Fall Courses

Industrial Economics

This course studies the market behavior of firms with market power. Topics like oligopoly, price discrimination, vertical relations between firms, product differentiation, advertising and entry barriers represent the core of the course. These concepts will be applied to the specific case of European firms, which live in an economic and monetary union. Students will study the principles of European competition policy and some famous European antitrust cases. A comparison with American antitrust will be made.

Consumer Behavior in International Marketing

This course focuses on the understanding of the consumer as fundamental to marketing efforts. The course includes observational research in the community where students develop a greater understanding of consumers' consumption and decision-making behavior. Areas of focus include the consumer decision making process, research techniques, learning and motivation, segmentation and targeting, the impact of lifestyle and values, the role of society and culture in consumption, and ethical issues in consumer relationships.

Glaciers No More? Climate Change

Climate change has been named one of the most important issues facing our society and globe today. At particular risk are regions at high latitudes and altitudes, including the Alps. This course examines the complex issue of climate change, considering the scientific background of climate and how it changes, the impact of those changes on ecological and human systems, and possibilities for mitigating these impacts. The course will focus on the situation in the Alps, but will also examine climate change in a global context. An integral and required part of the course will be a weekend visit to the Rhone glacier. Like all First Year Seminars, this course will cultivate the fundamental critical and academic skills necessary for succeeding at university.

Distinction in French Literature: From the 17th to the 21st Century

Throughout the centuries, writers have imagined and created characters who strive to distinguish themselves. Origins, education, social milieu, gender, and ability are just some of the ways that literary characters determine how they establish, assert, and distinguish themselves from others. Starting with Molière in the 17th century and ending with Philippe Vilain in the 21st century, this course will examine how distinction is expressed and represented in different literary genres including comedy, the philosophical tale, novels, and autofiction. This course offers a critical perspective on the notion of distinction in modern French literature through the exploration of primary texts. Taught in French.

Hitler's Rise to Power in Global Perspective

Why does a democracy choose to abolish itself? Between 1929-33, the planet was in a severe crisis, pluralistic-democratic models seemed to be less and less able to cope with the challenges of a world with many ethnic, political, and religious conflicts festering in the aftermath of a global war, all of which were exacerbated by a disastrous world-wide economic crisis. While desires for more rigid, or even authoritarian, leadership led to the strengthening of governments all around the globe, Germany practically voted against a democratic party system, and brought Adolf Hitler, a nationalist demagogue, to power. With him came a regime that would combine a broad mass appeal with a masterful playing of modern mass communication, and an ideology of violence that would plunge the world into the abyss of war and genocide on an unprecedented scale. By analyzing contemporary texts; documents, images, sound recordings and films, the course examines the factors that made Hitler seem to be an appealing choice to ordinary decent people by promising to solve a crisis with ruthlessness and brutality. Like all First Year Seminars, this course will cultivate the fundamental critical and academic skills necessary for succeeding at university.

Introductory Italian, Part I

Designed for students with no prior knowledge of Italian. ITA 100 employs immersive experiential learning pedagogy, providing an introduction to the essentials of Italian grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral communication skills will be stressed and, as such, the predominant language of instruction will be Italian. By the end of the course students will achieve proficiency at the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students are expected to acquire the basic knowledge of the written and spoken structures. Students are expected to read and comprehend short passages in Italian and to draft simple compositions / dialogues. Project-based assignments will be designed to foster practical communication skills and encourage efforts towards increased student integration in the local Italian-speaking community. Whenever possible, students will be encouraged to participate actively in local initiatives, festivals, events and to apply the skills they are mastering in class to their co-curricular learning on and off campus

Key Ideas in Global Politics

Understanding politics is key to analyzing contemporary (world) events and to meaningfully participate in societies. At the same time, the key ideas that inform our political debates and decisions are seldom critically analyzed and discussed outside of University departments. This course seeks to familiarize students with the development and content of (some of the central) ideas of political thinking. We will focus on contemporary debates (e.g. limits of free speech, taxation, environmental protection, democracy, legitimacy of whistle-blowing, limits of sovereignty, ect.) to a) provide an overview of the discipline of political science and to b) further develop the skills needed to enter into critical debate and studying at a university level.

International Politics of Energy

The politics of energy play a fundamental role in economic processes, growth and development. Energy crises in the recent past have demonstrated very clearly that no government can afford to ignore energy issues. For that matter, guaranteeing access to energy resources at reasonable costs is of such importance today that it has also become a strategic concern directly linked to national security. This course will examine the supply, the availability, the distribution and the use of energy resources internationally and the policies that states adopt to try to assure that their needs will be met. Students will also study alternative energy sources beyond the traditional reliance on hydrocarbon fuels and how states and international organizations try to develop and promote their use. The close relations of energy policies to environmental questions and the role of non-governmental organizations in these questions will also be considered. Finally, the role of international organizations such as the OPEC, the International Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency will also be analyzed. (Formerly POL 278. Students cannot earn credit for both POL 278 and POL 378.)

Academic Writing: Crossing Borders

Designed as a discussion/workshop seminar, this writing course develops students’ awareness of scholarly discourse and their participation in it: what makes academic discourse different from other kinds of writing, how different disciplines approach analysis and evidence, and what counts as effective communication within scholarly communities. Through the study of borders -- what they are, how they shape culture, politics and society, and why they change -- the course helps students develop academic communication strategies that are applicable across the curriculum at Franklin. The main focus of the course is to help students develop strategies for joining the academic conversation, covering skills such as close reading and responding to texts; generating, supporting and sharing ideas in both oral and written form; and scholarly researching. Drawing from a wide selection of texts and media about cross-border and cross cultural practices, which has recently garnered much attention among scholars and speaks to the Franklin mission, students will explore various academic responses to the phenomenon of border crossing, concluding with a research-based final project and defense. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing core requirement.)

Introduction to Business Systems

The course introduces the global business system in the context of the economic, political, social and technological environments, relating business to society as a whole. Topics covered include the international scope, function, and organization of firms, and other fundamental concepts of multinational business. The course also addresses functional areas such as the value chain, production, marketing, human resources, and accounting.

Marketing Research Methods

This course introduces students to the most common qualitative and quantitative techniques for conducting marketing research with an emphasis on their application. The definition of marketing research problems, the set-up of research plans, and the subsequent data collection and analysis are illustrated and applied by means of real world projects. Students are required to implement, in groups, the skills covered in class, and to prepare a final research report to discuss and present in class.

Principles of Macroeconomics

This entry-level course in economics covers the fundamentals of macroeconomics and is aimed at students who choose it as an elective or plan to continue their studies in economics. Together with ECN 101, it provides the necessary prerequisites for any other upper-level course in economics. The course is a program requirement for the majors in International Banking and Finance, International Economics, International Relations, International Management, and Environmental Science. It is also a prerequisite for Economics as a combined major as well as a minor. This course introduces students to the study of economics as a field of knowledge within the social sciences. In the first part, focus will be on the definition, the explanation, and the significance of national income, business fluctuations, the price level, and aggregate employment. In the second part, special attention is devoted to the functioning of a payment system based on currency and bank money. Finally, students will discuss the instruments and the functioning of public policy aimed to stabilize prices and maintain high levels of output and employment within the current macroeconomic context. Current economic news will be regularly scrutinized.

