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Take a look at some of the interesting courses being offered this fall

By John Garcia

While students’ focus might be on the end of spring classes, the fall semester will be here soon enough. Undergraduate registration for the fall semester starts today (April 26); depending on the school, graduate program registration may already have started or may begin in the coming weeks.

The Daily wanted to showcase a few interesting and unexpected courses that might fit your schedules, align with your major’s requirements, or simply spark your curiosity. With opportunities to study anatomy using Microsoft HoloLens technology, weigh the ethical considerations of violence and non-violence, and program robots to operate in simulated environments, the fall semester has many offerings to inform and excite.

The courses highlighted here—many suggested by departments—are categorized in the following subject areas:

  • Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Business, Law and Politics
  • Health and Wellness
  • Science and Tech

Looking for other courses that might pique your interest? Check out the Registrar’s website for additional course listings.

Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

ENGL 358/358C/458: American Literature 1914-1960 The Lost Generation

This course explores the prose and poetry of the most celebrated generation of American writers. Students will read the works of E.E. Cummings, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and many more in the context of the art, music, and economic ideas at the time of World War I. 

William Marling, professor of English

HSTY 261: African American History 1865-1945

This core teaching course will guide students in the exploration of prior instances of racial disenfranchisement and subordination of African Americans after the end of Reconstruction in 1877, at a time when new efforts to impose racial disenfranchisement were widespread. 

Noël M. Voltz, assistant professor of history

RLGN 239: Non/Violence

The idea, implementation and ethics of violence and non-violence will be explored and deconstructed from a broad range of interdisciplinary perspectives. Students will consider resistance struggles, violence and the construction of race, and even violence and the construction of individual identity. The goal of the class is for students to learn how to dismantle, dissect, and otherwise deconstruct these contrasting terms and principles.

Deepak Sarma, professor of religious studies

JPN 315/WLIT 315: Origins of Anime: Classical Texts, Modern Manga, Anime and Tales 

Modern anime and manga authors and artists captivate audiences with rich stories and stylized art. This course investigates the origins of these stories by engaging with premodern Japanese texts (in English language translation) and modern literary theory. Throughout the semester, students will pay particular attention to commonalities among these literatures and narrative genres, as well as the extent to which they differ due to temporal/socio/religious/political concerns. Western and Asian literary theories, especially those concerning topics of translation, replacement, negotiation with classics, and gender and sexuality also will be extensively explored. The class will interpret the historic human endeavor of storytelling within the contexts of time and space and through a critical self-awareness of our own positions in the modern world. 

Students will prepare individual research projects and be responsible for finding and presenting primary sources and secondary research. This course fulfills the CAS Global & Cultural diversity requirement and may be taken as JAPN315 or WLIT315.

Beth M. Carter, assistant professor of Japanese

THTR 226: Stage Makeup

This is an introductory, hands-on course in theatrical makeup techniques and tools. Students will study the history of stage makeup, its application, and the relationship between stage makeup and developing a character. The course will explore a variety of makeup applications from basic corrective makeup to special effects including prosthetics, crepe hair and blood effects.

Angelina Herin, associate professor of theater

Business, Law & Politics

LAWS 5215: Health Care and Human Rights

This course combines two areas of law of increasing importance and public attention. Courts, legislatures and administrative agencies around the world often grapple with health law questions in light of new medical technologies, public health crises, and enduring questions regarding treatment choices. At the same time, in a world that is both globalized and plagued by catastrophes such as ethnic cleansing and natural disasters, issues of human rights are at the forefront of public debate. The intersection of health care and human rights, therefore, constitutes a worthy and fascinating area of study. 

Topics to be covered may include, but are not limited to: 

  • An overview of relevant human rights doctrines; 
  • The concept of public health; 
  • The status of the right to health care in different countries; 
  • Biomedical research involving human subjects; 
  • Genetic technologies; 
  • The rights of vulnerable populations such as people with disabilities or the frail elderly; 
  • Environmental abuses and human rights; 
  • Organ transplantation; 
  • Public health emergencies and human rights; 
  • Gun rights and control; 
  • Aid in dying; and 
  • Medical privacy. 

All topics will include comparisons between U.S. law and law in other countries and a discussion of relevant human rights doctrine.Graduate/professional students only; requires permission of both the student’s program director and the School of Law.

