Autumn first-year seminars (FSEMS), to name a few:
Natural Disasters: Science, Media, and Movies
Professor Aubreya Adams, geology
How accurately do disaster movies portray real natural disasters? This course introduces the science behind these occurrences in addition to examining how the media and film portray them.
Archaeology of Death and Burial
Professor Kristin De Lucia, anthropology
Studying the dead informs how we perceive the living; the human body holds clues to how social identity, political change, colonialism, social inequality, warfare, and other social processes affected past generations. Students examine death and burial practices, learning how they inform archaeological research.
Emerging Technologies: The Science and Potential Implications of Nanotechnology
Professor Rick Geier, Warren ’43 and Lillian Anderson Chair in chemistry
The implications of nanotechnology are vast: from hopes of repairing a body without surgery to fears of irreversible poisoning of the planet. Students critically examine scientific and sensationalist visions of nanotechnology while learning about the process of science.