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AMP Intro Courses
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
Do you like listening to or making music? Would you enjoy exploring new ways to imagine sound and in different spaces? 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, movement/dance, improvisation, sound design, notation, psychoacoustics, temporality, and music’s intersection with the body, race, gender, and class. (1S, C)
Course Code: PART 170
Instructor: Daniel Barolsky
The Great Lakes accounts for 20% of the world’s freshwater, a resource that is diminishing around the globe. In this course, you will read about and discuss the myriad of ecological and human impacts that have changed the Great Lakes over time, and consider ongoing debates over who should have 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 enrich your academic and extra-curricular goals. (4U, Q)
Course Code: BIOL 152
Instructor: Tawnya Cary
This course incorporates a variety of activities geared toward first-year students interested in Environmental and Earth Sciences. You will learn the scientific tools and techniques used to understand the response of our environment to natural and anthropogenic forces. Natural resources (water, soils, climate, and energy) and natural hazards (flooding, volcanic activity, and earthquakes) are among the topics considered, with emphasis on current events. You will also get the opportunity to learn about and explore the minerals, 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. (4U)
Course Code: GEOL 110
Instructor: Jay Zambito
Are you interested in politics and want to learn more about your own views and those of others? Are you curious about the origins and key ideas of political ideologies like liberalism, conservatism, and socialism? Do you wonder where our ideas of freedom, equality, democracy, good government, and political participation come from? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, this is a great course for you! In this introductory course in political ideas, students will read and discuss great political thinkers from the ancient world through the 20th century, including Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, Burke, Marx, Gandhi, and Arendt. By reading these authors closely and discussing their ideas together in class, students will learn about their own political perspectives, the political perspectives of others, and why others might have political ideas different from our own. Topics include justice, freedom, equality, community, good government, power, legitimacy, religion and politics, and revolution. (5T, W)
Course Code: POLS 180
Instructor: Greg Koutnik
Why do certain stories never die? This class explores how the Greeks and Romans used myth to build their world—and how those same stories are still building yours. We’ll investigate the intellectual traditions of the ancient Mediterranean to sharpen your critical thinking and cultural awareness. The twist? A major focus of our journey is “Modern Mythology.” We’ll analyze how ancient structures and themes are alive and kicking in contemporary films, art, music, and even the rise of AI. Come see why understanding the ancient past is the best way to decode our high-tech future. (5T)
Course Code: GLAM 100
Instructor: Kosta Hadavas
This course introduces students to “the economic way of thinking”, which they will learn to use “relentlessly and unflinchingly”, in the words of Gary Becker. In this course, we will study the basic tools and methodology of microeconomic analysis. Topics will include economic reasoning, price determination, specialization, and efficiency. Applications will include international trade, how to maximize profits as a business, environmental protection, optimal tax policy, and toll roads. (3B)
Course Code: ECON 111
Instructor: Ben Adams
Are you looking for relatable experiences about growing up? Do you want to reflect on young people coming of age? Are you curious about Hispanic cultures? The coming-of-age stories in this course focus on young people navigating traumatic experiences, overcoming obstacles, and losing their innocence on their journey to personal growth and adulthood. Students explore compelling stories of Hispanic youth facing trials as they explore their multiple identities, struggle to adapt to societal expectations, seek a sense of belonging, strive for justice, and learn to exercise agency. Students also have opportunities to read, discuss, and write about the choices characters make, the cultures that shape them, and the worldviews they come to adopt. (Taught in English) (5T, C)
Course Code: SPAN 175
Instructor: Sylvia Lopez
We’re reasoning creatures. From trivial matters like deciding what we’re having for dinner tonight, to complex issues in our careers and lives, we’re in the business of offering and considering reasons why we should take some idea, some claim, some proposal, to be so. We reason all the time. Reasoning is also at the heart of the set of problem-solving and communication skills that you will carry with you after you graduate from Beloit College, as you persuade your next employer or graduate program that you’re the right person for them. At Beloit, the classes you take across the curriculum will typically involve reasoning about the content of those classes; but Logic is the only class you will ever take whose content is about reasoning. What are the fundamental patterns of reasoning that make reasoning work? Understanding these patterns and practicing them makes us better at reasoning, and so develops in a distinctive way the skills that are core to a Beloit College education. (1S)
Course Code: PHIL 100
Instructor: Matt Tedesco
Are you curious about how people find meaning in life or how their thoughts, emotions, and actions shape their future? This course will help students see everyday applications of psychology to their own lives with respect to well-being, social relations, and career exploration. Students will gain a greater understanding of how psychologists examine “the self” and social relationships, and the ways in which they affect one’s quality of life. The course content has overlapping themes directly related to the School of Health Science and the School of Global and Public Service. Special emphasis on developmental psychology—-and young adult development, in particular—-will be apparent during our advising and mentoring discussions. (3B)
Course Code: PSYC 100
Instructor: Suzanne Cox
In this course, we will investigate the connection between the mind, brain, and behavior. This course is designed to introduce you to the field of psychology as a science, by presenting basic principles, classic research findings, and current trends from the foundational areas of psychological science. Understanding and interpreting research is at the foundation of psychological science, so we will spend some time learning about how we conduct research and interpret results at the beginning of the course. From there, we will cover biological, cognitive, developmental, social/personality, mental & physical health domains to gain a knowledge base of each and appreciate how they are all integrated within the human condition. Special emphasis on biological and cognitive psychology — especially memory, attention, and sleep — during our advising and mentoring discussions. (3B)
Course Code: PSYC 100
Instructor: Allison Nickel
This course introduces students to restorative justice as a set of practices for encountering difference with openness and empathy, exercising self-reflection and personal accountability, and implementing social and personal change. Students learn these practices in the context of exploring the many different ways we express our humanity, including our gender, race, sexuality, class, dis/ability, non/religiosity, nation, etc., and how they come together with structures of power in the social context of the United States. The course emphasizes community building across differences in identity and experience, using Beloit College as a lab of learning. Students develop the intellectual habits, reflective capacities, and collaborative communication skills required for effective interventions in their current and future social worlds. (3B)
Course Code: CRIS 101
Instructor: Sonya Maria Johnson
In Sociology, we look at the relationships between individuals and social institutions. How do things such as race, gender, level of education, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood influence people’s ability to make choices and shape their life outcomes? We will explore several social institutions in this course. For example, we will study the education system, the criminal justice system, and the family. The main goal of the course is for students to develop a sociological imagination, which is an analytical perspective that examines the interplay between social structure and individual agency. (3B, C, Q)
Course Code: SOC 100
Instructor: Kate Linnenberg
This course introduces fundamental business and economics concepts to students and provides an overview of the various functions within business (management, leadership, marketing, accounting and finance). Students will also get introduced to Excel and learn how to do career planning, network, and develop a resume and LinkedIn profile. By the end of the course, students should develop a better understanding of what the business field is and the various career options within it, and develop an academic and career plan to achieve their goals.
Course Code: BUSN 110
Instructor: Kevin Smith
All human societies face challenges relating to power, identity, conflict, health, sustainability, and climate change. Once we establish a basic understanding of archaeological methods, we consider how different approaches affect the ways archaeologists study the past, often harming descendant communities. Throughout the class, we also examine case studies to better understand how societies responded to different challenges and how a more inclusive archaeology can provide unique lessons for addressing such issues in the present and future. (3B, C)
Course Code: ANTH 110
Instructor: Shannon Fie
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