Course Catalog - Middlebury College - Winter 2023
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General Information
Each student may enroll in only one academic, credit-bearing course; each instructor teaches only one course. Students may study independently or as participants in a course, in their major fields or in disciplines they have never studied before. The winter term curriculum consists of a variety of courses, both interdepartmental and departmental, at various levels, from beginner to advanced. Some students also have the opportunity to undertake a winter internship instead of formal study.
Normally, a department may require its students to take no more than one of its winter term courses, in addition to winter term senior work, during four years. Students are urged to take winter term courses in substantially different areas in their first two years. A minimum of two Winter Term credits are required. A maximum of four winter term and a maximum of three summer study credits may count toward the graduation requirement of 36 credits.
2023 Classes
In a typical winter term, all courses meet a minimum of eight contact hours per week, and many courses require additional hours. In winter term 2023, the balance of class meeting time to outside-of-class engaged time will vary from course to course. This winter term will begin on Thursday, January 5. Due to the brevity of the term, it is imperative that each student attend the first class and all classes. Students who miss the first class of winter term must have an excuse from their Student Life Dean.
See Winter Term Catalog, Winter Term Course Scheduling and Winter Term Registration.
Grading System
Winter term courses normally are graded A through F. Some courses, because of their special nature, are graded on an Honors/Pass/Fail basis but must first be approved by the Curriculum Committee. Internships are graded Credit/No Credit. Independent Projects are graded on an A-F basis unless special arrangements are made through the dean of curriculum (e.g., occasional independent projects where the instructor decides that the special nature of the course is better suited to honors/pass/fail grading).
All winter term course work must be completed by the end of the winter session. Grades of Incomplete will be submitted according to existing procedures in consultation with the Student Life Dean, and such work must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the following spring semester.
Students who receive grades of D or F in winter term courses or independent projects are placed on probation. Students who receive an F may need to make up the course credit, but not necessarily during a winter term.
Theses, honors projects, and senior work undertaken or completed during winter term as part of a larger project will be graded under the regular A-F grading system, the grade to be based upon an evaluation of the completed project as a whole.
Waitlists for Visiting Instructor Courses
Please Note: A waitlist is not generated before registration begins or before a class is fully enrolled. Contact information for visiting instructors is not provided before classes begin in January, and visitors do not manage their course waitlist until the term begins.
An electronic waitlist option is available in Banner for each visiting instructor’s course. If a course that you are interested in has filled before you are able to register, please add your name to that waitlist in Banner during registration.
If you would like to be placed on a waitlist for a visiting instructor’s course after the registration period has ended (Nov 9), please contact Diane Burnham at dburnham@middlebury.edu. She will monitor this process until classes begin in January.
If you would like to inquire about a waitlist for a course taught by a Middlebury faculty member, please contact the instructor of that course directly.
Winter Term Independent Study
Students with 8 or more credits may submit a proposal to their faculty sponsor for winter term independent work (0500 Work) either as a continuation of their major or minor or as work outside of their major or minor as long as:
- They have not completed more than two units of winter term independent work; and
- They have received the approval of the chair or director of the department or program in which the work will be completed
Students are not allowed to pursue independent projects during their first winter term.
How to Apply
Contact a faculty member in the department/program in which the work will be done to ask if they will advise the project; once approved by the faculty member, the student should register for that faculty member’s independent project section during the registration period (or by Banner override during add/drop).
Deadline
Ongoing until the Add Deadline
Off-Campus Study
No student may undertake off-campus winter term study during their first year. This includes both September and February matriculates. Once a student has enrolled in an off-campus winter term course, they may not drop the course except in the case of an extreme family emergency.
Off-Campus Financial Aid
Financial aid is NOT available for internships, independent projects, or any off-campus trips, except the winter term courses offered through the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS).
Winter Term Internships
Winter term internships involve a significant high-level exposure to the fundamental work of an organization, with ties to a student’s academic and/or professional interests. They challenged students to apply their liberal arts learning in a real-world setting and provide students with an opportunity to reflect meaningfully on the connections between their classroom learning and their outside-the-classroom experiences. Internships can be pursued by eligible students during winter term and students can apply for the opportunity to earn academic credit for their work in reflecting upon, and making meaning of, the internship experience. The Curriculum Committee oversees this process, in partnership with individual faculty members and with the Center for Careers and Internships (CCI).
Apply
To apply, eligible students identify an internship opportunity and a faculty member whom they wish to advise them in connection with the internship. If the faculty member agrees that the internship provides a worthwhile opportunity for the application of liberal arts learning, the student and faculty member together develop a plan for the academic work that will express the student’s thoughtful reflection on the internship and its connections to their learning. The student then applies for internship credit by submitting an application (i.e., creating an “Experience”) in Handshake and lists the name and contact information of their internship sponsor (work supervisor) and faculty academic sponsor in the application. The two sponsors will receive links via a Handshake email to their respective online forms, which they will complete, indicating their support of the internship terms.
Overview
Students in these approved winter term internships spend a minimum of 4 weeks at 25 hours per weeks (or 100 hours total) engaged in their internship and complete the agreed upon academic work. Winter Term 2022 dates are January 5-February 2. At the end of the internship, the student and the work supervisor submit evaluation reports (due Feb. 13, 2023). The faculty member grades the student’s work in response to the internship on a Credit/No Credit basis (due Feb. 14, 2023). Students with fewer than 8 credits may not undertake winter term internships for credit, and students who take more than one internship in four years should pursue substantially different learning experiences in each. A student may not repeat the same winter term internship for credit. A relative may not function as an internship supervisor. If the internship is in a non-English speaking-country, the committee will expect competence in the language of that country, although exceptions apply. Students can also pursue internships during winter term without receiving academic credit.
Deadlines
The deadline for students to submit an application for Winter Term Credit is December 1, 2022. Students should plan to submit before Thanksgiving break, if possible, to allow adequate time for processing of application.
If you are waiting for approval on a proposed internship, you must register for an alternate Winter Term course during Winter Term registration in case the proposal is denied. Once your internship is approved, you will receive instructions from CCI on how to register or switch your course registration in Banner to the internship.
Contact
More information about internship opportunities and the application process for winter term internship credit is available from CCI, or contact Cheryl Whitney Lower. More information about the faculty member’s role, appropriate academic work in connection with internships, and grading of such work is available from the Dean of Curriculum Grace Spatafora, ext. 5431.
Off-Campus Financial Aid
Financial aid is NOT available for internships, independent projects, or any off-campus trips, except the winter term courses offered through the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS).
Auditing
Prior permission of the instructor is required for any audit. There is no credit for any form of auditing; students cannot audit a winter term course unless they are also enrolled in another academic credit-bearing course. To obtain “official audit” status, in which case the course will be recorded on the student’s transcript, the student must make a request to the instructor, and the student and instructor must agree in writing on conditions for satisfactory completion of the audit. These students must register via the registrar’s office for this formal Audit status.
Community members living in the Middlebury area may audit courses only with the permission of the instructor and the dean of curriculum or designee. Current high school students may not audit courses at Middlebury College.
Introductory Language Programs
Students enrolled in a fall semester 0101 language course who plan to continue in the spring must register for the winter term language course if that language has one.
Distribution Requirement Credit
Winter term courses that may be used to satisfy academic categories and the cultures and civilizations requirement are so indicated in the course description.
Physical Education Classes
Students may enroll in PHED classes during winter term to satisfy the PE requirement, but they must also be enrolled in a credit-bearing academic course. See information on PHED offerings.
Approval Required Courses
To register for any of the following courses, you must first get the approval of the instructor. Even with prior approval, you must still register in BannerWeb during the registration period.
- AMST 1020: Asian American Food Studies
- CSCI 1005: Crash Course in Systems Security
- DANC 0381: Dance Company of Middlebury
- FMMC 1020: Collaborative Video Projects
- HARC 0130 Introduction to Architectural Design
- INTD 1074: MiddCORE 2022
- INTD 1089: Middlebury Entrepreneurs
- MUSC 1013: American Musical in Performance
- MUSC 1025: Electronic Music Production
College Writing Program
After successful completion of a first-year seminar and before the end of the fourth semester at Middlebury, every student must elect a second writing-intensive course. These courses will include regular writing assignments that emphasize further development of the writing skills introduced in the first-year student seminars. The following courses offered during the 2022 winter term will fulfill the college writing (CW) requirement.
Writing Program Courses
- AMST 1020 Asian American Food Studies
- INTD 1035 Oratory Lab: Speechwriting
- INTD 1253: Winter Term Seminar in Liberal Arts
Opt-Out Information
If you are opting out for Winter Term you still must participate in Winter Term registration.
You must register for the following CRN:
CRN: 10415 WNTR 0000 No-Credit Not On Campus Winter
Students registering for this No-Credit option will not earn academic credit during winter term. Questions concerning this No-Credit option should be directed, via email, to registrar@middlebury.edu.
African American Studies Minor
African Studies Minor
Program in American Studies
AMST 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
Select project advisor prior to registration. WTRAMST 0710 Honors Thesis (Winter 2023)
For students who have completed AMST 0705, and qualify to write two-credit interdisciplinary honors thesis. on some aspect of American culture. The thesis may be completed on a fall/winter schedule or a fall/spring schedule. (Select a thesis advisor prior to registration)AMST 1015 American Deaf Culture and History (Winter 2023)
In this course we will explore America’s “DEAF-WORLD” from the early 19th century through the present day. Creative, community-based, and scholarly readings, as well as memoirs, TV shows, films, and material objects will illustrate diverse traditions of “deaf,” including religious, biomedical, and social-cultural forms. Central themes will guide our work: language and communication, community and identity, cultural values and practices, education, artistic and popular representations, technology and bioethics, and activism. Through these themes we will learn about audism and ableism—foundational concepts in deaf studies—as they relate to other systems of power and privilege. Intersecting social identities within deaf cultural worlds also will draw sustained attention. We will engage in a highly collaborative learning process. Small group research projects and interactive class discussions will contribute to deeper learning about continuity and change, and varying perspectives in and about America’s “DEAF-WORLD.” This course does not require knowledge of American Sign Language. AMR, HIS, SOC, WTR (S. Burch)AMST 1017 Material Culture in Focus (Winter 2023)
In this course we will investigate material culture, objects made or altered by human hands and design. We will keep a tight focus on one object or group of objects, cultivating an in-depth understanding and benefitting from access to local collections, curators, makers, and users. The focus will change annually, but the subject will always be an object of material culture that students will examine first-hand and research. Students will then create a lasting documentation and analysis of the work for public benefit, whether as an exhibition, a publication, or a website. This course is part of the Public Humanities Labs Initiative administered by the Axinn Center for the Humanities.For Winter 2023, we will focus on hair and hairwork, exploring the multivalent meanings of hair in American culture, past and present. Nineteenth-century Americans often saved or exchanged locks of hair as mementos, constructing elaborate items of jewelry or keepsake wreaths that emblematized familial relationships and kinship networks. These tokens could serve memorial purposes or solidify friendships. This material, crafted from the body, was often worn on the body, near the heart, or displayed within the intimate space of the home. In more recent decades, hair has become an activist issue and a potent political medium for artists foregrounding feminism and ethnic or racial identity. In this course, we will study many artifacts of hairwork in local collections, conducting archival research and sharing our findings via a website and exhibition; a studio workshop will give us hands-on experience with Victorian techniques of hairwork. We’ll also consider the work of contemporary artists who use hair as a medium: Janine Antoni, Mark Bradford, Sonya Clark, Aisha Cousins, Wenda Gu, David Hammons, Althea Murphy-Price, Paula Santiago. (This course is open to AMST, ART, HIST, and HARC majors, others by waiver) AMR, ART, HIS, NOR, WTR (E. Foutch)
AMST 1020 Asian American Food Studies (Winter 2023)
In this course we will discuss how food shapes a sense of belonging and identity in Asian America. Going beyond how Asian American cultures are consumed through food items and restaurants, we will focus on how Asian Americans have defined themselves through food. Required readings will engage questions about the production, circulation, and consumption of food. We will critically engage the genres of memoir, recipe books, fiction, historical accounts, cultural criticism, and food criticism as we write pieces in each of these styles. There will also be a limited amount of cooking involved in the course. (Approval only) AMR, CW, NOR, SOC, WTR (R. Joo)AMST 1055 Music in the United States (Winter 2023)
In this course we will examine folk, classical, and popular music in the United States from the 17th century to the present. We will use historical and analytical approaches to gain insight into the music, the musicians, and the social and cultural forces that have shaped them. Students will explore music’s relation to historical events, other artistic movements, technological changes, and questions of national identity and ethnicity. Topics will include music in the British colonies, minstrelsy, American opera and orchestras, jazz, popular music, and the experimentalist composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. AMR, ART, NOR, WTR (L. Hamberlin)Cross-listed as:
MUSC 1055 *
Department of Anthropology
ANTH 0500 Advanced Individual Study (Winter 2023)
Prior to registering for ANTH 0500, a student must enlist the support of a faculty advisor from the Department of Anthropology. (Open to Majors only) (Approval Required) WTR (594 seats)ANTH 0700 One-Semester Senior Project (Winter 2023)
Under the guidance of a faculty member, a student will carry out an independent, one-semester research project, often based on original data. The student must also participate in a senior seminar that begins the first week of fall semester and meets as necessary during the rest of the year. The final product must be presented in a written report of 25-40 pages, due the last day of classes.ANTH 0710 Multi-Semester Senior Project (Winter 2023)
Under the guidance of a faculty member, a senior will carry out an independent multi-semester research project, often based on original data. The student must also participate in a senior seminar that begins the first week of fall semester and meets as necessary during the rest of the year. The final product must be presented in a written report of 60-100 pages, due either at the end of the Winter Term or the Friday after spring break.ANTH 1035 Refugees or Labor Migrants: The Anthropology of South-North Migration (Winter 2023)
Millions of people from low-income countries are moving to high-income countries without work visas. If they seek to escape poverty and government corruption, do they deserve to be classified as refugees with a human right to cross international borders? Heightened border enforcement has led to thousands of deaths in the American Southwest and the Mediterranean, and now anxious voters are electing politicians who promise even harsher crackdowns. Based on research with international migration streams, this course will explore debates over asylum rights, border enforcement, the deportation industry, the migration industry, low-wage labor markets and remittance economies, with a focus on Latin American and Chinese migration to the U.S., as well as African and Mideastern migration to Western Europe (Not open to students who have taken SOAN 1021 or SOAN 329) AAL, AMR, CMP, SOC, WTR (D. Stoll)ANTH 1224 Empowerment or Exploitation? Engaging Communities in the Pursuit of Better Health (Winter 2023)
Sustained progress in global health and development requires the participation of target communities. Vaccines, for instance, will themselves do no good if caregivers refuse to vaccinate their children. In this course, we will explore the role of communities in the pursuit of improved health – a state often pre-defined by outsiders without direct community consultation. The course will focus specifically on the evolving role of community health workers within global health and development agendas, emphasizing therein the fine line we tread (as global health policy makers, implementers, and donors) between empowering and exploiting the communities on whose participation our success relies. (not open to students who have taken INTD 1224)Since 2009, Harriet has studied, supported, and advocated for community health systems across the globe, focusing on community health policy, design, implementation, and financing. In her current role on the global malaria team at Clinton Health Access Initiative, Harriet supports countries across sub-Saharan Africa, the Greater Mekong Sub-region, and Mesoamerica to holistically engage community health worker networks as key partners in the fight to eliminate malaria and improve access to basic health services. Harriet holds a Master of Science in Public Health with a focus on community health systems from Johns Hopkins University, and a BA in anthropology from Middlebury College./ SOC, WTR (H. Napier)
Cross-listed as:
GHLT 1224
Department of Arabic
ARBC 0102 Beginning Arabic II (Winter 2023)
