Interdisciplinary
ID/SS 2050. Social Science Research for the IQP.
Cat. I
This course is open to students accepted to off-campus IQP centers and programs. The course introduces students to research design, methods for social science research, and analysis. It also provides practice in specific research and field skills using the project topics students have selected in conjunction with sponsoring agencies. Students learn to develop social science hypotheses based upon literature reviews in their topic areas and apply concepts drawn from social psychology, anthropology, sociology, economics and other areas as appropriate. Students make presentations, write an organized project proposal, and develop a communication model for reporting their project findings.
ID 3100. Teaching Methods in Mathematics and Science.
Cat. II.
Within the context of contemporary secondary education in mathematics and science (biology, chemistry, physics), ID 3100 introduces and demonstrates effective teaching methods as they relate to curriculum goals and current methods of assessment. These methods take into account diverse learning styles as well as various technological resources. Topics to be covered include: a brief history of education; curriculum and course guidelines (Massachusetts Education Reform and regulations 603 CMR 7.00, state curricular frameworks, national standards); legal issues; developing a course syllabus; and the issue of breadth versus depth in course planning and delivery. The course also covers practical questions of organizing, delivering and assessing a course. This course is intended primarily for students interested in completing the Massachusetts requirements for teacher licensing. (See this page for more information). This program is aimed primarily at majors in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology wishing to be licensed to teach in middle or high school in one of those disciplines. A portion of the course requires the observation of master teachers at the Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science, who will work with all students in the course to assist them in beginning to acquire the appropriate skills to conduct their own classes in mathematics or science at the secondary school level.
Recommended background: SS 2401, Psychology of Education.
This course will be offered in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
ID/AR 3150. Light, Vision, and Understanding.
Cat. II
By using material from the sciences and the humanities this course examines the ways in which ideas of knowledge and of human nature have been fashioned. The specific topics include physical theories about light, biological and psychological theories of visual perception, and artistic theories and practices concerned with representation. The mixing of material from different academic disciplines is deliberate, and meant to counter the notion that human pursuits are "naturally" arranged in the neat packages found in the modern university. The course draws upon the physical and social sciences, and the humanities, to examine how those fields relate to one another, and how they produce knowledge and selfknowledge. Cultural as well as disciplinary factors are assessed in this process. Light, Vision and Understanding is conducted as a seminar. The diverse collection of reading materials includes a number of primary texts in different fields. In addition, the students keep a journal in which they record the results of numerous individual observations and experiments concerning light and visual perception. The course can fit into several Sufficiency areas as well as serve as a starting point for an IQP. There are no specific requirements for this course, although some knowledge of college-level physics, as well an acquaintance with the visual arts, is helpful.
This course will be offered in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
ID/GN 3515. Technical Topics in German.
Cat. II
Technical topics are addressed and discussed entirely in German. Germanspeaking faculty from several WPI science and engineering departments, as well as lecturers from outside the university, present a range of topics at an introductory level. The focus of the course is on the use and development of German language skills in a technical context, which will include lectures, presentations, discussions, problem solving, and writing on technical topics. The course can be counted towards a Sufficiency or a minor in German. As the course is to be conducted entirely in German, knowledge of German sufficient for advanced conversations and detailed writing (such as students acquire in GN 3512, Advanced German II, or equivalent) is strongly recommended.
This course will be offered in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
ID/SP 3525. Spanish American Film/Media: Cultural Issues.
Cat. II
Through Latin American and Caribbean films, and other media sources, this course studies images, topics, and cultural and historical issues related to modern Latin American and the Caribbean. Within the context and influence of the New Latin American Cinema and/or within the context of the World Wide Web, radio, newspapers, and television the course teaches students to recognize cinematographic or media strategies of persuasion, and to understand the images and symbols utilized in the development of a national/regional identity. Among the topics to be studied are: immigration, gender issues, national identity, political issues, and cultural hegemonies. Taught in advanced level Spanish. May be used toward foreign language Sufficiency, Minor, or Major.
Recommended Background: SP 2521 and SP 2522, and SP 3523.
This course will be offered in 2009-10 and in alternating years thereafter.
ID/SP 3526. Comparative Business Environments.
Cat. II
The basis of this course is a comparative study and analysis of specific Latin American and Caribbean business practices and environments, and the customs informing those practices. ID/SP 3526 focuses on countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica. The course's main objective is to study communication strategies, business protocol, and negotiation practices in the countries mentioned above. Through oral presentations and written essays, students will have the opportunity to explore other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Taught in advanced level Spanish. May be used toward foreign language Sufficiency, Minor, or Major.
Recommended Background: SP 2521 and SP 2522.
This course will be offered in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
ID/SP 3527. Technical and Business Spanish.
Cat. II
The course focuses on the linguistic concepts, terminology, and grammar involved in business and technical Spanish. Students will be required to produce and edit business documents such as letters, job applications, formal oral and written reports, etc. The objective of this course is to help students develop the basic written and oral communication skills to function in a business environment in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Recommended background: SP 2521 and SP 2522.
This course will be offered in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
ID/SP 3529. Caribbeanness: Voices of the Spanish Caribbean.
Cat.II
A survey of Caribbean literature and arts that takes a multimedia approach to examining the different voices that resonate from the Spanish Caribbean and what appears to be a constant search for identity. By studying the works of major authors, films, music and the plastic arts, we will examine the sociocultural context and traditions of this region in constant search for self-definition. Special attention will be given to the influential role ethnicity, colonialism, gender and socio-economic development play in the interpretation of works from Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Venezuela as well as those of the Caribbean diaspora. This course is taught in Spanish.
Recommended background: SP3521 (Advanced Spanish I) and SP 3522 (Advanced Spanish II) or equivalent.
This course will be offered in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
ID/SP 3530. Spanish Film/Media: Cultural Issues.
Cat.II
Through Spanish films, and other media sources, this course studies images, topics, and cultural and historical issues that have had an impact in the creation of a modern Spanish nation. This course focuses on current political and ideological issues (after 1936), the importance of Spanish Civil war, gender identity, and class, cultural and power relationships. This course is taught in Spanish.
This course will be offered in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
ID/SP 3531. Contemporary US Latino Literature & Culture.
Cat.II
This course introduces students to the field of Latino studies, paying particular attention to the cultural productions of U.S. Latinos in film, theater, music, fiction writing and cultural criticism. At the same time that this course reflects upon a transnational framework for understanding the continuum between U.S. Latinos and Latin American/Caribbean communities, we closely examine more U.S. based arguments supporting and contesting the use of Latino as an ethnicracial term uniting all U.S. Latino communities. We examine the ways in which U.S. Latinos have manufactured identities within dominant as well as counter cultural registers. In this course, special attention is given to the aesthetics of autobiography and to how Latino writers experiment with this genre in order to address changing constructions of immigration, language, exile, and identity. This course is taught in English.
This course will be taught in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
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