2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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English and Creative Writing |
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ENCW 203 - The Art of the Personal Essay
CR: 3
This course acquaints students with the personal essay as a literary genre. Readings range widely in subject matter, period, and style in order to afford students and understanding of the different ways in which essays can be “personal”. Students will complete both creative and analytical assignments. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 204 - Form, Function, and Meaning in Poetry
CR: 3
The poem is a combination of music and meaning, with each element guided by form or structure. This course teaches rhyme, meter, a variety of forms, and free verse strategies. What elements of form can amplify meaning? How can free verse avoid arbitrary lineation? Students will study poems from different periods and traditions. Students will complete both creative and analytical assignments. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 205 - Art and Identity in New Orleans
CR: 3
This course explores the relationship between historical and contemporary portraits of the culturally and ethnically diverse city of New Orleans in literature, journalism, film, visual art, and music. Authors and artists to be studied include Kate Chopin, Tennessee Williams, Walker Percy, Natasha Trethewey, Brenda Marie Osbey, Spike Lee, Louis Armstrong, Professor Longhair, Dr. John, and Deborah Luster. Offered alternate years. Students will complete both creative and analytical assignments and will attend SBC arts events. This course counts for the CORE 150 requirement. III.W, C150, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 206 - Literature and Landscape: O Earth, What Changes Hast Thou Seen!
CR: 3
From Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura to Tennyson’s In Memoriam to contemporary post-apocalyptic poetry and fiction, writers have long reckoned with the history of the natural world and their place in it. This course will explore how artists’ knowledge of the natural world shapes how they respond to it. We will look at the influence of science writers and thinkers on canonical poets, essayists, and fiction writers; we will explore how contemporary writers respond to current conversations about climate change and environmental disaster; and we will engage our own local landscape and our relationship to it. Students will write analytical papers, putting unlikely writers in conversations. Offered alternate years. Students will complete both creative and analytical assignments. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 207 - Mapping the Monstrous: Deviant Forms and Bodies in Literature
CR: 3
This course will explore literary representations of monstrosity - both physical and psychological - in literature and film and the ways such works function in relationship to its broader socio-cultural moment. We will attempt to understand how monsters are represented; we will analyze how the monstrous body becomes both screen and metaphor for broader cultural fears of the other; and we will explore the role of the literary monster in constructing its own text through stitching, layering, and methods of literary productivity and procreation. Along the way, students will construct their own monstrous texts and analytical essays. This course counts for the CORE 150 requirement. III.W, C150, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 210 - The Magic Hour: The Hypnotic Spell of Classic Children’s and Young Adult Literature
CR: 3
What makes certain books for children endure through the decades? More easily than adults, children enter into that willing suspension of disbelief required of any meaningful experience of literature, and their experiences with books form lasting, deep, and sometimes mysterious impressions on the human psyche. Are there qualities in certain beloved works of children’s literature that transcend the particular charm of an illustration or character? How can identifying those qualities lead to illuminating conversations with and among children and young readers? How does engagement with text build communication and writing skills among young learners? The course will include both analytical and creative writing assignments. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 211 - The Writer Abroad
CR: 3
What does it mean to be a writer abroad? How does living among and amid other cultures shape the way we see the world? This course, a three-week intensive travel writing class at the VCCA’s residence in Auvillar, France, will introduce students to a range of travel writing literature and approaches to writing about place. Through total immersion in a new environment, students will explore the implictions of writing about place as an outsider, the ethical implications of representation, and the ways in which their own particular areas of expertise - be they historical, scientific, or artistic - frame the ways they engage writing about place. Assignments will include both analytical and creative pieces, all of which will use Auvillar or its environs as the primary subject. Students will be responsible for additional travel costs and may apply for the Grant for Experiential Learning. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 261 - Directed Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One ENCW course and permission of the instructor. Study at an introductory level of selected topics in literature or writing to be pursued by individual students under the immediate supervision of a program faculty member.
