Courses

An on-campus course offered during the Winter or May term. May be offered for .5 course credits or as a co-curricular (0 credit). Counts toward satisfying the Extended Studies requirement.

Winter Term information

184A: The Good Place and the Good Life

Course Time: 9:00am - noon MTRF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

This course will explore philosophical themes in the 2016-2020 NBC sitcom The Good Place. How ought we to live? What is virtue? What is happiness? What is a self? What is justice? How should we think about our mortality? Does death deprive life of meaning, or make life more meaningful? Who died and left Aristotle in charge of ethics? We will binge all four seasons while studying major philosophical works discussed in the series and reading contemporary philosophers' arguments about the series.

184B: Doing Good in Global Health

Course Time: TBD
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

Over one million tax-exempt nonprofits exist in the United States. Over 20,000 of these have a stated international focus. How did they get started? What do they do? How well do they do it? In this course, you will learn about the operations of nonprofit organizations with a focus on those that function to improve the health of the public, domestically and globally. Case studies will be used to introduce the vocabulary and practices associated with operating a nonprofit including basics about the flow of funds, communication, and programming. You will develop the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the operations of a nonprofit. As part of this evaluation, you will learn about current best practices for health interventions and grapple with the ethics of implementing interventions in a community to which members of the nonprofit organization do not belong. You will be expected to engage actively in reading-based discussions on a daily basis and to complete a variety of graded assignments which may include reflections, quizzes, debates, and a project.

184C: Civic Identity and Community Engagement for Bonner Scholars

Course Time: 9:30am - 12:30pm MTWRF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: Open only to FY students in Bonner Scholar program.

The overall course objective is to facilitate an opportunity for Bonner Scholar first year students to connect their direct service experience with their intellectual life in the form of readings, dialogue, writing, research, and listening to the experiences of others. A service-based immersion project will provide a group experience in which students can engage in community-based work with a heightened awareness of relevant topics. Students will also draw upon prior direct service experience with the community as a context for considering critical issues. As students often engage in community service without thinking critically about the implications and impact of their work, this course will challenge students to confront their assumptions and the complexities of service. The course will be structured as a seminar, focusing on historical and current readings as well as discussions with leaders from campus and the local community. In the middle of the term, students will participate in a week-long, service-based immersion project in a regional city, such as St. Louis or Chicago. The combination of the on- and off-campus elements of the course provides a shared group experience with direct service as the basis for critical reflection.

184CC: Civic Identity and Community Engagement for Bonner Scholars

184D: Power of Pop Culture: Pedagogy, Politics, & Possibility

Course Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm MTRF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

This course will engage students in political and pedagogical explorations of a variety of pop culture phenomena in both the United States and around the world. Students will reflect upon, analyze, and critically discuss the intersections between identity, power, hierarchy, and culture through engagement with various forms of pop culture. The first half of the term will focus on examining contemporary events in general, and K-Pop, Bollywood, and Ru Paul's Drag Race more specifically, while simultaneously engaging in conversations about how culture shapes/is shaped by politics and the pedagogical (educational) significance of this interaction. The second part of this course will ask students to use the academic and popular scholarship on pop culture discussed in the first part of the course to guide them in crafting a short presentations about a pop-culture artifact of their own choosing. The purpose of this course is to take seriously the power of pop culture in politics and education and to reflect upon how pop culture might facilitate (or not) the development of new possibilities for bringing about social change.

184F: The Nature Fix

Course Time: 9:10am - 12:10pm MTWF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

This course will introduce students to Planetary Gardening, a set of concepts and practices formulated by French landscape designer Gilles Clément. Planetary Gardening envisions Earth's biosphere as an enclosed space--a garden in the radical sense of the word--that human fauna have a fundamental and vital responsibility to tend. Students will cultivate skills of observation by engaging such naturalist practices as bird watching and plant identification and by recording their observations in a nature journal. Readings will include essays that inspire the practice of Planetary Gardening, guidance for naturalist practices, and scientific literature on the health benefits of awe and being outdoors. Class meetings will be divided between student-centered and -led class discussions and experiential learning in DePauw's Nature Preserve and around campus.

