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As part of the Advanced Mentoring Program (AMP), these courses are designed explicitly for first-year students in order to aid your transition to college-level academics and to establish strong connections to your classmates and a faculty-advisor, who serves as the instructor for this course and related AMP advising seminars.
All new first-year students are registered for one of the following courses for the fall semester. Check your email for your advisor assignment and check out the course description for your first Beloit College course here! Keep in mind that this course will be just one of the four you will take in your first semester.
Explore your AMP Intro Course opportunities
The Great Lakes accounts for 20% of the world’s freshwater, a resource that is diminishing around the globe. In this course, we will read and discuss the myriad of ecological and human impacts that have changed the Great Lakes over time.and current debates about who has access to this water. This introductory-biology course explores both freshwater and marine ecosystems through investigations of evolutionary relationships, ecology, anatomy, and physiology of organisms living in these habitats. Throughout the course, you will build skills that prepare you to be successful at Beloit College. Specifically, we will emphasize scientific methodology (hypothesis formation and testing), quantitative reasoning, laboratory and field techniques (e.g., dissections), and the importance of collaboration with others. Group and individual advising will be integrated throughout the course to support you and your exploration of campus resources that not only bolster, but also enrich, your academic and extra-curricular goals.
Course Name: BIOL 152
Instructor: Tawnya Cary
Are you ready to become a global citizen, transcend borders and express yourself in another language? Then, this course is for you! Inviting all students who are ready to discover the rich Spanish-speaking cultures and engage with its diverse people, to explore Spanish - the language of opportunities. Open to students with no previous knowledge of Spanish, this introductory course in Spanish as a foreign language provides the linguistic, communicative, and cultural foundations to engage in basic daily-life interactions in oral and written Spanish while also building skills in listening and reading. Learning one of the world’s most-widely spoken languages is extremely advantageous for the students’ future employment prospects in business, healthcare, social services, international relations, political science, journalism, education, law, or government. Moreover, through authentic texts, music, film, and art, students will enhance their intercultural competencies, interpersonal and communication skills while learning to think critically about their own roles and responsibilities in our multilingual society. The course aims to be the very first step towards future exploration of the world beyond Beloit in a study abroad program.
Course Name: SPAN 100
Instructor: Gabriela Cerghedean
This course incorporates a variety of activities geared toward first-year students interested in Earth and Environmental Sciences. You will learn the scientific tools and techniques used to reconstruct and interpret the history of Earth, environments, and life. This includes how to identify minerals, rocks, and fossils and what their distribution through time and space can tell us about Earth’s past. We will use Earth’s history to put the rate and magnitude of human-induced environmental change within the context of natural Earth processes. You will also get the opportunity to explore the rocks, fossils, and natural and human history of southern Wisconsin through frequent field trips during the semester. One-on-one and group advising activities are integrated throughout the course to highlight campus resources that will ensure academic success.
Course Name: GEOL 105
Instructor: Jay Zambito
Artists often talk about drawing not as a manual skill, but as a way of seeing. This studio course introduces the basic concepts, techniques, and processes of design and drawing, with an emphasis on close observation and reflection on how we visually experience the natural world. Pencil, ink, collage, charcoal, and other media are used to foster a comprehensive understanding of the descriptive, formal, and expressive possibilities of drawing and design. Through presentations and group discussions, students will begin to develop a language for talking about visual experiences. Hands-on assignments will build observation and drawing skills, and allow students to find their voice as visual artists.
Course Fee: $150
Course Name: ART 115
Instructor: Scott Espeseth
Exploring the work of filmmakers from around the globe, this introductory-level course examines the formal elements of filmmaking as well as the various forces—political, technological, cultural, and economic—that give rise to specific kinds of cinematic art. The course format combines film screenings, brief lectures, discussions, and student presentations. This term our focus will be on a selection of important and/or interesting science-fiction films of the past hundred years, from Metropolis(Lang, 1927) to I’m Your Man (Schrader, 2021). Our goals will be to develop a beginning toolbox for analyzing films, to understand how films are intimately connected to their particular cultures and historical periods, to track the evolution of science-fiction films both stylistically and thematically over the past century, to make comparisons between films that share similar themes/ideas, and to develop the ability to convey effectively one’s thoughts about these films in both discussion and writing.
Course Name: MDST 100
Instructor: Kosta Hadavas
This course is a first step in an exploration of careers in mass media and an essential component of a contemporary liberal arts education. Its emphasis is on writing stories for newspapers and digital media. We will also study ethical issues related to the news, media law, and the elements of quality journalism. You will learn the basics techniques of news reporting, write editorials and personal essays, and interview sources on campus and the community.
