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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
From the research laboratory to the living room, digital technologies are pervasive, affecting our society and everyone's daily life in diverse aspects. In short, "digital" represents an encoding scheme that can symbolize almost any type of information (numbers, words, music, and video, etc.) by decomposing it into basic pieces and converting each piece into binary units (bits) of zeros and ones, which can be efficiently stored, transmitted, and processed by computers. Digital technology enables the full range of holdings in our museums, libraries, and archives to be stored in complicate patterns using just zeros and ones. It allows the contents to be catalogued, organized, and made accessible to audiences as never before, and it also seriously alters the traditional distribution of information protected by copyrights. The advancement of the theory and practice of management in a digital, networked economy highlight digital technologies and their implications for business and personal life. This Seminar course provides a basic understanding of the digital world of zeros and ones. Students will gain hands-on experience of encoding multimedia signals through laboratory experiments. The course will also bring to the attention of issues encompassing all aspects of digital technology, including the adaptability of users, changes in information distribution, global networking, and protection of intellectual property rights. Professor Taikang Ning obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and joined Trinity in 1986. His teaching and research interests include digital signal and image processing, custom designed programmable chips, and real-time embedded systems. 1.00 units, Seminar
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1.00 Credits
Over the past decade Americans have engaged in vigorous debates about a variety of important issues that require us to think clearly about the relationship between science, law, and public policy. Recently, the issue of global warming has captured the headlines and created controversy as politicians have debated the persuasiveness of scientific arguments that predict an impending environmental crisis. Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease, has criticized the Bush Administration for limiting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. And only last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government may not prosecute doctors in Oregon who prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients under that state's Death with Dignity Act. Did global warming cause Hurricane Katrina and its catastrophic aftermath Should all eleven and twelve year old girls receive Gardasil, the vaccine that can prevent many forms of cervical cancer Do we have the right to die In this seminar we will first seek to understand why scientific evidence itself has increasingly come under attack as policy makers have confronted these vexing questions. We will then explore several of the most important issues that are part of the broader debate about science, law, and policy. These include: stem cell research, global climate change, assisted suicide, AIDS prevention, and Human Papillomavirus vaccine. 1.00 units, Seminar
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1.00 Credits
Science is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as "the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena ." Scientific research is often conducted away from the watchful eye of the public and the media. However, when scientific research is controversial and sensational and reported publicly by the news media, who should be held responsible when data or the interpretation of that data are flawed (as in the misrepresented dangers of Esctasy use) If the research is funded by the federal government (such as biodefense research on Anthrax or Mad Cow Disease), should the funding agency have the right to regulate and oversee how the research is conducted If the researchers testing a new medical device are also major stockholders in the company owning the device's patent, should it matter who performed the tests as long as the results are verifiable and reproducible Through dissemination and discussion of scientific case studies, students will begin to understand the design and implementation scientific experiments and to analyze the ethical implications of scientific research. Students will learn how to critically evaluate current topics of scientific misconduct and conflicts of interest. Questions that will be addressed are the following: What defines a scientist What is the scientist's role in society, industry, academia, and government What are the choices and pressures scientists face What is "good" science What constitutes misconduct (or "bad" science) What responsibilities do scientists have toward students, colleagues, and the ideals within their fields of study Students are required to read, evaluate, and write weekly case studies and participate in class discussions. One group project will be assigned and presented orally to the class. This project involves the selection of current or historical scientific case and a thorough analysis of the history, science, and ethics of the conflict. Weekly readings will be assigned from several sources such as Scientific Integrity: An Introductory Text With Cases 2nd edition, by Francis Macrina and Responsible Conduct of Research, by Adil Shamoo and David Resnik. Other pertinent articles will be assigned at the instructor's discretion. Although no rigorous background in a specific scientific discipline is necessary, students are expected to understand basic terminology and to be able to read and disseminate science written for the general public. 1.00 units, Seminar
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1.00 Credits
Most of us are familiar with the images of Native peoples we find in Hollywood films, on television, and in advertising. What fewer of us see are the responses by native peoples themselves. Yet, since the mid-20th century native peoples throughout the Americas have been producing their own cinematographic explorations of their lives and cultures, which provide powerful responses to dominant stereotypes. After a brief look at some of the more popular films that establish these stereotypes (from Westerns to Disney's Pocahontas, to Dances with Wolves), this course will explore films by native peoples, or with heavy native input, from Canada to Tierra del Fuego in order to explore broader questions of race, ethnicity, tribal identity, citizenship, and cultural rights. We will focus on films that directly challenge dominant visions of native culture, such as Dead Man and Courage of the People, and films explore contemporary native life, such Fast Runner, Smoke Signals, and Pow Wow Highway. We will accompany our exploration of contemporary native film movements with literary, historical, ethnographic, and theoretical readings. 1.00 units, Seminar
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1.00 Credits