Issues and Controversies in Macroeconomics (Intermediate Macroeconomics)

This intermediate-level course in macroeconomics builds upon the introductory two-semester (ECN 100 and ECN 101) sequence and, in conjunction with ECN 256, prepares students to study upper-level economics. It is a program requirement for the majors in International Banking and Finance and International Economics, as well as for Economics as a combined major. It is also one of the options towards Economics as a minor. Students must have taken ECN 100 and ECN 101, and are also recommended to have taken MAT 200. This course is designed to provide students with an appreciation of current economic issues and questions in modern macroeconomics, through the recognition of economics as a controversial subject. In the first part, we review some important measurement issues in macroeconomics that have policy consequences. In the second part, students will explore the competing theoretical frameworks developed in the twentieth century to explain growth cycles, employment and inflation. Finally, the acquired knowledge will be applied to the current policy issues in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

Introductory Italian, Part I

Designed for students with no prior knowledge of Italian. ITA 100 employs immersive experiential learning pedagogy, providing an introduction to the essentials of Italian grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral communication skills will be stressed and, as such, the predominant language of instruction will be Italian. By the end of the course students will achieve proficiency at the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students are expected to acquire the basic knowledge of the written and spoken structures. Students are expected to read and comprehend short passages in Italian and to draft simple compositions / dialogues. Project-based assignments will be designed to foster practical communication skills and encourage efforts towards increased student integration in the local Italian-speaking community. Whenever possible, students will be encouraged to participate actively in local initiatives, festivals, events and to apply the skills they are mastering in class to their co-curricular learning on and off campus

Intermediate Italian, Part I

This course is designed for students who have completed two semesters of Italian language study. The course provides a review and expansion of command of Italian grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral communication skills will be stressed and, as such, the predominant language of instruction will be Italian. By the end of the course students will achieve proficiency at the B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students will be expected to be proficient in the written and spoken usage of intermediate linguistic structures. Students will be expected to deal with most situations likely to arise in the areas where the language is spoken. They will be able to: a) produce simple connected texts on topics, which are familiar or of personal interest; b) describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions; and c) briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. Project-based assignments will be designed to foster practical communication skills and encourage efforts towards increased student integration in the local Italian-speaking community. Whenever possible, students will be encouraged to participate actively in local initiatives, festivals, events and to apply the skills they are mastering in class to their co-curricular learning on and off campus.

Mathematics for the Humanities and Social Sciences

In today’s world, data and “numbers” are constantly presented to us: Opinion polling, election results, data on income distribution, or the probability of health outcomes. News media often come with supporting data. This course provides students with an understanding and awareness of the basic mathematics behind such data and how to correctly evaluate them. Using everyday examples from news media, this course will help students learn how to visualize data properly and how to use logic and data analyses to formulate valid hypotheses and reach solid conclusions.

Collecting and the Art Market in the Age of Globalization

The globalization of the art market and the hunt for status symbols of new collectors have driven art prices through the roof. Were these prices higher than they should have been? Who really knows how to scientifically convert cultural into monetary value? Is the modern art market promoting the production of art for financial speculation? Do artists produce for the market or for poetic reasons? What are the implications for museums and its art-interested public? Is the art market fostering the illicit trade of stolen and looted antiquities? How will the art market react to the world financial crisis? These are some of the issues the course addresses, together with looking at collecting from a historical point of view: princely and scholarly collections in the Renaissance, the Wunderkammer, the birth of the public art museum and the invention of the private art market. Students will furthermore be encouraged to explore the museum culture of Lugano and topics such as women collectors, the Venice Biennale, and the major art fairs

Ecology

This course examines the interactions of organisms with their environment and each other, the dynamics of populations, the structure and functions of ecosystems, the role of biogeochemical cycles, and biodiversity. Required laboratory sessions. MAT 201 and BIO 102 are strongly recommended prior to taking this course. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

Mediated Relationships

This course examines the impact of emerging communication technologies on human communication. By critically examining current theories and research in the field, students will analyze present and future of technologically-mediated relationships as these pervade their everyday life.

Introductory French, Part I

This course provides an introduction to the essentials of French grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral skills are stressed right from the beginning, and as such, the predominant language of instruction is French. In this course, students will acquire basic knowledge of written and spoken structures so that they will be able to read and comprehend short passages in French and write simple compositions and dialogues.

Advanced German, Part I

For students who have completed at least two years of college-level language studies or the equivalent. This course offers cultural readings from a variety of sources, including some literary pieces, as well as magazine and newspaper articles reflecting the contemporary scene in the countries where the language is spoken. Vocabulary expansion and development of techniques of expression are accomplished through oral and written exercises.

Global History I: Traditions, Encounters, and Adaptation from the Stone Age to the 16th Century

This course is an introduction to themes and trends in the political, economic, cultural, and social, history of pre-modern societies in global perspective. It covers the development of civilizations in Eurasia, Africa and the Americas from the Neolithic Revolution to the "Columbian Exchange" with emphasis on the emergence and diffusion of religious and political institutions, the role of the environmental context, as well as the impact of encounters between human societies. Students are introduced to the historiography of empire and global history/globalization, and attention is devoted to the reading and analysis of different categories of primary sources.

Intermediate Italian, Part I

This course is designed for students who have completed two semesters of Italian language study. The course provides a review and expansion of command of Italian grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral communication skills will be stressed and, as such, the predominant language of instruction will be Italian. By the end of the course students will achieve proficiency at the B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students will be expected to be proficient in the written and spoken usage of intermediate linguistic structures. Students will be expected to deal with most situations likely to arise in the areas where the language is spoken. They will be able to: a) produce simple connected texts on topics, which are familiar or of personal interest; b) describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions; and c) briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. Project-based assignments will be designed to foster practical communication skills and encourage efforts towards increased student integration in the local Italian-speaking community. Whenever possible, students will be encouraged to participate actively in local initiatives, festivals, events and to apply the skills they are mastering in class to their co-curricular learning on and off campus.

Calculus

The course begins with a review of functions and their graphs, after which students are introduced to the concepts of differentiation and integration. Understanding is reinforced through extensive practical work, with a strong emphasis on applications in economics, statistics and management science.

Introduction to International Relations

This course provides the basic analytic tools necessary for the understanding of international relations. After a brief introduction to the realist and liberal approaches to the study of international relations, the course covers various fundamental concepts, such as national power, foreign policy, conflict, political economy, international trade, and international organizations.

Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture I: Antiquity to Early Renaissance

The course offers an introduction to the history of art and visual culture from antiquity to the Renaissance. It studies painting, sculpture, architecture, and prints within their historical, social, and cultural contexts, as well as their representation in modern media (film, documentary, etc).

Marketing in a Global Context

This course is an introduction to the tools and concepts used in the marketing process for consumer and industrial products as well as for services. The focus is on the basic marketing concepts (product, place, price, promotion) as they relate to the field of global marketing. Emphasis is placed on the increasingly important role of interdisciplinary tools to analyze economic, cultural and structural differences across international markets. Specific consideration is given to the development of integrated marketing programs for a complex, global environment.

International Financial Management

This course deals with financial problems of multinational business. Topics include sources of funds for foreign operations, capital budgeting and foreign investment decisions, foreign exchange losses, and evaluation of securities of multinational and foreign corporations. Particular emphasis is placed on international capital and financial markets. (Recommended: BUS 306)

Introduction to Communication and Media

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts and theories of communication and media studies as they apply to the ever-increasing intercultural interactions of a contemporary world. In particular, students will learn the basics of intercultural/international communication processes, gaining a foundation for developing intercultural communication competence.