Course Name: JOUR 125
Instructor: Shawn Gillen
This course introduces students to literary analysis and close reading by exploring questions of love, sex, and friendship. On the one hand, we’ll look at how these experiences are represented in literature. On the other hand, we’ll study how readers and communities have fallen in love with literature and used it for both personal and political ends. How do women and queer people re-write narratives of sexuality? How can sex, intimacy, friendship, and love be politicized? While developing our skills critically analyzing the cultures we live in today and the cultures of the part, we’ll also explore the culture here at Beloit. We’ll think about what holds us together as a community, what you’ll need to be successful in your time here, and how you can be a part of making this community even stronger.
Course Name: ENGL 190
Instructor: Michael Dango
We are in the business, all the time, of offering and considering reasons why we should take some idea, some claim, some suggestion, to be so. Who should I vote for? Is that theory I learned about in my Sociology class true? What should I have for dinner tonight? Should I select Logic as my AMP course? Logic is a course about how reasoning itself works. It explores the fundamental principles that connect reasons (call them “premises”) to conclusions, so that we can convince others, and be convinced, that something is so. Understanding reasoning makes us better at reasoning. So the answer to that last question above is “yes,” if you want to understand how reasoning works, be better at reasoning, and have some good logical fun, all while earning a unit of credit and satisfying the 1S domain requirement along the way.
Course Name: PHIL 100
Instructor: Matt Tedesco
The dawn of the anthropocene brings new incentives to examine human’s role in nature and their effect on the natural environment. In this course, we examine how the intersections of culture, folklore, and physical landscapes influence concepts of nature and environmental sustainability through the films and writings of Hayao Miyazaki. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we will investigate the relationship between Miyazaki’s work and the challenges of cultural and environmental sustainability in Japan and the ways popular culture has been used to promote environmental sustainability and preserve biodiversity. Students interested in Japan, media studies, and/or sustainability should find this course particularly interesting.
Course Name: JAPN 190
Instructor: Susan Furukawa
Do you like listening to or making music? Would you enjoy exploring new ways to imagine sound? Open to all students, regardless of background or experience with music, this course provides a place for students to develop skills in music theory alongside a conceptual investigation of sound and music. Developed through interactive discussions and collaborative lab sections, skills include basic experience with notations, rhythm, chords, performance, silence, forms, and timbres. Class activities take us beyond either the notes on the page or tracks from a playlist as we study how musical experiences are shaped by intersecting social, political, economic, and historical influences. Topics include the exploration of listening, performance, improvisation, notation, psychoacoustics, temporality, and music’s intersection with the body, race, gender, and class.
Course Name: MUSI 170
Instructor: Daniel Baroksky
This course introduces students to “the economic way of thinking” and to the City of Beloit, relying on examples from our own backyard to reinforce our classroom learning. John Maynard Keynes has stated, “The Theory of Economics does not furnish a body of settled conclusions immediately applicable to policy. It is a method rather than a doctrine, an apparatus of mind, a technique of thinking which helps its possessor to draw correct conclusions.” In this course we’ll cover both microeconomic theory (⅔) and macroeconomic theory (⅓). We’ll use the economic way of thinking to do research on the economic history of Beloit, WI, to investigate division of labor and advanced manufacturing today, and to study macroeconomic indicators in Beloit such as average income, inflation, and unemployment.
Course Name: ECON 199.3
Instructor: Laura Grube
This course is an introduction to both microeconomics (2/3 of class) and macroeconomics (1/3 of class). The microeconomic portion will cover how markets work (both when markets are perfect and efficient, and when there are market failures). In the macroeconomic portion, we will study the overall performance of an economy in the long run (why some countries are rich and others not, why some grow faster than others) and short run (the nature and causes of economic fluctuations). Throughout the course, economic theories will be applied in personal and business matters (e.g., how to prepare oneself for the future labor market, why your college education is a good investment, whether you should trust your real estate agent, whether and when a firm should raise price, etc.), as well as in relevant economic, social or environmental issues such as minimum wage, rent control, poverty, inequality, climate change, lack of access to health care and health insurance, etc.
Course Name: ECON 199.4
Instructor: Diep Phan
Our investigation of sex, race, and power introduces concepts to navigate structures of power, experience, and knowledge at the intersection of different identity categories, including gender, race, sexuality, class, dis/ability, and nation. We’ll use evidence from our home communities, campus, and social media in combination with texts, theories, and ideas that draw from feminism led by women of color, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history, environmental studies, and Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean studies. Our work helps us to “lead fulfilling lives marked by high achievement, personal responsibility, and public contribution in a diverse society,” beginning at Beloit College! Students in this class focus on building real-time skills to create brave social spaces together on campus and beyond. Topics we discuss in this class connect well with Channels events hosted by the Worldbuilding, Curating & Communicating, Justice & Rights, and Health & Healing Channels.
Course Name: CRIS 101
Instructor: Sonya Johnson
All new first-year students will register for one of the following courses for the spring semester. As you browse through the menu of courses, we suggest that you identify at least three courses that interest you. Keep in mind that this course will be just one of the four you will take in your first semester.