Spanish readers throughout the ages have been fascinated with travel narratives and their heroic characters, from classics such as Cervantes' Don Quixote to more recent books like Ferlosio's Adventures of the Ingenious AlfanhuÃ. Each text creates a new world within its pages but more often than not, the stories are set in an actual place and time. New technologies such as Google Earth now allow readers to "visit" these locations virtually and "follow" a story's characters on their journey from place to place. As these technologies facilitate the exploration of all corners of the world from our desktops, new possibilities have opened up to analyze and understand the spaces and places inhabited by their characters. Taking a multimedia approach to reading traditional travel narratives, students will analyze and write about a series of excerpts from various adventure books and short stories from the Spanish-speaking world to study the relationship between fictional characters and the very real geographical and social worlds they inhabit. At the same time, students will develop web-based mash-ups that link these stories to the geographical and textual landscape as well as to a variety of cultural artifacts (e.g., images, videos, story timelines, reference information) to add further depth to these narratives. This multilayered reading will serve as a window into different cultures, their people, and their language. The goal of this course is to use the above mapping tools and other online resources to give students a deeper understanding of the different micro-worlds created by each story. By visualizing the multiple layers embedded within these rich texts, students will be better positioned to analyze them and in so doing, develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Spanish world and culture. Note: This course will be taught in English. Text translations will be provided throughout the sem 1.00 units, Seminar
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1.00 Credits
"Chance and Current Events" is a case study course that introduces probability and statistics in the context of current news stories. Using current events, guest lecture and personal experiences, we will consider how statistics and statistical thinking get used (and abused) in a variety of activities, including polling, public health, marketing, advertising, lotteries. By the end of the course, you will be able to analyze critically the statistics you come across in your day-to-day life. Throughout the course, you will produce and analyze statistical information of your own. You will also evaluate other students' analyses. Some examples of the types of questions that will be addressed are: Why do newspapers report a "margin of error'' for poll results, and what does it mean How can graphs and charts provide information (or misinformation) What makes a good graph How do new cancer drugs get tested, and why doesn't the same protocol work for AIDS How do studies on mice get extrapolated to humans, and do the results make any sense What is quality control, and why is it currently so fashionable in North American industry Paula Russo is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and teaches a wide range of courses from introductory statistics to mathematical analysis and differential equations. She directed the College's Interdisciplinary Science Program for five years, where she developed an interest in the applications of mathematics to other fields, particularly biology and environmental scienc 1.00 units, Seminar
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1.00 Credits
This is a seminar in learning how to find the shape of a poem and to write poetry. We'll read contemporary American poems as well as poems from around the world. We'll talk about our lives and what we read and experience. We'll try to use language more precisely and evocatively, begin with the image and detail, then move to what we've always wanted to say but haven't. Every week we'll discuss the poems we write and use our discussion of poetry (& its joy) to heal some of our wounds and difficulties. A Seminar in the creative act, what it means to be a poet, and the fulfillment of art. 1.00 units, Seminar
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3.00 Credits
States have long had to prioritize their spending, choosing between domestic programs ("butter") and military expenditures ("guns"). How has globalization (broadly defined as unprecedented economic, cultural, and human interconnections and flows across world regions) changed this calculus Today guns (i.e., weapons) and butter (i.e., foods) are major global commodities, produced and traded by transnational corporations and other entities on a massive scale in ways that transcend national boundaries and reshape local communities. This course examines a variety of key foods and weapons that are traded today on a global scale. We look at the evolution of these products and the forces that have shaped them as global commodities and cultural artifacts. To supplement our reading, we also will use exciting new technologies (e.g., GIS mapping) to analyze global flows and networks of key commodities. In addition, this seminar includes a community learning component, featuring field trips to local corporations, organizations, and communities, and opportunities to work on community service projects. Be prepared to consume global foods, if not take up arm 1.00 units, Seminar
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1.00 Credits
Marauding seafarers pillaged the world's oceans for more than two centuries after the voyages of Christopher Columbus. These dropouts from early modern society were a mix of reckless adventurers, free thinkers, and sexual rebels, as well as obsessive psychopaths grasping at quick fortunes. Although some were compassionate and even honorable men (and women), all were criminals facing certain death if captured. However we choose to judge them, the pirates and buccaneers of the early modern period played a key role in shaping the political, economic, and social structure of the New World. This seminar will sort out the myths and realities of the "Golden Age of Piracy." After critically examining romantic nineteenth-century interpretations of piracy, we will employ a rich body of historical evidence to reconstruct the multiple contexts within which piracy and buccaneering actually operated. Topics not usually associated with piracy (the Reformation, for example) will be central to this process of discovery. To understand the pirates and buccaneers of the early modern period, we must first enter the world that produced them 1.00 units, Seminar
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3.00 Credits
In this seminar, we will build our knowledge of health and science and then use it to help others in a community service project on asthma. We will read essays by eminent scientists and physicians and discuss them in class. We will also take advantage of all the health resources in Hartford - learning about asthma from world-class public health officials, health educators and physician-researchers. This will require field trips to various offices and institutions around Hartford, including Hartford Hospital and the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Additionally, we will carry out a semester-long community service project in collaboration with the American Lung Association of Connecticut. Asthma has reached nearly epidemic proportions in Hartford, particularly among Latino and African American children, and we will assist the City of Hartford in educating children and parents about the symptoms of asthma through a curriculum developed by the American Lung Association. This experience is an excellent opportunity particularly for students interested in pursuing a career in the health professions. Finally, we will explore the implications of asthma around the world, particularly in Hartford's Caribbean population and in Trinidad and Tobago. Students will have an option to continue this work through independent projects in the spring semester 1.00 units, Seminar
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