This course is an intensive continuation of ARBC 0101. In addition to the goals stated for that course there will be extra emphasis on cultural skills during winter term. (ARBC 0101 or equivalent). LNG, WTR (S. Liebhaber, R. Greeley)ARBC 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRARBC 0700 Senior Thesis I (Winter 2023)
Approval required.ARBC 0701 Senior Thesis II (Winter 2023)
Approval required.Department of Biology
BIOL 0325 Conservation Genomics in Practice: From Genome Assembly to Sequence Analysis (Winter 2023)
Genomic data is increasingly used to inform conservation decision-making in captive and wild populations. In this project-based course, students will gain experience with genomic data generated specifically to address wildlife management needs in Vermont, ultimately contributing to a short peer-reviewed manuscript. We will review a range of sequencing approaches (e.g. Hi-C, RNA, metabarcoding) and how to access public data repositories. Students will actively engage in assembling a genome, including use of the command line and various analysis tools relevant to sequencing technology. Through surveying the primary literature and real-world case studies, students will be able to explore a number of career pathways that bridge molecular biology and conservation science. Note that previous bioinformatics experience is not required. (BIOL 0140 and BIOL 0145; Recommended: BIOL 0211 or BIOL 0314)Ellie Armstrong is a postdoctoral fellow at Washington State University with the Washington Research Foundation. She previously completed her PhD at Stanford University, where she worked on large carnivore genomics (e.g., tigers, lions, bears), genome assembly, and creating genomic-based monitoring tools for conservation./ SCI, WTR (E. Armstrong)
BIOL 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
In this course students complete individual projects involving laboratory and/or field research or extensive library study on a topic chosen by the student and a faculty advisor. Prior to registering for BIOL 0500, a student must have discussed and agreed upon a project topic with a member of the Biology Department faculty. Additional requirements include attendance at all Biology Department seminars and participation in any scheduled meetings with disciplinary sub-groups and lab groups. This course is not open to seniors; seniors should enroll in BIOL 0700, Senior Independent Study. (BIOL 0211. Approval required) 3 hrs. disc. WTR (1287 seats)BIOL 0700 Senior Independent Study (Winter 2023)
In this course students complete individual projects involving laboratory and/or field research or extensive library study on a topic chosen by the student and a faculty advisor. Prior to registering for BIOL 0700, a student must have discussed and agreed upon a project topic with a member of the Biology Department faculty. Additional requirements include attendance at all Biology Department seminars and participation in any scheduled meetings with disciplinary sub-groups and lab groups. (BIOL 0211. Approval required; open only to seniors) 3 hrs. disc.BIOL 0701 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
Seniors majoring in Biology who have completed one or more semesters of BIOL 0500 or BIOL 0700 and who plan to complete a thesis should register for BIOL 0701. In this course students will produce a written thesis, deliver a public presentation of the research on which it is based, and present an oral defense of the thesis before a committee of at least three faculty members. Additional requirements include attendance at all Biology Department seminars and participation in any scheduled meetings with disciplinary sub-groups and lab groups. Open to Biology and joint Biology/Environmental Studies majors. (BIOL 0211 and BIOL 0500 or BIOL 0700 or waiver; instructor approval required for all students) 3 hrs. discBIOL 1007 Reproducible Biology in R (Winter 2023)
Reproducibility is essential at all stages of research and allows for the validation and replication of science, enhancing collaborations and connectivity. The open-source nature of R programming and its ability to analyze and visualize datasets make it a powerful tool in biology. In this course, we will learn the basics of reproducible coding in R and RStudio (no prior knowledge required). Primarily, we will cover: 1) Data structures and creating publication-quality figures; 2) How to ask and answer scientific questions using basic statistics; 3) Creating shareable documents using Rmarkdown; and 4) Reproducibility using GitHub, shell commands, and LaTeX - all within RStudio. Each week will involve a combination of structured lecture, group work, and coding exercises. (Requires BIOL 140 or BIOL 145). DED, SCI, WTR (L. Ash)BIOL 1010 Nanomachines of Cell Death (Winter 2023)
Correctly orchestrated cell death is essential for organismal life. In this course we will examine the cellular nanomachines that execute cell death processes in mammals through the lens of structural biology and evolution. The course will introduce classical and state-of-the-art structural biology methods including X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and cryogenic electron microscopy. We will apply an evolutionary analysis to understand conservation of the cell death machinery across the tree of life. Students will complete written and visual assignments, examine case studies from the primary literature, and learn the basic application of structural biology software (Pymol, ChimeraX). Open to Biology, Biochemistry, and MBBC majors, or by waiver.Alex G. Johnson is a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School who grew up in Norwich, Vermont. He completed his B.A. in Biochemistry at Reed College in Oregon, and his Ph.D. in Chemical Biology at Stanford University in California./ SCI, WTR (A. Johnson)
Program in Black Studies
BLST 1152 Introduction to Swahili and East African Culture (Winter 2023)
This course introduces students to Swahili, the lingua franca of East Africa. Students will acquire a foundation for speaking, reading, and writing Swahili, and will learn how to use it appropriately in East African culture. The use of English in the classroom will be kept to a minimum. The course also provides an introduction to the geography and history of East Africa. This course is particularly useful for students who intend to visit Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda, because its linguistic and cross-cultural training will give them the resources to maximize such an experience. This course counts as elective credit towards the African Studies minor.Dr. Waithera is an intellectual entrepreneur and an educator. She was the recipient of the 2010 Carolina Chiron Award for excellent teaching & dedication to students, an award inspired by the late Randy Pausch’s famous last lecture. Gave her own version of a last lecture entitled, “Humanizing the continent of Africa: Demystifying Myths & Stereotypes that Encroach it”. Her writings span diverse fields-The intersection of pathogens and women’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, Gender, and African languages./ AAL, LNG, SAF, WTR (W. Roki)
Cross-listed as:
INTD 1152 *
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
CHEM 0101 World of Chemistry (Winter 2023)
The goal of this course is to investigate how chemistry impacts our daily lives in both common and extraordinary ways. After learning basic concepts of elements, atoms, and molecules, we will explore topics in energy (petroleum, nuclear, batteries, and solar), environment (global warming and the ozone hole), health (food and drug), and art (color, conservation, and forgery detection). We will perform occasional hands-on activities. SCI, WTR (R. Sandwick)CHEM 0230 Bioinorganic Chemistry (Winter 2023)
Bioinorganic chemistry focuses on the role of metals and metal ions in many biological contexts. Whether it is calcium in cell signaling and muscle contraction or iron for the transport and storage of O2 molecules in the blood, metals are engraved in bioorganic systems in different states and concentrations. In this course, we will first familiarize ourselves with the basics of inorganic chemistry needed for understanding bioinorganic chemistry. We will learn the nature of chemical bonding in bioinorganic systems with the theories and examples associated with them. We will then move toward the biochemistry of molecules - the building blocks of proteins: amino acids, followed by processes of RNA, DNA, and protein synthesis. We will conclude the course with a broad discussion on the role of metals in biological systems and their applications with possibly a few specific examples in detail. SCI, WTR (K. Shrestha)CHEM 0500 Independent Study Project (Winter 2023)
Individual study for qualified students. (Approval required) WTRCHEM 0700 Senior Research (Winter 2023)
In this course students complete individual projects involving laboratory research on a topic chosen by the student and a faculty advisor. Prior to registering for CHEM 0700, a student must have discussed and agreed upon a project topic with a faculty member in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. Attendance at all Chemistry and Biochemistry Department seminars is expected. (Approval required; open only to seniors)CHEM 0701 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
Students who have initiated research projects in CHEM 0400 and who plan to complete a senior thesis should register for CHEM 0701. Students are required to write a thesis, give a public presentation, and defend their thesis before a committee of at least three faculty members. The final grade will be determined by the department. Attendance at all Chemistry and Biochemistry Department seminars is expected. (CHEM 0400; approval required)Greenberg-Starr Department of Chinese Language & Literature
CHNS 0102 Beginning Chinese (Winter 2023)
An intensive continuation of CHNS 0101, this course is required of those wishing to take CHNS 0103 in the spring. Students may anticipate learning a significant amount of new vocabulary, sentence patterns and idiomatic expressions. Skits, oral presentations, writing assignments, and cultural activities are also part of this course. (CHNS 0101) LNG, WTR (M. Harris, D. Liu, C. Wiebe, K. Zhang)CHNS 0500 Senior Essay (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRCHNS 0700 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval required)CHNS 0702 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval required). WTREve Adler Department of Classics and Program in Classical Studies
CLAS 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
(Approval required) WTRCLAS 0505 Ind Senior Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTR (J. Chaplin, P. Sfyroeras, C. Star, M. Witkin, R. Ganiban)CLAS 0700 Senior Essay for Classics/Classical Studies Majors (Winter 2023)
(Approval required)LATN 0101 Beginning Latin I (Winter 2023)
The course offers an intensive introduction to the Latin language that prepares students to read the major authors of ancient Roman literature. In addition to their systematic study of grammar and syntax, students translate excerpts from Vergil, Seneca and the Vulgate Bible. This course is designed for students who have had no previous experience with Latin, as well as those who have had some Latin but want to review the fundamentals of grammar. LNG, WTR (J. Chaplin, C. Star)Program in Comparative Literature
CMLT 0200 Once Upon A Time ... Folk Fairy Tales Of The World (Winter 2023)
Tell me a story! We will examine the complex, inter-connected fairy tale traditions found in every society. Comparing fairy tale variants from around the world-including Japan, China, India, Near East, Africa-we will explore their convoluted and fertile relationships as observed in the rise of fairy tale collections in 15th-century Europe, reaching a culmination in the Brothers Grimm collection, often synonymous with the fairy tale itself. To attain a more dispassionate critical perspective we will explore theoretical approaches to the fairy tales through authors such as Zipes, Bottigheimer, Tatar, and Rölleke, and conclude by examining modern variants in prose, poetry, and film. (not open to students who have taken FYSE 1511) 3 hrs. lect. CMP, LIT, WTR (R. Russi)CMLT 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
Approval Required WTRCMLT 0700 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
A senior thesis is normally completed over two semesters. During Fall and Winter terms, or Winter and Spring terms, students will write a 35-page (article length) comparative essay, firmly situated in literary analysis. Students are responsible for identifying and arranging to work with their primary language and secondary language readers, and consulting with the program director before completing the CMLT Thesis Declaration form. (Approval required.)Department of Computer Science
CSCI 0390 Spatial Agent-Based Modeling (Winter 2023)
In this course students will learn efficient data structures and design techniques for spatially-explicit agent-based modeling using the NetLogo programming language. Agent-based modeling techniques will be applied to problems in the social and natural sciences (such as graph pandemic modeling and population dynamics), mathematics and computational sciences (such as graph algorithms), and agent-based games. We will also explore some advanced programming features of NetLogo. Students will design and implement a significant term software project. (CSCI 0201). DED, WTR (M. Dickerson)CSCI 0500 Advanced Study (Winter 2023)
Individual study for qualified students in more advanced topics in computer science theory, systems, or application areas. Particularly suited for students who enter with advanced standing. (Approval required) 3 hrs. lect. WTRCSCI 0702 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
The senior thesis is required for all CSCI majors who wish to be considered for high and highest departmental honors, and is recommended for students interested in pursuing graduate study in computer science. Students will spend the semester researching and writing, and developing and experimenting as appropriate for their topic. All students will be expected to report on their work in the form of a written thesis, a poster, and an oral presentation at the end of the semester. In addition, throughout the semester, students will meet as a group to discuss research and writing, and will be expected to attend talks in the Computer Science lecture series. Before approval to join the class is granted, students are expected to have chosen a thesis adviser from the CSCI faculty, and determined a thesis topic with the guidance and approval of that adviser. (CSCI 0701 and approval required) 3 hrs. lect./disc.CSCI 1005 Crash Course in Systems Security (Winter 2023)
In this course students will learn the theory and practice of computer systems security. Morning lectures will be complemented by afternoon lab-sessions in which, under the close guidance of the instructor, students will complete both individual and group projects that will deepen their understanding of how (in)secure systems are implemented. Students will learn to use industry-standard tools for performing analysis of system vulnerabilities; be introduced to the systems security research landscape; and gain an understanding of ethical, political, and financial issues surrounding systems security research. (Approval required; CSCI 0202) DED, WTR (P. Johnson)CSCI 1051 Deep Learning (Winter 2023)
As data becomes ubiquitous and computing resources cheaper, many disciplines have turned to deep learning to solve complicated problems. While it has achieved remarkable success in a variety of "human" tasks, deep learning is often treated as a black-box. In this course, we will study deep learning from its foundations and build an intuitive understanding for why it works. Pairing lectures with labs, we will develop cutting-edge deep learning solutions to a variety of real-world problems. We will cover neural networks, convolutional networks designed for object detection, and recurrent networks used for natural language processing. We may also explore other topics including transformers, reinforcement learning, and generative adversarial networks subject to time and interest.(Not open to students who have already taken CSCI 0451.) (CSCI 0200, CSCI 0201, MATH 0200) DED, WTR (T. Witter)Program in Dance
DANC 0240 Writing the Body (Winter 2023)
In this course we will examine the dialogue between the language of the dancing body and the written word through the mediums of movement, contemplative practice, and creative writing, with a focus on poetry and spoken word. Our principal modalities of somatic investigation, textual analysis, reflective writing prompts, and a final performance project all serve to facilitate the discovery of authentic artistic expression in bridging body and voice. This is an experientially based seminar aimed at building a creative process: connecting the insights that emerge from physical discovery to the artful design of language. ART, PE, WTR (L. Jenkins)DANC 0317 Children & the Arts: Teaching Movement & Arts Integration in the Classroom (Winter 2023)
This course will examine the integration of the arts and kinesthetic learning in elementary curriculum. Students will teach standards-based lessons that include the literary, dance, theater and visual arts. Activities will include art projects, sketch journals, reading assignments, and the exploration of community and teaching resources. Students will gain an understanding of the important role the arts integration and hands-on learning can play in the development and implementation of the curriculum. WTR (L. Winfield)Cross-listed as:
EDST 0317
DANC 0381 Dance Company of Middlebury (Winter 2023)
Dancers work with the artistic director and guest choreographers as part of a dance company, learning, interpreting, rehearsing, and performing repertory dances. Those receiving credit can expect daily rehearsals plus technique classes, campus performance, and tour. Appropriate written work is required. Auditions are held in the fall semester for the full year; one credit will be given for two semesters of participation. (Approval Required; limited to sophomores through seniors by audition) WTR (M. Chavez)DANC 0400 Special Topics in Dance: Independent Study (Winter 2023)
(Approval required) WTRDANC 0500 Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTR (317 seats)DANC 0700 Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTR (L. Jenkins, M. Chavez)DANC 1016 Salsa Culture and Performance: Hybridity in Social Change (Winter 2023)
In this course we will learn beginner-level salsa technique: New York Mambo style, Caracas street style, as well as elements of Cuban Casino style. Students will master variations of the salsa basic step, turns, connecting steps, and arm work. Through the study of salsa’s history, political dimensions, lyrical content, and matrilineal legacy, students will develop an understanding of this artistic expression as a dance form, musical genre, and as a voice of resistance and liberation for Caribbean and Latino cultures. We will investigate the legacy of Celia Cruz, Gloria Stefan, Omara Portuondo, and La Lupe. Class discussions, brief writing assignments, and creative projects will serve as opportunities to reflect upon and expand our understanding of the form.Miguel Castillo Le Maitre is a dancer, choreographer, and performer from Caracas, Venezuela. He holds a bachelor’s degree in dance and theatre from Middlebury College, and an M.F.A in Choreography and performance from Smith College./ AMR, PE, WTR (M. Castillo Le Maitre)
Earth and Climate Sciences
ECSC 0500 Readings and Research (Winter 2023)
Individual or group independent study, laboratory or field research projects, readings and discussion of timely topics in earth and environmental science. (Approval only) (formerly GEOL 0500)ECSC 0700 Senior Thesis Research (Winter 2023)
Upon completion of ECSC 0400, all senior geology majors will continue their independent senior thesis research by taking one unit of ECSC 0700. This research will culminate in a written thesis which must be orally defended. (Approval only) (formerly GEOL 0700)ECSC 1010 Telling Time with Geochronology (Winter 2023)
In this course we will explore the field of geochronology: the methods by which the age of rocks and landforms are determined to illuminate the mysteries of ancient earth. Content will include understanding how rocks and landscapes form, as well as aspects of physical chemistry such as radioactive decay and mass spectrometry. Learning will occur through seminar-style discussions and hands-on lab work centered around a 4-week project using U-Pb dating to test hypotheses about the geologic history of Vermont. Students working in small groups will learn how to use instruments such as the scanning electron microscope and laser-ablation mass spectrometry. This course is nominally restricted to geology majors although other interested students are encouraged to contact the professor. SCI, WTR (W. Amidon)Department of Economics
ECON 0500 Individual Special Project (Winter 2023)