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ENCW 301 - Fact into Fiction: The Writer as Explorer
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ENCW 101 or a 200-level ENCW course. This course focuses on how fiction writers use the material of the real world - real places, real people, real events - in the fictional universe, considering how a fiction writer’s research methods and purpose differ from an historian’s. Students will explore the many ways - including through images, film, and virtual reality - information is gathered for successful fictional world-building. Students will read classic and contemporary works, complete analytical assignments, write short stories that arise out of historical or contemporary fact and examine how the imagination transforms fact into fiction. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 302 - Chekhov and Munro: The Masters
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ENCW 101 or a 200-level ENCW course. Commonly referred to as the inventor of the modern short story, Chekhov remains - for many readers and writers - the supreme master of the form. His contemporary counterpart is Alice Munro, born in 1931, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize and often referred to as “Canada’s Chekhov.” This course is a tour through some of Munro and Chekhov’s most beloved short fiction, aided by biographical and critical appreciations. Students will complete both creative and analytical assignments. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 303 - Writing Our Obsessions and Desires
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ENCW 101 or a 200-level ENCW course. Many writers explore their obsessions, but how does one turn an obsession into art? This course will explore how different nonfiction writers use obsession and desire as avenues for discovery, how writing on the same subject from different angles can lead to revelation, and how writers can use deep immersion in one topic as a structural device. Students will write both analytical and creative work. Writers whose works will be read include Maggie Nelson, Roland Barthes, Lia Purpura, Van Gogh (letters), Susan Sontag, Lidia Yuknavitch, Susan Stewart, Anne Carson, and David Lazar. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 304 - The Self and the Poem
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ENCW 101 or a 200-level ENCW course. “Do I contradict myself?” writes the iconic American poet Walt Whitman. “Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes.” In this course, students reflect on the infinite variety of selves that we all possess, reading a range of classic and contemporary poets who have addressed questions of identity through the lenses of race, class, sexuality, and gender. Students will complete both creative and analytical assignments. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 306 - Contemporary International Writers
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ENCW 101 . This course examines the rich array of contemporary literature throughout the world. Students will read and discuss the writers’ work and will explore the particular historical, cultural, and political circumstances out of which these works have emerged. Students will be encouraged to apply their own particular interests to their research projects and oral presentations. Students will complete both creative and analytical assignments. III.W, V.2, V.6b
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ENCW 307 - Cross-Genre Experiments: The Lyric Essay
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ENCW 101 . This course introduces students to cross-genre writing through the lyric essay, a category embracing liminal space between traditional boundaries of poetry and nonfiction. Students will experiment by writing non-narrative forms and analyzing a variety of cross-genre texts, concluding the semester with a final experiment: a class-wide collaborative writing project. Readings might include work by Jenny Boully, Eula Biss, Deborah Tall, John D’Agata, T Fleischmann, and Maggie Nelson.
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ENCW 361 - Special Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One ENCW course at the 100-level or above and permission of the instructor. Study at an intermediate level of selected topics in literature or writing to be pursued by individual students under the immediate supervision of a program faculty member.
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ENCW 452 - Senior Portfolio Seminar
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Open only to senior ENCW majors. This course serves as a workshop for senior English and Creative Writing majors completing their creative writing portfolios. Students will compile an annotated bibliography of the literature they have read, compose an introduction to their portfolio project, and -through peer and instructor responses and editing-revise and refine the work to be included in their portfolio. III.O, III.W
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ENCW 461 - Independent Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One 100-level ENCW course, one 200-level ENCW course, and permission of the instructor. Study at an advanced level of special topics in literature or writing to be pursued by individual students under supervision of a program faculty member.
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Environmental Science |
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ENVR 201 - Agricultural Operations
CR: 1
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor, based on a pre-registration meeting between the student and the instructor. In this meeting, the students will describe their goals for the course, and the instructor will discuss expectations and any special information based on the enterprise(s) that will be the focus of the course that semester. Over the course of a semester, students will gain hands-on experience with at least one campus agricultural operation, including the greenhouses, vineyard, apiary, community garden, and/or other emerging enterprise and land management activities. Through experiential and collaborative learning activities, students will explore a range of responsibilities in an agricultural operation, which can include site preparation, growing, managing pests/diseases, harvesting, business planning and management, communications, and marketing. In addition to activities on the Sweet Briar campus, there may be occasional field trips to local farms and agribusinesses. Students will also hear from guest speakers who are leaders and experts in agricultural and agribusiness operations. May be repeated up to 3 times. May not take concurrently with ENVR 382 .
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ENVR 203 - Freshwater Systems
CR: 4
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A study of freshwater systems including streams, lakes, and groundwater. Physical, chemical, and ecological components of aquatic environments are examined with an emphasis on water quality, hydrology, geomorphology, and water resource management. Includes hands-on field and lab experience applying concepts to real-world problems. V.8ab
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ENVR 205 - Environmental Field Methods
CR: 2
Prerequisite: CORE 140 . Using Sweet Briar’s agricultural, forest, aquatic, and built areas as the laboratory, students will learn to collect, analyze and interpret biological, chemical, water, and soil samples to address environmental questions.
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ENVR 215 - Environmental Policy
CR: 3
Prerequisite: CORE 140 . Open to first-year students by permission. This course will introduce students to policy related to the environment and agriculture, with focus on the U.S. and selected international examples. Students will explore case studies at multiple levels of government, highlighting the social and economic implications of policies, and the processes of policymaking and change. Potential policy areas to be explored include climate, air and water quality, energy, wilderness and wildlife protections, parks, ubran growth, agricultural land use, and food. Offered alternate years. V.7
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ENVR 216 - Mapping and GIS
CR: 3
Prerequisites: CORE 140 and sophomore standing. A practical, hands-on introduction to spatial data acquisition, management, and display, applicable to a wide range of disciplines including science and engineering, business, government, education, and archaeology. The course introduces maps and map-making, global positioning systems (GPS), and the fundamentals of geographic information systems (GIS) using ArcGIS software.