Money, Banking and Financial Markets

This upper-level course in economics is the first part of an ideal two-semester sequence including ECN 328. It is a program requirement for the major in International Economics, International Banking and Finance, and International Management with an “emphasis” in Finance. It also fulfils group requirements towards the major in International Economics with an emphasis in Political Economy, and Economics as a Combined major as well as a Minor.This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the monetary dimension of contemporary economies. This includes the nature of the means of settlement, the technology of monetary payments, the banking system and its pro-cyclical, crisis-prone character that requires control and regulation, the response of financial markets to changing policy conditions and perceived risks, and central banks’ operations and goals when setting interest rates. Special attention is devoted to current monetary policy issues with special reference (but not limited) to the practice of the U.S. Fed and the European Central Bank. Recommended prerequisite: ECN 225, ECN 256, BUS 326

Ecocritical Approaches to Literature

This interdisciplinary, writing-intensive course will introduce students to environmental literary criticism, more commonly known since the 1990s as “ecocriticism.” As a theoretical approach to literature, eco-criticism provides a secondary lens through which to analyze primary sources; an eco-critical approach focuses on how these primary sources have “constructed” our relationship to the natural world through writing and narrative. In applying eco-critical theory to a selection of primary fiction, students will examine some of the major environmental themes found in literature, among others: land use, speciesism, climate change, environmental apocalypse, and the post-human. Students will explore these themes using some of the basic critical tools and methodologies of ecocriticism, not only to explore how authors write about the environment, but also to examine how the environment itself is constructed through aesthetic discourse. Students should leave the course with improved critical environmental literacy skills that will enable interdisciplinary reflection about our interactions with the natural environment. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

Intermediate French, Part I

This course is designed for students who have completed one year of French language study. It reviews and expands on grammar, vocabulary, and culture acquired in FRE 100 and FRE 101. The acquisition of aural/oral skills are stressed, and as such, the predominant language of instruction is French. By the end of the course, students are expected to be proficient in the written and spoken usage of intermediate linguistic structures. Further, students are introduced to short literary texts, inviting conversation and some initial literary analysis.

Advanced French, Part I

For students who have completed at least two years of college-level language studies or the equivalent. This course reinforces and expands on grammar, vocabulary, and culture learnt in previous years of French language study. It introduces students to different literary and cinematic genres reflecting the contemporary scene of the Francophone world. Development of techniques of expression are accomplished through oral and written exercises.

Introductory Italian, Part I

Designed for students with no prior knowledge of Italian. ITA 100 employs immersive experiential learning pedagogy, providing an introduction to the essentials of Italian grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral communication skills will be stressed and, as such, the predominant language of instruction will be Italian. By the end of the course students will achieve proficiency at the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students are expected to acquire the basic knowledge of the written and spoken structures. Students are expected to read and comprehend short passages in Italian and to draft simple compositions / dialogues. Project-based assignments will be designed to foster practical communication skills and encourage efforts towards increased student integration in the local Italian-speaking community. Whenever possible, students will be encouraged to participate actively in local initiatives, festivals, events and to apply the skills they are mastering in class to their co-curricular learning on and off campus

Introduction to Psychology

This introductory course is designed to provide an overview of the field of psychology, including theoretical positions, major research areas and methods of gathering data. Subtopics of psychology, such as physiological processes, developmental, abnormal behavior and social psychology are discussed.

European Food Systems: You Are Where You Eat

In this course, students will explore the cultures that produce and are reproduced by our current food systems in Europe, touching upon the local, national and global dimensions. This course will examine the cultural, ecological, political, and geographic forces at work influencing the chain of production from farm to table. In particular, students will consider the contemporary food systems in Italy and Switzerland as well as their cultural and historical roots. Students will learn more about what it takes to become an active food citizen as the class considers where food comes from here in Europe and how the food we eat shapes who we are, both literally and figuratively. This course includes a travel component to Italy and Switzerland where students will study first hand some of the concepts discussed, including terroir, slow food, and local farm to table movements.

Central Europe: An Urban History (Italy, Switzerland, Germany)

This Academic Travel course seeks to explore urban development and urban planning of Central European cities from Antiquity to the Present. The course investigates the specific development of cities in Central Europe, both north and south of the Alps, with an emphasis on the legacies of Roman antiquity, the Christian (and Jewish) legacy of the Middle Ages, the role of princely residences, and of bourgeois middle classes. An important part plays also the various political movements of the 20th century, including the architectural fantasies of National Socialism, and the attempts post-World War II to deal with this legacy in a democratic society. The course asks in which way the interplay of tradition and modernity over time has structured not only the physical shapes of cities, but even the mindsets of the population. The travel component of this course features day trips to the Roman foundation of Como (Italy) and the oldest still standing structure in Switzerland in Riva San Vitale (Ticino), and a major excursion to the three most important cities in Bavaria: Nuremberg, Regensburg, and Munich (Germany).

Measuring the Alps

People live in three-dimensional space but are restricted to the earth surface which is usually locally flat, two-dimensional. But when entering the Alps, the third dimension of height becomes important when describing location or movement. This is also expressed by the fact that in the mountains a map is not too useful---rather a topographic map is needed. Starting with a description of the Alps or any mountains by topographic maps, or mathematically as functions with two independent variables, students will investigate how certain well-known features are reflected by the topography of the area . Examples are the location of mountain brooks, watersheds, movement of glaciers, avalanches, and rockfall. Students will also investigate the question of visibility in the mountains, whether and how it is possible to predict what can be seen from where. A further aspect is GPS technology. During the travel, the class will visit various places in the Swiss, Austrian, and Italian Alps, such as Davos, Innsbruck, Villnoess. Students will hike and measure, but will also discuss questions relevant to Alpine life, such as glaciers, avalanches or rockfall forecasts. If possible, the class will also visit places where such research is conducted. The course includes one mandatory weekend hike in September in addition to the ordinary travel in October. Hiking boots are required.

Spain: Politics, Culture and Society

This course will introduce students to the contemporary politics of Spain and the issues that are confronting its policy makers and people. The focus will be mainly on the evolution of Spanish society since the Spanish civil war and the cultural, economic, and social trends that have shaped its political system to date. The travel component includes, principally, Madrid and Seville. The purpose of this course is to help students develop deeper insights into the political origins of contemporary Spanish society. Recommended POL 100.

Documentary & Street Photography on Location: Berlin and Munich

This course will investigate the particularities of both documentary and street photography through readings and studio projects. It will shed light on the history of photography; how the visual world communicates, studying the interaction of photography with other visual media; and will pay specific attention to the semiotic potential and challenges of photography. Students will engage in a project that relates to the location of the travel component of the class, documenting a subject of their choice. The Academic Travel destination will be Munich with additional day excursions to Bavaria and Austria.

Financial Accounting

This course is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge of financial accounting concepts, procedures, analysis, and internal reports as an essential part of the decision-making process. The focus is on the three basic steps of the accounting process: recording, classifying, and summarizing financial transactions. Emphasis is placed on the general accounting activities leading up to the preparation of financial statements.

Reading Film

This course introduces students to the language of cinema through close studies of and foundational readings on film theory, narrative/documentary structure, camera technique, lighting, sound, casting, and location. Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of film language through scholarly analysis of both canonical and contemporary cinema texts and two practical applications of film. Students will move beyond the passive reception of an image-based world by working towards increased intellectual adaptablity in terms of engaged film reading skills that will call into question philosophical and culture-specific notions and norms. The learning outcomes will be developed through a number of concentrated modules lasting approximately three weeks each, including analysis, contemporary criticism, audience reception, and practical applications.

Social Psychology

Introduction to major theories and research findings of social psychology in order to provide an understanding of the roles of cognitive and motivational processes in social behavior. The focus of this course is on how people's behavior, feelings and thoughts are influenced through social environment.

Academic Writing: Crossing Borders

Designed as a discussion/workshop seminar, this writing course develops students’ awareness of scholarly discourse and their participation in it: what makes academic discourse different from other kinds of writing, how different disciplines approach analysis and evidence, and what counts as effective communication within scholarly communities. Through the study of borders -- what they are, how they shape culture, politics and society, and why they change -- the course helps students develop academic communication strategies that are applicable across the curriculum at Franklin. The main focus of the course is to help students develop strategies for joining the academic conversation, covering skills such as close reading and responding to texts; generating, supporting and sharing ideas in both oral and written form; and scholarly researching. Drawing from a wide selection of texts and media about cross-border and cross cultural practices, which has recently garnered much attention among scholars and speaks to the Franklin mission, students will explore various academic responses to the phenomenon of border crossing, concluding with a research-based final project and defense. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing core requirement.)

