequality and environmental injustice. The recent global pandemic has added to this and shone a light on unsustainability while also giving us a glimpse of a possible future with reduced fossil fuel use and carbon emissions. In this class we will look at these problems from a number of perspectives and try to understand what a transition to a more sustainable mode of existence might entail.

This GPS carries 1/3 unit SS1000 credit and 1/3 unit HU1100 credit.

Course numbers FY 1100 and FY 1101

Heal the World:

What are the greatest threats to global health? Antibiotic resistant ‘super bugs’? Lack of access to needed medications and adequate health care? Substance abuse and mental wellbeing? Access to green spaces? In this hands-on course, students will work in teams to research and develop technological, biological, policy-driven, and other types of solutions to help answer these questions in cases around the world. Student project groups will explore issues of inequity, resource scarcity, and historical barriers to access, and design ethical, sustainable solutions based on their research.

This GPS carries 1/3 unit CH1000 credit and 1/3 unit SSPS1000 credit.

Course numbers FY 1100 and FY 1101

Throughout most of Earth’s history, species disappeared at an average rate of 1 to 5 per year, and fossil evidence shows that five mass extinction catastrophes have occurred. Scientists estimate that we are witnessing the sixth mass extinction. Where are extinctions currently having the greatest impact? How might conservation efforts prevent them? This Great Problems Seminar examines debates about past and present causes of extinction, the factors that contribute to vulnerability or resiliency of endangered species, and the consequences of species loss, including the links with pathogenic outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This GPS carries 1/3 unit CH1000 credit and 1/3 unit SSPS1100 credit.

Course numbers FY 1100 and FY 1101

How do you provide shelter for over 7 billion people, almost half of whom live on less than $5.50 a day? With rising slum populations and increasing natural disasters, homes damaged by earthquakes and overflowing refugee camps, how do we address the growing demands for safe living spaces? What do we need to understand as designers, engineers, or aid workers to provide shelter for the world? Working in teams in this design studio, we will learn about relevant design concepts, the Design-Build process, materials, and structure to address this housing challenge. We will build a shelter-model that is affordable, safe, and appropriate for our selected population.

This GPS carries 1/3 unit ES1000 credit and 1/3 unit SSPS1000 credit.

Course numbers FY 1100 and FY 1101

Why does inequality continue to increase even as the global economy grows? Has it always been this way? Is the US really number 1? Is the growing inequality both within and between countries inevitable? If not, how can it be addressed through social infrastructure? This course will examine the causes of inequality both in the US and abroad, examining historical, cultural, and political factors that influence how global inequality has reached such heights. In the second part of the course, we will explore and develop strategies for addressing issues of inequality experienced in our local community.

This GPS carries 1/3 unit BUS1000 credit and 1/3 unit SS1000 credit.

Course numbers FY 1100 and FY 1101

This course explores the concepts of development, technology, and water access in a remote region of southwest Morocco, where indigenous people have historically been denied access to basic human rights, including water and sanitation. In recent decades, climate change and other factors have further damaged the water access of these rural villages. To both study and address the problem, this course will explore the culturally appropriate and technologically advanced methods of harvesting water from fog that have been used by the NGO Dar Si Hmad (http://darsihmad.org/fog/), which operates the largest fog water harvesting system in the world. Our approach is integrative, where students work on teams to learn approaches and concepts from engineering, humanities, and the integration of these disciplines.

This GPS carries 1/3 unit HU1100 credit and 1/3 unit ES1000 credit.

Smart city tools deploy sensors in the urban environment to aid public service provision, resource management, law enforcement, hiring practices, and other critical areas of living and working in cities.  Artificial intelligence supercharges these possibilities. These technologies reflect the prevailing social values of our society – they express the legacies and current realities of social injustice and represent sites of experimentation for more socially just futures. What values are designed into the tools and sensors? How do they reflect histories of race, class, and gender? How do they engage and empower? How do they remake the city and the relationship between humans, nature, and technology. 