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ENVR 235 - Global Climate Change
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ENVR 128. Climate change is a hot topic on social media and at the dinner table. What exactly is climate change and what are its causes? How do humans interact with the climate system? Why is climate change such a contested issue in the U.S.? This course will examine the dynamic roles that science, politics, and economics play in environmental decision-making both in the U.S. and abroad. We will focus on the scientific explanations for current and past climate, its representation in both scientific and popular literature, predictions of future climate change, and possible responses and solutions.
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ENVR 261 - Directed Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One ENVR course and permission of the instructor. The study of introductory level material by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member.
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ENVR 325 - Energy in the World
CR: 3
Prerequisite: One 200-level ENVR course. Modern technology, from transportation to industry to individual homes, is completely dependent upon energy to function, yet most of the energy currently being used in much of the world is non-renewable and will be gone in a few decades. This course takes an in-depth look at renewable and non-renewable energy sources and production, focusing on the science of energy production and exploring environmental, social, political, and economc consequences of energy production and consumption in the U.S. and globally. Offered alternate years.
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ENVR 329 - Global Biodiversity Conservation
CR: 3
Prerequisite: One BIOL or ENVR course at the 200-level or above. This class will use case studies to explore the major threats to biological diversity, and to understand the importance of biological, economic, cultural, and political factors both in producing, and solving, these threats. Readings and discussions will concentrate on the primary literature. Offered alternate years.
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ENVR 344 - Environmental Chemistry
CR: 3
Prerequisites: CHEM 131 and one ENVR or CHEM lab course at the 200-level or above. Application of the fundamental principles of chemistry to solve environmental problems, focusing on environmenal quality. Both global and local phenomena will be examined from a chemical perspective. We will cover natural and anthropogenically perturbed aspects of the Earth’s hydrosphere and its interaction with surface rocks, sediments, soils, the biosphere, and the atmosphere. We will conduct chemical analysis on sediments, soils, and water in the field and in the lab. A class project will apply environmental chemistry tools to a local environmental question.
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ENVR 356 - Natural Resource Management
CR: 4
Prerequisites: ENVR 205 or BIOL 324 . We will study how public and private organizations incorporate natural and social sciences, planning, and communications to manage natural resources. For a local site, we will address issues such as forest stewardship, minerals extraction, wildlife management, endangered species conservation, outdoor recreation, and/or the protection of waterways while developing skills in mapping, field inventory and monitoring, collaboration, and report preparation and presentation. III.O, V.8ab
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ENVR 361 - Special Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: 100-level ENVR course and permission of the instructor. The study of an intermediate level topic by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member.
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ENVR 377 - Internship
CR: 1-3
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and program chair. This course is graded P/CR/NC only.
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ENVR 385 - Food and Environments in the U.S. South
CR: 3
Prerequisites: CORE 140 and a 200-level course in ENVR, ECON, HIST, ARAS, or POLS. This course explores relationships between food and environments in the U.S. South, where “environments” range across fields, cities, forests, factories, oceans, suburbs, mountains, roads, rivers, mines, and places between. The boundaries of the U.S. South as a region can be fluid, and the course will explore connections with other regions both in North America and globally. The course will include deep engagement with the work of women and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) scientists, farmers, chefs, writers, land stewards, and other leaders who have shaped the relationships between food and environments in the region, and will integrate methods and sources from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
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ENVR 393 - Topics in Environmental Science
CR: 3
Prerequisite: One ENVR course at the 200-level or above. A focused investigation of a particular area of environmental science. Topics will vary by semester. Course may be repeated when the topic is different. V.5
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ENVR 446 - Evaluation of Environmental Issues
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ENVR or ENVS majors or minors with senior standing. A course designed to help students synthesize knowledge gained in previous courses with students’ analytical abilities and facilities for oral and written persuasive argument. Students are provided with intractable environmental problems, about which they learn to perform independent research, develop clear positions, persuade others of their positions, and defend those positions against competing views. III.O, III.W
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ENVR 451 - Senior Research in Environmental Science
CR: 3
An independent laboratory, field, or computer research project selected and carried out in consultation with a faculty sponsor. A written report and an oral presentation are required. In addition to research time, a weekly one hour meeting with the advisor and periodic meetings with other research students will be required.
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ENVR 461 - Independent Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One 100-level ENVR course, one 200-level ENVR course, and permission of the instructor. Pursuit of an upper-level research project determined in advance by the student in consultation with a faculty member who will act as the sponsor.