Academic Writing: Crossing Borders

Designed as a discussion/workshop seminar, this writing course develops students’ awareness of scholarly discourse and their participation in it: what makes academic discourse different from other kinds of writing, how different disciplines approach analysis and evidence, and what counts as effective communication within scholarly communities. Through the study of borders -- what they are, how they shape culture, politics and society, and why they change -- the course helps students develop academic communication strategies that are applicable across the curriculum at Franklin. The main focus of the course is to help students develop strategies for joining the academic conversation, covering skills such as close reading and responding to texts; generating, supporting and sharing ideas in both oral and written form; and scholarly researching. Drawing from a wide selection of texts and media about cross-border and cross cultural practices, which has recently garnered much attention among scholars and speaks to the Franklin mission, students will explore various academic responses to the phenomenon of border crossing, concluding with a research-based final project and defense. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing core requirement.)

Artists' Biopics

This course looks at the representation of artists’ lives and artistic practices in film. Biopics explore a character’s personal journey, depicting a biographical tableau of a lifetime’s tribulation and achievements. The figure of the artist has long held a fascination for society. Misunderstood, decadent, melancholic, single-minded against the odds, and above all prophetic and visionary, the romantic potential of artists offered dramatic material to film directors and the film industries alike. At the same time, the cinematic medium provides a remarkable platform from which to enter the artist’ personal studio, and to gain an insight into the complex mechanisms of artistic creation. This course will explore both facets of artists’ biopics, engaging with the representation in film of the lives of artists such as Caravaggio, Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and the works of directors such as Maurice Pialat, Dereck Jarman and Peter Greenaway. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

Organizational Behavior and Leadership

This course studies the internal environment of firms and organizations, namely how to organize and manage people in order to implement strategic plans effectively. Topics include: organizational structures and change, human resources, leadership, group dynamics and teamwork, motivation, and multicultural management. Special attention will be given to the study of leadership, which plays a critical role in increasingly complex and multicultural organizations. The readings and class discussions include both theoretical concepts, case studies and practical exercises.(This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirement.) (Junior status recommended)

Theories and Methods in Gender Studies

This course presents an interdisciplinary introduction to key concepts in gender studies. Focusing on the way in which gender operates in different cultural domains, this class investigates the manner in which race, culture, ethnicity, and class intersect with gender.

The Digital Innovation and Media Strategies for a New Consumer Culture

Digital communication has been fundamental in today’s organizational, cultural, and consuming areas. With the continuous technological development, we have been witnessing the surge of digital innovations in recent years. This course examines key dimensions of digital innovations in the current consumer culture such as Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality (AR), Geographical Referencing System, Review & Ratings algorithm, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, BOT and chatbot. The course explores not only the new brand and media strategies of companies but also self-branding strategies of operators, influencers and users/consumers with a special attention to the creative dimension of consumption experience. In this process, the differences between cross-media communication and trans-media storytelling will be discussed as these two strategies help organizations manage relationships between brand, product and consumers by the means of emerging media. Ultimately, students will develop a greater understanding of media strategies using digital innovations that can be applied in the professional context.

Heads and Bodies: the Human Head and Proportions in Art History, Theory and Practice

The human head is one of the most fascinating subjects in the history of art, and frequently perceived as one of the most difficult problems to tackle. The head is the basic unit of human proportions, and the key to human identity. This course will investigate the human head and human proportions in art - in painting and sculpture; in all periods and cultures. Through lectures and presentations, visits to museums or other places of interest and studio sessions, students will have the opportunity to study this subject in depth and to experiment with it using various techniques in the studio. Studio sessions and lectures will deal with the following topics: 1. Human proportions: fundamental concepts. 2. Ideal canons in the Western European tradition. 2.1 The head as basic unit. 2.2 Famous canons: the Golden Ratio, Polykleitos, Praxiteles, Vitruvian man, Leonardo, Le Corbusier. 2.3 Alignment of facial features: likeness. 2.4 Men, women and children; the ages of man. 2.5 Larger than life: comics and caricature. 2.6 The twentieth century. 3. Non-Western Ideals. 4. Beyond art and aesthetics: medicine, forensics and other applications. Studio assignments will be organized in the following media: drawing and related media, painting, clay modeling. Class sessions may involve trips off-campus to an exhibition or event. There is a course fee to cover materials and travel expenses.

Honors Senior Capstone Experience Preparation Workshop

The advanced non-credit bearing Senior Capstone Preparation Workshop is open only to Honors students and is required in the student's senior year.

General Chemistry I

The course examines atomic structure, bonding, stoichiometry and the mole concept, the behavior of gases, liquids and solids, thermochemistry, and intermolecular forces. Students are required to concurrently enroll in the corresponding lab section. This course is a prerequisite for CHM 102 and is a pre-health course.

Introduction to Academic Writing I

This course aims to help students improve their academic writing skills. Particular attention is given to awareness and development of academic writing structures, from essay organization to paragraph development to sentence-level detailing. Students also learn the basic conventions of evaluation and incorporation of outside resources. This course is taken in conjunction with WTG 125. A student who successfully completes WTG 120 (with a minimum final grade of C) must take WTG 130 the following semester.

Introduction to Academic Writing II

This course is designed to help students further develop the critical thinking and writing skills so important in academic writing. It looks at best practices for research and use of information, including evaluation and effective incorporation of outside sources through paraphrases, summary, and correct citation formats, and addresses the development of structure and expression in academic writing and techniques for effectively sharing information in both written and oral forms. Upon successful completion of WTG 130 (with a minimum final grade of C), students must take WTG 150 the following semester.

Introduction to Biology: Cell and Animal

This course provides students with an introduction to the biological sciences focused on the structure and functioning of animal cells and organs. Topics include basic biochemistry, cell structure and function, cellular respiration, and animal physiology. This course will emphasize human anatomy and physiology as model systems for understanding and contrasting key principles of animal biology. Students enrolling in this course must enroll in the parallel laboratory section BIO 102L.

Management Science

In the first part of this computer-based course, students learn linear programming algorithms and how to apply them for resource allocation in production, investment selection, media selection, transportation planning, job assignments, financial planning, make or buy decision making and overtime planning contexts. In the second part of the course, students learn how to choose the best decision using expected monetary value (EMV), how to make optimum decision strategies under uncertainty by making decision trees, how to evaluate marketing research information, and how to apply project management (PERT) basic steps. Ultimately students are asked to conduct a month-long research and development project to define a real organizational decision strategy.

Media Ecology

This course explores media from the lens of ecology, using ecological concepts and thinking to both explore media as ecosystemic and reflect upon media production and consumption in terms of sustainability. Ecology is evoked because it is one of the most useful and expressive contemporary discourses to help articulate both the dynamic interrelations and interactions that characterize all forms of community as well as the ethical and political implications of their maintenance, management and/or disruption. The ultimate goal of this course is to put media in its place; situating prominent media forms within their unique cultural, historical, and geographical places and putting media in its appropriate place in our own lives and communities. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

Development Economics

The course will introduce students to the evolution of theory and practice in economic development in three stages. First, models of economic growth and development including work by Harrod-Domar, Robert Solow, Arthur Lewis, and Michael Kremer are compared to provide students with a feeling for how economists have conceived of the development process. The class then proceeds to examine particular development issues such as population growth, stagnant agriculture, environmental degradation, illiteracy, gender disparities, and rapid urbanization to understand how these dynamics reinforce poverty and deprivation. In the final stage, students will read work by supporters as well as critics of international development assistance and use the knowledge and perspective they have gained thus far to independently evaluate efficacy of a specific development intervention.

