Course listings | Case Western Reserve University

Term: Fall 2022

USNA 226: Evolution of Human Behavior (100/11197)

TR 08:30-09:45 AM Aug 29-Dec 09

Reeves, M

Human behavior is a result of the complex interplay between our genes and the environment, both of which have been shaped by evolutionary forces over millions of years. To what extent does natural selection shape our behavior today? Are humans naturally monogamous? Why do conflicts arise even in our most intimate relationships? Is human behavior ultimately in the service of reproductive success, ensuring that our genes are passed into the next generation? This course reviews the history of evolutionary theories of mind and behavior, as well as current ideas about the ecological and genetic components of behavior. We will examine key principles of neurobiology, sociobiology, and evolutionary psychology to critically evaluate evolutionary interpretations of human behaviors, including those comprising cultural traditions and social institutions. Specific topics to be addressed include human mate choice, parenting strategies, interpersonal conflict, and altruism. The course is structured as a seminar, with emphasis on discussion and formation of logical arguments.

USNA 230: ATTENTION! Understanding the Human Attention System (100/12119)

MW 03:20-04:35 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Luan, L

You're in a crowded room, in the middle of a heated conversation. Suddenly you hear someone across the room say your name. How were you able to pick out that particular sequence of sounds from all the noise around you? Why did you even notice it, given that you were talking to someone else? This course looks at this phenomenon and others having to do with the human attention system. While much of what we read will be from the fields of psychology and neuroscience, we'll also consider aspects of attention that have to do with literature, the arts, and religion.

USNA 287C: Animals and Humans: Making Sense of the Human-Animal Bond (100/12178)

MWF 11:40-12:30 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Oldfield, R

Humans have an incredibly complex relationship with (non-human) animals. We eat some animals and consider other animals members of our family. We worship some animals and vilify others. This class examines the complexities of our relationship with (non-human) animals. Through exploring human emotional, practical, and epistemological ties with animals, this course examines what it means to be animal as well as what it means to be human. We analyze the following questions. How do we come to know and understand animals? What are the issues surrounding the use of animals in scientific speculation, classification and experimentation, such as vivisection, cloning and the human-animal relationship in technoscience? Do some non-human animals possess material culture, social morality, and emotions such as grief and sadness? Why do animals populate our popular culture and art?

USNA 287G: Genes, Genomes and Society (100/11198)

TR 02:30-03:45 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Salz, H

2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix of DNA and the 10th anniversary of the sequencing of the first human genome. Advances in genetics (the study of individual genes), and genomics (the study of an entire genome) have fundamentally altered our understanding of biology. In this seminar, we will focus on topics covered by the mainstream press. We will explore the science behind the news and discuss the philosophical, ethical and societal concerns raised by these scientific advances. Topics will include: the dangers and benefits of genetically modified crops; genetics and the conservation of endangered species; learning about human biology and disease from yeast, flies, worms and fish; the use and potential misuse of genetic fingerprinting by government agencies; genetic testing; personalized medicine; and issues of genetic privacy.

USNA 287S: Society and Natural Resources (100/11199)

MW 04:50-06:05 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Hardy, S

The relationship between humans and the natural world can be defined in large part by how societies manage natural resources. In this seminar, students will analyze how society-environment interactions have undergone substantial shifts over time...from John Locke's Labor Theory of Value and the rise of utilitarian conservation to more recent approaches based on ecosystem management that emphasize ecological integrity and stakeholder collaboration. Course readings will challenge students to think critically about how humans conceptualize and impact the environment. Class time will be spent discussing the evolution of effective human-ecological systems interactions as outlined in the readings, as well as reviewing student reflection papers that connect course concepts to real word scenarios.