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History |
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HIST 104 - Introduction to History: Medieval Heroes: Myth or History
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Open to first-year students and sophomores; others by permission of the instructor. We will analyze the historical record concerning six of the most famous figures from medieval Europe: Arthur of Britain, Charlemagne, the Cid, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Francis of Assisi, and Joan of Arc. We will then investigate the legends concerning each, and attempt to separate historical facts from quasi-historical fiction. How much of what we know about these “heroes” is actually true? Offered alternate years. This course cannot be taken on a P/CR/NC grading option. III.W, V.1
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HIST 114 - History Detectives
CR: 3
Prerequisite: HIST 104 or HIST 105. In this hands-on course, students will experience how historians pursue their craft. Students will engage an investigative research project focused on a single historical problem selected by the professor. Students may work collaboratively with the professor and community partners to design and complete a written project. The course will incorporate the use of archival research. Offered alternate years. III.O
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HIST 120 - History of the British Isles
CR: 3
The ancient Greeks and Romans considered the British Isles to be the very edge of the world. Britannia was the last western European region the Romans brought into their Empire and the very first they abandoned when the Visigoths “sacked” Rome in AD 410. This course surveys British history from antiquity to the seventeenth century. Topics include the early Celts; the Roman occupation; the Christianization of the British Isles; Anglo-Saxon Britain; the Norman Conquest; the development of the monarchy, Parliament, and the common law; the Tudors/Stuarts; and the English Civil War. We will also explore the historicity of such popular topics as the Druids, King Arthur, Robin Hood, William Wallace (“Braveheart”) and Anne Boleyn. Emphasis will be on either the earlier history of the Isles or the Tudor/Stuart period. May not be repeated for credit.
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HIST 135 - America, Origins to 1865
CR: 3
An exploration of the origins and development of the American nation from the colonial period through its near-demise during the American Civil War. We begin the struggles to achieve stable colonies in the face of native resistance and harsh conditions and the varied colonial societies that ultimately took shape, the break with Britain, creation of state and national republics and the challenge posed by slavery to American ideals, and, in the 19th century, the spread of market culture and capitalism and the partial democratization of American public life. V.1
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HIST 136 - The United States, 1865 to the Present
CR: 3
This course explores the economic, social and political developments that have shaped the American nation and its foreign relations since 1865. Particular attention will be paid to the nature and impact of industrialization, immigration, urbanization, to the history of race relations, the rise of the U.S. as a global power and the emergence of–and challenges to–welfare-state liberalism. V.1
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HIST 143 - Early Modern Europe, 1350-1650
CR: 3
An introductory survey of the major themes in European history between the 14th and 17th centuries. Topics include the Black Death; the rise of capitalism; the growth of cities and urban culture; monarchy and state building; the Renaissance; the Reformation and “Wars of Religion;” changing social and structures; and the Scientific Revolution. V.1
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HIST 207 - Hollywood and (US) History
CR: 3
This course examines Hollywood films as historical documents that reflect and sometimes reproduce the social and cultural politics of the period in which they are made. The intent of this course is to engage in a dialogue between the past and the present and to consider how popular culture informs historical understanding. Students will explore how studio films influence and construct our collective historical memories across various time periods, events and issues. The course will focus on a particular historical theme or concept in film. Offered alternate years. III.W
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HIST 214 - Building the Past
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ANTH 114 or HIST 223 is suggested, but not required. This course explores how humans built and tried to sustain large-scale settlements in the pre-industrial past. We will examine innovations in construction techniques, city planning, resource utilization, and the human impact on the natural environment. Case studies include Etruscan and Roman engineering, ancient Greek site planning, medieval “organic” cities, and Renaissance urban design. We will also consider how past urban designs may provide solutions for problems facing megacities of the future. Offered alternate years. III.O, V.1
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HIST 219 - Before the Triangle Trade: Pre-modern Slavery
CR: 3
This course examines the history of slavery in the west prior to the emergence of the Triangle Trade. Topics will include: the nature of slavery in ancient Greece and Rome and in the early Islamic world; the shift from slavery to serfdom in the western Middle Ages; and the reemergence and relegalization of slavery in the early-modern Mediterranean. We will investigate the legal, economic, political, and social dimensions of slavery in these times and cultures. We will also explore the extent to which surviving historical records permit a glimpse not only into the institutions that regulated slavery and into the perspectives of slave owners and traders, but also the experience of enslaved people themselves. V.1
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HIST 220 - Introduction to Public History
CR: 3
This course examines how historians approach and apply their craft outside of classroom settings to and for the wider public. What is public history? Who has the authority in presenting history? What is the relationship between history and memory? Who controls the politics and ethics of history? How does the community help share the past? In this course, we will combine theory and practice, discuss a variety of presentation formats, reframe historical questions and narratives, wrestle with historical interpretation of the past, and engage with the public in collaborative ways. We will also encounter history through a variety of ways: exhibits, performances, walking tours, visits to public sites, film, the internet, and such. This course includes a service-learning internship requirement of 20-hours per semester with placement by the course instructor. III.O, V.1, V.5
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HIST 223 - The Ancient World, 8000 BC to 300 AD
CR: 3
This course probes the origins, rise, and characteristics of the civilizations that appeared in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Italy in the centuries from the Neolithic era to the rise of Christianity. The political, religious, economic, social, intellectual, and artistic dimensions of these civilizations will be examined. We will also discuss the legacy of the ancient world for the modern west. Offered alternate years. May be counted toward the major in archaeology and ancient studies. V.1, V.4