This GPS carries 1/3 unit ES 1000 credit and 1/3 unit SS1000 credit.

Course numbers FY 1100 and FY 1101

Every community faces energy problems. Solutions to these problems involve both positive and negative consequences. Fossil fuels currently dominate the energy landscape but have impacts that are becoming less and less acceptable. Renewable sources of energy, like wind and solar, are gaining traction but present a whole new set of challenges. This course investigates the depth and breadth of energy production, transmission, and use. It explores the technical, social, economic, and environmental effects and challenges of power generation.

This GPS carries 1/3 unit PH1000 credit and 1/3 unit SS1000 credit.

Course numbers FY 1100 and FY 1101

What does it mean to be human in an increasingly digital world? In AI, Design, and Society we will explore the history and future of artificial intelligence, and imagine new futures with, or without, AI. Join this class to get hands-on opportunity to build and use AI systems, understand their role in our society, and design interactive experiences that depict, integrate, and critique the role of AI in our daily lives. Through your project work, you will gain skills in interdisciplinary teamwork, user experience design, and programming. 

Credits: This GPS carries 1/3 unit CS 1004 credit, 1/3 unit SS1000 credit, and IMGD 1000-level credit. 

Course numbers FY 1100 and FY 1101

The Humanities and Arts (HUA) are integral to the WPI Plan and each student’s academic journey here.

The aim of WPI’s six-course HUA Requirement is to educate well-rounded, globally aware graduates with exceptional analytical skills and sensitivity to culture and context.

In the first year you have the opportunity to embrace art, theatre, music, and other forms of creative expression. Alternatively, you can explore themes of complexity, diversity, and the richness of human experience by examining art/architecture, history, languages, literature, philosophy, or religion. Once you have started your HUA experience on campus, you will later have the option to complete your HUA Requirement at select HUA off-campus project centers whether in London, Argentina, Japan, Morocco, or Taiwan.

No matter how you choose to explore HUA here at WPI, you will acquire broad-based skills that complement and enhance the technical side of your WPI education. By understanding yourself and the diversity and creativity of human experience, you will become a more well-rounded scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, innovator, or change agent. HUA will allow you to see the world and solve its problems through a lens that is uniquely your own.

Through HUA, WPI undergraduates get a chance to embrace their inner musician, thespian, poet, artist, creative writer, historian, linguist, or philosopher. To learn More about completing the Humanities and Arts requirement, click here.

New students are encouraged to design their own HUA experiences and can start wherever their curiosity and passion take them – from art to music, languages to writing, history to philosophy, theatre to literature, and religion to gender, sex, and women’s studies.

In Fall 2024, WPI is offering a number of first-year introductory courses across HUA disciplines. These seven-week courses in A and B Terms offer spaces for new students to collectively explore their interests while building connections with other members of the Class of 2028. In addition, these courses will build academic skills and prepare students to follow a purposeful pathway through the HUA Requirement, while encouraging students to understand and embrace WPI’s Mental Health and Well-Being Initiatives.

This course introduces students to the major currents that have defined modern European History. Themes and topics will vary and may include the philosophical impact of science on modern thought, the development of liberalism and socialism, the crisis of culture in the twentieth century. Students read selections on major episodes in European history and develop their skills in critical thinking, analysis, oral and written argument.

Introduction to American Histories of Protest and Power (Cat I) Why do people organize and protest to change the world around them? This course takes a topical approach to introduce the historical questions, intersectional methods, and contemporary sources that shape the study of social movements on the political left and right. Balancing the exploration of the ideological, political, and economic roots of protest movements and the identities, strategies, and technologies that inspire individual and collective action, this course examines the varied responses that protest movements elicit from society and the structures of power from suppression to realization to cooptation. Although protests movements, such as abolitionist, populist, white supremist, Civil Rights, Black Power, feminist, gay liberation, anti-war, environmental, socialist, labor, and/or alt-Right movements, under consideration in this course will change, students can only receive credit for it once. Recommended background: None.