All new first-year students are registered for one of the following courses for the fall semester. As you browse through the menu of courses, we suggest that you identify at least three courses that interest you. Keep in mind that this course will be just one of the four you will take in your first semester.
Note about class schedules
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MWF: class meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the scheduled time.
- TR: class will meet every Tuesday and Thursday at the scheduled time.
Explore your AMP Intro Course opportunities (Spring)
An introduction to physical anthropology, which surveys the major components of the field: primatology, fossil evidence and evolution, osteology, and contemporary human diversity and genetics.
Course Name: ANTH 120 01
Schedule: TR 1-3:50 p.m.
This studio course introduces the basic concepts, techniques, and processes of design and drawing. Pencil, ink, collage, charcoal, and other media are used to foster a comprehensive understanding of the descriptive, formal, and expressive possibilities of drawing and design. Group and individual critiques.
Course Name: ART 115 01
Schedule: TR 8:45-11:45 a.m.
Why is chemistry important to other sciences, technology, and society? What processes do chemists use when dealing with real problems? What conceptual models do chemists use to understand and explain their observations? The focus of this course is on the reasons for doing science, the intellectual and instrumental tools used, the models developed to solve new problems, and the assertion that chemistry has a tremendous effect on your personal life and on the decisions made by society. Along the way, we cover atoms, molecules, ions, and periodic properties; chemical equations, stoichiometry and moles; Lewis structures and VSEPR model of bonding; reactivity and functional groups; states of matter and intermolecular forces; relationships between structure and properties. This course discusses chemistry in the context of climate change, food and fuel, and energy use for lighting.
Course Name: CHEM 117 03
Schedule: MWF 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and Tu 8:45-11:45 a.m. (for lab)
Premised on in-depth discussion and analysis of key readings, this survey course covers a broad spectrum of domestic and global issues in public health, including the non-medical [social] determinants of health, health literacy, and disparities in health outcomes. Designed to encourage interaction among students interested in the health professions, this course lays the groundwork for future collaboration and introduces students to possible career tracks as practitioners, analysts, consultants, and social entrepreneurs in the realm of public health.
Course Name: HEAL 140 01
Schedule: MWF 10:00-11:00 a.m.
An exploration of some of the central questions and problems addressed by philosophers, such as: What is it to be a person? How can we live well and act responsibly? What is the nature of justice? Is it possible to act freely? What can we know about the world around us? What is the relationship between the mind and body? These questions, and others like them, are at the heart of philosophy. In this course, we will engage them through the writings of philosophers who have taken on these questions themselves. Expect to think carefully and write critically, skills meant to serve you in and beyond college.
Course Name: PHIL 110 03
Schedule: MWF 8:45-9:45 a.m
Explore your AMP Intro Course opportunities (Fall)
Are you ready for a journey of discovery to vibrant Medieval and Golden Age Spain? In this course (taught in English) we’ll explore history and shared culture through real and imaginary worlds surrounded by (anti)heroes, knights, queens, saints, devils, rogues, witches, and people of diverse backgrounds. Through these explorations we will challenge the existing stereotypes and examine the construction of identity through the multicultural, multireligious, and multilingual context of the period. You’ll engage with literary and visual texts by analyzing themes like love, betrayal, power, vengeance, gender, all encouraging you to discover, reflect, and connect with the complex present-day conceptions of identity.
Course Name: SPAN 190
In this course, we’ll study the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BCE), as organized into a text called the Analects by his students after his death. Confucian teachings have been a foundation for life throughout East Asia for twenty-five centuries. Moreover, the work has broad, international appeal, and its influence has spread in profound ways over the past few centuries. Our course will focus on how Confucian teachings can help us to imagine how we, too, can live our lives in profoundly different times and circumstances. We’ll learn and practice a variety of historical methodologies to build your communication and collaboration skills, which will help you succeed in college and beyond.
Course Name: HIST 150
This course explores how reading (and writing about) 19th-century Russian literature can help us engage some of life’s most important questions: What constitutes happiness? What makes life meaningful? How do we navigate relationships? How do we make good decisions and effect meaningful change? We’ll consider how the works we read relate to a variety of contemporary ideas as well as to our own personal experiences, observations, and aspirations. In the process, we’ll develop college-level skills and strategies for effective critical reading and expository writing, learn about the writing process and the elements of good writing, and practice “joining the conversation” of critical exchange with others.
Course Name: WRIT 100
In this course, we’ll learn about the basics of artificial intelligence (AI), the ethical use of AI, and how AI can apply to and be used in any major or career. Through an investigation of the basics of computer science, math, data science, cognitive science, and engineering, we’ll learn how man-made intelligent systems are at work in our world. We’ll explore theories of AI, cellular automata, computer simulations of intelligent life forms, AI for strategy games, hands-on robotics, and introductory concepts in machine learning, all while practicing skills of creative problem solving, productive collaboration, and effective communication to jump-start your college and career goals in your first semester!