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HIST 224 - Martyrs, Crusades, and the Plague: The Middle Ages
CR: 3
This course challenges the perception of the Middle Ages as the “Dark Ages” by introducing the cultural, political, intellectual, and religious complexity of the period from the fall of the Roman empire to the Black Death. While focusing geographically on Europe, north Africa and the Near East, it also explores the medieval West in the context of sub-Saharan Africa and China. Offered alternate years. V.1
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HIST 225 - The U.S. South
CR: 3
A survey of Southern history from founding of Jamestown to the rise of the Sunbelt. Topics will include the plantation, slavery, white society, Civil War, Reconstruction, Redemption, and the rise of Jim Crow. The course will conclude with the South’s continuing efforts to deal with the legacies of its past. Offered alternate years. V.1, V.5
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HIST 237 - The 20th-Century Black Freedom Struggle
CR: 3
The purpose of this course is to examine the African American experience in the United states from the end of the Civil War to the present-day. An emphasis of this course is to raise the question: What is the meaning of freedom for African Americans in the 20th century? This question will examine African Americans’ long struggle for freedom through the pursuit of sheer survival, community building, quality education, economic justice, and civil and human rights. In this discussion, this course presents African Americans in the 20th century United States as those who moved-by choice and by force-and who moved others. This story emerges as central to blacks’ fight against Jim Crow, the Great Migration, the struggle for civil and human rights, and post-civil rights economic, political, social, and cultural developments and urbanization challenges. III.W, V.5
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HIST 258 - History of Crime and Punishment in the West
CR: 3
This course surveys the foundations and development of western criminal law, penal institutions, and criminal jurisprudence from antiquity to the modern world. Patterns of criminality and enforcement, attempts at controlling crime, and philosophies regarding crime and punishment will be explored. We will also examine current debates on such controversial issues as violence, the death penalty, and the prosecution of “crimes against humanity.” No knowledge of statistics or data analysis is assumed. Students will learn the necessary techniques and skills in the course. III.Q, V.1, V.7
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HIST 261 - Directed Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One HIST course and permission of the instructor. The study of introductory level material by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member.
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HIST 268 - Studies in Law and History
CR: 3
Prerequisite: One HIST or POLS course. Law is a deeply historical field; at its heart, it relies on past precedent to construct its future. this special topics course considers the historical foundations of modern Western legal systems and perennially controversial legal issues. Topics may include: “Ancient Law and Why it Matters;” “Corporations, Constitutions, International Law;” “History of English/American Common Law;” “Rights, Politics, and Radical Constitutional Law.” Readings will address these topics from a broad spectrum of perspectives. Course may be repeated for credit when topic is different.
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HIST 308 - Encounters, Conquest and European Expansion, 1300-1650
CR: 3
Prerequisite: HIST 143 or HIST 224 . This course examines the interactions between China, west Africa, and the Americas in the period of early European commercial and colonial expansion (1300-1650 AD). It focuses on the impacts those interactions had on non-European cultures, as well as how non-European societies affected (often in unexpected ways) early modern Europe. Topics include: the “Columbian exchange;” the Portuguese slave trade in Africa; Italian connections with the Far East; Spanish and British colonization of the Americas; and Europe’s scientific responses to the new and strange environments they encountered. It also considers factors that prompted European expansion, justifications offered for it, criticisms voiced against it, and methods used to gain control of new territories. Offered alternate years. III.W, V.1
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HIST 312 - Virginia: History and Memory
CR: 3
Prerequisite: HIST 135 , HIST 136 , or HIST 225 . Virginia, home to founding fathers, Civil War battlefields, and former slave plantations, occupies a central if contested position in American cultural memory. This research seminar introduces students to the rich historical scholarship on Virginia’s distinctive history and legacy from the pre-colonial period through the civil rights era. Students develop a historical research project drawing on the rich digital, archival, printed and public historical records available locally, in Central Virginia, and online. Offered every third year. This course may not be taken on a P/CR/NC grading option. III.O
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HIST 321 - Studies in Medieval History
CR: 3
The millennium separating antiquity and the Renaissance witnessed the rise of Western Christianity and capitalism, the “invention” of romantic love, the development of Islamic science and the Black Death. Topics will vary by semester. Topic for Fall 2020: “The Age of Plague.” The fourteenth century witnessed the most virulent outbreak of a pandemic disease in western history. The Black Death caused mortality rates of up to 60 percent of the entire populations in places such as Italy. It arrived from China via merchant ships in 1348 and took its toll for the following four months. The Plague then returned to most of Europe every 15-20 years, only abating in the mid-17th century. This course will investigate the causes of the pandemic, the responses put in place by the communities that were affected, and how and why the Plague finally diminished after 300 years. We will read accounts of witnesses who survived the Plague and will consider parallels with the current COVID-19 outbreak. Offered alternate years. May be repeated for credit when topic is different. III.W
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HIST 322 - Renaissance and Reformation
CR: 3
Prerequisite: HIST 127 or HIST 143 . The course will explore the social and cultural context of Renaissance and Reformation thought as well as the ideas and ideals of humanist intellectuals and religious reformers. The study of Renaissance Italy will include such topics as the family, sex and marriage, crime and criminal justice, and social structure and politics in the city states as well as humanism and art. The Reformation section will examine traditional Catholicism and popular beliefs, as well as the ideals and goals of Protestant and Catholic reformers, and will assess the reformers’ achievements. The focus of the course may be EITHER Renaissance OR Reformation. Offered alternate years.