184G: An Introduction to Spiritual Writing

Course Time: 1:00-4:00pm MWRF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

All writing is spiritual writing, in a way, if it comes from the depths--in the same way that any music that comes from the depths can be a kind of 'soul music.' But spiritual writing, like soul music, is also known for a particular kind of sound--a vulnerable, tender, howl of a sound. It is a sound that lacks the certainty of preaching; a sound that may incorporate ancient chords, but may defy convention. Unfortunately, spiritual writing is often saccharine, and often sanctimonious...which are two different ways of saying it's often very bad. But however risky it may be to write from/about the soul--it can be done. In this course, you will read from some of the masters across traditions, and get a chance to write about the one area in which you are the world's foremost expert: your own soul.

184H: Applied Introduction to 3D Game Development

Course Time: 10:00-11:30am and 1:00-3:00pm MTWF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

Applied Introduction to 3D Game Development is a practical, hands-on course aimed at providing a foundation for creating 3D games using Unity. Students will be introduced to the Unity development environment and a variety of 3D game concepts and features. Students will leverage pre-existing media assets and then configure and program them to create a simple, but original and playable 3D game. Only basic computer skills are assumed; no knowledge of computer programming is required; no formal course prerequisites; students from all majors and all class levels are encouraged to consider enrolling. That being said, computer and/or programming skills would be helpful. Game development is complex; students must have a strong desire to learn and be willing to put in the time to test and experiment each day. This is an on-campus course.

184J: Becoming My Own 'Career Expert'

Course Time: TBD
Fees: $71
Prerequisites: None

'Who am I, and what do I want to do with my life?' If you find yourself asking these questions, know that you are in good company (and that the process of questioning is more important than 'the answer'!). Through this course, you will embark on a mission to better conceptualize your own identity as it relates to life and career goals. You will also have a chance to develop an understanding of the meaning and significance of work, and how to align your identity to the world of work to create a life of intentionality and purpose. This experiential course takes a multi-faceted approach towards the career exploration process. It offers students the opportunity to engage in individual assessment activities, to work in small groups, to interact with alumni, to conduct research and to build connections with individuals in career fields of interest. During this Winter Term experience, students will be challenged and supported in cultivating their curiosity of work and developing skills to satisfy that curiosity. Appropriate for all class years.

184M: Private Pilot Ground School

Course Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm MTWRF
Fees: For students who want to start to log actual flight time in an airplane, there will be a charge for flight time. $500 for books and FAA test.
Prerequisites: None

If you ever wanted to be a private pilot, this is one of the first steps you will need to take. Becoming a pilot involves flight training in the cockpit and ground training outside the airplane. This course will cover only ground training. The topics covered in this course will include aerodynamics, airplane systems, flight environment, air traffic control, regulations, weather, navigation, and other topics.

184N: Science, Design and Construction of the Electric Guitar

Course Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm MTWRF
Fees: Approximately $325
Prerequisites: None

The electric guitar continues to be a key element of rock and jazz music. Guitar designs range from simpler single pickup models to more complex double-neck varieties that use several pickups and a variety of electronics. In this extended studies course, students will have the opportunity to construct an electric guitar beginning with wood that must be finished to form the body, an unfinished neck, loose hardware and electronics. In building an electric guitar from the ground up students will learn and apply Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) principles. Students will gain experience woodworking, machining and soldering, as well as using the tools and equipment necessary to construct a fully functioning guitar.

184P: Stand-Up Comedy: Theory and Practice

Course Time: 10:00am-noon and 2:00-4:00pm MWF; 1:00-5:00pm TR
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

In this course we will examine the theory and practice of stand-up comedy. We will watch and analyze performances by stand-up comics and we will also work on our own material and practice it in class. Each student (and the professor) will create five minutes of stand-up comedy material by the end of the course, and each of us will perform this material for the class.

184Q: Radio Management and Programming

Course Time: 9:30am - ? MTWRF (and some weekend work)
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

Students will participate in the daily operation of DePauw's radio station, WGRE. They will learn how a broadcast station is organized and how to operate facilities in a variety of programs. Students' on-air work will be critiqued regularly. Participants will work in two of these four departments: Sports (play-by-play , reporting and sportscasting of DePauw and area sports events); News (writing and announcing news of campus and area interest); Production (preparing and editing promotion and public affairs messages, producing remote broadcasts); and Promotion (making WGRE visible both on and off campus through events, publicity materials, contests and other methods.) Students will have their own DJ shifts throughout Winter Term. Some weekend and overnight work is required.