Western Civilization I: Ancient and Medieval

This survey course is an introduction to the political, economic, social, and intellectual history of the west from the Neolithic to the voyages of discovery in the sixteenth century. Our knowledge and understanding of the past is contingent and contested. The course explores areas of contestation to give students a better understanding of the forces and events which shaped the ancient and medieval worlds and continue to shape the modern world. (It is recommended that HIS 100 be taken prior to HIS 101.)

Introductory Italian, Part I

Designed for students with no prior knowledge of Italian. ITA 100 employs immersive experiential learning pedagogy, providing an introduction to the essentials of Italian grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral communication skills will be stressed and, as such, the predominant language of instruction will be Italian. By the end of the course students will achieve proficiency at the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students are expected to acquire the basic knowledge of the written and spoken structures. Students are expected to read and comprehend short passages in Italian and to draft simple compositions / dialogues. Project-based assignments will be designed to foster practical communication skills and encourage efforts towards increased student integration in the local Italian-speaking community. Whenever possible, students will be encouraged to participate actively in local initiatives, festivals, events and to apply the skills they are mastering in class to their co-curricular learning on and off campus

College Algebra

The first part of this course reviews the basic concepts of algebra, real numbers, first-degree equations and inequalities, rational expressions, exponents and radicals, and polynomials, systems of equations and inequalities. The second part strongly emphasizes graphs and functions. The most important functions for applications are introduced, such as linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, and rational functions.

Introduction to Political Science

Basic concepts of the discipline are discussed in this class with a focus on the evolution of the state and the role of the individual from historical, ideological, and comparative perspectives.

Approaching the Academic Text

The aim of this course is to help students improve their analysis and comprehension of academic texts, and to develop strategies for efficient intake, processing and interpretation of information. Special emphasis is placed on notetaking strategies and on the critical analysis of texts. This course is taken in conjunction with WTG 120.

Academic Writing: Crossing Borders

Designed as a discussion/workshop seminar, this writing course develops students’ awareness of scholarly discourse and their participation in it: what makes academic discourse different from other kinds of writing, how different disciplines approach analysis and evidence, and what counts as effective communication within scholarly communities. Through the study of borders -- what they are, how they shape culture, politics and society, and why they change -- the course helps students develop academic communication strategies that are applicable across the curriculum at Franklin. The main focus of the course is to help students develop strategies for joining the academic conversation, covering skills such as close reading and responding to texts; generating, supporting and sharing ideas in both oral and written form; and scholarly researching. Drawing from a wide selection of texts and media about cross-border and cross cultural practices, which has recently garnered much attention among scholars and speaks to the Franklin mission, students will explore various academic responses to the phenomenon of border crossing, concluding with a research-based final project and defense. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing core requirement.)

Managerial Accounting

This course considers the nature, concepts, techniques, and ethics of the managerial accounting function, the preparation of reports, and the uses of accounting data for internal decision-making in manufacturing, retail, service, government, and non-profit organizations. Topics covered include a review of financial accounting, cost definitions and measurement, job-order and process costing, models of cost behavior, break-even and cost-volume-profit-analysis, activity-based costing and management systems, flexible budgeting methods, cost variance analysis, and a consideration of output & pricing decisions throughout the entire enterprise.

Managerial Economics (Intermediate Microeconomics)

This intermediate-level course in microeconomics builds upon the introductory two-semester sequence and, in conjunction with ECN 225, prepares students to upper-level economics. It is a program requirement for the majors in International Banking and Finance and International Economics, as well as for Economics as a combined major. It is also one of the options towards Economics as a minor. This course completes the theoretical background on microeconomics and introduces students to more advanced topics, with an emphasis on the practical relevance and application of theory. The essence of the course is, in particular, the study of the interaction between rational individual decision-making (e.g. consumers, firms, the government) and the working of economic institutions like markets, regulation and social rules. Topics covered include an introduction to game theory, strategic behavior and entry deterrence; analysis of technological change; the internal organization of the firm; economic efficiency; public goods, externalities and information; government and business.

Introductory German, Part I

This course provides an introduction to the essentials of German grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral skills are stressed right from the beginning, and as such, the predominant language of instruction is German. In this course, students will acquire basic knowledge of written and spoken structures so that they will be able to read and comprehend short passages in German and write simple compositions and dialogs.

Western Civilization I: Ancient and Medieval

This survey course is an introduction to the political, economic, social, and intellectual history of the west from the Neolithic to the voyages of discovery in the sixteenth century. Our knowledge and understanding of the past is contingent and contested. The course explores areas of contestation to give students a better understanding of the forces and events which shaped the ancient and medieval worlds and continue to shape the modern world. (It is recommended that HIS 100 be taken prior to HIS 101.)

Introductory Italian, Part I

Designed for students with no prior knowledge of Italian. ITA 100 employs immersive experiential learning pedagogy, providing an introduction to the essentials of Italian grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral communication skills will be stressed and, as such, the predominant language of instruction will be Italian. By the end of the course students will achieve proficiency at the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students are expected to acquire the basic knowledge of the written and spoken structures. Students are expected to read and comprehend short passages in Italian and to draft simple compositions / dialogues. Project-based assignments will be designed to foster practical communication skills and encourage efforts towards increased student integration in the local Italian-speaking community. Whenever possible, students will be encouraged to participate actively in local initiatives, festivals, events and to apply the skills they are mastering in class to their co-curricular learning on and off campus

Advanced Italian, Part I

For students who have completed at least two years of college-level language studies or the equivalent. This course offers cultural readings from a variety of sources, including some literary pieces, as well as magazine and newspaper articles reflecting the contemporary scene in the countries where the language is spoken. Vocabulary expansion and development of techniques of expression are accomplished through oral and written exercises.

The Stories We Live By

Stories are everywhere. We use them, consciously or unconsciously, to make sense of identities, experiences, and desires. And, at the same time, we are shaped by the stories that we absorb and interpret. This course explores how storytelling both reflects and shapes our lives. It introduces students to keywords and terms for reading and reflecting upon stories, both in the pages of books and in everyday life. The course considers a variety of narrative forms, including short stories, novels, fairy tales, self-help manuals, comics, films, podcasts, and political discourse. The course introduces students to fundamental questions about the nature of storytelling, while developing the vocabulary and critical skills for analysing and discussing stories. This is a writing intensive course in which students read as they learn to write. Students practice applying a critical vocabulary to textual forms as well as becoming familiar with the skills of drafting and editing. The course also introduces students to some of the professional pathways open to writers and storytellers. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

Introduction to Quantitative Reasoning

This course presents concepts essential to the understanding of the basics of college algebra. Topics include rational expressions and equations, exponents and radicals, polynomials, factoring, linear equations and inequalities, quadratic equations, elementary word problems, Cartesian coordinate systems, graphs, and straight lines. This course prepares students for other 100-level mathematics courses. It does not satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning core requirement, but counts as elective credit. Prerequisite: appropriate math placement score. This course replaces MAT 102.

International Organization

The focus of this course is the development of supra-national and international agencies and entities. The United Nations, the European Union, the IMF, the World Bank, trading blocs, and other specialized agencies are studied as examples-in light of increasing economic interdependence in the international system.