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HIST 346 - Telling the Told: Oral History
CR: 3
Prerequisite: HIST 135 or HIST 136 . In this course, students will develop hands-on skills in conducting oral histories. Students will be introduced to the ethics and techniques of collecting, preserving, and interpreting oral interviews. Students will also engage in discussion of how memory is constructed. The course will incorporate the critical evaluation and use of primary source research in addition to oral histories. It will focus on a central theme such as race, gender, economic class, politics, immigration, sexuality, or institutions based on the instructor. Offered alternate years. III.O, V.5
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HIST 350 - Global Social Movements
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Any HIST, POLS, or PHIL class. Social movements are collective forms of political action that work outside of established, institutional structures. This course examines the origins, dynamics, and consequences of social movements through applying movement theory and utilizing empirical case studies throughout the globe. Studying social movements will allow us to reflect on more general questions about the nature of political power, conflict, and legitimacy, as well as the relationship between human agency, social structure, and historical change. This course will consider a range of social movements both in the United States and internationally. Offered alternate years. III.O
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HIST 361 - Special Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: 100-level HIST course and permission of the instructor. The study of an intermediate level topic by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member.
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HIST 377 - Internship
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: Three credits in HIST and permission of the instructor and program chair. This course is graded P/CR/NC only.
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HIST 452 - Senior Seminar
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Open by permission to seniors. The seminar will deal with the question “What is history”? Primarily this will involve an examination of some of the best works of historians in the last few years. It also will consider ways in which people organize, analyze, and interpret past experience. III.O
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HIST 461 - Independent Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One 100-level HIST course, one 200-level HIST course, and permission of the instructor. Pursuit of an upper-level research project determined in advance by the student in consultation with a faculty member who will act as the sponsor.
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Honors |
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HNRS 399 - Summer Honors Research
CR: 3
Prerequisites: One or more 200-level courses relevant to the research project; a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3; and research proposal selected by Honors Committee. Projects are undertaken and completed over eight weeks in the early summer. The student and her faculty sponsor together determine what the student will produce as the culmination of her research project. At the end of the program each student must turn in to the Honors Program and to her faculty sponsor the final product of her research project. The research papers will be published in a special issue of the Honors Journal. This course is graded P/CR/NC only.
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HNRS 470 - Advanced Honors
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Upper-level research or creative project determined in advance by the student in consultation with two faculty members who will serve as primary and secondary project sponsors. The course is required for the Honors Degree, and serves as the capstone experience for Honors students who do not pursue a senior Honors thesis project. This course is typically taken in the student’s junior or senior year.
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HNRS 471 - Honors Thesis Proposal
CR: 1
During this three-week independent study course, a senior is expected to refine and submit her thesis proposal, which will guide her pursuit of an Honors Degree/Program Honors. The student will conduct her work in a manner similar to independent research and will be supervised in her work by her thesis advisor. If a student does not complete or does not submit an acceptable thesis proposal as determined by the Student Advancement Committee and her advisor, she will not be invited to continue with her pursuit of the Honors Degree/Program Honors in the 12-week fall and spring sessions of her senior year. This course will carry the rubric of the student’s major in which the thesis is based.
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HNRS 472 - Senior Honors Thesis Research
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Thesis approval by Honors Committee. This is a year-long senior research project in the major, approved in advance by the Honors Committee and supervised by a faculty advisor from the student’s major department and a second faculty advisor.
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Interdisciplinary Arts |
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DART 123 - Art, Science, and History Onstage: The Smithsonian
CR: 3
How do we translate and present material from the arts, natural sciences, and history to the general public? This three-week intensive “externship” experience explores this question within the setting of the Smithsonian Institute, the world’s largest museum. Students will study with Smithsonian curators, conservators, and administrators from a variety of its institutes to learn ways we can conserve, showcase, and interpret material for present and future generations. The course emphasizes the role of museums as pathways that educate the public about the intellectural heritage of the arts, natural sciences, and hsitory. Offered during the fall or spring three-week session. Students will be responsible for additional course costs, generally under $1500. V.1, V.6a
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Interdisciplinary Studies |
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INTD 100 - Introduction to Information and Media Literacy
CR: .5
Introduction to the methods of finding, identifying, and filtering reliable, verifiable information online and in multiple formats. Emphasis on defining information needs, creating and refining search strategies, and evaluating sources in order to build critical thinking skills. The student will distinguish formats and types of information available online; will be able to evaluate digital text, videos, and photography as an informed information consumer; will understand the need for critical consumption of online information; and will be able to construct an effective academic search strategy. Students will examine diverse sources that may include trusted research or journalism, incomplete information, propaganda, distortion, and falsehood. Students will learn to distinguish fact from fiction for every day information needs as well as for academic research. Not open to first-year students who have earned credit for FYS 100 or an Honors Inquiry course. This course is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.