184R: Language and Translation in Global Sci Fi

Course Time: 1:30-4:30pm MTRF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

This course will explore how the themes of language and translation are represented in science fiction from around the globe. We will view several examples from film and television as well as read a few short stories that engage with the concept of xenolinguistics, or the creation and study of alien languages (also known as exolinguistics or astrolinguistics). Theoretical readings from linguistics, literary theory, anthropology, film studies, world literature, translation studies, and other fields will also inform our interdisciplinary approach to the topic. By studying alien languages, we will reflect critically on our own, all while posing questions fundamental to understanding foreign language, communication, intelligibility, empathy, multilingualism, technology, trans- and posthumanism, and the often radically different worldviews proposed by the genres of sci fi and speculative fiction.

184S: Pandemics Past and Present

Course Time: 9:00am - noon MTWR
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

In many ways, the age of COVID-19 feels completely new. It has unmoored us, undercutting our sense of safety and radically redefining normalcy. It has changed how we learn, live, and engage with the world. Yet, of course, epidemics, pandemics, and plagues are nothing new. What can the 1918 flu, smallpox, HIV/AIDS, SARS, and the Black Death teach us? This course examines key aspects of our collective COVID-19 experience through similar historical case studies. Topics include: the role of globalization in disease spread; how social inequities shape the experience and risk of disease; the special pain of mourning in separation from the dying; the balance between individual rights and collective responsibility; and the mental toll of quarantine and isolation.

184SS: Pandemics Past and Present

184T: Leading in Business and Beyond: Bringing Out the Best in People

Course Time: 10:00am-1:00pm MTWRF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

This course teaches how for-profit-businesses, nonprofit agencies, creative industries, entrepreneurial start-ups and social entrepreneurship organizations are created and function. Students learn how to evaluate business opportunities, develop new business models, and apply their liberal arts education to establish new management practices to lead teams and organizations. Students learn mindsets, tools, and practices to bring out the best in others, especially those who are not like them, to improve individual and operational performance. Several instruments are administered to assess personal strengths, weaknesses, communication styles, and leadership behaviors.

During the course, students are exposed to business and leadership experts. DePauw center directors share student success stories and perspectives on leadership development. Alumni and others describe their current roles, challenges, causes, and solutions. Kelley School of Business faculty discuss the functions of business and how those working in them must collaborate to get results and what happens when they don¿t. Ross Business School faculty explain the Michigan Leadership Model. Butler University Professor NaShara Mitchell will discuss "Entrepreneurship and the Business of Sports/Athletics." Students will use expert advice as inputs into developing their personal leadership philosophy and development plan to help them on their continuous journey of becoming a better leader in business and beyond.

184U: Korean History Through Film

Course Time: 1:00-4:00pm MTWR
Fees: $100
Prerequisites: None

The course 'Korean History Through Film' is an in-depth study of the rich history of Korea, as seen through the lens of the country's most famous historical films. Through the analysis and discussion of several historical Korean movies that span hundreds of years of Korean history, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the cultural, social, and political context of each era. The course begins with studying the 16th century figure Admiral Yi Sun-sin through the movie 'The Admiral: Roaring Currents', which is thrilling depiction of the Battle between Chosun(Korea) and Japan. We will end with a study of Korea's recent democratic movement in the 1980s through the movie 'The Taxi-driver' which depict the violent killing of protestors of Gwangju by the ruthless government militia. This course is open to anyone with interest in Korea or east-Asian history in general.

184V: Photographic Vision: Creation & Curation

Course Time: 10:00am-1:00pm MWF and 10:00am-3:00pm TR
Fees: $50
Prerequisites: None

This interdisciplinary course will offer instruction in both the art form of photography and the curatorial practices of museums and galleries. Students will learn how to frame, compose, and edit photographs in response to a selected photograph in the University Art Collection, and how to curate an exhibition of their own work alongside other photographs. A series of short lectures, demonstrations, discussions, studio work, critiques, field trips, individualized object research, and the planning, as well as the mounting, of an exhibition (with assistance from the Peeler Gallery staff) will introduce students to the art of photography and the complexities of curatorial practice (how to create an experience) in a university gallery.