Quantitative Methods and Dynamic Forecasting

In the first part of this course students learn concepts in inferential statistics, its main principles and algorithms. They learn how to apply sampling distributions in the case of business random variables, how to state and test business hypotheses about population mean or proportion differences, how to calculate ANOVA table components, and how to deploy estimation methods to provide information needed to solve real business problems. In the second part of the course, students learn advanced model building methods, algorithms needed to make and test dynamic multiple regression models and time series (ARMA) models. In addition to teaching and learning methods based on the textbook, problem-based learning (PBL) and interactive engagement (IE) are used. Many internet data bases, EXCEL add-ins and EViews are used to enhance IE based learning. Selected SPSS or STATA examples are also provided.

The Pursuit of Happiness

The course provides a platform for scholarly exploration of the concept of happiness as articulated across a variety of cultures and from multiple disciplinary perspectives: psychology, sociology, linguistics, philosophy, religion/spirituality, literature, and film. Students enrolled in this class will work collectively to analyze and reflect on the ideological implications and possible cultural bias implicit to diverse texts that purport, through various means, to render happiness more accessible to and sustainable for the general public. What can be learned about happiness discourse through guided efforts in close reading, focused critical thinking, theoretical reflection, and comparative textual analysis? Widely popularized theories of happiness frequently merge with compelling stories of a hero's inward and outward journey; the individual pursuit of an inalienable and self-evident right. This seminar invites students to consider this heroic journey in terms of a symbolic construct, assessing its possible strengths and weaknesses; the certain promises it holds, and the likely consequences it may also engender. Like all First Year Seminars, this course will cultivate the fundamental skills considered necessary for succeeding at university.

Journalism in Crisis

Journalism in Crisis explores the role of journalism in mediating, perpetuating and mitigating crises. Given the international nature of the Franklin experience, this course focuses on global crises (environmental, political, social and economic) including for example climate change, COVID-19 and cybersecurity. In addition to introducing students to foundational journalistic principles and practices, the course uses the study of crises to examine the deeper transformations influencing journalism today namely the transition to digital platforms, the challenges associated with funding journalism, and the increased political polarisation across the world. Students both engage in journalistic practice (e.g. fact-checking and writing letters to the editor) as well as academic inquiry about journalism (e.g. a review of the literature on one of our themes). Like all First Year Seminars, this course will cultivate the fundamental critical and academic skills necessary for success at the university level.

Sushi Anyone? The Past, Present, and Future of Our Last Wild Food

Where does our food come from? In most cases, nowadays, what we eat is farmed or cultivated. During our history, as population has grown and technology improved, we have increasingly turned to farming to sustain ourselves. Yet, today, there is still one kind of food that is essentially wild: seafood. In fact, whether farmed or wild, our current hunger for seafood is eventually satisfied by wild fish stocks. But can wild fish stocks endure our pressure, and what happens when wild stocks collapse? Using examples from fisheries across the globe, and drawing parallels with the field of herbal medicine, this course will (a) illustrate the effects of seafood harvesting on wild fish stocks and the oceans at large and (b) search for solutions that will allow us to satisfy our demands while maintaining wild fish stocks. Like all First Year Seminars, this course will cultivate the fundamental critical and academic skills necessary for success at the university level.

Exploring Leadership: Managerial and Political Perspectives

The course will review various aspects of leadership, particularly as they relate to political institutions and the management of organizations. Are good politicians and managers necessarily good leaders, or vice versa? Students will consider the various types of leadership, including charismatic, intellectual, authoritarian, motivational and organizational leadership styles. The biographies of various world leaders will be reviewed and discussed in their managerial, social, and/or political contexts. Finally, the course will also incorporate practical and experiential activities on the leadership/management duality. An integral and required part of the course will be a weekend retreat in the nearby mountains and a full-day on-campus leadership exercise, exploring some of the issues discussed in class. Like all First Year Seminars, this course will cultivate the fundamental critical and academic skills necessary for succeeding at university.

Comparative Politics

The development of the modern nation-state is analyzed from a variety of theoretical viewpoints. The approach and methods of major social theorists are examined in detail. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.) Formerly POL 400. Students who have previously earned credit for POL 400 cannot earn credit for POL 300.

Desire and Consumption: The Photographic Image

This course takes as a starting point the proliferation of photographic images in the late 20th Century and early 21st Century. The expansion of photo-imagery has come to conquer both public and private sphere. It has become an inevitable component of social and political life, not to mention an inescapable economic incentive. Photography is used to sell goods in magazines, on billboards and products themselves. It is still a major contributor to the documentation and interpretation of political events conveyed through newspapers and web fluxes of information; and with the increased accessibility of camera devices, its presence in the private sphere has become a "natural" entity, furthering the projection of singular and collective identities through ever stronger social networks. It is a medium of representation that is closely bound to an anticipation of its consumption by its public. It aims to trigger desire to modify the balance of the world. Its very immobility (compared to the moving image) is a guarantee of its iconic powers. Is it possible to counter the voracious appetite of the photographic image? It is certainly possible to decode its intentions and impact. This course aims to provide a reading of a range of contemporary photographic productions, unveiling their social and economic foundations and framework, while underlining their historical roots in the development of the medium in the 19th and 20th Century. In addition to the form, content, production, and dissemination analyses, this discussion-based class will help students refine the critical thinking, writing and research skills that facilitate college success. Like all First Year Seminars, this course will cultivate the fundamental critical and academic skills necessary for succeeding in college. Like all First Year Seminars, this course will cultivate the fundamental critical and academic skills necessary for succeeding in college.

Fundamentals of Media Studies and Criticism

Media pervades our social and private lives. We make it and in turn it makes us. This course offers an introduction to media studies, a field which seeks to understand and use media in complex and intentional ways. The course explores media as content, as an industry and as a social force. In this way, media is understood as both as an artifact (constituted by many parts) and as a set of complex processes (including production, distribution, regulation and consumption). Students will learn key vocabularies and concepts in and approaches to media studies that will help them to define, describe, and critique media artifacts and processes in a variety of written and spoken formats. In addition to equipping students with the skills to understand and critique media, this course encourages and provides students with the building blocks to produce media content. Students who successfully complete this course will be prepared to take advanced courses in media studies.

Principles of Microeconomics

This is an entry-level course in economics, covering fundamentals of microeconomics and aimed at students who choose it as an elective or plan to continue their studies in economics. This course helps students develop basic analytical skills in economics and microeconomics. It provides students with a basic understanding of the market system in advanced capitalist economies. It examines the logic of constrained choice with a focus on the economic behavior of individuals and organizations. After a theoretical analysis of the determinants and the interaction of supply and demand under competitive conditions, alternative market structures will be investigated, including monopolistic and oligopolistic forms. The course examines the conditions under which markets allocate resources efficiently and identifies causes of market failure and the appropriate government response. The introduction to the role of government includes its taxing and expenditure activities as well as regulatory policies.

Intermediate German, Part I

This course is designed for students who have completed one year of German language study. It reviews and expands on grammar, vocabulary, and culture acquired in GER 100 and GER 101. The acquisition of aural/oral skills are stressed, and as such, the predominant language of instruction is German. By the end of the course, students are expected to be proficient in the written and spoken usage of intermediate linguistic structures. Further, students are introduced to short literary texts, inviting conversation and some initial literary analysis

The Cold War

The Cold War was many things. It was primarily a global power struggle between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, two Superpowers which divided the world into competing alliances and engaged in proxy wars. It was a tense and often unstable nuclear standoff. It was also an ideological clash between freedom and totalitarianism; between economic equality and exploitation; and between imperialism and anti-colonial nationalism. This course examines these intersecting facets as well as the ways in which the Cold War is interpreted and its profound and continuing impact not only on the principal protagonists but on all of the peoples of the world. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

The Cold War

Students in their Senior year who wish to graduate with a Major in History (stand alone or combined) need to take this capstone version of HIS 310 (see course description). Students in HIS 410 attend all meetings of HIS 310 and are responsible for additional and more in-depth work including an oral presentation and seminars with the instructor. This additional work is geared towards preparing the student for the successful completion of their Senior Thesis. (Students who have already earned credit for HIS 310 or HIS 210 may not enroll and earn credit for HIS 410.)