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INTD 121 - Everyday Life on Miss Indie’s Plantation
CR: 3
Using archival sources and archaeological features, we will research the life-histories of the 150+ individuals who lived at Sweet Briar between c. 1840-1900, including the antebellum, enslaved families, and the postbellum servants and employess of Indiana Fletcher Williams. We will spend class time exploring the artifacts, landscapes, and built environment of the 19th-century farm to understand the dynamics of socio-economic, religious, and environmental forces at Sweet Briar Plantation.
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INTD 131 - Service Learning: Science Outreach
CR: 1
Prerequisite: Completion of at least one introductory course in science or math or placement above the introductory level. Co-requisite: concurrent enrollment in a science or math course. Students will work within the community to foster interest in, knowledge of, and appreciation for the sciences.
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INTD 452 - Senior Seminar in Liberal Studies
CR: 3
This capstone course is co-requisite for intern teachers seeking elementary licensure in the Liberal Studies major. Pre-service teachers will develop and refine their professional portfolios based upThis capstone course is co-requisite for intern teachers seeking elementary licensure in the Liberal Studies major. Pre-service teachers will develop and refine their professional portfolios based upon INTASC standards. III.O, III.W
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INTD 461 - Independent Study
CR: 1-3
Research on a topic determined in advance by a student and by members of the departments involved.
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INTD 463 - Senior Project
CR: 3
Senior project determined in advance by a student and by members of the departments involved.
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Leadership Core |
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CORE 110 - Design Thinking
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Limited to and required for all incoming first-year and new transfer students. A team of faculty members from varied disciplines will introduce students to the design-thinking process, and its application to a range of problems from local through global scale. Faculty will show how design thinking is expressed in different disciplines, and at the end of the course students will engage in the process for themselves in different disciplinary contexts, and engage in a multidisciplinary endeavor. This course introduces our leadership core, which will produce students who are inquisitive when approaching new challenges; empathetic, informed, and fearless when framing potential solutions to those challenges; flexible, organized, and collaborative when designing and implementing solutions; articulate and confident when communicating those solutions; focused upon the creation of well-executed products; and perceptively self-critical when reviewing the effectiveness of their own work. This course is graded Pass/Credit/No Credit only. III.O
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CORE 120 - The Mindful Writer
CR: 3
A workshop-based writing course that helps students become confident and effective readers and writers. Using the New Yorker magazine as the primary text-each student will have an individual ten-week subscription-students will learn to read carefully, identify the style and structure of individual pieces, from profiles to reviews to political and cultural commentary, and write several pieces of their own, practicing a range of rhetorical methods while also conducting research, crafting persuasive arguments, and producing multiple drafts through careful and sustained revision.
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CORE 130 - Women and Gender in the World
CR: 3
A multidisciplinary study of the social, cultural, and political issues that influence women in societies across the world. The course introduces theoretical perspectives and social contexts for the diverse challenges that confront contemporary women. v.5
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CORE 140 - Sustainable Systems
CR: 3
Prerequisite: CORE 110. This class introduces the concept of sustainability by emphasizing the interconnectedness of different systems (e.g., environmental, cultural, economic). Case studies from around the world will demonstrate the importance of understanding both cultural and political contexts when developing innovative solutions to intractable environmental problems. V.7
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CORE 150 - Creative Thinking and Practice
CR: 3
Prerequisite: CORE 110. Core 150 is satisfied by a variety of courses offered throughout the arts. These interdisciplinary courses help students understand and develop creative processes through the study and practice of the arts. Students will be exposed to works of art in two genres, and discover how those works came into being, as well as develop works of art of their own. In order to understand how a variety of artists think about art and culture, students in courses that count for CORE 150 will be required to attend readings, lectures, exhibitions, and performances by visiting artists, including Babcock and Gager concert Series events, open studios and salons with Fellows from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Common Read presentations, and gallery events and openings. V.6a, V.6b
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CORE 160 - STEM in Society
CR: 3
Prerequisite: CORE 110. This course is designed to empower students to develop evidence-based opinions, and make informed decisions, about societal issues related to science and technology. After becoming familiar with the scientific method, the basic methodology common to all good scientific research, students will learn to distinguish between legitimate and bogus results by thinking clearly and critically about the claims of scientists and charlatans alike. V.8a
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CORE 170 - Decisions in a Data-Driven World
CR: 3
Prerequisite: CORE 110. The volume of data available to help us make decisions is increasing at a staggering rate. How do we sort through data to find what is relevant and useful? How do we evaluate, organize, and interpret the information to make good decisions? This course will focus on data-rich topics drawn from disparate fields such as health, science and technology, and political science to develop the ability to reason and work with data, as well as understand and present arguments supported by quantitative evidence. III.Q
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CORE 180 - Dollars and Sense
CR: 3
Prerequisite: CORE 110 . Women leaders in all walks of life need a solid understanding of financial topics. Three major categories will be covered: First, broad economic concepts, which will provide a foundational understanding; second, organizational financial mechanism; and finally, financial literacy for the individual (e.g., understanding credit and personal investing). Each category will include hands-on learning.