If you choose to pursue an area that we do not offer or go in depth in an area already covered, we recommend the Individual Special Project option. These ECON 0500 proposals MUST be passed by the entire department and are to be submitted to the chair by the first Friday of fall and spring semester, respectively. The proposals should contain a specific description of the course contents, its goals, and the mechanisms by which goals are to be realized. It should also include a bibliography. According to the College Handbook, ECON 0500 projects are a privilege open to those students with advanced preparation and superior records in their fields. A student needs to have a 3.5 or higher G.P.A. in Economics courses taken at Middlebury in order to pursue an Individual Special Project. ECON 0500 does not count towards the major or minor requirements. WTRECON 0701 Senior Research Workshop I (Winter 2023)
In this first semester, students will design and begin their projects. Emphasis will be on designing a novel research question (while making the case for its importance) and an appropriate strategy for answering it. This requires immersion in the academic literature on the topic. General research principles and tools will be taught in class, as a group, while those specific to individual projects will be covered in one-on-one meetings. By the end of the term, students will outline their plan for completing the project, including demonstrating that it is a feasible research question for which the necessary information (e.g., data or source materials) is available or can be generated by the student (e.g., lab or other experiment). (Approval required) WTR (R. Gauvin-Coulombe, J. Carpenter)ECON 0702 Senior Research Workshop II (Winter 2023)
In this second semester of the senior research workshop sequence, the focus is on the execution of the research plan developed in ECON 0701. Most instruction is now one-on-one but the workshop will still meet as a group to discuss and practice the presentation of results in various formats (seminars, poster sessions, et cetera) to the rest of the workshop and others in the college and broader communities. Feedback and critiques from such presentations will be incorporated into the project, which will culminate in a research paper in the style of an economics journal article. (ECON 0701; Approval required) WTR (W. Pyle)ECON 1232 Health Care Law, Economics and Regulation (Winter 2023)
In this course we will explore why health care is one of the most highly regulated industries in the U.S. and how government intervention impacts market outcomes. We will discuss how laws and regulation are used to contain health care costs, protect consumers from anti-competitive practices, and ensure consumer privacy and safety. We will rely on actual cases to understand legal frameworks, regulatory structures, and economic outcomes. Students may also have the opportunity to travel to Montpelier, VT to see health policy, legislation, and regulation in action. (ECON 0155 recommended but not required) (This course may be used to fulfill a 200 level elective towards the economics major requirements.)Robin J. Lunge, JD, MHCDS is a Member of Vermont’s Green Mountain Care Board, which is charged with designing and administering health care payment and delivery system reform as well as regulating the health care industry. Previously Lunge served as Governor Shumlin’s Director of Health Care Reform for close to 6 years, coordinating health reform efforts for his administration. She also worked as a nonpartisan staff attorney at Vermont Legislative Council for 8 sessions and provided drafting and staff support in health and human services issues to members of the Vermont Legislature./ AMR, NOR, SOC, WTR (J. Holmes, R. Lunge)
Program in Education Studies
EDST 0107 Introduction to TESOL (Winter 2023)
In this course we will study theories and practices relevant to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the U.S. and abroad. We will examine curricular resources used with adolescent and adult learners, and practice developing materials applicable to a variety of classroom settings. We will also discuss critical issues in the field, such as linguistic prejudice, language maintenance, and social justice pedagogy. Class sessions are largely hands-on, and include student teaching demonstrations with peer feedback. Opportunities for community engagement are also available. The final project is a portfolio that includes a personal philosophy of teaching. (Not open to students who have taken LNGT/EDST 1003) WTR (S. Shapiro)Cross-listed as:
LNGT 0107 *
EDST 0306 Elementary Science Methods (Winter 2023)
In this course we will investigate children’s scientific understanding and how to design learning experiences to advance their understanding. Working closely with practicing elementary school teachers, students will spend five days a week in the schools, observing science instruction, conducting assessments, lesson planning, and teaching standards-based lessons. Students will learn to use a claim/evidence/reasoning framework to develop children’s scientific explanations. We will also study recent research in science education and the engineering and design process. Students will gain an understanding of how to plan, implement, and assess science instruction through seminars. Students will also continue to work on their Vermont licensure portfolio. [Open to EDST Elementary Licensure candidates only]. (Approval Required) WTR (T. Weston)EDST 0317 Children & the Arts: Teaching Movement & Arts Integration in the Classroom (Winter 2023)
This course will examine the integration of the arts and kinesthetic learning in elementary curriculum. Students will teach standards-based lessons that include the literary, dance, thepersater and visual arts. Activities will include art projects, sketch journals, reading assignments, and the exploration of community and teaching resources. Students will gain an understanding of the important role the arts integration and hands-on learning can play in the development and implementation of the curriculum. WTR (L. Winfield)Cross-listed as:
DANC 0317 *
EDST 0327 Field Experience in Secondary Education and Special Education (Winter 2023)
In this course we will examine secondary teaching and special education at the middle school level. In this seminar we will explore, through selected readings and case studies, the policy and pedagogy of special education for students with learning disabilities. Further topics in middle/secondary education will be addressed. Required for students seeking a major in secondary education. (Pass/Fail) (Open to EDST Secondary Licensure candidates only) non-standard grade, WTR (C. Johnston)EDST 0500 Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTREDST 1125 Introduction to Meditation (Winter 2023)
Basic sitting and walking meditation will be taught and intensively practiced. We will use the breath to foster relaxed attention and to gain perspective on our restless minds. Emphasis will be on using these techniques in daily life and academic endeavors. We will read texts from the contemporary American, Tibetan and Zen Buddhist traditions, but the meditation will be employed in nonsectarian fashion applicable to any belief system. Truth should be verified by one’s experience. Students will write papers and give presentations. No meditation experience necessary. (Not open to students who have taken FYSE 1393 or EDST/INTD 0125)John Huddleston retired from the Studio Art Program in 2017. For the last eight years he also taught mindfulness courses at the college./ AAL, NOA, WTR (J. Huddleston)
Cross-listed as:
INTD 1125 *
Department of English
CRWR 0175 The Structure of Poetry (Winter 2023)
This course is a workshop for beginning students in the field of creative writing. Students will read a selection of poems each week and write their own poems, producing a portfolio of their work at the end of the term. There will be an emphasis on revision. Students will be introduced to a range of forms as well, including prose poems, epistles, the tanka, the long poem, and the sonnet. 3 hrs. lect. ART, WTR (K. Gottshall)CRWR 0217 Slam Poetry: Artistry and Politics (Winter 2023)
In this course, we will examine the artistry, politics, and history of slam poetry through a wide range of spoken word performances on video. In addition to writing short critiques, students will develop drafts for two new (3-minute) spoken word poems for performance, working in small groups and also individually with the professor over Zoom. Poets include the likes of Denice Frohman, Danez Smith, Portia O., Andrea Gibson, Rudy Francisco, Emi Mahmoud, Safia Elhillo, G. Yamazawa, Amir Safi, Rachel Rostad, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Yesika Salgado, Glori B., and Samantha Peterson, among others. Warning: some of the material in this course is explicit, emotionally intense, and disturbing. Weather permitting, some meetings may take place outside in person. 3 hrs. lect ART, LIT, WTR (T. Billings)Cross-listed as:
ENGL 0217 *
CRWR 0560 Special Project: Creative Writing (Winter 2023)
Approval Required. WTR (D. Bain, R. Cohen, M. Mayhew-Bergman, K. Kramer, J. Parini, S. Ulmer, C. Wright, K. Gottshall, P. Lourie, A. Losano, D. Brayton)CRWR 1014 The Art of Storytelling (Winter 2023)
We will begin with an overview of oral storytelling traditions, from Native American to Western African to Irish. We will read excerpts from Arabian Nights, and we’ll dabble in psychology. Contemporary readings include work by Amy Tan, Tracy K. Smith, and Carmen Maria Machado. We’ll watch videos of stories told live for The Moth, and we’ll discuss our own family lore. A five-minute story can span decades or a few seconds —we’ll discuss timeline, along with stakes, scene-setting, and perspective. The class culminates in a Story Slam: students craft and perform true stories from their lives, without notes. Grades are based on participation, written analyses, creative writing assignments, and the final presentation.Molly Johnsen holds an MA from the Bread Loaf School of English, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Syracuse University. She works as Academic Coordinator for the English Department at Middlebury./ ART, WTR (M. Johnsen)
ENGL 0217 Slam Poetry: Artistry and Politics (Winter 2023)
In this course, we will examine the artistry, politics, and history of slam poetry through a wide range of spoken word performances on video. In addition to writing short critiques, students will develop drafts for two new (3-minute) spoken word poems for performance, working in small groups and also individually with the professor over Zoom. Poets include the likes of Denice Frohman, Danez Smith, Portia O., Andrea Gibson, Rudy Francisco, Emi Mahmoud, Safia Elhillo, G. Yamazawa, Amir Safi, Rachel Rostad, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Yesika Salgado, Glori B., and Samantha Peterson, among others. Warning: some of the material in this course is explicit, emotionally intense, and disturbing. Weather permitting, some meetings may take place outside in person. 3 hrs. lect (Formerly ENAM 0217) ART, LIT, WTR (T. Billings)Cross-listed as:
CRWR 0217
ENGL 0313 Race, Capitalism, Decolonization (Winter 2023)
What does race have to do with capitalism and profit, exploitation and dispossession? Drawing on contemporary fiction, poetry, and theory, we will consider the intersections of race and capitalism in shaping contemporary epistemologies, institutional practices, and lived experiences in local and global contexts. We will explore how present-day formations of race and capitalism are related to histories of imperialism and the global extraction of labor and resources. Decolonization implies a deep, complex, and multi-faceted process by which the discourses, knowledges, and practices at the core of capitalism and imperialism(s) and their mechanisms of oppression are challenged and dismantled. Please note that, if circumstances require, this course may occasionally be taught remotely. (Formerly ENAM 0313) CMP, SOC, WTR (Y. Siddiqi)ENGL 0500 Special Project: Literature (Winter 2023)
Approval Required. (Formerly ENAM 0500) WTR (99 seats)ENGL 0700 Senior Thesis: Critical Writing (Winter 2023)
Individual guidance and seminar (discussions, workshops, tutorials) for those undertaking one-term projects in literary criticism or analysis. All critical thesis writers also take the Senior Thesis Workshop (ENAM 700Z) in either Fall or Spring Term. (Formerly ENAM 0700)ENGL 1010 The Haunted: Ghost Stories in Literature (Winter 2023)
Ghosts are all around us. They exist in folkloric depictions, in popular entertainment, and in literature. Why are ghosts so omnipresent in our storytelling? What do ghost stories reveal about us—our preoccupations, our fears, our desires? In this class, we’ll examine some ghosts in fiction, looking to discover what they illuminate about the human psyche, whether it be fear of mortality or needing to keep the past alive. We’ll discuss texts that reveal the various ways the spectral holds sway over our imaginations, including Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Samantha Hunt’s Mr. Splitfoot, Jessamyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing, and selections from The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce.Janice Obuchowski’s debut story collection, THE WOODS, is the 2022 winner of the John Simmons Short Fiction Prize through the Iowa Short Fiction Award Series. Her fiction has twice received special mention in the Pushcart Prize anthologies and has appeared in Crazyhorse, Alaska Quarterly Review, Story, Gettysburg Review, Conjunctions online, LitHub, and elsewhere. She served as a fiction editor for the New England Review./ WTR (J. Obuchowski)
Program in Environmental Studies
ENVS 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
In this course, students (non-seniors) carry out an independent research or creative project on a topic pertinent to the relationship between humans and the environment. The project, carried out under the supervision of a faculty member with related expertise who is appointed in or affiliated with the Environmental Studies Program, must involve a significant amount of independent research and analysis. The expectations and any associated final products will be defined in consultation with the faculty advisor. Students may enroll in ENVS 0500 no more than twice for a given project. (Approval only) WTRENVS 0700 Senior Independent Study (Winter 2023)
In this course, seniors complete an independent research or creative project on a topic pertinent to the relationship between humans and the environment. During the term prior to enrolling in ENVS 0700, a student must discuss and agree upon a project topic with a faculty advisor who is appointed in or affiliated with the Environmental Studies Program and submit a brief project proposal to the Director of Environmental Studies for Approval. The expectations and any associated final products will be defined in consultation with the faculty advisor. Students may enroll in ENVS 0700 as a one-term independent study OR up to twice as part of a multi-term project, including as a lead-up to ENVS 0701 (ES Senior Thesis) or ENVS 0703 (ES Senior Integrated Thesis). (Senior standing; Approval only)ENVS 0701 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
This course is the culminating term of a multi-term independent project, resulting in a senior thesis on a topic pertinent to the relationship between humans and the environment. Approval to enroll is contingent on successful completion of at least one term (and up to two) of ENVS 0700 and the approval of the student’s thesis committee. The project, carried out under the supervision of a faculty advisor who is appointed in or affiliated with the Environmental Studies Program, will result in a substantial piece of scholarly work that will be presented to other ENVS faculty and students in a public forum and defended before the thesis committee. (Senior standing; ENVS major; ENVS 0112, ENVS 0211, ENVS 0215, GEOG 0120, and ENVS 0700; Approval only)ENVS 1044 Vermont’s Farms, Food an Future (Winter 2023)
What crops make sense to grow in Vermont? Where is the best land to farm? Who owns land and capital, and who grows the food? What systems and interests shape the answers to these questions? In this course we will examine Vermont agriculture through lenses of climate change, racial equity, and socioeconomic viability. Through reading, discussion, and meeting with food system practitioners, students will understand intersecting and conflicting perspectives related to agriculture and land use. The final project will be a proposed policy, program or enterprise that would contribute to the agricultural future each student believes in for Vermont. This course counts as a social science cognate for environmental studies majors.Jeannie Bartlett ‘15 grows fruit trees in Plainfield, Vermont. From 2016 through 2021 she managed the Franklin County Conservation District, where she developed and implemented programs to assist farmers with stewardship of soil and water in northwest Vermont. She serves on the board of Rural Vermont and is an active member of the VT Young Farmers Coalition. She studied Conservation Biology at Middlebury./ WTR (J. Bartlett)
Cross-listed as:
FOOD 1044
ENVS 1053 The Spirit(s) of Trees (Winter 2023)
What, or who, is a tree? In this course, we will probe central questions in the field of “religion and ecology” using human-tree relationships as our interpretive lens. Emerging scientific views of trees as communicators and climate-regulators evoke ancient, non-utilitarian views of trees. In some Hindu contexts, trees are protected as abodes of the gods, or as divinities themselves. In Thailand, climate activists ordain trees as Buddhist monks. Christian and Jewish authors are reinterpreting the biblical “Tree of Life” in terms of ecological awareness and as solace for climate grief. Drawing on the work of Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Christian scholars, our task will be to get to know trees— and thus, diverse eco-spiritual cultures— in a complex, multireligious way. This course counts as a humanities cognate for environmental studies majors. CMP, PHL, WTR (R. Gould)Cross-listed as:
RELI 1053
Department of Film & Media Culture
FMMC 0507 Advanced Independent work in Film and Media Culture (Winter 2023)
Consult with a Film and Media Culture faculty member for guidelines. WTR (D. Miranda Hardy, F. Shammin, C. Keathley, J. Mittell, L. Stein, N. Ngaiza)FMMC 0701 Senior Projects (Winter 2023)
Students may enroll in this project-based independent credit to complete the thesis work started in the fall. Requires faculty approval based on satisfactory progress in the Senior Tutorial. Projects will include a public presentation at the end of Winter or beginning of Spring term. WTRFMMC 0707 Senior Independent Work (Winter 2023)
After completing FMMC 0700, seniors may be approved to complete the project they developed during the previous Fall semester by registering for this independent course during the Winter Term, typically supervised by their faculty member from FMMC 0700. Students will complete an independent project in a choice of medium and format, as outlined on the departmental website. This course does not count toward the required number of credits for majors, but is required to be considered for departmental honors. In exceptional cases, students may petition to complete their projects during Spring semester.FMMC 1020 Collaborative Video Projects (Winter 2023)
In this course students will learn to work collaboratively either as crew members on the senior thesis films produced for FMMC 0701 or on original projects, depending on availability of resources. Students will receive credit for performing in key creative positions, including Producer, Assistant Director, Cinematographer, Art director, Sound Designer, and Editor. In this class students will learn advanced set operations, while workshopping projects from pre-production to main photography to editorial, post-production and the final screening. Students must do significant pre-production before January. (Honors Pass/Fail; Approval required) WTR (D. Miranda Hardy)FMMC 1030 Video Editing Fundamentals (Winter 2023)
In this workshop course we will explore the theory, mechanics, conventions and aesthetics of video editing. Students will learn the mechanics of the Premier editing platform and be led through a series of assignments focused on various challenges faced by film editors. Students will learn how to get the most out of a narrative performance by using camera angles, edit lengths, and body gestures to create a purposeful flow of action. They will learn to create energy and rhythm in music videos by controlling pace, shot selection, and movements within a clip. Students will edit professionally shot dailies to complete four editing assignments, two narrative and two music videos. There will also be reading assignments, Adobe Editing tutorial assignments, and one Editing Analysis presentation.After graduating from Middlebury, Bee Ottinger went to California Institute of Art and became a video editor for 35 years. She had a small video editing company when music videos started in the 80’s and rode the wave of the evolution of a new way of editing. She has been teaching video editing for ten years./ WTR (B. Ottinger)