USNA 287S: Society and Natural Resources (101/11200)

MW 06:20-07:35 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Hardy, S

USNA 288B: The Green Energy Transformation in Germany (100/11421)

TR 04:00-05:15 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Yang, P

This seminar introduces students to the development and successes of green technologies in Germany. We will examine the proactive development of renewable energy and energy conservation technologies, commonly referred to as Energiewende, that was started by the German Green movement and promoted by Germany's innovative renewable energy policies. We will consider such questions as: What are the implications of this German success story, both for the US and the rest of the world? What lessons can be applied to other situations? What factors might limit the utility of those lessons? In the process of our investigation, we will examine such important issues as globalization, resource finiteness, and sustainability challenges, including economic crises, climate change, energy insecurity, and global competition.

USNA 288B: The Green Energy Transformation in Germany (101/12179)

TR 02:30-03:45 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Yang, P

USNA 288C: Physics for Future Innovators & World Leaders (100/11399)

TR 11:30-12:45 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Caner, E

We live in an increasingly technological society. Advances in technology improve our lives in countess ways, but they sometimes produce problems and challenges that are so complex that the average business or political leader may not understand them--and therefore cannot make effective decisions to address them. Whether the problem is what to do about climate change, deciding on which sources of energy are worthy of investment, updating the electrical grid, or how to deal with terrorist threats, we will be able to find the best solutions only if our leaders have an adequate understanding of the underlying physical principles (e.g., energy, force, space, radiation, electricity, and exponential growth), and where to find credible information that will assist in answering key questions. This course is designed to equip students with that knowledge. We will also explore various "conversation" that pertain to the above issues with the goal of gaining a better understanding of differing points of view (e.g., reporter, scientist, business person, politician, parent, student, people from different cultures), and how rudimentary understanding of the science behind some of our most pressing technological problems can affect a person's stance or actions. This seminar is appropriate for undergraduates of any major.

USNA 288I: Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies (100/11201)

TR 11:30-12:45 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Cashon, T; Goldberg, M

The path for entrepreneurs to grow their companies outside of well-developed entrepreneurial ecosystems like Silicon Valley is challenging. Most markets around the world do not look like Silicon Valley and they never will. But there are other models to support new businesses. In transitioning markets (where entrepreneurs do not have much access to private sector financing), government officials, donors, and business leaders are experimenting with creative approaches to support the growth of entrepreneurs. Cleveland is one such place exploring innovative approaches to support new businesses. For over ten years, there has been a massive intervention of government and donor resources to cultivate this entrepreneurial ecosystem. Has this intervention worked in Cleveland? How should success be measured? How does Cleveland's approach differ from approaches elsewhere around the world? In an unusual twist for a SAGES seminar, the regular classroom discussions will be complemented by your enrollment in a massive open online course (MOOC) that I developed for CWRU. The MOOC is called "Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies" and examines the Cleveland case study in depth. The course has attracted over 44,000 students from 190 countries since its launch in April 2014. So, not only will you explore how communities around the world support entrepreneurship, you will also learn about the rapidly developing field of online learning and MOOCs.

USNA 288W: Medieval Sciences and Human Difference: How Did Medieval Peoples Define Humanity? (100/11202)

MW 03:20-04:35 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Nielson, L

Since the beginning of recorded history, humans have employed different approaches to defining themselves in relation to the natural world. Along with folklore, religion and philosophy, science has been an important means to define concepts we now refer to as race/ethnicity, dis/ability, sexuality, and gender. However, what constituted science and scientific inquiry varied widely based on culture and historical context. Most recently, our advancing understanding of genetics has produced ever more nuanced definitions of human difference, even as we have come to recognize that such explanations often compete with theories that are grounded in social and cultural values, rather than scientific observation. How did people explain human diversity in the 1000 years before the Scientific Revolution unfolded in Europe? In this seminar, we will investigate how different medieval cultures explained humanity and human diversity by sampling examples of medical observation, philosophy, theories about the natural world, cultural prejudice, and religious belief. In particular, we will consider how Greek, Roman, Chinese, Indian, Islamicate, and early European theories of human difference shaped justifications for conquest as, gender roles and sexuality, often in surprising ways. Questions we will ask include: How did medieval people differentiate humans from animals? Did they use the same categories of race, gender, and sexuality that we use? How did scientific thinking evolve to construct these taxonomies of difference? How were ideas shared cross-culturally? To explore these questions, we will read primary texts in translation from the medieval period. Through our discussions, we will consider not only what other approaches to defining human differences can teach us, but how they provide historical insight into frameworks and assumptions about diversity today.