Crafting the Journey: Studies in Travel Narratives

In this course, students will engage with representations of travel produced across time and in various forms and genres, from the exploration novel to travel journalism to the road movie. They will consider how travelers negotiate and adapt various tropes of travel (such as quest, exploration, exile, and pilgrimage) as models for their own journeys. They will explore how the ephemeral experience of travel can be translated onto the page or screen, and question what we, as readers or viewers, gain from experiencing travel second hand. And, finally, students will analysis the particular narrative features that shape the form and content of travel writing. In this writing intensive course, students will also get the chance to practice the forms that they study. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

Introduction to Statistics

This computer-based course presents the main concepts in Statistics: the concept of random variables, frequency, and probability distributions, variance and standard deviation, kurtosis and skewness, probability rules, Bayes theorem, and posterior probabilities. Important statistical methods like Contingency analysis, ANOVA, Correlation analysis and Regression Analysis are introduced and their algorithms are fully explained. The most important probability distributions are introduced: Binomial, Poisson, and Normal distribution, as well as the Chebyshev theorem for non-known distributions. Inferential statistics, sampling distributions, and confidence intervals are covered to introduce statistical model building and single linear regression. Active learning and algorithmic learning are stressed. Emphasis is put both on algorithms –methods and assumptions for their applications. Excel is used while calculators with STAT buttons are not allowed. Ultimately students are required to make a month-long research project, select the theoretical concept they want to test, perform a literature review, find real data from Internet databases or make their surveys, apply methods they studied in the class, and compare theoretical results with their findings. Research is done and presented in groups, papers are Individual. Selected SPSS or Excel Data Analysis examples are also provided.

A History of Opera: From Orpheus to West Side Story

The evolution of the music drama from the Renaissance to the twentieth century is the object of this course.Its objective is to familiarize students with opera as a unique art form. It contributes to enlarge the cultural horizon through a historic perspective from its origins to present day, overcoming the largely diffused pre-concept that opera is only for connoisseurs. Based on extensive listenings and discussions, the course emphasizes the musical and theatrical aspects of opera history, as well as its literary, architectural and political context. Students will learn the essential elements needed to attend a performance, the variety of singing voices and the complexity of preparation and staging of an opera. It encourages students to comparative listening of different versions. The course carries a fee for visits and concerts.

Contemporary Diplomacy

This course introduces modern changes in global diplomatic practices. Diplomacy increasingly integrates non-state actors such as corporations, think tanks, NGOs and international mass media. Traditional state-to-state diplomacy, while still fundamental, now co-exists with a series of new actors and innovative practices such as public diplomacy. The course will take an interdisciplinary approach to the topic of diplomacy. It will look at diplomacy from a historical and legal perspective, cover challenges posed to diplomacy by imperatives such as transparency and counter-terrorism, and focus on empirical case studies for students to engage critically with the multiple purposes and evolution of diplomacy.

Introduction to Drawing

An introductory course aimed at mastering the rudiments of drawing (light and shadow, perspective, proportions, texture, pattern and design) and investigating the discipline of drawing as a cognitive tool. A variety of media, styles and genre will be explored, such as still life, landscape, figure drawing and abstraction. Studio sessions will be integrated with slide presentations and videos, and visits to museums, exhibits or ateliers may be organized if possible. The course carries a fee for art supplies.

Intermediate Drawing

Intermediate course aimed at further developing the basic skills learned in STA 111. More emphasis will be placed on developing individual projects, exploring various media and investigating problems in drawing and perception. The course carries a fee for art supplies.

Advanced Drawing

A higher course aimed at further developing the basic skills learned in STA 211. More emphasis will be placed on developing individual projects, exploring various media and investigating drawing and perception. The course carries a fee for art supplies.

Laboratory to Introduction to Biology: Cell and Animal Biology

The laboratory course parallels the topics in BIO 102 and provides lab-based investigations of the material covered in BIO 102. Students must register for both BIO 102 and the lab section concurrently. Students who have previously taken BIO 102 and only need the lab credit should discuss this possibility with their advisor and the class professor.

Laboratory to General Chemistry I

The laboratory course parallels the topics in CHEM 101 and provides lab-based investigations of the material covered in CHEM 101. Students must register for both CHEM 101 and the lab section concurrently.

Managerial Finance

This course examines the principles and practices of fund management in organizations. Attention is given to managerial financial decisions in a global market setting concerning such questions as how to obtain an adequate supply of capital and credit, and how to evaluate alternative sources of funds and their costs. Topics include the management of assets and liabilities, working capital management, capital budgeting, equity versus debt financing, capital structure, and financial forecasting.

Law and Culture

This course aims to investigate law's place in culture and culture's place in law. This focus proceeds from the realization that law does not function in a vacuum but exerts a powerful influence on all manner of cultural practice and production, even as its own operation is influenced in turn by various forms of culture. Given this increasing porosity and interpermeability of Law and different forms of culture, the focus of this course is on the mutual influence between law and other discursive practices, such as literature, TV sit-coms and film. In studying a number of prominent legal cases such as Brown v the Board of Education, we will explore the following questions: What are the mechanisms by which popular representations and cultural practices find their way into legal processes and decisions? How does law in turn bleed into and influence cultural processes? Does law act as a buffer against societal assumptions about, and constructions of, gender, age, ability, sexuality and ethnicity, or does it re-enforce and re-inscribe existing social norms? (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

Investment Analysis I

This course focuses on the basic concepts of value and risk, and explores the principles that guide strategic investment decisions. Major emphasis is placed on the notion of net present value, the evaluation and pricing of bonds and stocks, and the definition and measurement of risk. The concepts of portfolio risk and expected return, as well as the role of portfolio diversification are carefully investigated. Students are then introduced to market efficiency, portfolio theory and the relationship between risk and return in the context of alternative theories, mainly the capital asset pricing model and the arbitrage pricing theory. (Recommended: ECN 225, ECN 256; Strongly Recommended: MAT 200)

Readings and Methods in Political Science and International Relations

This course serves as a capstone for departmental majors. It focuses on classical and contemporary contributions in our fields and directly addresses the methodologies which students need to write their final theses. Students will be required to actively prepare and discuss class readings. They will also have the opportunity to work on their thesis projects and to discuss these in class.

Introduction to Criminology and Psychopathology

Criminology deals with crimes and their authors through a multi-disciplinary lens, one that includes psychology, medicine, law and sociology. After introducing several of the fundamental theoretical frameworks upon which criminology is based, this course will focus on the analysis of single psycho-pathologies and how they relate to crime, in particular homicide, sex crimes, abuse, and white-collar crimes. The course will include lectures as well as the analysis of criminal cases and the participation of local experts in the field.

Sustainability and Social Justice

One of the fundamental questions we all face today is how to counter the urgent challenges posed by global climate change and unequal economic development. Questions coalescing around notions of ethics, justice, equality, and human rights intersect with questions of how to shape a culturally and environmentally sustainable world. Exploring a wide range of theoretical and practical perspectives on Sustainability, Social Justice and Ethics, this cross-disciplinary, introductory course will give students multiple disciplinary frameworks to think critically and productively about the intersections between the social and the natural worlds. The course provides the gateway to the program in Social Justice and Sustainability (SJS).

Introductory Painting

This introductory course explores basic painting techniques and attempts to assist the development of visual awareness through various experiments and media, thus providing a foundation for further art study. With a combination of theory and studio practice, the course investigates the properties of color, line, point, plane and texture in an effort to free students from dead convention and at the same time encourage their creative abilities. The course will incorporate structured exercises on the nature of paint and the rudiments of color theory, while encouraging students to study the painting of past and present artists to develop their own creative identity. Visits to museums, galleries or ateliers may be organized if possible. The course carries a fee for art supplies.

