华体会

Courses in this cluster will consider the meaning of life across scales: from genomes to biomes, from protons to primates. Courses in this cluster will explore human and non-human ecosystems, consider the epistemes that shape what we think of as “human,” and explore how STEM disciplines taxonomize and organize life.

Associated Course Pairings:

Course Descriptions

CC101: Philosophy as a Way of Life

Instructor: Jonathan Lee
Learning Across the Liberal Arts Designation: Analysis & Interpretation of Meaning
CRN# 18290
Block: 1

CC120: American Jesus

Instructor: Pam Reaves
CRN# 18328
Block: 3

In this course, you will learn disciplinary modes of research, analysis, and writing in religious studies through a consideration of particularly “American” expressions of Jesus. We will consider not only how Christian traditions contribute to critical moments in U.S. history, but also how the figure of Jesus functions foundationally in certain constructions of national history and identity. Encountering significant representations of Jesus in popular culture, visual art, and political discourse, we will examine how Jesus is deployed in diverse, and often divergent, ways. We will especially focus on portraits of Jesus that illuminate notions of race and gender. As a CC120, the course attends to the critical study and analysis of primary texts (of varied media) and scholarly discourse. In addition, it highlights the interdisciplinary nature of religious studies, orients students to how scholars understand the crafting of religious identity, and demonstrates how religion operates in wider social, political, and cultural contexts.

CC103: Physics and Biology: Two lenses for viewing life

Instructors: Kristine Lang, Phoebe Lostroh
Learning Across the Liberal Arts Designation: Formal Reasoning & Logic
CRN# 18247
Block: 1

Physics and Biology offer us two lenses for viewing life. Biological models are more systemic and holistic, tending to look at whole organisms or subsystems. In contrast, physics models are reductionist, tending to strip away much detail to explain only the bare essentials. And yet these models are explaining the same living systems. In this course we will study several processes of human life, including walking, athletic performance, and hearing, using models and tools from both physics and biology. Our goal is to understand these processes better, and simultaneously to understand how the chosen lens affects our understanding of the process.

We will hold afternoon class two days a week from 1 – 4 pm.

CC120: Foundations of Radical Nonviolence

Instructor: Evan Weissman
CRN# 18306
Block: 3

The Foundations of Radical Nonviolence examines the theory and practice of radical nonviolence. The course has a cultural and systemic lens, covering a broad range of disciplines including philosophy, religion, art, history, and science, as well as modern day practitioners in order to examine nonviolence as a powerful social force. Students will meet many guests who are practitioners and activists, exploring war and its effects on humans and the planet, strategic nonviolent conflict, prison abolition, civil disobedience, forgiveness, restorative justice, and nonviolent history. This course meets with nonviolence experts that range from anti-war Nobel Peace Prize nominees to Civil Rights leaders, Movement for Black Lives leaders, Immigrant Rights, Environmental activists, and Prison Abolitionist activists. Creativity and independent research are highly encouraged in this course, and there is a heavy focus on connecting theory and practice.

There are a few films included in nightly preparation for the next day's class. There are a couple meetings with guests in the afternoon. All of these will be listed on the syllabus prior to the start of the course.

CC105: Colorado Wildlife Identification and Conservation

Instructor: Maybellene Gamboa
Learning Across the Liberal Arts Designation: Scientific Analysis
CRN# 18279
Block: 1

华体会 is uniquely situated at the urban-wildlife interface and provides ample opportunities to interact with and conserve Colorado wildlife. Conserving Colorado wildlife has cascading impacts on ecosystems, economies, and our society. In this field and lab-based course, students foster a sense of place and belonging by identifying and learning about the ecology and natural history of vertebrates in the southern Colorado region. Students will practice scientific inquiry through field-based projects, read and analyze primary scientific literature, and demonstrate critical reasoning through discussions on wildlife conservation.

We will hold afternoon sessions or full-day field trips during first, second and third week from Tuesday through Thursday. Mondays and Fridays will only have class from 9:15 am through 12:00 pm.

CC120: Influencing Public Policy through Written Narratives: A Grassroots Advocacy Strategy

Instructor: Kat Miller-Stevens
CRN# 18318
Block: 2

In this course, you will explore written narratives used by grassroots and nonprofit organizations as a tool to influence public policy. Grassroots advocacy is often viewed as a major force for the renewal of American democracy and a counteractive element to the interests of big business. Advocacy work is complex in that it entails pursuing public and community interests while often working with or against powerful elite influences. This course examines the role of grassroots and nonprofit organizations in the public policy process, focusing on the different ways they use narratives to persuade policymakers and powerful industries. A primary goal of this course is to practice writing policy narratives from a grassroots perspective.

CC105: The Science and Ethics of Genome Editing

Instructor: Darrell Killian
Learning Across the Liberal Arts Designation: Scientific Analysis
CRN# 18283
Block: 1

Recent technological advances have empowered scientists with molecular tools that facilitate the modification of the blueprints of life—the genomes within living organisms. Students in this course will learn about the science behind genome editing by performing genome-editing experiments in the context of addressing a biological research question. Students will learn about how scientists use (or plan to use) genome-editing technology for applications such as biotechnology, gene-edited foods, pest control, and gene therapy. With such vast applications, genome editing has raised important questions about its ethical use. Students will be challenged to consider the possible benefits, alternative approaches, and unintended negative consequences of genome editing.

This course will include some afternoon lab sessions. There will be about 4 days with afternoon labs that will run from 1 pm until 3 pm.

CC120: The Harlem Renaissance

Instructor: Claire Garcia
CRN# 18321
Block: 2

The Harlem Renaissance (also known as the "New Negro Era") was one of the most exciting periods in American culture and history as a generation of African Americans explored and debated new definitions of freedom, power, and citizenship and developed new strategies to gain liberation. They saw the visual, performing, and literary arts as essential to express racial consciousness and continue the struggles for social justice. Enlivened by the rise of literacy rates and supported-- sometimes problematically-- by white interest and financial investment in Black art, this period also saw more opportunities for Black artists to travel internationally and interact with communities throughout the African Diaspora. Some of modernism's greatest artists emerged from this period, including the poet Langston Hughes, the blues singer Bessie Smith, the prolific multi-genre writer Jessie Fauset, and the muralist Aaron Douglas. Students will engage with and reflect upon the products from this flourishing of Black art and continue the conversations about the role of the arts in social justice and liberation movements.

There will be relevant films, exhibits, or events during block 1.