There are a number of goals for this course. By the end of the semester, it is my hope that you will:
* Gain comfort in reading difficult fictional narratives with a careful attention to detail, narrative technique, intertext, and context;
* Reflect on how you read literature and share these reflections with the class;
* Learn to engage in a critical dialogue with your peers and with the scholarship in the field;
* Develop research skills applicable to the study of literature;
* Be able to articulate significant, researchable questions about the works and their literary and historical contexts.
In addition, the primary goal of the course is to help you gain a better understanding of the works of Samuel Beckett, Jorge Luis Borges, and Vladimir Nabokov.

This course is the second of a two-part introductory, calculus based, general physics course intended for non-physics majors. The course is designated to train you in a wide variety of problem-solving skills that you will be able to transfer far beyond this physics course. Doing well in this course does not require you to be a “genius”, but you will have to think about the physical concepts in order to understand them and you will have to apply these ideas in order to solve computational problems. To accomplish the former, all you really need is your brain (in good working order) and the willingness to use it. To accomplish the latter, you will need some mathematical skills. These are reviewed in Appendices A and B, located in the back of the course text.

This course is the first of a two-part introductory general physics course intended for non-physics majors. Doing well in this course does not require you to be a “genius”, but you will have to think about the physical concepts in order to understand them and you will have to apply these ideas in order to solve computational problems. To accomplish the former, all you really need is your brain (in good working order) and the willingness to use it. To accomplish the latter, you will need some mathematical skills, most of which are outlined in the back of the textbook.

Over the last century, there have been many spectacularly bad predictions of how technology will evolve and how it will be used—and a few almost clairvoyant forecasts of technology trends. This course will investigate both. By examining predictions made about the Internet, video on demand, cellular telephony, nuclear power, and other technologies, students will attempt to discern why some predictions work and most don’t. Much of the course will be devoted to techniques in scenario planning and technology assessment which can help to prepare individuals and organizations for an uncertain and unpredictable future. For at least half of the classes, analysts, futurists, and professional forecasters will give guest lectures.

With the explosion of information technology, almost everyone has multiple computer and mobile
devices that interact on the Internet. In addition, on-line social networking and sharing has become
common place; for instance, Facebook, MySpace, and others. Personal information flows freely among
us, even when taking a coffee break on a wireless network. Understanding how to protect your
privacy is everyone’s business. This course gives an introduction to computer and network security
from the perspective of a Internet user and individuals who plan to work in industry positions where
understanding network risks is of great importance. This course will provide background information,
interesting articles, and dynamic guest speakers.

Families and households are universal in world history. Their specific forms, however, vary widely through time and across countries and regions of the world. This course aims to provide students with a deeper understanding of diverse family structures, as well as the connections between the family life and broader socio-economic environment in which they are embedded. We will examine how conditions in the economy, labor market, households, and culture of a society can influence the well-being and functioning of individuals as well as families. We will also examine the reverse interaction—how relationships, patterns and decisions within the family may affect the behavior and performance of markets, enterprises, economic development and the overall economy.

The course will be divided into two parts. The first part will provide an overview of family structure(s) across the world, and develop insights into the economics of marriage systems and associated traditions. The second part of the course will examine economic decisions within the family such as the number of children, investments in health and education, decisions to work outside the home, etc. The role of policy in influencing such decisions, particularly in the developing world, will be highlighted.

Social media technologies are disrupting power equations between consumers and businesses on one hand and citizens and governments on the other hand, especially in the context of emerging countries. Therefore, it is essential that thinkers and practitioners in the areas of business, development and government understand the use and impact of social media technologies.

Through readings, guest lectures, and case studies, the course will provide students the conceptual understanding of the power and philosophy of social media. The course will specifically focus on how social media is changing media, business, development, and government in fundamental ways, especially in emerging countries in Asia and Africa.

The course will also help students gain practical facility in the use of social media tools. More importantly, students will learn meta skills like how to learn to use new social media tools, how to use filters to make sense of social media, how to curate news and knowledge and how to engage in an online public debate.

Through readings, guest lectures, case presentations, and first hand exposure to social media technologies, the course will introduce students to both the promise of social media technologies and the challenges in using them in emerging countries.