FMMC 1033 Adventure Filmmaking (Winter 2023)
With its 2019 Oscar win, Free Solo made ‘adventure filmmaking’ a household term, but many people don’t appreciate the real power this particular medium holds. This course will embrace winter in Vermont by getting outside and documenting four human adventure stories. We will practice techniques and study film, but the bulk of study will be through short collaborative productions. This course will immerse students in film production and empower them as storytellers. While adventure filmmaking is a fun way to get outside, its true power is in using adventure to gain new insights on the human condition, issues of social justice, climate change, and more. This class will challenge students to transcend the stereotypical “adventure film” genre and inspire change.Ryan Scura ’11 is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who focuses on human stories of outdoor adventures. He leads the independent video studio Dooster./ AAL, ART, WTR (R. Scura)
FMMC 1034 Current Affairs Documentary Film (Winter 2023)
In this course we will learn the fundamentals of making a current affairs documentary film. We will chart the path from story identification and pitch to developing sources, investigation, the ethics of news gathering, interview craft, filmic style, structuring, and writing. There will be units on each. We will watch and analyze different styles of current affairs documentary making. Students will participate in hands on writing workshops, and will each come up with a documentary project outline, providing a storyboarded visual treatment, a shoot schedule and a draft script.Hilary Andersson is an award-winning journalist and documentary maker who spent 25 years with the BBC, covering wars in Africa and the Middle East and later working for the BBC’s flagship Panorama documentary program. Hilary is now based in Vermont, from where she travels and continues to make current affairs documentaries on American and international affairs./ WTR (H. Andersson)
Food Studies Minor
FOOD 1044 Vermont's Farms, Food & Future (Winter 2023)
What crops make sense to grow in Vermont? Where is the best land to farm? Who owns land and capital, and who grows the food? What systems and interests shape the answers to these questions? In this course we will examine Vermont agriculture through lenses of climate change, racial equity, and socioeconomic viability. Through reading, discussion, and meeting with food system practitioners, students will understand intersecting and conflicting perspectives related to agriculture and land use. The final project will be a proposed policy, program or enterprise that would contribute to the agricultural future each student believes in for Vermont.Jeannie Bartlett ‘15 grows fruit trees in Plainfield, Vermont. From 2016 through 2021 she managed the Franklin County Conservation District, where she developed and implemented programs to assist farmers with stewardship of soil and water in northwest Vermont. She serves on the board of Rural Vermont and is an active member of the VT Young Farmers Coalition. She studied Conservation Biology at Middlebury./ WTR (J. Bartlett)
Cross-listed as:
ENVS 1044 *
Lois ’51 and J. Harvey Watson Department of French and Francophone Studies
FREN 0102 Beginning French (Winter 2023)
This course is a continuation of FREN 0101, dealing with more complex French. Oral skills are stressed and students participate in the French language table at lunch. This course does not fulfill the foreign language distribution requirement. (FREN 0101) WTR (P. Tarjanyi, L. Sainte-Claire)FREN 0500 Independent Project (Winter 2023)
Qualified students may be permitted to undertake a special project in reading and research under the direction of a member of the department. Students should seek an advisor and submit a proposal to the department well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. (Approval required) WTRFREN 0700 Senior Honors Essay (Winter 2023)
For this one-term course, qualified senior majors who wish to be considered for Honors in French must submit a proposal well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. (Approval required; see requirements.)FREN 0701 Senior Honors Thesis (Winter 2023)
Qualified senior majors who wish to be considered for Honors in French must submit a proposal well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. (Approval required; see requirements above.)Program in Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies
GSFS 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
(Approval required) WTRGSFS 0700 Senior Essay (Winter 2023)
(Approval required)GSFS 0710 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval required)GSFS 1015 Sex and Science, Power and Poison (Winter 2023)
Where does “the” body begin and end, if at all? What cultural forces, material objects, and political systems simultaneously shape us as social subjects and biological bodies? How do our bodies know and transmit experiences of toxic exposures, viscerally and affectively? How do social markers of identity, especially gender, sexuality, race, and class, affect our lived experiences through a toxic world? Reading the works of such intersectional feminists as Thuy Linh Tu, Vanessa Agard-Jones, Traci Brynne Voyles, and Max Liboiron, we will study imbrications of sex, science, and power, with a focus on toxicants, engaging with critical race and queer theories, postcolonial and feminist STS, health social movements, critical public health, and environmental justice.Dr. Melina Packer is a scholar of critical feminist science studies whose research grapples with the messy entanglements of nature, culture, gender, sexuality, race, and animality. She received her PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies./ WTR (M. Packer)
Department of Geography
GEOG 0120 Human Geography with GIS (Winter 2023)
How do geographers study spatial interactions between people and the environment? How does socio-economic status relate to spatial patterns of settlement, social organization, access to resources, and exposure to risks? How can geographic information systems (GIS) help geographers explain these spatial patterns and processes? In this course we will apply GIS to a wide range of topics in human geography including urban, environmental, political, hazards, and health. We will learn how to gather, create, analyze, visualize, and critically interpret geographic data through tutorials, collaborative labs, and independent work that culminate in cartographic layouts of our results. 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. lab. DED, SOC, WTR (W. Hegman, D. Burt)GEOG 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
A one-credit intensive research project developed under the direction of a faculty member. Junior majors only. (Approval Required) WTR (693 seats)GEOG 0700 Senior Research (Winter 2023)
A one-credit intensive research project developed under the direction of a faculty member. Senior majors only. (Approval Required)GEOG 0701 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
Students with a departmental GPA of 3.3 or higher are eligible to complete a two-credit senior thesis. In order to complete a senior thesis, students must have a proposal approved by a primary thesis advisor and a secondary departmental reader prior to registering for the first 0701 credit. Upon completion of the thesis, thesis students will present their work in a public seminar and defend the thesis in front of the departmental faculty. Thesis presentations and defenses will typically take place during the final week of classes or the examination period. Upon completion of the presentation and defense, the primary advisor and secondary departmental reader will be responsible for evaluating and grading the thesis. It is strongly encouraged that students considering a thesis discuss their ideas with an advisor during the semester prior to registering for formal thesis credits. (Approval only)GEOG 1230 Data Science Across Disciplines (Winter 2023)
In this course, we will gain exposure to the entire data science pipeline—obtaining and cleaning large and messy data sets, exploring these data and creating engaging visualizations, and communicating insights from the data in a meaningful manner. During morning sessions, we will learn the tools and techniques required to explore new and exciting data sets. During afternoon sessions, students will work in small groups with one of several faculty members on domain-specific research projects in Geography, Linguistics, Political Science, or Writing & Rhetoric. This course will use the R programming language. No prior experience with R is necessary.GEOG: Students will apply data science tools to explore the geography human-environment relationships around protected areas. We will use household survey and land cover data from locations across the humid tropics where the Wildlife Conservation Society has been tracking human wellbeing and forest resource use in high-priority conservation landscapes. Projects and visualizations will be presented back to WCS to inform their ongoing monitoring and management in these sites.
LNGT: In this section, we will learn how to collect and analyze Twitter data in R. We will focus on social metrics and geographical locations to examine language variation in online communities across the United States. While the emphasis will be placed on linguistics, the statistical and analytical tools will help you work with other types of Twitter corpora in the future.
PSCI: Students will use cross-national data to explore relationships between conflict events and political, social, and economic factors in each nation. What factors contribute to conflict and violence? Our focus will be to find patterns in the data using the tools in R and discuss what those patterns suggest for addressing rising conflict and resolving ones that have already experienced violence.
WRPR: Students will learn to conduct writing studies research through working with "big data” from a multiyear survey of first-year college students about their academic confidences, attitudes, and perceptions. We will explore how educational access, identity, and language background impacts survey responses. Using statistical analysis and data visualizations, as well as writing, we will report our findings. DED, SOC, WTR (J. L'Roe, D. Allen)
Department of German
GRMN 0102 Beginning German Continued (Winter 2023)
This course is the intensive continuation of GRMN 0101 which will further the development of your language skills in an immersion-like environment, and will include bi-weekly cultural readings in English. Classes meet for two hours each morning, then lunch at the language tables, in addition to afternoon and evening activities (e.g. film screenings). Completion of this course is a prerequisite to enrollment in GRMN 0103. (GRMN 0101 or equivalent) LNG, WTR (B. Matthias, F. Feiereisen)GRMN 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
(Approval only) WTRGRMN 0700 Honors Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval only)Cross-listed as:
GRMN 0800
Global Health Minor
GHLT 1014 Global Maternal & Child Health (Winter 2023)
Global Maternal and Child Health*In recent years, increased knowledge and action in global health have led to dramatic reductions in maternal and child mortality, yet significant challenges remain. In this course we will explore themes in global maternal child health including reproductive health, perinatal and newborn health, infectious disease, malnutrition, childhood development, humanitarian emergencies and migration. We will apply a social determinants framework to understand health inequities and explore strategies for strengthening health systems. Students will work in groups to develop a proposal for a maternal child health intervention, with a focus on gaining practical skills in data analysis and proposal writing.
Kim Wilson, MD, MPH is an academic pediatrician and global health professional from Boston with a focus on improving the health of underserved communities in the U.S. and globally. She has worked in Latin America and East Africa with programs to promote maternal and newborn survival, child health, and early childhood development./ SOC, WTR (K. Wilson)
GHLT 1015 Financing Universal Heath Coverage in Low Resource Settings: Protecting the Poor Through Equity-Driven Approaches (Winter 2023)
Global health crises like pandemics tend to expose key gaps in equitable access to health services. It is often the poorest and most disenfranchised communities who suffer the greatest consequences of falling ill. In this course, we will examine the question: “who pays, and who receives healthcare?” We will explore the ways in which equitable access to healthcare is organized and financed in low and middle-income countries. We will analyze and discuss the benefits and drawbacks to using different health financing strategies to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). Students will have the opportunity to utilize real-world scenarios and data to propose equitable health financing reforms for UHC in resource poor settings. ECON 0155 is recommended but not required.Zoe Isaacs leads the health financing team at Partners in Health (PIH). She has spent over five years living and working in Latin America and the Caribbean. Zoe holds an MSc in Health Policy Planning and Finance from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in International and Global Studies from Middlebury College./ WTR (Z. Isaacs)
GHLT 1016 The US Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Global Health Context (Winter 2023)
This course will examine the COVID-19 Pandemic experience in the United States. The class will focus on the US healthcare system capacity and response, differential health outcomes for marginalized and other communities, the politics of COVID-19, and the reasons behind different morbidity and mortality results in the US and in other countries. Source material will include articles from news media, journals, periodicals, online social media accounts. SOC, WTR (D. Torres, W. Hathaway)GHLT 1224 Empowerment or Exploitation? Engaging Communities in the Pursuit of Better Health (Winter 2023)
Sustained progress in global health and development requires the participation of target communities. Vaccines, for instance, will themselves do no good if caregivers refuse to vaccinate their children. In this course, we will explore the role of communities in the pursuit of improved health – a state often pre-defined by outsiders without direct community consultation. The course will focus specifically on the evolving role of community health workers within global health and development agendas, emphasizing therein the fine line we tread (as global health policy makers, implementers, and donors) between empowering and exploiting the communities on whose participation our success relies. (not open to students who have taken INTD 1224)Since 2009, Harriet has studied, supported, and advocated for community health systems across the globe, focusing on community health policy, design, implementation, and financing. In her current role on the global malaria team at Clinton Health Access Initiative, Harriet supports countries across sub-Saharan Africa, the Greater Mekong Sub-region, and Mesoamerica to holistically engage community health worker networks as key partners in the fight to eliminate malaria and improve access to basic health services. Harriet holds a Master of Science in Public Health with a focus on community health systems from Johns Hopkins University, and a BA in anthropology from Middlebury College./ SOC, WTR (H. Napier)
Cross-listed as:
ANTH 1224 *
Hebrew Minor
HEBM 0102 Introductory Modern Hebrew II (Winter 2023)
This course is an intensive continuation of Modern Hebrew 0101. Students will expand their knowledge of Hebrew grammar and vocabulary, will increase their proficiency in oral communication, and will study selections of both audio and visual media related to modern-day Israel. (HEBM 0101 or by permission) 10 hrs. lect. LNG, WTR (M. Strier)HEBM 0500 Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRDepartment of History
HIST 0500 Special Research Projects (Winter 2023)
Special research projects may only be taken during the Junior or Senior year, preferable after taking HIST 0600. Approval of department chair and project advisor is required. WTRHIST 0700 Senior Independent Study I (Winter 2023)
The optional History Senior Thesis is written over two terms, with the final grade applying to both terms. Approval is required. Students submit thesis proposals in the spring before the year that they choose to write their thesis. Students generally begin their thesis in the fall and complete it during winter or spring. Approval is required to begin the thesis in winter or spring. All students must attend the Thesis Writer's Workshops in fall and winter semesters and work with a faculty advisor to complete a 55-70 page paper. Please see detailed guidelines under history requirements.HIST 0701 Senior Independent Study II (Winter 2023)
With departmental approval, senior history majors may write a two-term thesis under an advisor in the area of their choosing. The final grade is applied to both terms. Students must submit thesis proposals in the spring before the academic year that they choose to write their thesis. They must attend the Thesis Writers' Workshops held in the fall and winter of the academic year in which they begin the thesis. The department encourages students to write theses during the fall (0700) and winter terms (0701), but with the permission of the chair, fall/spring and winter/spring theses are also acceptable. Under exceptional circumstances, the department may approve a thesis initiated in the spring of an academic year and finished in the fall of the following year. Further information about the thesis is available from the department.Department of History of Art & Architectural Studies
HARC 0130 Introduction to Architectural Design (Winter 2023)
Are you fascinated by buildings and interested in trying your hand at architectural design? This course will introduce you to principles of architecture and teach you the skills architects use to explore and communicate design ideas. We will consider urban and rural settings, sustainability, energy efficiency, functionality, comfort, and the role architecture plays in shaping community. Classroom instruction by a practicing architect will provide hands-on drawing, model-making, and materials research. Students will work to analyze existing buildings and design their own. Students seeking to improve their understanding of the built environment as well to develop their design-mind to reconcile social-ecological challenges are encouraged to take this course. No prior experience is needed. Approval Only (please contact the instructor at apauchet@middlebury.edu). ART, WTR (A. Pauchet)HARC 0371 AS/Habitat for Humanity Housing Unit: Research, Planning, and Schematic Design (Winter 2023)
Architectural Studies at Middlebury partners with Habitat for Architectural Studies at Middlebury partners with Habitat for Humanity of Addison County for the design and realization of high-quality, energy-efficient, affordable housing. The objective of this studio is to research, plan, and begin the architectural design for a housing unit with a specific program and location. Students will work primarily in the studio space and rely heavily on internal and external review of their work. The course provides a foundation for more advanced study in architecture, landscape architecture, and other fields related to the design of the built environment, and provides opportunities to work with professionals and Cameron Visiting Architects. This studio will continue into HARC 0372. Students should expect a substantial amount of work outside of class time. (HARC 0130 or by permission) 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. lab.John McLeod is a current faculty member and a practicing architect./ ART, WTR (J. McLeod)
HARC 0510 Advanced Studies (Winter 2023)
Supervised independent work in art history, museum studies, or architectural studies. (Approval Required) WTR (P. Broucke, R. Saunders, E. Vazquez, C. Anderson, G. Andres, C. Packert, K. Hoving, A. Kerz-Murray, S. Laursen, E. Garrison)HARC 0530 Independent Architect. Design (Winter 2023)
Supervised independent work in architectural analysis and design. (Approval Required) WTR (P. Broucke, E. Sassin, S. Pottorf)HARC 0711 Senior Thesis: Research and Writing (Winter 2023)
This course is a continuation of HARC 0710 which consists of ongoing, supervised independent research, plus organizing, writing and presenting a senior thesis. (HARC 0301 and HARC 0710). WTR (E. Sassin)HARC 0732 Thesis in Architectural Studies: Design (Winter 2023)
This studio course constitutes the second part of the two-term senior design project in Architectural Studies. Building upon the architectural research, analysis, and preliminary design work conducted during the fall semester, students develop their thesis projects to a higher level of understanding and refinement. Students also engage in intense peer review and work with visiting design critics, concluding with public presentations of the final projects, and a project portfolio describing all aspects of the completed design. (HARC 0731) 6 hrs. sem. WTR (B. Allred)HARC 0761 Senior Thesis: Museum Studies (Winter 2023)