An introduction to the questions, methods, and source materials that shape historical studies of the environment. This course will explore the influence of nature (i.e., climate, topography, plants, animals, and microorganisms) on human history and the reciprocal influence of people on nature.

This foundational course offers an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of gender, sexuality and women’s studies . The course fosters critical examination of gender, sexuality and women and asks how the interlocking systems of oppression, including colonialism, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ethnocentrism, shape people’s lives, and how individuals and groups have worked to resist these oppressions. Potential course topics include histories of gender activism, gender, sexuality and their relationships to the law, religion, reproduction, education, technology, and mental health, globalization and transnational experiences, and the role of popular culture. No prior background is required

This course reviews the past and present of South America, Central America and the Caribbean through an interdisciplinary approach. It examines historical and contemporary issues related to social mobilization, cultural innovation, political activism, economic development, and environmental sustainability through the critical analysis of books, films, and creative arts from and about the region. It also presents an overview of Latin American relations with other parts of the world through the region’s experiences with global culture, migration, imperialism, dependency, and entanglements with the United States. This course is especially appropriate for students who expect to complete their HUA, IQP, and/or MQP at WPI project centers in Latin America. No prior knowledge is expected. Recommended background: None.

The goal of this course is to provide international students for whom English is not their native language the necessary skills for academic success through reading and writing assignments. Students will focus on developing vocabulary, critical reading, paragraph, and essay writing skills. Emphasis is also given to a review of English grammar through intensive written and oral practice to promote accurate and appropriate language use. Strongly recommended for first-year international non-native English speakers. Admission determined by Writing Placement or consent of the instructor.

This course is for international students who want to develop their academic writing skills through a sequence of essay assignments, with emphasis on rhetorical and grammatical issues particular to second language learners (ESL) . Students will concentrate on producing coherent paragraphs, developing short essays in a variety of rhetorical modes, and improving mechanics (grammar and punctuation) and vocabulary usage . Both personal and academic writing assignments provide practice in the process of writing and revising work for content and form . Recommended Background: ISE 1800 or equivalent skills (determined by Writing Placement or consent of the instructor) .

This course will introduce students to interdisciplinary music studies by focusing on the people who create musical meaning: performers, composers, listeners, patrons, writers, and more. As we analyze significant musical works, we will also learn about the broader cultural, historical, and social contexts in which they appeared, and the people involved in their creation – including women and people of color, who are often minimized in discussions of music history. Historical examples will be juxtaposed with contemporary musical works from an array of genres, allowing students to compare today’s musical cultures to past ones. Students will also analyze the role of music in their own lives. Recommended background: No prerequisites. A basic reading knowledge of music is helpful, but not required.

This course provides an overview of key concepts, methods and authors in both fields. These introduce the student to the types of reasoning required for the pursuit of in-depth analysis in each discipline. Emphasis on topics and authors varies with the particular instructor.

This course provides an overview of key concepts, methods and authors in both fields. These introduce the student to the types of reasoning required for the pursuit of in-depth analysis in each discipline. Emphasis on topics and authors varies with the particular instructor.

This course will examine the appropriate dissemination of scientific information in common science writing genres such as science journalism, consulting reports and white papers, and policy and procedure documents . In a workshop setting, students will write and revise documents that promote broad understanding of scientific research and analysis of specialized knowledge . Course lectures and discussions investigate ethics of scientific reporting and teach students how to recognize deceptive texts and arguments (both quantitative and qualitative) . The course is reading and writing intensive and is intended for students with backgrounds in a scientific discipline who are interested in applying their disciplinary knowledge.

How do we understand a work of art? Through readings and the study of objectsat the Worcester Art Museum, the student will survey the major developments inworld art and be introduced to various critical perspectives in art history. Studentswill learn how art historians work with primary materials and formulate arguments. No previous knowledge of art is required.

This course introduces the student to a variety of critical perspectives necessary to an understanding and appreciation of the major forms, or genres, of literary expression (e.g., novel, short story, poetry, drama, and essay). Writing and class discussion will be integral parts of this course.