USNA 289F: Biology of Sleep and Dreams (100/11203)

TR 08:30-09:45 AM Aug 29-Dec 09

Moawad, H

Sleep is a fundamental to human survival, yet the physical and emotional components of sleep are only partially understood. In this seminar, students will investigate unanswered questions about the biology of sleep and dreams, including how sleep impacts and is impacted by wakefulness. We will read about and discuss the meaning of consciousness and the changes that occur in the body during wakefulness, sleep, and dreaming. And we will examine these states primarily from the biological perspective, with attention to the psychological and social influences and effects as well. In applying these perspectives, students will develop familiarity with approaches used to study sleep physiology, including the use of objective measures of altered states of consciousness, as well as narrative descriptions of individuals' experiences when normal sleep patterns are disrupted. In addition, students will investigate their own sleep and dreams.

USNA 289F: Biology of Sleep and Dreams (101/11204)

TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 29-Dec 09

Moawad, H

USNA 289G: Exploring the Drivers of FinTech (100/11205)

MW 03:20-04:35 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Harmon, G

The field of finance has experienced a burst of technological advances that have disrupted and transformed the traditional methods of accessing, allocating, and transferring capital. Understanding the evolution of traditional finance methods is increasingly important for meaningfully distinguishing the advantages and disadvantages of traditional versus emerging methods and models. Unfortunately, many people's exposure to this revolution is limited to two ideas that are prevalent in the media: crypto-currencies and disruption. While these are key pieces of FinTech, to really appreciate the change it is necessary to understand the three pillars of innovation that are driving it. This course will provide the forum to gain an understanding of those three pillars of FinTech innovation: the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain. Armed with this understanding we will explore how they are changing finance broadly, how that may impact the need for regulation, how it is driving change in social acceptance of conducting financial transactions, and how it raises possible concerns in new areas like the need for privacy and security. More technology may not always be the right answer.

USNA 289H: You Are What You Eat (100/11413)

TR 05:30-06:45 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Burt, N

The atoms from the foods that you eat are used to build your body, from your skin and hair to your blood, nerves, muscles, bones, and organs, you are literally--as the saying goes--what you eat. We know how food affects the health of individuals, but we can also use scientific techniques to determine the diet of groups of people past and present. This understanding allows us to explore a variety of important questions. How has diet affected human evolution? Why is diet so important for defining a culture? How are current dietary habits changing who we are and how we live? This class reviews what food humans evolved to eat in terms of biological need, but also explores how adaptive diets allow us to navigate a changing environment. We will also examine how diet continues to affect the creation of our individual and collective identities. Using key principles from anthropology, public health, and evolutionary medicine, we will analyze the ways we reconstruct, judge, and intervene in human diets.

USNA 290A: The History of Medical Technology in Twelve Artifacts (100/11368)

TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Mahoney, A

Drawing upon the Dittrick Medical History Center's artifact collections, this seminar examines the history of medical technology with an emphasis on the complex and increasingly influential role of technology in the U.S. healthcare system during the twentieth century. It explores the development and implementation of new innovations as well as the consequences, both intended and unintended, of our reliance upon such medical devices. Technology (artifacts, techniques, and technical knowledge) is not neutral, it is shaped by society and culture. This class will explore the intersections between medical technology and race, gender, sexuality, and ability and their implications for emerging innovations. In addition to discussing assigned readings, in-class activities will include workshops with Dittrick Museum artifacts and informal individual student presentations. Students will also learn how to write for different audiences by creating exhibit labels, social media content, and exhibition concepts for Dittrick Museum artifacts.