Sharona Hoffman, the Edgar A. Hahn Professor of Law

DESN 501.100 OR CSDS 601: Independent Study: Digital Innovation Project

This project-based independent study offers a unique learning opportunity for students to learn how to conceive, design, develop and present novel digital innovation project ideas by working on a client-sponsored, real-life digital innovation project supported by a member of xLab. Students are expected to learn skills in project management, design thinking, digital business models, agile development, presentations, and how to use industry standard digital design, development platforms and tools. Apply to participate in the course. Applications are due May 31.

Watch a video to learn more about the course.

Youngjin Yoo, the Elizabeth M. and William C. Treuhaft Professorship in Entrepreneurship
Co-taught by Erman Ayday, assistant professor of computer and data sciences

Health & Wellness

ANAT 401: Multimodal Human Anatomy 

This is a revised version of the Virtual Anatomy course using HoloAnatomy (HoloLens) in addition to cadavers and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. This course introduces students to the gross anatomical structure of the human body using cadaver prosections and digital 3D technology, including the innovative Microsoft HoloLens. It differs from most traditional anatomy courses (including ANAT 411) not only in its use of 3D imaging technologies but also in its systemic rather than regional approach; the structure of the human body is learned by studying organ systems (e.g., the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system) rather than focusing on one region at a time (e.g., the thorax or the lower limb). This approach gives students the “big picture” of how the human body is organized, thereby providing a solid foundation for other courses that deal with the anatomy of the human body in greater detail. Cadaver demonstrations will allow students to see anatomical systems in context and apply knowledge learned through virtual technologies.

Darin Croft, professor of anatomy
Bryan Singelyn, instructor of anatomy 
Andrew Crofton, assistant professor of anatomy
Rebecca Enterline, teaching associate

BETH 271: Bioethics: Dilemmas

We have the genetic technology to change nature and human nature, but should we? We have the medical technology to extend almost any human life, but is this always good? Should we clone humans? Should we allow doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill? This course invites students from all academic disciplines and fields to examine current and future issues in bioethics–e.g., theory and methods in bioethics; death and dying; organ transplantation; genetics; aging and dementia; fertility and reproduction; distributive justice in health care access. The course will include guest lecturers from nationally-known Bioethics faculty.

TBD – guest lecturers from bioethics faculty

Instructor TBD (guest lecturers from bioethics faculty)

Science & Tech

ECSE/CSDS 373/474: Modern Robot Programming

Modern Robot Programming teaches students to use free and open-source software (Robot Operating System or ROS) to write programs for robots to complete tasks. Importantly, ROS includes a simulation ability (Gazebo) that simulates the robots and environment for the students. ROS and Gazebo are also used for a virtual robotic competition, ARIAC (Agile Robotics for Industrial Automation Competition), sponsored by NIST and industrial partners.  ARIAC provides simulated robots and environments developed by NIST to address the needs of industrial automation.

ARIAC creates environments and scenarios every year for industrial automation tasks in a virtual warehouse that are published for anyone to use. The free, high quality environments will provide a platform for students to develop the basics of programming robotic tasks of interest to the industrial automation community. While it is not part of the course to submit to compete (competition dates, advanced scenarios, etc. preclude this), the ARIAC scenarios provide useful and engaging experiences for students in which they can learn about modern robot programming tools and skills by programming a virtual robotic system. By the end of the semester, teams of three in the course will have created programs that ship virtual orders in the environment developed for the ARIAC competition. Prerequisites: ENGR 131 or CSDS 132

Greg Lee, assistant professor of electrical, computer and systems engineering

ECIV 456: Intelligent Infrastructure System

The Intelligent Infrastructural System course covers a wide range of topics on smart infrastructure systems, including smart materials fabrication, embedded sensing technology for infrastructure condition monitoring, the system models for infrastructural condition diagnosing and adaptive controlling and spatial-temporal integrated infrastructure management systems.

Xiong (Bill) Yu, the Opal J. and Richard A. Vanderhoof Professor and interim chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

ECHE 386/486: Protein Engineering

A unique feature of the course is the project planning module where students design and test peptides specifically for outreach with local high school students. In the future, the NSF CAREER will help fund the service-learning initiative. 

Julie Renner, assistant professor of chemical engineering

Set your schedule

Check the timeline for course registration for undergraduate and graduate students.

Once you’re ready with your schedule, complete registration through SIS.