An introduction to the history of the American city as an important phenomenon in itself and as a reflection of national history. The course will take an interdisciplinary approach to study the political, economic, social, and technological patterns that have shaped the growth of urbanization. In addition to reading historical approaches to the study of American urban history, students may also examine appropriate works by sociologists, economists, political scientists and city planners who provide historical perspective.

Introduction to American Histories of Protest and Power (Cat I) Why do people organize and protest to change the world around them? This course takes a topical approach to introduce the historical questions, intersectional methods, and contemporary sources that shape the study of social movements on the political left and right. Balancing the exploration of the ideological, political, and economic roots of protest movements and the identities, strategies, and technologies that inspire individual and collective action, this course examines the varied responses that protest movements elicit from society and the structures of power from suppression to realization to cooptation. Although protests movements, such as abolitionist, populist, white supremist, Civil Rights, Black Power, feminist, gay liberation, anti-war, environmental, socialist, labor, and/or alt-Right movements, under consideration in this course will change, students can only receive credit for it once. Recommended background: None.

This introductory course reviews the history and legacies of Atlantic systems such a colonialism and migration that have connected Africa, the Americas, and Europe from the sixteenth century to the recent past. The course pays special attention to the technological, social, and political innovations, the systemic inequalities, and the heterogeneous notions of belonging that have emerged from transatlantic interactions and exchanges.

This course is for international students who want to develop their academic writing skills through a sequence of essay assignments, with emphasis on rhetorical and grammatical issues particular to second language learners (ESL) . Students will concentrate on producing coherent paragraphs, developing short essays in a variety of rhetorical modes, and improving mechanics (grammar and punctuation) and vocabulary usage . Both personal and academic writing assignments provide practice in the process of writing and revising work for content and form . Recommended Background: ISE 1800 or equivalent skills (determined by Writing Placement or consent of the instructor) .

This course introduces basic music theory concepts and helps students develop aural skills. Course topics include scales, intervals, chords, harmonic progressions, and rhythm. Activities include both written work in music notation and ear training exercises. Recommended Background: some basic knowledge of reading music

This course provides an overview of key concepts, methods and authors in both fields. These introduce the student to the types of reasoning required for the pursuit of in-depth analysis in each discipline. Emphasis on topics and authors varies with the particular instructor.

The goals of the Social Science Requirement are to allow students the opportunity to:

• Be introduced to the study of human society, including: human thought and behavior, politics, ethics, human-environment relationships, public policy, economics, and technology;
• Learn to think critically about social issues and problems, particularly those at the interface of society and technology;
• Become inspired and develop the skills necessary to help solve social problems throughout their academic and professional careers.

Any two courses taught in the Social Science & Policy Studies Department may be counted toward the Social Science Requirement, including all courses with one of the following prefixes: DEV, ECON, ENV, GOV, PSY, SD, SOC, SS, STS.

Depth or Breadth: The requirement allows students a choice of focusing on depth or breadth in the social sciences. Students who are unsure which social science disciplines are of most interest or value to them may use the requirement to explore two different areas. For example, in the Fall, students may take one course in economics and another in psychology, or one in environmental studies and another in government/policy.

Students who have more defined interests may focus on depth, taking both an introductory and advanced course in the same discipline (e.g. Introduction to Environmental Studies and Environmental Problems in the Developing World). Students are welcome to contact the various program directors to learn more about the different social science courses.

When? We recommend that students start their exploration in their first year and plan to complete the 2-course Social Science Requirement prior to beginning their IQP. The social science courses can help students identify interests and make more informed and rewarding choices for their IQP project. They will also provide social science knowledge and analytical skills that can enable projects to succeed.