This course is a continuation of HARC 0710, which consists of ongoing, supervised independent work with an advisor, plus organizing, writing, and presenting a curatorial or museum-based thesis or exhibition. (Approval Required)HARC 1010 Museum Studies: Exhibit Design (Winter 2023)
In this course we will explore the many aspects of the exhibit design process in a museum setting–from object care and interpretation through space analysis, display furniture design, graphics, and lighting. Utilizing digital images, readings, and discussions, the class will explore the history of exhibit design from Victorian curiosity rooms to current trends in interactive exhibits and designing for the disabled. Through hands-on exercises, model making, and electronic CAD and graphics programs, students will experiment with exhibit lighting, gallery layouts, and graphic design. Students will keep a daily design journal and as a final project, each student will present a formal design proposal of a particular museum installation. This course will count as an elective towards the History of Art Major.Ken has designed more than 150 exhibits, mostly for his 35-year career at the Middlebury College Museum of Art./ ART, WTR (K. Pohlman)
HARC 1026 I'm So Mad I Made This Sign (Winter 2023)
In an increasingly visual world understanding the constructions intertwining image and text are an essential skill. Graphic design explicitly engages these structures, and in this course we will explore its history and practice through the design of Posters. The poster format offers a variety of challenges for the beginning designer in its uses of direction, narrative, and illustration. Central to the course will be the history and theory of poster design. Putting this history into practice, each student will choose their own topic, research it, and design their own poster. By term’s end each student will have their own 18”x24” poster to be displayed.With an MFA in Design, and a BS in Graphic Design, Sepi Alavi has been designing for 20 years./ ART, WTR (S. Alavi)
Independent Scholar Program
Interdepartmental Courses
INTD 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
Approval Required WTR (1505 seats)INTD 0501 Animation Studio I (Winter 2023)
Independent StudyApproval Required WTR (D. Houghton)
INTD 0502 Animation Studio 2 (Winter 2023)
Independent StudyApproval Required WTR (D. Houghton)
INTD 0503 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
Approval Required WTR (D. Houghton)INTD 0504 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
Approval Required WTR (D. Houghton)INTD 1001 A Liberal Arts Introduction to Marketing and Brand Strategy (Winter 2023)
Brands surround us: Middlebury; Google, Coke. Even you are a brand. But what is a brand? How do consumers make brand choices? And what defines the market of competing brands? In this course we will explore the fundamentals of marketing strategy and branded communications through the lens of a liberal arts education spanning psychology, biology, geography, economics, neuroscience and art history. We will discuss a range of brand cases along with a selective reading list including the gruesome story of Vermont railway worker Phineas Gage, Daniel Kahneman’s classic Thinking Fast & Slow”/, and cartoonist Scott McCloud’s guide to making comics./Tom Palmer is a Middlebury graduate (’85) who has held senior management positions in some of the world’s most admired companies in packaged goods and consumer research. He thanks his Middlebury advisor Bob Churchill and would like to pay it forward to today’s students./ WTR (T. Palmer)
INTD 1002 Climate and Crypto (Winter 2023)
In this course we will explore the intersection of two seemingly contrasting ideas: Climate and Crypto. Climate Change is a mass coordination problem and Crypto (or web3) is a mass coordination tool. Together we will first begin to understand the mechanics and economics of web3. We will then look at the broader climate problem and begin to see where the alignment and incentives of this new economic and technological paradigm can help with climate – in carbon markets, biodiversity, land conservation, and beyond.Craig Wilson is the CEO of the Climate Collective, an organization dedicated to supporting the growing nexus of web3 and climate. He is also the Managing Director of the NYU Tandon Future Labs, and a Venture Partner at Allegory, a web3 and climate venture fund. He co-founded and now serves as Advisor to The Crop Project – a regenerative agricultural processing company focused on kelp. Craig has an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BA from Middlebury College./ WTR (C. Wilson)
INTD 1003 Introduction to Performance Studies (Winter 2023)
In this course we will be exposed to performance as a critical term with broad applications to how humans, events, and environments coexist and engage. How, what, and where we enact has implications; we will expand our notion of performance, acknowledging its centrality in constructing identity, culture, and politics. We will build an understanding of how our actions (individually or collectively) contribute to a unique and dynamic social ecology. While this is primarily a theory course, we will also apply the discourse to some experiential practices. We will read texts within the field of performance studies, analyze critical events, engage in discussions and writing practices, and develop a final project that explores the ideas and actions proposed throughout the course.Nathalie Jonas is a doctoral student in dance studies at Texas Woman's University. Her current research centers on modes of collective performance encompassing carnival, protest, and mourning rituals. Nathalie has been on faculty at Barnard College and Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. She is currently an adjunct professor at Sterling College in Craftsbury, Vermont./ WTR (N. Jonas)
INTD 1004 Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (Winter 2023)
In this course we will study Dostoevsky’s best-known novel, Crime and Punishment (1866) intensively. We begin by reading Balzac’s Eugenie Grandet (1833), which Dostoevsky translated into Russian (1843). Then we turn to the author’s Notes from Underground (1864). Both of these works will serve as an introduction to Crime and Punishment; we will also consult the author’s notebooks for the novel, and compare them with the final version. WTR (M. Katz)INTD 1005 Worldbuilding (Winter 2023)
In this course we will critically examine fictional worlds in literature, cinema, and games. Worldbuilding synthesizes and transforms our understanding of reality into fantastic settings in literature, movies, and video games. We will critically examine the multidisciplinary use of origin stories, symbols and myths, invented histories, and imagined geographies in constructing new universes. Among the questions we will consider are: How do we conceive of coherent places and times? What real world consequences do fictional worlds have on popular beliefs and practices? Students will design their own well-researched and richly detailed worlds during the semester. (Not open to students who have already taken FYSE 1029.) ART, LIT, WTR (R. Lint, D. Houghton)INTD 1006 Understanding Modern China: History, Culture, and Politics (Winter 2023)
What are the most significant historical events, cultural changes and political forces that underlie China’s impressive re-emergence as a global power? This seminar will seek to identify and examine crucial turning points, domestic and external, in the most recent two centuries of China’s long history, political transformations and cultural richness. Following an opening half hour lecture by the instructor, the remainder of most class sessions will be devoted to discussing the assigned readings for each session. Likewise we will be discussing short analytic papers and short oral presentations contributed each week by each seminar participant. No prior knowledge of China expected or necessary. NOA (J. Berninghausen)INTD 1012 Live Your Best (Future) Life: From College to Career (Winter 2023)
In this course students will identify and reflect deeply on their strengths, values, and motivations and learn how to apply self-knowledge to their search for personally meaningful work. Students will be introduced to leading career development theories including Pryor and Bright’s Chaos Theory of Careers, Krumboltz’s Planned Happenstance, Jung’s Theory of Personality, and Appreciative Inquiry; hear from professional experts; and practice skills proven to increase their access to purposeful opportunities in the world of work. Classes will involve instructor led lectures followed by discussions, case studies, videos/podcasts, career inventories, speakers and panels, and individual/group reflections. Students will learn how to use tools and strategies to navigate their immediate and future job searches that will be useful throughout their lifetimes. WTR (T. Himmel Isham, U. Olender)INTD 1014 American Sign Language I (Winter 2023)
In this course students will be introduced to American Sign Language (ASL). This course is intended for students who have little or no previous knowledge of ASL. Students will have an opportunity to learn social functions with respect to introducing themselves, exchanging personal information, describing simple narratives, and they will develop beginning conversational skills based on ASL vocabulary and grammatical rules. The fundamentals of the Deaf Culture will be examined through classroom demonstration and readings. LNG, WTR (J. Pirone)INTD 1029 Creativity, Self, Change (Winter 2023)
This course uses the art of devising to create material as a change initiator, both for self and for society. Work in this course will question hierarchies, binaries, narratives, linearities and the like through readings, exercises, and movement. Beginning with readings on devised theatre (Allison Oddey, Simon McBurney), physical work and collaboration (Dymphna Callery; Twyla Tharp) and theatre for social change (Michael Kustow, Robin Belfield), the course will pivot into guided exercises and culminate with the creation of scenes, dialogues, essays and more. No prior experience with performance is needed. ART, WTR (C. Faraone)INTD 1035 Oratory Lab - Speechwriting (Winter 2023)
What changes when, instead of writing to an imagined reader, we stand and speak to a live audience? Can learning to present with more clarity and conviction make us better writers? And what about coaching? Does learning to help others communicate more effectively make us more effective as well? These are among the questions we’ll explore in the O-Lab – Oratory Now’s new research and development wing. Students will progress through a series of short writing and speaking assignments designed to increase both comfort and connection to the audience. The course will culminate in a speechwriting showcase open to the public. CW, WTR (D. Yeaton)INTD 1074 MiddCORE (Winter 2023)
MiddCORE’s mentor-driven leadership and innovation immersion program builds skills and confidence through collaborative, experiential, and impact-focused learning. Through daily, weekly, and month-long challenges, students gain experience in leadership, strategic thinking, idea creation, collaboration, persuasive communication, ethical decision-making, cross-cultural understanding, conflict resolution, empathy, and crisis management. Acceptance into MiddCORE is by approval only. To learn more about this January's MiddCORE curriculum and to apply to the program, please visit go/MiddCOREwinter. (Pass/Fail; Approval Required) WTR (R. Moeller)INTD 1089 Middlebury Entrepreneurs (Winter 2023)
Middlebury Entrepreneurs is a course for students who want to start their own business or non-profit organization. Students spend the month developing their ideas, building their organizations, and preparing for the culminating event -- pitching their ideas to a panel of venture capitalists,entrepreneurs, and industry leaders. Entrepreneurship is a process through which individuals identify opportunities or unmet needs, allocate resources, and create value-adding products or programs. Students will follow the process from ideation to launch quickly and effectively through deliverables, class discussions, and hands-on mentoring both from professors and visiting entrepreneurs and investors. Class will be focused on building a prototype, testing the intended market or target group, and engaging with potential clients or customers. Students should be prepared for hands-on work outside of class time. At the conclusion of the course, students will compete with their classmates in a pitch competition for bragging rights. (Approval Required; Honors Pass/Fail)
David Bradbury is President of the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) which offers expert business mentoring, venture capital, coworking and accelerator facilities, and substantive networking to the region’s entrepreneurs and next generation employers.
Samantha “Sam” Roach-Gerber is a 2013 graduate of Northeastern University where she studied Organizational Communication and Environmental Studies. As Director of Innovation at VCET, Sam oversees programming and partnerships, membership, events, communications and marketing; she also co-hosts VCET’s podcast, Start Here./ WTR (D. Bradbury, S. Roach-Gerber)
INTD 1125 Introduction to Meditation (Winter 2023)
Basic sitting and walking meditation will be taught and intensively practiced. We will use the breath to foster relaxed attention and to gain perspective on our restless minds. Emphasis will be on using these techniques in daily life and academic endeavors. We will read texts from the contemporary American, Tibetan and Zen Buddhist traditions, but the meditation will be employed in nonsectarian fashion applicable to any belief system. Truth should be verified by one’s experience. Students will write papers and give presentations. No meditation experience necessary. (Not open to students who have taken FYSE 1393 or EDST/INTD 0125)John Huddleston retired from the Studio Art Program in 2017. For the last eight years he also taught mindfulness courses at the college./ AAL, NOA, WTR (J. Huddleston)
Cross-listed as:
EDST 1125
INTD 1127 Trees and the Urban Forest (Winter 2023)
Trees play a very important, if often forgotten role, not only globally, but also locally in our towns and cities. Wildlife habitat, pollution and storm water abatement, carbon sequestration, and energy savings, all arise from a healthy and active urban forest. In this class we will study the uses and values of the urban forest, basic tree biology and identification, arboricultural practices, planning and design, resource management, and community involvement. By using computer models to calculate factors in an urban forest setting, including carbon sequestration and pollution abatement, the class will make proposals related to Energy 2028, as well as develop a tree tour for the campus. (Not open to students who have taken BIOL 1003). This course counts as a cognate for ENVS majors with a focus in the social sciences or humanities.Tim Parsons is Middlebury College’s Landscape Horticulturist. He is a Certified Arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture, a Vermont Certified Horticulturist, and holds a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont./ SCI, WTR (T. Parsons)
INTD 1152 Introduction to Swahili and East African Culture (Winter 2023)
This course introduces students to Swahili, the lingua franca of East Africa. Students will acquire a foundation for speaking, reading, and writing Swahili, and will learn how to use it appropriately in East African culture. The use of English in the classroom will be kept to a minimum. The course also provides an introduction to the geography and history of East Africa. This course is particularly useful for students who intend to visit Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda, because its linguistic and cross-cultural training will give them the resources to maximize such an experience. This course counts as elective credit towards the African Studies minor.Dr. Waithera is an intellectual entrepreneur and an educator. She was the recipient of the 2010 Carolina Chiron Award for excellent teaching & dedication to students, an award inspired by the late Randy Pausch’s famous last lecture. Gave her own version of a last lecture entitled, “Humanizing the continent of Africa: Demystifying Myths & Stereotypes that Encroach it”. Her writings span diverse fields-The intersection of pathogens and women’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, Gender, and African languages./ AAL, LNG, SAF, WTR (W. Roki)
Cross-listed as:
BLST 1152
INTD 1184 Constitutional Law, Adjudication and Advocacy (Winter 2023)
In this course we will explore how cases are developed in the state and federal trial courts and presented on appeal in the Vermont Supreme Court. Taught by a retired Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and a senior status United States District Judge, the course will include both a substantive component focused primarily on United States and Vermont constitutional law and trial and appellate procedure, and an experiential component in which students will participate in a moot appellate court presentation, including submitting a written argument in a “brief” and making an oral argument to a “bench” of one or more judges. Students will examine in depth the briefs, oral arguments and resulting decisions in two recently-decided Vermont Supreme Court cases and will attend the arguments for actual cases being heard by the Vermont Supreme Court. Having read and discussed the briefs and issues in those cases, students will meet with one or more Justices of the Court and the lawyers who presented arguments. Finally, students will read about and discuss “hot topics” in the United States’ legal and justice system, including methods of judicial selection, police officer liability for constitutional violations and the need to modernize state and federal constitutions.Justices John Dooley and Marilyn Skoglund are retired Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court.
/Judge William Sessions is a senior status Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont./ AMR, NOR, SOC, WTR (J. Dooley, W. Sessions, M. Skoglund)
INTD 1210 Hindi for Beginners (Winter 2023)
This course will cover the concepts needed to start reading, writing, and speaking in Hindi at an elementary level. Students will be able to introduce themselves, talk about their families, ask simple questions, give and respond to commands and requests, talk about the weather, and more. In addition to learning the structures necessary for basic conversation, students will also learn how to read and write Devanagari, the script used for Hindi. No prior knowledge of Hindi required.Neha teaches Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, and Persian to undergraduate and graduate students from different universities online. She is currently pursuing a Masters in South Asian languages and literature from Ghent University, Belgium./ LNG, WTR (N. Tiwari)
INTD 1219 Applying New Tools and Technologies to Today's Security challenges on the Korean Peninsula (Winter 2023)
In 2017, North Korea tested a missile capable of delivering a powerful thermonuclear weapon against cities throughout the United States. How do scholars study international security challenges like the spread of nuclear weapons? In this course, students will develop an open source intelligence toolkit applicable to a broad universe of international security challenges, with special focus on nuclear weapons and North Korea. No prior knowledge is assumed, and students outside political science are encouraged to participate. The tools covered, such as satellite imagery, have broad applicability beyond nonproliferation, to areas such as human trafficking, climate change, oceans policy, and counterterrorism. WTR (J. Lewis)INTD 1227 Inclusive Design and Design Justice in Practice (Winter 2023)
Inclusive design is intentional, participatory, and iterative design work that supports a range of human diversity, with the goal of counteracting exclusionary, racist, or exploitative designs that pervade our society. In this course we will learn about inclusive design and design justice through a project-based approach in which students put inclusive design principles into practice in their own project. These inclusive design principles and processes can be broadly applied across industries and design contexts, including but not limited to architectural, technology/UX design, and curriculum design. Our work will be informed by texts including Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need; Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code; and What Can a Body Do? How We Meet the Built World. (Honors Pass/Fail)Dr. Amy Collier is the Associate Provost for Digital Learning at Middlebury, leading the Office of Digital Learning (DLINQ) and working as part of the Office of the Provost team.