USNA 290B: Technologies of Race and Gender (100/11369)

MW 12:45-02:00 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Rabinovitch-Fox, E

Technology has become an essential part of our daily life--the way we experience the world and think about it--and as such is also central to how we understand our identities and status. This seminar will explore the ways in which gender, race, and technology intersect with one another, considering both how notions of race and gender shape technology and the technological professions, and how technology itself produces ideas and practices of gender, sexuality, and race. During the course we will examine questions such as how does technology offer possibilities for new social relations? What role have women and BIPOC people played in the development of technology? How does technology both challenge and maintain gender, race, and class hierarchies? How does technology shape our understanding of sexuality and race? Why are there so few women in STEM? What is the impact of feminism on technological innovations? and can we create an anti-racist technology? The course will examine these questions through a focus on three thematic units: The Race and Gender of Technology, Race and Gender in Technology, and the Technology of Race and Gender, looking at historical and contemporary developments from the nineteenth century to the present.

USNA 290C: Silicon, Applications and Cultural Impact (100/11425)

MW 08:00-09:15 AM Aug 29-Dec 09

Dudik, L

Silicon is the second most abundant element found on the planet. Over the last century, science has taught us to take this common material and create the products on which our modern society depends. Quantum mechanics gave birth to the electronic age and the computer. The absorption, emission, and reflection of quanta of light (photons) underlie solar cells, light emitting diodes, radiation detectors, and optical fibers. The driving forces behind these discoveries are fascinating. The history of the scientific revolution, the conversion of sand into silicon ingots then into transistors and finally computer chips'is extraordinary. The advancement of accessories based on silicon technology now enables your smartphone to direct you to the nearest Taco Bell through its connection to a satellite orbiting the Earth. There are basic processing steps that change an ingot of pure silicon into a practical device such as a computer chip or a solar cell. Major topics of this course will include discussion of the history of silicon, from the simple transistor to complex microprocessor, solar cells, and sensors, as well as how the swift changes in computing power and the communications revolution powered by it have impacted our daily modern life. Excellent examples of this silicon-based technology include the use of silicon in solar panels and their place in the green energy revolution, and the expanding role of silicon microsensors as one of the fastest growing areas of technology, especially rapidly expanding area of the Internet of Everything (IOT). Students in this class will have the opportunity to design and construct a simple device on a silicon chip for their group project. This course is designed and intended for students of all disciplines, and each student is expected to participate actively in a group project to make a silicon device in a clean room. Students will spend class time engaging in debates about the impact rapidly evolving silicon-based technology has had on our world, discuss how smart devices are impacting our privacy, present a group 'explainer video' on an innovative silicon device, listen to guest speakers whose research involve silicon, and improve on written communication skills by writing papers on topics ranging from the ethics of driver-less cars to exploring the possibilities of a world where silicon technology developed more slowly.

USNA 290H: Our Technological Future(s) (100/12185)

TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 29-Dec 09

Rager, M

Our current moment, The Anthropocene, is an epoch defined by humanity's unique ability to alter the Earth's climate, landscapes, and ecosystems on a global level. Given that the climate crisis is a direct result of our modern technologies and attitudes, with the most vulnerable disproportionately bearing the brunt of global change, the question now is: are new technocratic solutions the answer to combating climate change? Can these solutions reduce inequality, or are they destined to reproduce the imbalances of our current moment? This seminar will examine new technologies that promise to mitigate the effects of climate change, from the immediate and practical (solar power, carbon reduction) to the more far reaching (terraforming Mars, mining asteroids). We will also read key texts in environmental studies and ecological theory that explore and critique the core ideological assumptions embedded in technocratic solutions. We will explore how our very concept of Nature, and our relationship to said Nature, shapes our thinking when it comes to our possible futures, and we will consider how, historically, new technological `solution, have been shaped by, and further solidified, inequalities of race, class, and gender. Alongside the scientific and theoretical texts, the seminar will also include speculative fiction that imaginatively projects far into the future to expand our sense of what is possible. A final research project will revolve around the concept of Cleveland 2072. Students will research and explore a specific challenge currently facing Cleveland or the greater Great Lakes region. Using the concepts from the course, they will explore possible solutions, as well as potential complications, to imagine what our world could be 50 years from now.