What is development? How has international development been understood and what has been done about it? How do development scholars explain why some countries are rich while others are poor? How can students understand and incorporate development studies in the contexts of their own global engagements? This course addresses these questions by looking at theories, ideologies, and processes that have influenced and embodied development thinking and practice over the past five decades. We will examine the role of colonization, modernization, dependency, globalization, democratization, industrialization, and urbanization in processes of development in countries across the globe. The course encourages students to think critically about what development is, about how it is carried out and, most importantly of all, about what it can achieve. DEV 1200 provides excellent preparation for international projects and careers. Recommended background: None.

The course focuses upon the implications of reliance upon markets for the allocation of resources in a society, at the household, firm, and community level. Outcomes of current market systems are examined in terms of the efficient use of natural and other economic resources, as well as their impact upon the environment, fairness, and social welfare. of special interest in these analyses is the role of prices in the determination of what commodities are produced, their means of production, and distribution among households. In cases where current market outcomes have features subject to widespread criticism, such as the presence of excessive pollution, risk, discrimination, and poverty, the analysis is extended to suggest economic solutions.

There are no prerequisites for the course.

This course is designed to acquaint students with the ways in which macroeconomic variables such as national income, employment and the general level of prices are determined in an economic system. It also includes a study of how the techniques of monetary policy and fiscal policy attempt to achieve stability in the general price level and growth in national income and employment. The problems of achieving these national goals (simultaneously) are also analyzed. The course stresses economic issues in public policy and international trade.

There are no prerequisites for the course.

The study of environmental problems and their solutions requires an interdisciplinary approach. This course will examine current environmental issues from the intersection of several key disciplines including: environmental philosophy and history, environmental policy, and science. The course will develop these different approaches for analyzing environmental problems, explore the tensions between them, and present a framework for integrating them. Topics such as environmental justice, developing nations, globalization, and climate change policy will be explored.

This course is an introduction to law and the role courts play in society. The course examines the structure of judicial systems, the nature of civil and criminal law, police practice in the enforcement of criminal law, and the responsibilities of judges, attorneys and prosecutors. Additional topics for discussion include the interpretation of precedent and statue in a common law system and how judicial discretion enables interest groups to use courts for social change. The student is expected to complete the course with an understanding of how courts exercise and thereby control the power of the state. As such, courts function as political actors in a complex system of governance.

This course is a survey course designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of international relations: power and influence, nations and states, sovereignty and law. These concepts will be explored through the study of issues such as diplomacy and its uses, theories of collective security and conflict, and international order and development. The study of international organizations such as the UN, the European Union or the Organization of American States will also supplement the students’ understanding of the basic concepts. The course may also include comparative political analysis of states or regions. It is designed to provide basic background materials for students who wish to complete IQPs on topics that involve international relations or comparative political systems.

This course is intended for anyone from any background who is interested in learning about mental health. This course will introduce mental health more broadly, including topics such as well-being, stress, anxiety, etc. In addition, we will discuss what makes something a disorder and the wide variety of psychological disorders that exist in society (personality, anxiety, mood, psychotic, etc.). Possible causes, symptoms, preventions, and treatments will be examined. Empirical research on mental health will be emphasized. No previous experience with psychological science is needed to take this course. Students may not receive credit for both PSY 1412 and PSY 2412. Students may not receive credit for both PSY 1412 and PSY 2412.

This course provides an opportunity for students with little to no background in psychological science to learn about a special topic within Psychological Science.

This course may be repeated for different topics.

The goal of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the field of system dynamics computer simulation modeling. The course begins with the history of system dynamics and the study of why policy makers can benefit from

its use. Next, students systematically examine the various types of dynamic behavior that socioeconomic systems exhibit and learn to identify and model the underlying nonlinear stock-flow-feedback loop structures that cause them. The

course concludes with an examination of a set of well-known system dynamics models that have been created to address a variety of socioeconomic problems. Emphasis is placed on how the system dynamics modeling process is used to test

proposed policy changes and how the implementation of model-based results can improve the behavior of socioeconomic systems.