/Dr. Sarah Lohnes Watulak is the Director of Digital Pedagogy and Media for DLINQ at Middlebury./ SOC, WTR (A. Collier, S. Lohnes Watulak)
INTD 1234 How (Not) to Get Away with Murder: The Investigation and Trial of a Homicide (Winter 2023)
Det. Danny Reagan is called to investigate the disappearance of a college student last seen at a local, off campus bar. Suspecting foul play, the Crime Scene Team is called in to assist. Utilizing scientifically accepted techniques and pertinent case law, students will help direct and solve the mystery by viewing and analyzing evidence and determining which steps the investigation should follow. Once a suspect is identified and arrested, students will then prepare their case for trial and the scrutiny of the prosecution and defense teams, ultimately learning if they arrested the right suspect.Peter Bevere, '96, is a Deputy State’s Attorney with the Addison County State’s Attorney’s Office and have experience handling cases ranging from domestic and sexual assaults to homicides. I have been an attorney for 19 years, with over 13 years of experience as a prosecutor in both Vermont and Massachusetts./ WTR (P. Bevere)
INTD 1235 Shaping Climate Narratives: Impactful Advocacy (Winter 2023)
In this course we will examine how advocates employ narrative arts to achieve their ends, and how those strategies and tactics can be brought to bear to drive progress on climate issues. The class will engage with distinguished professionals from such disciplines as law, diplomacy and government relations who will share their experiences and perspectives. Each student will prepare a project examining how a particular narrative achieved prominence in its time. The class will collectively consider how Middlebury College might enhance the impact of its Energy2028 initiative.Kim Gagné has amassed deep experience as an advocate in a career spanning the worlds of law, diplomacy, and government relations. Kim’s advocacy experiences include partnership at a Washington white collar criminal defense firm; service as a Foreign Service Officer in Haiti and Saudi Arabia and at the U.S. Mission to the European Union; and senior-level service in Microsoft’s legal and corporate affairs group in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Kim is a Senior Counselor with the strategic communications firm APCO Worldwide and is Board Chair of ID2020.
This course counts as a social science cognate for environmental studies majors. WTR (K. Gagne)
INTD 1249 Politics of Mindfulness (Winter 2023)
In recent decades, “mindfulness” has become a catch-all term for Buddhist-derived practices done in corporate, educational, and therapeutic contexts. Mindfulness practices are touted by some as a necessary panacea for modern ills. Critics argue, however, that they have been unduly stripped of an ethical dimension and thus simply reinforce the status quo. In this course we will examine the history of mindfulness practices in Buddhist traditions, beginning with the canonical Satipa??hana Sutta. We will then draw from popular media and scholarly articles in order to assess the principal debates that surround the mindfulness discourse in contemporary American culture.John Pickens is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley. His research centers on the rise of the guru in medieval Indian and Tibetan Buddhism./ PHL, WTR (J. Pickens)
INTD 1250 Introduction to Real Estate Development and Finance (Winter 2023)
Urban planning and policy can shape cities, but in most cases our environment is actually built, project by project, by individual developers, whose choices of land use, building types, construction methods and operations are shaped by economic factors. Private equity funds, non-profit housing trusts, retailers, hotel operators and entrepreneurs all must grapple with the costs and risks, and potential returns and social impacts of a development project. Students in this course will learn the fundamentals of development, including the valuation of land and structures, financing with debt and equity, non-profit mission-driven development, modeling investment flows and managing risk.Originally trained as an architect, David Hamilton has managed and consulted on innovative development and construction projects in tech office, healthcare, housing and farmland conservation. He teaches at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and is the co-author of Professional Real Estate Development, ULI Press./ WTR (D. Hamilton)
INTD 1252 9?11: Significance & Legacies (Winter 2023)
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States killed nearly 3,000 people. Those attacks, in turn, generated two regional wars—in Afghanistan and Iraq—and a “global war on terror.” This course examines the 9/11 attacks from a number of angles. What factors helped produce them? What was their goal, how were they carried out, and why were they not prevented? How did 9/11 — and the US response to it — help shape (for better or worse) today’s world? Through readings, films, discussion and group activities we will examine the significance and legacies of 9/11. The course will culminate in a two-part conference in which all students will have a participatory role. AMR, CMP, HIS, SOC, WTR (M. Williams)INTD 1253 Liberal Learning in a Time of Challenge (Winter 2023)
In this course, we will explore how an education in the liberal arts and sciences may help one face -our complicated times with added resilience, compassion and curiosity. Our guiding question: how can your education help you live fully in this moment and cultivate a life of the mind—and spirit—that helps you address the challenges in the world around us? We’ll explore this question by way of discussion, written reflection and mindfulness practices and consider texts such as: Frankl, The Search for Meaning; Coates, Between the World and Me, Mandel, Station Eleven, Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air, and Martel, The Life of Pi. (This course is not open to students who have taken INTD 0210) CMP, CW, LIT, PHL, WTR (D. Evans)INTD 1256 Antifascist Yiddish for Beginners (Winter 2023)
While the Nazis massacred the majority of the world’s Yiddish speakers during the Holocaust, in this course we will focus on learning the decimated yet defiant language through the remarkable stories of Jewish women who rose up to fight back against the fascists. By engaging with primary source materials, including underground call to arms, ghetto songs, and partisan poetry, we will build vocabulary and develop an understanding of grammar. We will also look at the history of progressive Yiddish activism in the United States, foster conversational proficiency to discuss its lingering legacy, and explore literary translation as a feminist intervention.Jay Saper ‘13 is a Yiddish Book Center Translation Fellow translating the poetry of Vilna partisan Rikle Glezer. Jay has served as artist in residence at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt, creating papercuts of Jewish women in the resistance to the Nazis, which appear in There is Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart: ending the World as Jewish Anarchists (AK Press 2021)./ LNG, WTR (J. Saper)
INTD 1257 Lost (and Found) in Translation: Opening Our Minds, Eyes, and Ears (Winter 2023)
This course explores the art of translation and what it reveals to us as readers, writers, and members of society. What does it mean to think like a translator, to interpret and transmit meaning from one language to another? What happens as stories travel across cultural contexts, historical periods, and artistic media? Are there limitations to cross-cultural communication? We will train our ears to detect the translator’s craft and discuss what the recent upsurge in the publishing industry’s interest in literature in translation may say about our current literary epoch. Readings include theoretical texts, craft essays by translators, Friel’s play Translations, and literature in translation by authors such as Homer, Rilke, Wang Wei, Dostoyevsky, and Lorca. Finally, we will draw upon the wealth of experts in translation on the Middlebury campus to join us for class discussions. This is an analytical and experientially based course which will culminate in a final paper: a critical analysis, an original translation accompanied by a translator’s note, or a creative project applying “translation thinking” across various artistic media. No prior knowledge of foreign language required. WTR (E. Kan)INTD 1258 Health Care in the U.S. (Winter 2023)
At a time when achieving consensus on anything is close to impossible, nearly everyone believes our current healthcare system is broken. In this course we will examine trends in health and in healthcare in the United States over the last 30 years. Through reading and discussion of original sources, as well as vignettes selected from the instructor’s career as an anesthesiologist, students in this seminar will explore the complexities of our current healthcare system, evaluate its attributes and failings, compare it with other systems around the world, and wrestle with questions posed by our current trajectory.Richard Finkelstein had a 30+ year career as an anesthesiologist, taking care of patients in the operating room, ICU, ER, and obstetric ward. He also was on the Board of the local physician-owned insurance company that administered the Medicaid plan for their county./ WTR (R. Finkelstein)
INTD 1259 Conflict Transformation: Approaches and Skills (Winter 2023)
This course will introduce to students to a variety of approaches to conflict transformation (CT), including intercultural competence, mediation, restorative practices, and structured dialogue. CT skills enrich classroom learning and prepare students to be effective citizens in a polarized public square. To transform conflict, we must first understand the nature of conflict and then develop tools to build healthy relationships and communities – locally, nationally, and globally. Students will learn about the drivers of conflict and then practice CT skills in the course. This course is part of a Middlebury-wide CT initiative, and this course foundational for students who wish to pursue practicum or research opportunities in other CT programs. SOC, WTR (S. Viner, J. Portilla, S. Stroup)INTD 1260 The Medieval City and Communal Thought, 1200-1919 (Winter 2023)
In this course we will examine the legacy of the medieval European city in communal political thought between the thirteenth and early twentieth centuries. We begin with texts produced by medieval legists, philosophers, and chroniclers such as Philippe de Beaumanoir, Thomas More, and Jean Froissart. Using contemporary scholarship on medieval urban phenomena like guilds, charity, and the commune as a foundation, we then study a series of nineteenth-century radicals who placed aspects of the medieval city at the center of their communal thought: Marx, Engels, Kropotkin, Rosa Luxemburg, Proudhon, Matilda Gage, and Kautsky. These voices represent unexpected mobilizations of the medieval past as inspiration, lesson, and analytical category for understanding the radical outpourings that shook Europe c. 1848-1919.Ron Makleff is a historian of late medieval and early modern Europe focusing on cities, the emergence of the nation-state, and the material and intellectual legacies of archives as institutions of power, memory and forgetting./ WTR (R. Makleff)
INTD 1261 Thinking Historically about Africa: Introduction to African Historiography (Winter 2023)
How do historians think about Africa? This course is intended to introduce students to the key debates, themes, and frameworks that have shaped the study of African history over the course of the past century. Following an introduction to historiographical analysis—a key skill for any student planning on continuing to graduate level studies, the course will be conducted as a reading and discussion seminar. In this class, we will cover major shifts in historical thinking about Africa, reading selections from a variety of scholarship that have been influential in the field of African history. Students will then read a recent monograph on African history of their choice and analyze it in the context of the historiography of the field.Jodie Marshall (PhD, Michigan State University) is a historian of transnationalism on the East African coast. Her research examines the history of migration between the Arabian Peninsula and the Zanzibari Archipelago from the 19th century to the 21st./ SAF, WTR (J. Marshall)
INTN 1052 Coaching & Issues in Sports (Winter 2023)
Coaching and Issues in Sports *In this team-taught course we will examine coaching and its impact on students from elementary school through the college level. Students will develop a portfolio that will include coaching philosophy, sport psychology, physiology, and sport pedagogy. Each student will learn teaching techniques for their sport or sports of interest. Guest speakers will lead discussions on current issues happening in the world of sports. Outside reading with response papers, in class participation, and a final portfolio will determine the grade. (Open to Juniors and Seniors only). (Athletic Faculty) WTR (E. Dalton)
Program in International & Global Studies
IGST 0500 East Asian Studies Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRIGST 0501 Latin American Studies Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTR (J. Maluccio, M. Williams)IGST 0502 Middle East Studies Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRIGST 0503 African Studies Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTR (M. Sheridan)IGST 0504 South Asian Studies Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRIGST 0505 European Studies Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRIGST 0507 Global Security Studies Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Only) WTR (99 seats) (S. Stroup)IGST 0508 Global Gender and Sexuality Studies Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Only)IGST 0700 Senior Work (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required)IGST 0701 Russian and East European Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required)IGST 0702 European Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required)IGST 0703 Latin American Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required)IGST 0704 East Asian Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required)IGST 0705 African Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required)IGST 0706 Middle East Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required)IGST 0707 South Asian Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required)IGST 0708 Global Security Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Only)IGST 0709 Global Migration and Diaspora Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Only)IGST 0710 Global Gender and Sexuality Studies Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Only)IGST 0711 Global Environmental Change Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Only)Program in International Politics and Economics
IPEC 0500 Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRIPEC 0700 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTR (P. Matthews, G. Winslett, T. Byker, J. Lunstead, A. Stanger, C. Craven, M. Williams, A. Fieldhouse, E. Gong, N. Horning, A. Yuen, E. Wolcott, O. Lewis, A. Rao)Department of Italian
ITAL 0102 Beginning Italian II (Winter 2023)
This course is a continuation of ITAL 0101, and emphasizes spoken and written Italian and the mastery of more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary. Students continue to work with conversation partners, but will also incorporate more specific cultural references in oral presentations and in written assignments. Students attend the Italian table and mandatory film screenings. (ITAL 0101 or equivalent) LNG, WTR (I. Brancoli Busdraghi)ITAL 0550 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
Italian faculty as a group will consider and approve requests by qualified juniors and seniors to engage in independent work. Students must submit a prospectus that includes a bibliography of no less than five sources. Interested students should contact members of the Italian faculty before the end of the preceding term to discuss their project and to see if they are available to direct the Independent Study. Students must submit a prospectus with the department chair by the end of the first week of classesfor fall and spring term approvals, by the end the last week of fall semesterfor winter term approvals. Prior to submission, sufficient advance consultation with project directors is required.Junior students are strongly encouraged to consider independent study as preparation for senior honors thesis work. WTR (S. Carletti, P. Zupan, S. Mula, I. Brancoli Busdraghi)ITAL 0755 Senior Honors (Winter 2023)
Students majoring in Italian must complete an independent senior project. Italian faculty as a group will consider and approve the proposals, which should be submitted before the last week of the preceding semester. The senior project will be advised by one member of the Italian department, but will be presented to the whole department. Italian honors will be awarded to eligible students depending on the final grade. (Staff)Department of Japanese Studies
JAPN 0102 First-Year Japanese (Winter 2023)
This course is an intensive continuation of JAPN 0101. This course is required for those students wishing to take JAPN 0103 in the Spring. (JAPN 0101) LNG, WTR (S. Abe)JAPN 0500 Independent Project (Winter 2023)
Qualified students may be permitted to undertake a special project in reading and research under the direction of a member of the department. Students should seek an advisor and submit a proposal to the department well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. WTRJAPN 0700 Honors Thesis (Winter 2023)
Students write a thesis in English with a synopsis in Japanese on literature, film, or culture. The topic for the thesis is chosen in consultation with the instructor. (JAPN 0475)Jewish Studies Minor
JWST 1019 Philosophy of Fascism in the work of Adorno, Arendt and Benjamin (Winter 2023)
Was the previous US administration fascist? Was it comparable to 20th century European fascism? Upon finding refuge in America, several German-Jewish philosophers sought to understand the terms fascism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism. They focused on morality, participation and subjectivity rather than the figure of the dictator. They asked if this could happen in America. We will begin with a survey of contemporary debates and then read selections from Adorno/Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947), Adorno, The Authoritarian Personality (1950), and Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951). We will conclude with Benjamin’s Thesis on the Philosophy of History (1940).Eric Levi Jacobson has taught philosophy and Jewish Studies in London and Berlin. He is the author of Metaphysics of the Profane: The Political Theology of Walter Benjamin and Gershom Scholem, New York: Columbia University Press, 2003./ PHL, WTR (E. Jacobson)
Cross-listed as:
PHIL 1019
HEBM 0102 Introductory Modern Hebrew II (Winter 2023)
This course is an intensive continuation of Modern Hebrew 0101. Students will expand their knowledge of Hebrew grammar and vocabulary, will increase their proficiency in oral communication, and will study selections of both audio and visual media related to modern-day Israel. (HEBM 0101 or by permission) 10 hrs. lect. LNG, WTR (M. Strier)HEBM 0500 Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRLinguistics Minor
LNGT 0107 Introduction to TESOL (Winter 2023)
In this course we will study theories and methods in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the U.S. and abroad. We will look at the basic building blocks of the grammatical and pronunciation systems of English and explore different teaching techniques. We will examine curricular resources used with adolescent and adult learners, and develop materials applicable to a variety of classroom settings. Class sessions will be largely hands-on and will include practice student teaching demonstrations with peer feedback. (Not open to students who have taken LNGT/EDST 1003) WTR (S. Shapiro)Cross-listed as:
EDST 0107
LNGT 0500 Independent Work (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRLNGT 1005 Introduction to Translation Studies (Winter 2023)
Combining theory and praxis, this course is geared towards students with an advanced knowledge of modern languages (300-level and above) who are contemplating a career in translation. During the first part of the course in the lecture/discussion format, we will analyze key concepts of translation studies such as Katharina Reiss’ and Hans Vermeer’s “skopos theory” and Lawrence Venuti’s “the translator’s invisibility.” We will also explore political and ideological influences on translation, specifically gender. Throughout the course, students will be required to translate different non-literary texts into their native languages and present their translations in class. Not open to students who have taken LNGT 1001.A translator and writer with 30 years of experience, Karin Hanta, Director of the Feminist Resource Center at Chellis House, holds a PhD in Translation Studies from the University of Vienna./ WTR (K. Hanta)
LNGT 1230 Data Science Across Disciplines (Winter 2023)
In this course, we will gain exposure to the entire data science pipeline—obtaining and cleaning large and messy data sets, exploring these data and creating engaging visualizations, and communicating insights from the data in a meaningful manner. During morning sessions, we will learn the tools and techniques required to explore new and exciting data sets. During afternoon sessions, students will work in small groups with one of several faculty members on domain-specific research projects in Geography, Linguistics, Political Science, or Writing & Rhetoric. This course will use the R programming language. No prior experience with R is necessary.GEOG: Students will apply data science tools to explore the geography human-environment relationships around protected areas. We will use household survey and land cover data from locations across the humid tropics where the Wildlife Conservation Society has been tracking human wellbeing and forest resource use in high-priority conservation landscapes. Projects and visualizations will be presented back to WCS to inform their ongoing monitoring and management in these sites.
LNGT: In this section, we will learn how to collect and analyze Twitter data in R. We will focus on social metrics and geographical locations to examine language variation in online communities across the United States. While the emphasis will be placed on linguistics, the statistical and analytical tools will help you work with other types of Twitter corpora in the future.
