Could King Kong really climb the Empire State Building? Could he even stand up? There used to be dragonflies with 18-inch wingspans - where are they now? Speaking of insects, why are those annoying and sometimes devastating creatures all so (fortunately!) small? The size and shape of animals and plants are limited by the properties of the materials that they’re made of and by the biological needs of the organism. Winter quarter will focus on motion: walking, running, flying and swimming. Questions could include how steep a slope has to be before walking downhill is more work than walking on flat land, how ants can walk merrily along carrying loads that would be like you holding a Buick over your head, why those ‘Slip-n-Slide’ water toys are labeled ‘not safe for adults’ and why it’s sometimes better for a bee to walk from flower to flower rather than fly. No science background is required – we’ll develop concepts in class and in the lively, mostly popular readings. We’ll approach these questions from an evolutionary perspective and evaluate the costs and benefits of various alternatives. This would be an ideal class for all future teachers and for students interested in scientific questions who may have been intimidated by science in the past.

Students will have opportunities to understand the context, timing and interdependence of biological, psychological and social contributions to human development, internal conflicts, changing self-awareness, and qualities of consciousness using a stage approach to human development from conception to death. By appreciating the profound interdependence of people of all ages and cultures, students will hopefully become more consciously active participants in the greater society while nurturing and deepening their own unfolding self.

We will examine the intersection of race and community. How do racial, ethnic and cultural differences impact the norms of homogenous communities? In heterogeneous communities consisting of individuals from diverse backgrounds, what creates dysfunction and what contributes to community health? Time will be devoted each week for students to engage in in-group dialog about issues of difference experienced in their communities off- and on-campus. New students accepted winter quarter. Contact the faculty.

Puzzles, games, computer language, unloading an airplane, logic, planning your route on a trip to Asia...What do all of these have in common? All of these and more are part of Discrete Mathematics. This is an excellent course for teachers and future teachers, people wanting to broaden their mathematical experience beyond algebra, and students considering continuing study in mathematics and/or computer science. Come and experience a part of mathematics you may not have even known existed!

Panic attack! A research paper is due by the end of the quarter! What do I do? Take the Doing Research course and learn the basics of selecting topics, choosing appropriate information sources and putting it all together into a solid presentation. Students will become less stressed by research assignments as they learn how to recreate themselves as serious researchers.

This is an introductory course in drawing. Study will include drawing structure, proportion and volume using a variety of approaches. We will also explore techniques and media, using still life and natural resources.