Course Name: TBD
In this course, you will be introduced to the basic concepts, techniques, and processes of design and drawing. Using pencil, ink, collage, charcoal, and other media, we’ll explore and build a comprehensive understanding of the descriptive, formal, and expressive possibilities of drawing and design. As a class, we’ll employ group and individual critiques, practicing skills of communication, critical thinking, and collaboration to support one another as we develop in our understanding of drawing and design.
Course Name: ART 115
We’ll explore the work of filmmakers from around the world to examine and understand the formal elements of filmmaking. At the same time, we’ll investigate the various forces — political, technological, cultural, and economic — that influence and shape different kinds of cinematic art and filmmaking. Through lectures, discussions, student presentations, and film screenings, you’ll learn skills that will support your success in college, including effective written and spoken communication and critical thinking.
Course Name: MDST 100
In this course, we’ll explore important questions of philosophy like: What is it to be a person? How can we live well and act responsibly? What is the nature of justice? Is it possible to act freely? What can we know about the world around us? What is the relationship between mind and body? These questions, and others like them, are at the heart of philosophy. Our exploration of these questions will be through the writings of philosophers who have taken on these questions themselves. Expect to think carefully and write critically, skills meant to serve you in and beyond college.
Course Name: PHIL 110
Our course will explore psychology, or the study of mind and behavior. We’ll examine psychology at all levels, from the smallest cellular unit (individual nerve cells) to the largest questions (how psychology can help us address some of our most pressing social problems). In between these extremes, we’ll investigate topics such as child development, sensation and perception, personality, psychological disorders, and psychotherapy. Throughout all of these topics, we’ll learn and practice the methods psychologists use to ask and answer questions while building your skills in written and spoken communication and critical thinking.
Course Name: PSYC 100
In this course, we’ll examine how the relationship between societies and individuals is formed and shaped. Critical elements of this relationship include social structure, institutions and roles, culture, sex and gender, social class and stratification, social change, methodology, race and ethnicity, and socialization. We’ll develop a sociological imagination, which is a perspective that examines the interplay between structure and agency, or how structures like institutions, policies, and demographic characteristics shape the capacity of an individual to make their own free choices. This course will help you develop skills of effective communication and creative problem solving, skills for success in college and beyond.
Course Name: SOCI 100
Do you have a body? Does that body sometimes feel stiff, sore, or outta whack? This course is for anyone that has a body and wants that body to feel and function better. We’ll study anatomy and apply anatomical theory to create and implement plans to take care of our bodies using the Roll Model Method. We’ll engage with theoretical and applied approaches to self-myofascial release through massage, alignment, anatomy instruction and mental awareness. Utilizing the full set of required Tune Up Balls, articles and current research, and activities, each student will develop and put into practice their own conditioning and wellness plan specially designed for their sport(s), movement, and/or personal training goals. Through this course, you will learn to listen to, assess, and implement the needs of your body and respond as those needs shift both during the semester and beyond employing communication and creative problem solving skills.
Course Name: TBD
In this course (taught in English), we’ll explore how popular Japanese fiction and film portray the horror of modern life — both in the conventional sense of gore and jump scares as well as in the innocuous ways in which everyday life is its own form of horror. We will focus our discussions on how issues that have coincided with Japan’s emergence as a world leader are depicted in popular culture and consider how these fictional representations simultaneously envision, verbalize, and confront various societal ills. Some areas we will explore include the breakdown of traditional family structures, dislocation from traditional homes, and increased racial inequality and poverty.
Course Name: JAPN 280
We’ll explore how economics, a social science that studies how individuals make use of scarce resources, can help us to see the economy and society as a complex system of social coordination. Our investigation will include microeconomics (the study of how individuals and businesses make decisions) and macroeconomics (the study of the economy as a whole). We’ll apply theories from both micro and macroeconomics to understand relevant issues like employment, growth, international trade and finance, monetary and fiscal policy, and environmental issues. You’ll learn in this course how quantitative thinking and creative problem solving will support your success at the college and in life.
Course Name: ECON 199
Our investigation of sex, race, and power introduce concepts to navigate structures of power, experience, and knowledge at the intersection of different identity categories, including gender, race, sexuality, class, dis/ability, and nation. We’ll use evidence from our home communities, campus, and social media in combination with texts, theories, and ideas that circulate in the field of critical identity studies, drawing from feminism led by women of color, and the fields of anthropology, religious studies, history, environmental studies, and Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean studies. Our work helps us to “lead fulfilling lives marked by high achievement, personal responsibility, and public contribution in a diverse society” beginning at Beloit College!
Course Name: CRIS 101