PSCI: Students will use cross-national data to explore relationships between conflict events and political, social, and economic factors in each nation. What factors contribute to conflict and violence? Our focus will be to find patterns in the data using the tools in R and discuss what those patterns suggest for addressing rising conflict and resolving ones that have already experienced violence.
WRPR: Students will learn to conduct writing studies research through working with "big data” from a multiyear survey of first-year college students about their academic confidences, attitudes, and perceptions. We will explore how educational access, identity, and language background impacts survey responses. Using statistical analysis and data visualizations, as well as writing, we will report our findings. DED, SOC, WTR (D. Allen, G. Zsombok)
Program in Literary Studies
LITS 0510 Independent Essay Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) (M. Hatjigeorgiou, P. Sfyroeras, S. Donadio)LITS 0700 Senior Comprehensive Exam (Winter 2023)
Intended for majors in literary studies preparing for the written section of the senior comprehensive examinations. WTR (P. Sfyroeras)Department of Luso Hispanic Studies
PGSE 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRSPAN 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
The department will consider requests by qualified juniors and senior majors to engage in independent work. (Approval only) WTRSPAN 0705 Senior Honors Thesis (Winter 2023)
The department will award honors, high honors, or highest honors on the basis of a student's work in the department and performance in SPAN 0705. (Approval only) WTR (R. Albarran, M. Fernandez, L. Lesta Garcia, E. Garcia, G. Gonzalez Zenteno, L. Castaneda, N. Poppe, A. Fil, P. Saldarriaga)Department of Mathematics
MATH 0500 Advanced Study (Winter 2023)
Individual study for qualified students in more advanced topics in algebra, number theory, real or complex analysis, topology. Particularly suited for those who enter with advanced standing. (Approval required) 3 hrs. lect./disc. WTRMATH 1010 Introduction to Networks (Winter 2023)
In this course we will explore the ubiquity of networks and the beautiful mathematics that helps us understand them. Together we will cover the basics of graph theory, introduce real world social, informational, and biological networks, explore how information (or a virus) can diffuse or cascade through a network, and learn about popular social and graph phenomena like the six degrees of separation and the friendship paradox. We will utilize jupyter notebooks and python libraries to build a toolset for studying networks and you will have the opportunity to analyze an empirical network using the ideas and tools you develop over the course of this class. No previous coding or mathematical experience is necessary: we will cover all concepts together.Izabel Aguiar is a PhD candidate in Computational and Mathematical Engineering at Stanford University where she is lucky to be advised by Johan Ugander./ WTR (I. Aguiar)
Middlebury Institute Courses
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
MBBC 0500 Independent Research (Winter 2023)
This course is for non-seniors wishing to conduct independent research in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Additional requirements include attendance at all MBBC-sponsored seminars and seminars sponsored by the faculty mentor’s department, and participation in any scheduled meetings and disciplinary sub-groups and lab groups. (Approval required).MBBC 0700 Senior Independent Research (Winter 2023)
Seniors conducting independent research in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry under the guidance of a faculty mentor should register for MBBC 0700 unless they are completing a thesis project (in which case they should register for MBBC 0701). Additional requirements include attendance at all MBBC-sponsored seminars and seminars sponsored by the faculty mentor’s department, and participation in any scheduled meetings and disciplinary sub-groups and lab groups. (Approval required).MBBC 0701 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
This course is for seniors completing independent thesis research in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry that was initiated in BIOL 0500, CHEM 0400, MBBC 0500, or MBBC 0700. Students will attend weekly meetings with their designated research group and engage in one-on-one meetings with their research mentor to foster understanding in their specialized research area. Students will also practice the stylistic and technical aspects of scientific writing needed to write their thesis. (BIOL 0500, CHEM 0400, MBBC 0500, MBBC 0700) (Approval required).Department of Music
MUSC 0500 Independent Study (Winter 2023)
Admission by approval. Please consult published departmental guidelines and paragraph below. WTRMUSC 0704 Senior Work (Winter 2023)
Senior work is not required of all music majors and joint majors. However, students interested in and eligible for departmental honors (see guideline above, in "Departmental Honors" section) may propose one or two-semester Senior Work projects. Projects may be in history, composition, theory, ethnomusicology, performance, or electronic music, and should culminate in a written presentation, a public performance, or a combination of the two. MUSC0704 does not count as a course toward fulfillment of the music major.Project and budget proposals for Independent Study and Senior Work should be submitted by the previous April 1 for fall and winter term projects, and the previous October 15 for spring term projects. Budget proposals will not be considered after those dates. Project proposals will be considered after the deadline but are more likely not to be approved due to previous commitments of faculty advisors or other scheduling reasons.
MUSC 1013 The American Musical in Performance (Winter 2023)
A survey of the American Musical will lay the groundwork for a fully-mounted production of a significant work. The production, staged at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater, will be a collaboration of college faculty, student actors, musicians and designers, and area residents. The production also involves collaboration with the Department of Theater. A theater major gets advanced credit for designing and building costumes for the show. (Approval required; please contact Doug Anderson at danders@<a href="http://middlebury.edu">middlebury.edu or Carol Christensen at christen@middlebury.edu)Douglas Anderson (director) Carol Christensen (musical director) are now entering their 13th year of creating musical theater productions with Middlebury students, from Falsettos (2006) to Les Misérables (2014), Ragtime (2015), Chicago (2016) and City of Angels (2017)./ ART, WTR (C. Christensen, D. Anderson)
MUSC 1023 Music, Image, and Imagination (Winter 2023)
Music’s fusions with dance, visual art, theater, and film have produced some of the most iconic partnerships in our culture. From compelling artistic statements to political propaganda, music has always played a major role. This course will explore how we tell these stories through those alliances. How does it start? What comes first, music or the other medium? What makes them so powerful? Embracing European, American, and Asian traditions---from ballet, opera, and gamelan to theater, film, video, and intermedia art of the present day---students will study the many changing synergies these collaborations have accrued. Individual and collaborative exercises focused on developing relationships between music and image will extend to students creating their own fusions of music with other media. ART, WTR (E. Bennett)MUSC 1025 Electronic Music: Digital Audio Synthesis & Production (Winter 2023)
In this intensive course, taught exclusively in Ableton Live, we will explore the fundamentals of digital audio synthesis and electronic music production. In the context of an original project, each student will learn to design sounds, warp and process audio samples, arrange MIDI, deploy effects, automate parameters, and creatively utilize these skills in tandem. We will also delve into the basic principles of digital audio, signal flow, mix engineering, and emulation theory within software synthesizers. Final projects will be presented in a public exhibition at end of term. Students should expect a substantial amount of work outside of class time. (not open to students who have taken MUSC 0212) (Approval required; please contact Jack Tipper at atipper@middlebury.edu)Jack Tipper ’15.5 is an independent multidisciplinary artist and audio technologist. He currently develops creative tools and releases music under his professional moniker “Aotu”./ ART, WTR (J. Tipper)
MUSC 1027 Artistic Creation Through Breath (Winter 2023)
In this course we will explore what artistic creation and performance become when the artist connects their practice to their breathing. We will discuss the act of breathing, meet with artists who have centered breathing in their practices, and create work in which breathing is an integral part of the composition process. We will read James Nestor’s Breath and Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening. This discussion- and performance-based course will culminate in a performance and/or exhibition. All are welcome regardless of artistic discipline or artistic proficiency. ART, WTR (M. Taylor)MUSC 1029 Visualizing Sound - Creating Animated Computer Art from Music (Winter 2023)
In this course we explore the many ways that sound and music can be transformed into animated computer art using a software tool called Touch Designer. The project-driven course will offer a series of creative projects that explore various approaches to the topic. In the class, we will learn about and apply concepts of music theory, acoustics, and the psychology of music, as well as computer programming techniques used within Touch Designer. Students will need a laptop computer (Windows or Mac) with ample storage space. No previous music or coding experience required.Peter Hamlin, Christian A. Johnson Professor Emeritus of Music at Middlebury, is a Middlebury alum who has worked as a radio host/producer, TV host, composer, performer, and music professor. At Middlebury, he taught courses in music theory, composition, electronic music, and served as Music Department Chair for many years./ WTR (P. Hamlin)
MUSC 1055 Music in the United States (Winter 2023)
In this course we will examine folk, classical, and popular music in the United States from the 17th century to the present. We will use historical and analytical approaches to gain insight into the music, the musicians, and the social and cultural forces that have shaped them. Students will explore music’s relation to historical events, other artistic movements, technological changes, and questions of national identity and ethnicity. Topics will include music in the British colonies, minstrelsy, American opera and orchestras, jazz, popular music, and the experimentalist composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. AMR, ART, NOR, WTR (L. Hamberlin)Cross-listed as:
AMST 1055
Program in Neuroscience
NSCI 0500 Independent Research (Winter 2023)
Students enrolled in NSCI 0500 complete individual research projects involving laboratory or extensive library study on a topic chosen by the student and approved in advance by a NSCI faculty advisor. This course is not open to seniors; seniors should enroll in NSCI 0700. (Approval required) WTRNSCI 0700 Senior Research (Winter 2023)
This course is for senior NSCI majors who plan to conduct one or more semesters of independent research, or who plan to complete preparatory work toward a senior thesis, such as researching and writing a thesis proposal as well as, if appropriate, collecting data that will form the basis for a senior thesis. Senior NSCI majors who plan to complete a senior thesis should register initially for NSCI 0700. Additional requirements may include participation in weekly meetings with advisors and/or lab groups and attending neuroscience seminars. (Approval required, open to seniors only)NSCI 0701 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
Senior NSCI majors who have completed one or more terms of NSCI 0700, who have a GPA of 3.3 in their major courses, and who plan to complete a senior thesis should register for NSCI 0701 for the final semester of the senior thesis process. Students enrolled in NSCI 0701 write a thesis, give a public presentation of their research, and present an oral defense of the thesis before a committee of at least two Neuroscience faculty members. Faculty may recommend High honors in Neuroscience after considering the quality of these components of a student’s thesis and the student’s GPA in major courses. Additional requirements may include participation in weekly meetings with advisors and/or lab groups and attending neuroscience seminars. (NSCI 0700, Approval required)NSCI 1012 Learning, Education, and the Brain (Winter 2023)
All aspects of human learning -- be it learning to read, memorizing historical facts, or remembering the route to a new restaurant -- depend on the brain’s ability to adapt in response to input from the environment. In this course, we will explore the brain’s learning systems to understand how the human brain changes both structurally and functionally in response to learning experiences. Using insights from educational neuroscience and the learning sciences, we will study the relationship between neuroplasticity and different forms of learning, explore the impact of educational interventions on the brain, and debate the implications of neuroscience-informed educational practices. We will also have the option to analyze neuroimaging datasets to gain hands-on experience exploring learning in the brain.Ethan Roy is a PhD Candidate at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. He graduated from Middlebury College in 2015./ SCI, WTR (E. Roy)
Cross-listed as:
PSYC 1012
NSCI 1270 Molecular Neurogenetics: A Techniques Lab (Winter 2023)
How do we study the molecular properties of neurons in the laboratory? Have you ever wondered what it is like to work in a molecular neuroscience lab? In this course, we take a deep dive into the techniques widely used to molecularly identify neurons, such as immunostaining and single-cell sequencing. We will learn how to genotype animals and then explore methods in protein expression analysis. In this class, we will also explore how bioinformatics is shaping our current understanding of the brain and the cells within it. Utilizing the consecutive course periods of the winter term, students will have the unique opportunity to design, perform, and analyze experiments featuring modern cellular and molecular neuroscience techniques. (BIO 0145, Open to NSCI majors and others by waiver, Seniors by waiver) SCI, WTR (A. Crocker)Department of Philosophy
PHIL 0214 Science and Society (Winter 2023)
Science is not developed in a vacuum. Social circumstances influence the practice of science and in turn, science shapes how we organize ourselves as a society. We will investigate both directions of this relationship, asking such questions as: how do the values of society drive scientific research? What does it mean for science to be understood as objective? And how can socially and politically influenced scientific work be trusted? Drawing on the work of philosophers of science and interdisciplinary science studies scholars we will investigate what makes science such a powerful method of understanding the world, and how social and political pressures play a role in shaping and applying that understanding. We will also investigate the challenges of developing public trust in science by focusing on examples of socially significant scientific research such as climate science and research related to the Covid pandemic. 3 hrs. lect. This course is part of the Public Humanities Labs Initiative administered by the Axinn Center for the Humanities.* PHL, SOC, WTR (H. Grasswick)PHIL 0500 Research in Philosophy (Winter 2023)
Supervised independent research in philosophy. (Approval required). WTRPHIL 1019 Philosophy of Fascism in the work of Adorno, Arendt and Benjamin (Winter 2023)
Was the previous US administration fascist? Was it comparable to 20th century European fascism? Upon finding refuge in America, several German-Jewish philosophers sought to understand the terms fascism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism. They focused on morality, participation and subjectivity rather than the figure of the dictator. They asked if this could happen in America. We will begin with a survey of contemporary debates and then read selections from Adorno/Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947), Adorno, The Authoritarian Personality (1950), and Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951). We will conclude with Benjamin’s Thesis on the Philosophy of History (1940).Eric Levi Jacobson has taught philosophy and Jewish Studies in London and Berlin. He is the author of Metaphysics of the Profane: The Political Theology of Walter Benjamin and Gershom Scholem, New York: Columbia University Press, 2003./ PHL, WTR (E. Jacobson)
Cross-listed as:
JWST 1019 *
PHIL 1073 Spinoza's Critique of Religion (Winter 2023)
What is the role of religion in a modern state? When religious freedoms collide with state interests, which should prevail? Spinoza rejected the authority of religion and the divine origin of Scripture, laying the groundwork for modern Biblical criticism and championing the separation of religion and state. A contemporary denounced the Treatise as “a book forged in hell.” We begin with a close reading of the Treatise, followed by selections from his Ethics and correspondence, and consider Spinoza’s long legacy: the rise of secularism, the origins of Biblical criticism, and the reasons why Spinoza has been called “the first modern Jew.” EUR, PHL, WTR (R. Schine)Cross-listed as:
RELI 1073 *
Department of Physics
PHYS 0225 Computational Physics (Winter 2023)
The laws of physics provide a beautiful mathematical framework for describing the universe. Yet it’s rare that exact solutions to the resulting equations can be found with pen and paper. In this course we will explore a range of powerful computational methods that allow us to solve physical problems, primarily using the Python programming language. Applications of these methods will include problems in Newtonian mechanics, electricity and magnetism, statistical and thermal physics, quantum mechanics, and relativity. No prior experience with programming is required. Students who meet the prerequisites for PHYS 0325 must register for that course instead. (Not open to students who have taken PHYS 0230 or PHYS 0202, or CSCI 0145 or CSCI 0150) (PHYS 0109; MATH 0122) DED, SCI, WTR (C. Herdman, P. Hess)Cross-listed as:
PHYS 0325
PHYS 0325 Computational Physics (Winter 2023)
The laws of physics provide a beautiful mathematical framework for describing the universe. Yet it’s rare that exact solutions to the resulting equations can be found with pen and paper. In this course we will explore a range of powerful computational methods that allow us to solve physical problems, primarily using the Python programming language. Applications of these methods will include problems in Newtonian mechanics, electricity and magnetism, statistical and thermal physics, quantum mechanics, and relativity. Prior programming experience or physics coursework at 200 level is required to enroll in this course; students without this background may be eligible to enroll in PHYS 0225 (not open to students who have taken PHYS 0230). (PHYS 0109 and MATH 0122 and PHYS 0202 or CSCI 0145 or CSCI 0150 or equivalent). DED, SCI, WTR (C. Herdman, P. Hess)Cross-listed as:
PHYS 0225
PHYS 0500 Independent Study and Special Topics (Winter 2023)
(Approval required) WTRPHYS 0704 Senior Project (Winter 2023)
Independent research project incorporating both written and oral presentations. WTRPHYS 0705 Senior Research and Thesis (Winter 2023)
Independent research in the fall, winter, and spring terms culminating in a written thesis (two units total). (Approval required) WTR (S. Ratcliff, E. Glikman, N. Graham)PHYS 1105 Ancient Astronomy (Winter 2023)
In this course we will learn about astronomy through the lens of ancient civilizations. By studying the civilizations of the Babylonians and Greeks, as well as selected civilizations around the world, we will learn how ancient astronomers determined the sizes of the Earth and Moon as well as distances to bodies in the solar system and how celestial phenomena motivated religious and cultural practice. We will employ hands-on, lab-like activities, and naked-eye observations of the sky along with moderate use of mathematics to learn how our ancestors understood our place in the cosmos. CMP, SCI, WTR (E. Glikman)Department of Political Science
PSCI 0500 Independent Projects (Winter 2023)
A program of independent work designed to meet the individual needs of advanced students. (Approval required) WTRPSCI 0700 Honors Thesis (Winter 2023)
(Approval required)PSCI 1003 Euro-Atlantic Relations (Winter 2023)
In this course we’ll examine the history, status, and future of US-European security relations, with a special focus on the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The learning process will include lectures, class discussions, guest speakers, a role-playing exercise, and a final policy paper. Issues covered include: persistent and evolving aspects of the “transatlantic bargain;” relations with Russia after its aggression against Ukraine; Islamic State threats and Middle East turmoil; Middle Eastern and European refugee issues; impact of 9/11 and Iraq crisis; US-European relations under the Biden administration; relations between NATO, the European Union and the UN; alternative transatlantic relations futures. The instructor’s 2020 Defense of the West: Transatlantic Security from Truman to Trump will be the core text. International Relations and Foreign Policy/Stan Sloan, a former senior U.S. government intelligence, foreign and defense policy expert, and research manager, has for the past 18 years taught courses on Euro-Atlantic Relations and American Power in the Middlebury Winter Term. He is the author of numerous opinion and journal articles,
monographs, book chapters and books, including De-Trumping U.S. Foreign Policy: Can Biden bring America back? (2021); Defense of the West: Transatlantic Security from Truman to Trump (2020) and transatlantic traumas: Has illiberalism brought the West to the brink of collapse? (2018)./ CMP, EUR, SOC, WTR (S. Sloan)
PSCI 1029 Vermont Government and Politics (Winter 2023)
Vermont is the second smallest state in America. Its state government is similarly small and accessible. How does it work? Does it work well? Are there lessons for other states that didn’t fare as well as we emerged from the Great Recession? Are there lessons Vermont can learn from other states? This course will offer an insider's perspective on the political landscape and governmental system of our host state. We will learn about the state's political history, meet with those involved in the process, and discuss the intricacies of state government and how the political system affects it. (American Politics)/James Douglas, ‘72, successfully sought the office of Governor in 2002 and was inaugurated as the 80th Governor of Vermont in January, 2003. He was re-elected in 2004, 2006, and 2008./ AMR, NOR, SOC, WTR (J. Douglas)
PSCI 1230 Data Science Across Disciplines (Winter 2023)
In this course, we will gain exposure to the entire data science pipeline—obtaining and cleaning large and messy data sets, exploring these data and creating engaging visualizations, and communicating insights from the data in a meaningful manner. During morning sessions, we will learn the tools and techniques required to explore new and exciting data sets. During afternoon sessions, students will work in small groups with one of several faculty members on domain-specific research projects in Geography, Linguistics, Political Science, or Writing & Rhetoric. This course will use the R programming language. No prior experience with R is necessary.GEOG: Students will apply data science tools to explore the geography human-environment relationships around protected areas. We will use household survey and land cover data from locations across the humid tropics where the Wildlife Conservation Society has been tracking human wellbeing and forest resource use in high-priority conservation landscapes. Projects and visualizations will be presented back to WCS to inform their ongoing monitoring and management in these sites.
