Ancient Egypt fell over 2,000 years ago, yet the world is still fascinated by its stories. In this course, you will examine the history of this great civilization, its myths, and several pieces of modern literature inspired by its spellbinding memory. You'll read rich and complex literature, including writing by Egyptian Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz, and popular fiction that illustrates Egypt’s hold on our collective imagination. Along the way, you will learn to examine multiple sources and evaluate their credibility while engaging in discussion forums with your peers.

This course introduces students to three major areas of the computer science discipline: theory and algorithms, hardware systems, and software systems. In the theoretical component of the course, you and your classmates will learn about algorithms, Boolean algebra, binary mathematics, and theory of computation. While studying hardware systems, you’ll become familiar with the physical components of computers, digital logic, computer architecture, and computer networks.

Objection, your Honor! Overruled! Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt! These are the phrases that lawyers and judges battle with in our favorite courtroom dramas. They speak to the argumentation at the heart of the adversarial American justice system in which two sides advocate their positions before an impartial judge and jury. How does one win in court? What goes into a strong legal argument? What are the rules and procedural context in which one attempts to secure a favorable verdict? Is it always logic that wins the day?

How much are you willing to pay for ice cream on a hot summer day? Who is responsible for the cost of pollution? Is there such a thing as a perfectly competitive market? Microeconomics provides insights into these questions as it examines how individual buyers and sellers make decisions about allocating limited resources. This course analyzes microeconomic theory and considers it in the context of today’s economic climate. You’ll begin by studying the fundamental concepts of supply and demand curves, price elasticities, market structure, public goods, and externalities.

In this course, we’ll read works inspired by science and art and use them as models to write and revise personal essays that explore the genre of nonfiction. You’ll reflect on personal experiences, research scientific topics, and study the relationship between science and the arts. This writing-process course will guide you to develop a consistent, recursive writing practice of brainstorming, prewriting, drafting, and revising. We will also hold written forum discussions in which you and your peers present your work and offer constructive feedback on each other’s writing.

What counts as a game? What are games made of? How are successful games designed and built? Read theory that orients you to how games work, why people play them, and what makes a good game. Play different kinds of games—card games, board games, pen-and-paper games, and video games—and analyze how developers use theoretical knowledge to create unique, compelling experiences.

You also learn the process of design—not just how to put together a successful game, but how to develop plans that efficiently use time and resources to result in the best possible game.

Sojourner, Spirit, and Opportunity—robots sent by NASA to explore Mars—each outlasted their missions but were ultimately bested by the planet’s harsh conditions. Sojourner lost its base station, Spirit became stuck in its soil, and Opportunity fell prey to a dust storm. With Curiosity still sending selfies from Mars—and Perseverance which landed there in 2021—human space knowledge is benefiting immensely from the scientific work of robots.

Books often ask you to dream up imaginary worlds, but important science concepts lie behind the words and pictures. Analyze the science woven through Judi and Ronald Barrett’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as you develop the process skills that constitute the scientific method. Explore the digestive system and nutrition, engage in city planning, engineer stronger structures, and investigate weather patterns through activities such as measuring the digestive system with yarn, making clouds in a bottle, crafting boats out of sandwich items, and creating a healthy family menu.

When the threat of pandemic looms, all eyes turn to the experts. Each outbreak is unique and raises different concerns; in providing answers, infectious diseases specialists rely on data and accurate modeling to predict the growth, spread, and control of disease.

This course transports readers to magical worlds where animals speak, toys come to life, and eccentric characters perform seemingly impossible feats. Worlds turn upside down, and the familiar becomes the unknown. Explore classic and contemporary texts to learn the traits that characterize modern fantasy. Venture into extraordinary places like Middle-earth in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and witness the incredible adventures of unlikely heroes, like those in Kate DiCamillo’s The Tale of Desperaux.