Intermediate Painting

Intermediate course aimed at further developing the basic skills learned in STA 115. More emphasis will be placed on developing individual projects and exploring different media and genre as students work towards finding a personal identity through creative experience. The course carries a fee for art supplies.

Higher Painting

Continuation of the previous painting courses to more advanced levels. The course carries a fee for art supplies.

Harbor Cities: Architecture, Vision, and Experience: Riga and Tallin

Oceans, seas and rivers have long provided resources favorable to the growth of urban settlements. Cities built on water shores use natural fluxes as passageways for bodies, goods and ideas from a privileged position. Their harbors became gateways to both wealth and the unknown. This course will focus on the modes of representations of the harbor city in the 20th century, placing particular emphasis on the role of imagination in its past, present and future construction. In the 19th and 20th centuries, radical and rapid changes in maritime technology and the geographies of the world economy prompted dramatic transformations in the functionalities and the identities of harbor cities across the globe. The proud jewels of the ‘economie-monde’ in the Mediterranean as well as many of the industrial bastions of the 19th century empires fell into decline, while emerging economies prompted fast-paced development of their sea-linked cities to accommodate emerging trade. Throughout this process, the relation of harbor cities to their self-perceived identity significantly evolved. A sole focus on a city’s desires and assets has become unviable. For the once remote outside world has found multiple paths of its own making to gain access to the city’s shores. The course will consider the array of visions drawn by artists, poets, architects, urban planners, politicians, entrepreneurs, and everyday inhabitants in informing the modeling of harbor cities in the context of rapid and drastic physical and mental changes. The travel part of the course will include on-site visits and observation in Riga and Tallin.

Alpine Ecosystems

This course examines the ecology and the management of the European Alps. It introduces students to the natural history and functions of these important ecosystems. It examines how the climate, fauna, flora, and landscapes have interacted and evolved over time. Further, it provides students an overview of threats facing these systems today, such as climate change, human use, and non-native species. It introduces students to research methods used to study mountain environments and impacts of management activities. The travel portion will visit sites in the Central and Western Alps to study natural environments in situ and connect students with local researchers and organizations active in the field. Students will spend significant time outdoors in the field in a variety of weather. Access to some sites will require moderate amounts of hiking in mountainous terrain. Previous coursework in biology or environmental science encouraged.

Marketing for Movies (Italy)

This course will expose students to the challenges of creating a market for artistic products, in particular for movies. Marketing movies requires a deep understanding of the needs consumers are trying to satisfy when deciding to consume an experience. At the same time, dealing with artists and managers of artistic institutions requires a solid understanding of their mindset and the intrinsic motivations for creating artistic pieces. There is thus a constant trade off between market orientation and product orientation. This course will focus in particular on understanding the specifics of creative production and aligning it with the right audience. Students will learn how to create a marketing plan for such an endeavor. The travel component will explore two cities in Italy, Rome and Bologna, so as to take advantage of the Rome Film Festival and the Cineteca (in Bologna).

Reading the Postcolonial City: Berlin and Hamburg

Colonialism has left its traces not only very obviously on the former colonies themselves but also on the face of the cities of the colonisers. Host of the “Congo Conference” that carved up the continent in 1885, Germany was late into the “scramble for Africa.” However, it has long been implicated in colonialism through trade, scientific exploration, and Hamburg’s position as a “hinterland” of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Seeking to explore colonial echoes in less obvious places, namely in contemporary Berlin and Hamburg, the course asks how we can remember colonialism in the modern world, become conscious of its traces, and encourage critical thinking about the connections between colonialism, migration and globalization. As an Academic Travel, this course will include an on-site component where the class will team up with postcolonial focus groups in Berlin and Hamburg, going onto the street and into the museum to retrace the cities’ colonial connections, and to experience and engage with the colonial past through performance-based activities.

Communication, Fashion, and the Formation of Taste (Italy)

The sense of taste, whether it refers to the metaphorical sense of taste (aesthetic discrimination) or the literal sense of taste (gustatory taste), is a fundamental part of human experiences. This Academic Travel course examines various ways that communication processes shape our sense of taste in the contemporary society. It will explore topics such as the taste for food, clothing and accessories, music, and other cultural activities applying key theories and concepts of communication, fashion, and taste. Ultimately, the course seeks to develop an understanding of how interpersonal, intercultural, and mediated communication in our everyday life plays a critical role in the formation of individual taste as well as collective taste. In order to achieve this objective, field observations and site visits will be planned during the Academic Travel period.

International Environmental Politics (Switzerland)

The resolution of global environmental problems has been problematic for nation-states. Hence, international cooperation is essential for exploring and applying solutions. This course will first examine the origins of environmental problems facing nations such as climate change, desertification, pollution, and international trade in endangered species. Further topics for investigation will include the impact of globalization and the feasibility of sustainable development in the industrial north and developing south, as well as the effectiveness of international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol and CITES. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fall 2020 semester course will include an academic travel destination in Switzerland (instead of Southern Africa), including planned visits to Pro Natura nature reserves, the WWF in Zurich, the Swiss Climate Alliance, and the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. The experiential component may also include site visits to examples of sustainable development within Switzerland as well as overnight hikes to Swiss alpine habitats.

Georgia and Azerbaijan: Observing Social and Economic Transition

The Southern Caucasus area was part of various independent kingdoms in the Middle Ages. The region came under Russian influence at the beginning of the 19th Century and briefly declared independence during the Russian Revolution. In the early 1920s Georgia and Azerbaijan were annexed by the Soviet Union and became Soviet Republics until its breakup. Independence and the radical changes that began in 1991 have created tremendous challenges and opportunities. The focus of this academic travel is to understand the history of Georgia and Azerbaijan, and the changes taking place today. The group will visit the capitals, Tbilisi and Baku, as well as other significant towns. Lectures, meetings with local officials and visits to cultural landmarks will provide the basis for understanding its recent history and present situation.

Game Theory, Information, and Contracts

The course investigates in a simple but rigorous way some of the fundamental issues of modern microeconomics, exploring the main concepts of game theory, as well as the basic elements of the economics of information, and of contract theory. A solid background on these topics is essential to the investigation of strategic decision making, the assessment of the relevance of asymmetric and/or incomplete information in decision processes, and the design of contracts. These, in turn, are among the most important issues that firms and individuals commonly need to face in all situations in which the consequences of individual decisions are likely to depend on the strategic interactions among agents' actions, and on the signaling value of information. Proceeding from intuition to formal analysis, the course investigates the methodological approach of game theory (allowing for a systematic analysis of strategic interaction) and the main concepts of the economics of information (allowing to assess the effects of asymmetric or incomplete information on agents' decisions). Further, it combines both game theory and economics of information to provide an introduction to the essential elements of contract theory.

Literary Adaptations

Students gain familiarity with some of the canonical texts of literary tradition as well as the ways in which these have been adapted, rewritten, appropriated, and deconstructed at different times, and for various purposes and audiences. Students explore an interdisciplinary range of texts, from film, graphic novel, drama, and fiction, as they investigate how, in the words of Robert Stam, adaptations “help their sources . . . ‘survive’ . . . changing environments and changing tastes.” As students consider primary texts alongside some adaptation theory, they will ask such questions as: what differences do genre and form make? What are the opportunities and challenges inherent to the process of adaptation? How do multiple versions of the same story trouble our ideas about originality? The course may also focus on feminist and postcolonial adaptations, or those that otherwise challenge or re-chart their original texts, thus providing them with sometimes surprising afterlives. (Recommended prerequisite: LC 100W)