LNGT: In this section, we will learn how to collect and analyze Twitter data in R. We will focus on social metrics and geographical locations to examine language variation in online communities across the United States. While the emphasis will be placed on linguistics, the statistical and analytical tools will help you work with other types of Twitter corpora in the future.
PSCI: Students will use cross-national data to explore relationships between conflict events and political, social, and economic factors in each nation. What factors contribute to conflict and violence? Our focus will be to find patterns in the data using the tools in R and discuss what those patterns suggest for addressing rising conflict and resolving ones that have already experienced violence.
WRPR: Students will learn to conduct writing studies research through working with "big data” from a multiyear survey of first-year college students about their academic confidences, attitudes, and perceptions. We will explore how educational access, identity, and language background impacts survey responses. Using statistical analysis and data visualizations, as well as writing, we will report our findings. DED, SOC, WTR (A. Yuen, D. Allen)
Department of Psychology
PSYC 0350 Directed Research in Psychology (Winter 2023)
Directed research provides opportunities for advanced students to become familiar with and participate in ongoing research projects under the direction of a faculty member. The student will first read background literature on the content area to be investigated and experimental methodologies to be used. Procedures involved in conducting psychological research will then be learned through firsthand experience. Potential activities include the design of research and the defining of conceptual variables and the gathering, analyzing, and interpretation of data. Finally, students will learn how to write technical articles in psychology by preparing a paper describing the project, using APA style. (Approval required; not open to first-year students) 3 hrs. lect. WTR (J. Arndt, S. Baldridge, M. Collaer, M. Seehuus, S. Gurland, B. Hofer, M. Kimble, A. DiBianca Fasoli, M. McCauley, M. Dash, C. Velez, K. Cronise, R. Moeller)PSYC 0500 Advanced Research (Winter 2023)
A program of research arranged to meet the needs of advanced students majoring in psychology. (Approval required) WTR (1188 seats)PSYC 0700 Senior Research (Winter 2023)
A program of research arranged to meet the needs of advanced senior majors in psychology. (PSYC 0201 and PSYC 0202; Approval required)PSYC 0701 Senior Thesis Proposal (Winter 2023)
Students hoping to be considered as candidates for departmental honors must enroll in PSYC 0701 under the sponsorship of a department faculty member and submit a formal, written research proposal to the department by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday during the final week of fall classes in their senior year. If the proposal is approved, the student will enroll in PSYC 0702 during the winter term and PSYC 0703 during the spring term of their senior year. (Feb graduates should consult with their advisors about the appropriate semester in which to begin a thesis.) (PSYC 0201 and PSYC 0202; Approval required)PSYC 0702 Senior Thesis Second Semester (Winter 2023)
Students whose honors thesis proposal (PSYC 0701) has been approved will collect, analyze, and interpret their data. This is the second semester of the 3-semester senior thesis. (PSYC 0201, PSYC 0202, and PSYC 0701; Approval required)PSYC 0703 Senior Thesis (Winter 2023)
Senior Thesis*This is the third and final semester of the senior thesis. Students will finish analyzing, and interpreting their data. This process culminates in a written thesis to be submitted by 4 p.m. on the Monday BEFORE the final week of spring classes, a presentation, and an oral defense. The decision about awarding departmental honors will be made after the student submits the thesis. (PSYC 0201, PSYC 0202, and PSYC 0702; Approval required)
PSYC 1012 Learning, Education, and the Brain (Winter 2023)
All aspects of human learning -- be it learning to read, memorizing historical facts, or remembering the route to a new restaurant -- depend on the brain’s ability to adapt in response to input from the environment. In this course, we will explore the brain’s learning systems to understand how the human brain changes both structurally and functionally in response to learning experiences. Using insights from educational neuroscience and the learning sciences, we will study the relationship between neuroplasticity and different forms of learning, explore the impact of educational interventions on the brain, and debate the implications of neuroscience-informed educational practices. We will also have the option to analyze neuroimaging datasets to gain hands-on experience exploring learning in the brain.Ethan Roy is a PhD Candidate at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. He graduated from Middlebury College in 2015./ SCI, WTR (E. Roy)
Cross-listed as:
NSCI 1012 *
Department of Religion
RELI 0500 Independent Research (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRRELI 0700 Senior Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required)RELI 0701 Senior Research for Honors Candidates (Winter 2023)
Approval requiredRELI 1045 #blessed: American Prosperity Religion (Winter 2023)
tfw the vending machine gives you two snacks instead of one #cookies #blessed. Critics allege that thinking God cares about your personal prosperity exposes the rotting core of American late capitalism. But American nationalism is also rooted in God’s providence. How should we grapple with this American ambivalence toward prosperity and religion? In this class, we will use critical media theory to understand how capitalism cultivates a diversity of religious attitudes toward prosperity. While our focus will be contemporary media from the anglophone United States, we will explore comparable instances from Brazil and other Latin American countries in translation. AMR, NOR, PHL, SOC, WTR (J. Doran)RELI 1053 The Spirit(s) of Trees (Winter 2023)
What, or who, is a tree? In this course, we will probe central questions in the field of “religion and ecology” using human-tree relationships as our interpretive lens. Emerging scientific views of trees as communicators and climate-regulators evoke ancient, non-utilitarian views of trees. In some Hindu contexts, trees are protected as abodes of the gods, or as divinities themselves. In Thailand, climate activists ordain trees as Buddhist monks. Christian and Jewish authors are reinterpreting the biblical “Tree of Life” in terms of ecological awareness and as solace for climate grief. Drawing on the work of Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Christian scholars, our task will be to get to know trees— and thus, diverse eco-spiritual cultures— in a complex, multireligious way. This course counts as a humanities cognate for environmental studies majors. CMP, PHL, WTR (R. Gould)Cross-listed as:
ENVS 1053 *
RELI 1055 Women, Religion, and Conflict in South Asia (Winter 2023)
This course examines religious conflict in contemporary South Asia with a focus on women. The course will begin with an introduction to the religious landscape of South Asia, including historical interactions between Hindus and Muslims, contemporary conflicts, and women’s roles in mediating conflict from Indian villages to urban Pakistani apartment complexes. Guiding questions will be: How are issues of women, gender, and religion framed in narratives of conflict? How, if at all, do women experience or interpret religious conflict differently than men? What are women’s roles in navigating, mediating, and/or transforming conflict in local contexts? In the latter half of the course, students will develop a research agenda on a specific topic of interest, to be presented in class. PHL, SOA, SOC, WTR (J. Ortegren)RELI 1073 Spinoza's Critique of Religion (Winter 2023)
What is the role of religion in a modern state? When religious freedoms collide with state interests, which should prevail? Spinoza rejected the authority of religion and the divine origin of Scripture, laying the groundwork for modern Biblical criticism and championing the separation of religion and state. A contemporary denounced the Theological-Political Treatise as “a book forged in hell.” We begin with a close reading of the Treatise, followed by selections from his Ethics and correspondence, and consider Spinoza’s long legacy: the rise of secularism, the origins of Biblical criticism, and the reasons why Spinoza has been called “the first modern Jew.” EUR, PHL, WTR (R. Schine)Cross-listed as:
PHIL 1073
Department of Russian
RUSS 0102 Beginning Russian (Winter 2023)
This course is a continuation of RUSS 0101. (RUSS 0101 or equivalent) LNG, WTR (M. Walker, S. Portice)RUSS 0500 Advanced Studies in Language and Literature (Winter 2023)
Supervised individual study for highly qualified students. (Approval required) WTRRUSS 0700 Senior Independent Study (Winter 2023)
(Approval required)Department of Sociology
SOCI 0500 Advanced Individual Study (Winter 2023)
Prior to registering for SOCI 0500, a student must enlist the support of a faculty advisor from the Department of Sociology. (Open to Majors only) (Approval Required) WTR (594 seats)SOCI 0700 One-Semester Senior Project (Winter 2023)
Under the guidance of a faculty member, a student will carry out an independent, one-semester research project, often based on original data. The student must also participate in a senior seminar that begins the first week of fall semester and meets as necessary during the rest of the year. The final product must be presented in a written report of 25-40 pages, due the last day of classes.SOCI 0710 Multi-Semester Senior Project (Winter 2023)
Under the guidance of a faculty member, a senior will carry out an independent multi-semester research project, often based on original data. The student must also participate in a senior seminar that begins the first week of fall semester and meets as necessary during the rest of the year. The final product must be presented in a written report of 60-100 pages, due either at the end of the Winter Term or the Friday after spring break.Spanish and Portuguese
South Asian Studies Minor
Program in Studio Art
ART 0156 Drawing: Unlearning What You See (Winter 2023)
Drawing is an intuitive act of expression. It serves many purposes: observation, emotional reflection, and creating altered realities beyond the written word. In this course we will learn foundational drawing techniques utilizing different approaches and materials including dry and wet media and basic sculptural principles to understand volume depicting space and figures. We address composition, scale, contour delineation, and tonal values. Developing a personal style will be paramount. Topics relating to drawing in the context of history and issues around who gets represented and how will be discussed. Readings and short lectures will inform these discussions. No prior drawing experience is expected. (Not open to students who have taken ART 0157 or ART 0159) 6 hrs lct. ART, WTR (E. Puerta Grisales)ART 0500 Special Project (Winter 2023)
Supervised independent work with a special project proposed by a student or a collaboration between a student and a faculty member on a special project. Admission by permission of a faculty member. 3 hrs. lect. WTRART 1031 A New World (Winter 2023)
In this class, students will learn foundational drawing techniques while drawing from observation. Using simple materials like cardboard, 2x4s, burlap, and paper, we will turn the whole classroom into a New World. We will study, shape and determine what kind of new world emerges. Over the course of four weeks, students will produce short animations within this setting of "A New World" using Green Screen technology to combine drawing- and stop-motion animations with 3D Backgrounds. At the conclusion of the month, we will leave this world taking our sketchbooks, drawings and animations (2d and 3d stop motion) as a record of our shared experience. One all-s recording. An all-seeing eye (a wide-angle camera) will capture the rise and fall of this New World in time-lapse. This class counts toward the major as a prerequisite for all 300 level courses. No prior drawing experience is expected. Not open to students who have taken ART0155, ART0156, ART 0157, ART 0159) 9 hrs lab/lct.Heimo Wallner is a visual artists in whose work animation plays an important role./ WTR (H. Wallner)
Program in Theatre
THEA 0500 Intermediate Independent Project (Winter 2023)
In consultation with their advisors, theatre majors in design may propose a THEA 0500 Intermediate Independent Project. Preliminary proposal forms approved by the student's advisor will be submitted to the program by March 1st of the preceding academic year for those wanting credit in the fall or winter terms and by October 1st for those wanting credit in the spring term. Projects will conform to the guidelines that are available in the theatre office. Students are required to attend a weekly THEA 0500/0700 seminar. WTRTHEA 0505 Intermediate Independent Project (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTR (C. Medeiros, A. Draper, M. Evancho, M. Biancosino, D. Yeaton, O. Sanchez Saltveit)THEA 0700 Senior Independent Project (Winter 2023)
Senior work is required. In consultation with their advisors, theatre majors may propose a THEA 0700 Independent Project. Preliminary proposal forms approved by the student's advisor will be submitted to the program by March 1st of the preceding academic year for those wanting credit in the fall or winter terms and by October 1st for those wanting credit in the spring term. Projects will conform to the guidelines that are available in the theatre office. Students are required to attend a weekly THEA 0500/0700 seminar. WTR (O. Sanchez Saltveit)THEA 1235 Couture Costume (Winter 2023)
In this hands-on course, students will work on one costume project from concept to execution. Before the start of term, inspiration images and sketches detailing proposed project are expected so that sewing patterns can be provided. The design should be for the whole body and can be anything from formalwear to historical reproduction; casual, sports, and daywear excluded. Skills covered: pattern alteration, couture construction and finishing, working with difficult materials, and fitting techniques. Intermediate to advanced sewing skills, i.e. basic hand and machine sewing, work with sewing patterns (commercial or your own), and have constructed several garments. WTR (C. Wood)Writing and Rhetoric Program
WRPR 0500 Independent Research (Winter 2023)
(Approval Required) WTRWRPR 1230 Data Science Across Disciplines (Winter 2023)
In this course, we will gain exposure to the entire data science pipeline—obtaining and cleaning large and messy data sets, exploring these data and creating engaging visualizations, and communicating insights from the data in a meaningful manner. During morning sessions, we will learn the tools and techniques required to explore new and exciting data sets. During afternoon sessions, students will work in small groups with one of several faculty members on domain-specific research projects in Geography, Linguistics, Political Science, or Writing & Rhetoric. This course will use the R programming language. No prior experience with R is necessary.GEOG: Students will apply data science tools to explore the geography human-environment relationships around protected areas. We will use household survey and land cover data from locations across the humid tropics where the Wildlife Conservation Society has been tracking human wellbeing and forest resource use in high-priority conservation landscapes. Projects and visualizations will be presented back to WCS to inform their ongoing monitoring and management in these sites.
LNGT: In this section, we will learn how to collect and analyze Twitter data in R. We will focus on social metrics and geographical locations to examine language variation in online communities across the United States. While the emphasis will be placed on linguistics, the statistical and analytical tools will help you work with other types of Twitter corpora in the future.
PSCI: Students will use cross-national data to explore relationships between conflict events and political, social, and economic factors in each nation. What factors contribute to conflict and violence? Our focus will be to find patterns in the data using the tools in R and discuss what those patterns suggest for addressing rising conflict and resolving ones that have already experienced violence.
WRPR: Students will learn to conduct writing studies research through working with "big data” from a multiyear survey of first-year college students about their academic confidences, attitudes, and perceptions. We will explore how educational access, identity, and language background impacts survey responses. Using statistical analysis and data visualizations, as well as writing, we will report our findings. DED, SOC, WTR (D. Allen, G. Giaimo)