184W: Quantitative Foundations of Business and Economics

Course Time: 1:00-4:00pm MWRF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: None

This course provides foundational knowledge to be successful in business and economics courses in various majors and minors, such as Economics, Finance, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Business Administration, Accounting and Finance, and International Business. All of these majors and minors have Introduction to Economics (Econ 100) as a required course. There are some key concepts and ideas that students should learn in Introduction to Economics, which themselves depend on mastery of some basic mathematical and statistical skills. This course will teach students both those basic mathematical and statistical concepts as well as the application of these for key economic concepts so that students can do better in Introduction to Economics (Econ 100) and, as a result, in all other economics and business-related majors and minors at DePauw. The course will be co-taught by a mathematics professor and an economics professor, both of whom will bring their expertise to the course. Mathematics and statistics concepts, which will form the first half of the course, will include basic geometry, such as drawing and interpreting graphs, computing ratios, solving linear equations in one variable and two variables, interpreting the slope and intercept of a straight line based on its equation, The second half of the course covering key and elementary economics concepts will build upon the first half of the course. Students will learn many key economic concepts, such as understanding concepts of market equilibrium using both graphs and equations, laws of diminishing marginal returns and diminishing marginal utility, basic concepts of game theory, macroeconomic concepts such as inflation, GDP and its related concepts, ways in which fiscal and monetary policies work, and using economic data for estimation and analysis.

184X: Medical Terminology

Course Time: 9:00am - noon MTWRF
Fees: $125
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course, however having completed Anatomy and Physiology (KINS255 and KINS256) will be an advantage.

This course will focus on medical terminology as language used to describe anatomical structures, procedures, conditions, processes and treatments in the medical field. The course will provide a foundation for medical and health science language. The aim of this course is two fold. First, to provide the terminology and language used in the fields of anatomy and physiology as well as medical sciences. Further, to provide DePauw University students with the opportunity to fulfil a common prerequisite course in preparation for educational pathways in health sciences. The course will use publisher Cengage's MindTap online learning modules for this course. Students will work through each of the body systems and focus on mastering the language necessary to describe how each system works and practice problem sets within each body system. For each body system, a brief overview of structure and function will be provided and assessed. The course will also include a general summary of medical specialties, pathology, diagnostic tools and treatment procedures.

184Y: Data Analysis in Economics and Business Using STATA

Course Time: 1:00-4:00pm MWRF
Fees: None
Prerequisites: ECON 350

Statistical software courses are not given as independent courses in most cases, and instead, they are incorporated as a supplement to Research Methods, Statistics, or Econometrics courses. However, the skills in statistical software and data analysis are not seen as supplementary by employers but rather as a requirement in most business and economics jobs. It is because most business operations have become more data-driven in recent years. In addition, some talented undergraduate students aspire to graduate school soon after graduation, and some graduate-level courses require students to duplicate published research works and write their research works. This course aims to bridge the gap between the software skills acquired in the undergraduate program and what the job market and graduate schools require. In this course, students will study descriptive and inferential statistical analyses with data management and data analysis aspects of STATA. Students benefit from the course as it focuses on applying statistical techniques to analyze real-world data. Topics include exploring data, manipulating data, visualizing data, testing means, correlation, ANOVA, linear regression, limited dependent variable models, difference-in-differences analysis, instrumental variable regression, panel data regression, and introduction to time series regression.

May Term information

184B: Colors, Graphs and Networks

Course Time: TBD
Fees: None
Prerequisites: Open to students who have had Math 141, Math 136, Math 151, Math 123, or Math 223. Some coding experience is preferred.

Have you ever wondered about the following questions: If you are given map of a country divided into states/regions, what is the fewest number of colors needed to color each region so that no two adjacent regions have the same color? If you are part of a social network group what would be the most efficient way to spread important information throughout the network. In a similar vein, how can you model a vaccination program to prevent the spread of an epidemic. In this course, you will use graph theory to intuitively model and answer such questions. You will also use python to model and answer such questions.