This course encourages students to explore how a sociological toolkit may be used to examine the impetus for social and historical changes and the effect such changes have on how individuals live, work, and find their place in this world. It operates from the premise that individual lives are not just personal but social—as humans we are shaped by the societies in which we live and the social forces at work within them. Major theoretical perspectives and concepts will be discussed over the course of the semester with primary emphasis on the roles that culture, dimensions of inequality and social change play in shaping individual lives. Students will also explore the influence that social institutions such as the family, religion, education, healthcare, government, economy, and environment have on how humans function within society.

This course addresses the theory and practice of developing solutions to complex social and environmental problems through interaction with roleplaying games and computer simulations designed to promote learning and improve decision-making. By interacting with a selection of games and case studies, students will learn to recognize the systemic causes of complex social and environmental problems and gain experience developing and using simulations to test policies for creating sustainable futures. Special attention will be given to appropriate modeling practices and the design of simulation experiments. The course is run in a laboratory format in which students work in groups to play games, develop simulation models and present them to the class for feedback before they revise and refine their work iteratively for final evaluation.

Recommended background: None. Students who completed SS150X cannot receive credit for SS1505.

This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles, institutions, and processes of the constitutional democracy of the United States. It examines the formal structure of the Federal system of government, including Congress, the presidency, the judiciary, and the various departments, agencies, and commissions which comprise the executive branch. Emphasis is placed on the relationships among Federal, state and local governments in the formulation and administration of domestic policies, and on the interactions among interest groups, elected officials and the public at large with administrators in the policy process. The various topics covered in the survey are linked by consideration of fiscal and budgetary issues, executive management, legislative oversight, administrative discretion, policy analysis and evaluation and democratic accountability

American Public Policy focuses on the outcomes or products of political institutions and political controversy. The course first addresses the dynamics of policy formations and stalemate, the identification of policy goals, success and failure in implementation, and techniques of policy analysis. Students are then encouraged to apply these concepts in the study of a specific policy area of their choosing, such as foreign, social, urban, energy or environmental policy. This course is an important first step for students wishing to complete IQPs in public policy research. Students are encouraged to complete GOV 1303 prior to enrolling in upper-level policy courses such as GOV 2303, GOV 2304 or GOV 2311. There is no specific preparation for this course, but a basic understanding of American political institutions is assumed. Some sections of this course may be offered as Writing Intensive (WI).

This course is intended for anyone interested in learning about the different areas of psychological science. Psychological science is the scientific examination of human thought and behavior. In other words, psychologists try to understand why people do what they do. This course offers an introduction to different areas and topics within psychological science. Topics may include: the brain, sensation, perception, learning, memory, language, intelligence, development over the lifespan, social cognition and behavior, motivations, emotions, mental health, methodology & statistics. No prior experience in psychology is needed.

This course is for anyone with any experience level who is interested in understanding human development from conception to death. The course will cover development from biological, cognitive, emotional, social, personality, linguistic, and moral perspectives over the lifespan. No previous experience with psychological science is needed to take this course. Students may not receive credit for both PSY 1404 and PSY 2404.

PSY 1504: Strategies for Improving Cognitive Skills (Cat I) This course is intended for anyone interested in learning more about how the mind works and how to make it work better. The purpose of this course is (1) to provide students with the basic psychological knowledge needed to understand and evaluate such important cognitive skills as memory, problem solving, and decision making, and (2) to provide students the practical skills and experience necessary to improve and assess their cognitive performance. Topics will include but not be limited to memory improvement, study skills, problem solving techniques, creativity training, brainstorming, making effective choices, evaluating claims about the mind, and cognitive health. No previous experience with psychology is needed.

This course is intended for anyone who wants to understand how people learn in educational settings. This class covers select topics from educational psychology, including theories of learning from cognitive science and learning science, evidence of effective study strategies and educational practices, as well as how non-academic and social factors can influence student experiences and achievement in education. The course will also cover common misconceptions in education that are not supported by research. Students will read journal articles on central topics in educational psychology and complete assignments designed to apply concepts learned in class. No prior experience with psychology is needed to take this course.