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CORE 210 - Contemporary Ethical Questions
CR: 3
Prerequisites: CORE 120, CORE 130, and sophomore standing. Global climate change, human migration, and technological manipulation of genes all present pressing ethical questions for which no clear-cut answers exist. This course helps students address such complex issues by introducing them to major branches of philosophical ethics and then helping them apply these diverse perspectives to propose solutions. All sections initially follow a common syllabus of theoretical readings; then each section concentrates on contemporary ethical dilemmas in particular spheres (e.g., medicine, business, law, etc.). III.O
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CORE 300 - The Consequential Citizen
CR: 3
Prerequisites: CORE 210 and junior standing. A culminating core capstone about how power/influence operate within human social and political structures. Students will apply these insights to their own futures and reflect on how the core experience helped them develop the skills and frameworks they need to launch themselves into their post-collegiate roles as leader-citizens.
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Mathematics |
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MATH 103 - Humanistic Mathematics
CR: 3
Mathematics as a human endeavor has always benefited from a diversity and inclusivity of ideas from a variety of disciplines including philosophy, government, music, visual arts, history, and literature. The course examines important mathematical concepts and theory through the prism of this fundamental connection. III.O
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MATH 123 - Calculus I
CR: 3
Limits, differentiation and integration of polynomials and trigonometric functions. Applications of calculus including graphing, related rates and max-min problems. III.Q
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MATH 124 - Calculus II
CR: 3
Prerequisite: MATH 123 . Applications of calculus to area and volume problems, the exponential and logarithm functions, techniques of integration, sequences and series of real numbers. III.Q
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MATH 205 - Applied Statistics
CR: 3
An introduction to data analysis and statistics. Descriptive statistics, random variables and their distributions, independence, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and linear regression. Applications in science, social sciences and economics. Not open to students who have earned credit for MATH 106. III.Q
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MATH 211 - Fundamental Mathematics I
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Not open to first-year students. A course for prospective elementary teachers covering the methods of instruction of mathematics and emphasizing a hands-on approach. Topics include number systems, elementary number theory, ratio, proportion, and percent.
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MATH 213 - Fundamental Mathematics II
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Not open to first-year students. A course for prospective elementary teachers covering the methods of instruction of mathematics and emphasizing a hands-on approach. Topics include mathematical reasoning, geometry, and probability and statistics.
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MATH 218 - Discrete Mathematics
CR: 3
While continuous mathematics is the language of calculus and requires the use of real numbers, discrete mathematics is the language of formal logic, graph theory, and computer science, and it can be characterized by the use of integers. This course is an introduction to the tools and methods used in discrete mathematics. Topics include sets, logic, recursion and mathematical induction, trees, graphs, methods of proof, counting and probability, and relations and digraphs, with applications to computer science.
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MATH 223 - Calculus III
CR: 3
Prerequisite: MATH 124 . Topics in analytic geometry in two- and three-dimensional euclidean space, functions of several variables, partial differentiation, gradients, and multiple integration. III.Q.
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MATH 232 - Linear Algebra
CR: 3
Prerequisite: MATH 124 . A study of linear systems, matrices and matrix algebra, determinants, vector spaces, and linear transformations; includes applications to Euclidean n-dimensional spaces as well as theory of abstract vector spaces.
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MATH 261 - Directed study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One MATH course and permission of the instructor. The study of introductory level material by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member.
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MATH 303 - Probability
CR: 3
Prerequisite: MATH 223 . Permutations and combinations, discrete and continuous distributions of several random variables, independence, and conditional probability, expectation, variance, the Central Limit Theorem. Offered alternate years.
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MATH 310 - Modern Geometry
CR: 3
Prerequisite: MATH 124 . Topics in Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry, particularly geometry on a sphere. Students in this course deepen their understanding of geometry and the nature of geometric proof through discussion, discovery, and writing. Offered alternate years. III.O, III.W
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MATH 323 - Sequences and Series
CR: 3
A rigorous study of sequences and series of real numbers and functions, developed from the axioms of the real number system and elementary point set theory. III.W
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MATH 328 - Ordinary Differential Equations
CR: 3
Prerequisite: MATH 124 . Topics include separation of variables, first and second order linear equiations, numerical methods, Laplace transforms, and systems of equiations. Applications to the physical and biological sciences are emphasized. V.8a
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MATH 333 - Algebraic Structures
CR: 3
A rigorous study of abstract algebraic structures, focusing primarily on group theory. III.W
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MATH 345 - Complex Analysis
CR: 3
Prerequisite: MATH 223 . Algebra of complex numbers, analytic functions, Cauchy-Riemann equations, Cauchy’s theorem, Taylor and Laurent expansions, calculus of residues. Offered alternate years.
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