Courses
The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.
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- KHC AH 101: (MIS)REPRESENTING HISTORY IN ART
An examination of the ways that historical events have been depicted by artists from antiquity to the present, with an emphasis on the intentional misrepresentation of events ("fake news") to serve the needs of the artists' patrons, usually ruling elites. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. - KHC AN 103: Animals among Humans
This course, "Animals among Humans," complements a hitherto existing course, KHC AN 101, Human among Animals." Comparing and contrasting humans and (other) animals, It explores the relations between them, with emphasis on the experiences of the nonhuman animals themselves. [The other course, Humans among Animals, also explores human-animal comparisons, contrasts, and interactions, but it does so with emphasis on the experiences of the humans involved.] Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. - KHC AS 101: The Pluto Saga: Interactions Between Science, Society, Art and Religion
The change in Pluto's status as a planet generated controversies within the non-science community that far exceeded those among astronomers. This seminar explores the science behind the decision and the varied roles of evidence in reaching conclusions. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking. - KHC AS 102: Energy: The history of a concept
Traces the development of the concept of energy from the 17th century till today. Explores how the concept of energy and the conservation of energy are central to our current understanding of the physical and biological worlds and the universe. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I. - KHC BI 101: Climate Change Biology in Massachusetts: What Would Henry Say?
This course will place Thoreau and Walden within the context of modern climate change biology research. Students will read Walden concurrently with papers on climate change and recent books to appreciate how Thoreau anticipated many modern climate change issues. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking. - KHC CH 140: The Material World
Discussion of how matter (gas, liquid, solid) is cycled within the earth's systems in the context of human use of the earth's resources and contemporary concerns about sustainability e.g. ozone layer, rare-earth elements, hydrocarbon combustion, potable water, plastic recycling. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. - KHC EH 103: Race in America: Understanding the Present by Exploring the Past
Course explores how contemporary racial crises have surprising histories and deep roots in America's cultural imagination. Slave owning in New England? "Black Lives Matter" and 100-year old Confederate memorials? Books, movies, TV drama, journalism today and their urgent historical background. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy. - KHC EK 103: Mechanics on the Charles River Esplanade
An introduction to mechanics, the science of motion, using examples visible on the Charles River Esplanade. Introduction to the concept of force, and to the concepts of mass, momentum, and energy, and their conservation. Students will learn to apply these conservation laws together with dimensional analysis, scaling, and order of magnitude estimation, to a variety of physical systems in and around the Charles River Esplanade. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I. - KHC FT 102: UnAmerican Cinema
This course seeks to understand American film history in light of one set of events: the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings on communism in the film industry and the resulting industry blacklist. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy. - KHC HC 301: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Challenges I
Climate change is one of the biggest environmental, social, political and technical challenges humanity will face over the next century. We ask: What is climate change? How has the world's climate changed over time? How did scientists identify climate change and develop consensus about its causes and likely effects? What are the likely consequences of climate change in different regions of the world? What can be done to reduce the production of greenhouse gases and mitigate the impact of climate change? Who bears moral responsibility for climate change? The course uses a variety of discipli Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. - KHC HC 302: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Challenges II
68.5 million people were displaced from their homes by wars and persecution by the end of 2017. What disciplines and methodologies will help us understand this unprecedented global crisis? A premise of this course is that any understanding of the contemporary refugee crisis requires interdisciplinary study, and the most effective solutions are developed by teams like the interdisciplinary groups you will form in this class. The refugee crisis will provide a lens through which to understand nation/states, culture, identity, technology, trauma, and human resilience. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration. - KHC HC 401: The Process of Discovery
This course introduces students to a variety of research methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative research techniques, data analysis and visualization, and interdisciplinary strategies relevant to students in all disciplines. The course material will be couched in a provocative current issue, such as urban development or gun violence in an effort to engage students in robust conversation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Research and Information Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration. - KHC HC 450: Proposal Workshop: Keystone Project Colloquium
The Keystone Project -- its formulation and design - is at the heart of this course. KHC HC 450 will help students develop a research question or goal, design a feasible project, secure an appropriate advisor, and write a convincing project proposal. Students will also learn oral presentation skills and how to present the significance of their projects in clear language that non-specialists can understand. The Keystone Project Colloquium is required of all students pursing the Kilachand Keystone Project, and is optional for students fulfilling the Kilachand Research Requirement through other pathways. - KHC HC 501: Innovation, Culture and Society I
Students discuss case studies that highlight the impact of innovative research on culture and examine the major challenges that face our society, from access to higher education to health care to race and gender in the workplace. The course also supports students ongoing work on their senior projects. - KHC HC 502: Innovation, Culture and Society II
Students consider the broader implications and potential cultural impact of their research and senior projects. They develop strategies for sharing their work with a general audience, honing public speaking skills and exploring different modes and genres of presentation. They also reflect on their college experiences and contemplate their future paths. - KHC HC 503: Keystone
Keystone independent study. - KHC HC 504: Keystone
Keystone independent study. - KHC HI 102: The Culture of World War I
Studies World War I through works of literature, art, and music. Themes include initial optimism, the brutal reality of the trenches, and consequences of the peace. Works by Owen, Sassoon, Brooke, Kandinsky, Picasso, Grosz, Stravinsky, Butterworth, Freud, West, Junger, Celine. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. - KHC LW 102: Marriage, Families & Gender: Contemporary Legal and Social Controversies
This seminar will critically examine the family, marriage, and gender by asking several basic questions: What is family? What is marriage? Why do family and marriage matter to individuals and to society? What role does or should law have in supporting and regulating families and marriage? In defining parenthood? How do new technologies that provide new pathways to parenthood (assisted reproductive technology, or "ART") and new forms of control over reproduction (such as genetic testing and screening) pose ethical and legal challenges and how should law address those challenges? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking. - KHC MD 101: Fractured Lives and Bodies: Forensic Anthropology, Disasters, and Human Rights
This course will explore the roles and responsibilities of forensic anthropology - a sub-discipline of anthropology that addresses medico-legal issues - in the context of global disasters, forced and voluntary displacements and migrations, and human rights. Namely, what are the varied geopolitical contexts in which forensic anthropologists participate in humanitarian response? What are the ethical issues involved in humanitarian work? How does forensic science in global human rights contexts differ from local applications? How can forensic anthropology contribute to post- disaster recovery? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
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