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6 epic classes in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Here are some courses sparking interest this fall

RUSS 393A – Russian through Music 

As songs encompass language and culture, this advanced Russian language course, aims not only to acquaint students with the diverse music styles and genres in Russian culture, but also strives to further develop their Russian language proficiency and intercultural competence. Through exposure to authentic textual and audio-visual materials of Russian classical and contemporary songs and music pieces, print media resources and discussions, the students expand their vocabulary, deepen the knowledge of grammatical structures, improve their pronunciation and continue developing their reading, listening, writing and speaking skills. 

CHEM 493B  - From Innovation to Industry

This course will introduce undergraduate students to commercial successes that have result from fundamental scientific research.  Students will be presented with different cases in which basic research resulted in disruptive technology/methodology leading to commercial successes in the form of new products and/or fields.  Faculty will lead lectures to describe scientific principles behind the basic research and will describe the industrial successes availed by such research. This will serve to strengthen student understanding with regard to connections among scientific principles, basic science research and commercial opportunities. 

CHEM 593E – Science of WMD

This course is intended to serve as an introduction to the scientific and technological aspects of “weapons of mass destruction,”, which for this course includes the classic chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) threats. The focus will be on the fundamental physicochemical properties of the threats, their potential for physiological interaction, detection methods and post-event decontamination and/or analysis. Within this context, special consideration will be given to the history and significance of these weapons, as well as current uses beyond terrorist threats.

SOCA 393G – Sociology of Gangs

This course will explore a broad range of topics related to gang activity in the United States and abroad. Students will focus on street gangs, the theoretical and socioeconomic processes that lead to gang activity and the effects gangs have on society. To do so, students will study trends in gang activity, perceptions and realities of the gang problem, racial/ethnic and class differences in gangs, common behaviors among gang members and solutions to the challenges gangs present in our society. By the end of this course, students will have a deeper understanding of gang formation, processes and activities, issues that arise when studying gangs and possible solutions to the gang problem.

WGST 393C – Indigenous Sexualities

"Sexual colonization” refers to the ways in which colonial nation-building practices, past and present, work to oppress the sexual bodies, lives and identities of Indigenous peoples. This course will trace the historic and ongoing ways sexual colonization has impacted Indigenous sovereignty and decolonization efforts. This course will predominantly highlight the ways in which Indigenous peoples are surviving, thriving, resisting and resurging against sexual colonization by actively (re)claiming, (re)creating and celebrating their understandings and practices of sexualities.

FIS 493I – Biology of the Grave

This course blends forensic entomology and human remains recovery. When a human corpse is found, the body itself is usually the domain of medical examiners or coroners; however, crime scene investigators still need to collect useful evidence and information at the scene.  This course is intended to teach those future crime scene investigators how to properly locate and collect biological evidence at the scene of a body disposal. This includes identifying and excavating gravesites and scattered remains, creating a basic biological profile of human skeletons and capturing and preserving insect evidence such as flies and maggots.