Students will examine the birth of the racial caste system following the abolition of slavery, the parallels between the racial hierarchy of the Jim Crow system and contemporary mass incarceration, and the rise of the prison industrial complex as a multi-billon business which thrives on the oppression of low-income populations and poor communities of color.

Prevailing thought suggests that we live in an era that is post-racial, particularly after the election of Barack Obama. Media often serves to drive our assessment of where our nation stands on issues like race, gender and sexuality. This course uses the film Get Out to delve into the production, evolution and significance of race in present day America. The course will engage multiple forms of media to investigate life in "Post-Racial" America, including but not limited to the role of stereotypes, interracial relationships, police-community relations, etc.

African Americans suffer worse outcomes than non-Hispanic whites on nearly every health measure and outcomes that link to overall well-being like depressive symptoms or homicides. Health disparities are experienced by other underrepresented minority groups, but because of the unique historic and current experiences of African Americans, the determinants and solutions to African American health disparities are unique. The premise of this course is that African American health disparities are due to social injustices perpetuated on the institutional level that have permeated the lived experiences of African Americans leading to racial disparities in health and well-being. As such, the solutions on the both policy, and community, level must have a social justice approach.

Examines the construction, operation, and meaning of cultural mainstreams and margins in a range of contexts, spaces, and times in the U.S. Using a variety of primary sources, research methods, and interdisciplinary scholarship, we will explore how Americans make and assign meaning to cultural mainstreams and margins. We will examine how and why cultural margins and mainstreams shift over time and what their consequences have been for social policies, laws, power relations, and national identity.

An overview of the growing field of global health including health care systems, medical practices, ideas about illness in cross-cultural contexts, issues of health development, global health inequity, and human rights issues. The course will focus on the history of global health, the critique of major international health agencies and their development paradigms, and the political economy of social inequalities and health.

Explore past, present, and future interactions between humans and climate. Discussions, methods-oriented activities, and case study analyses provide students a foundation for appreciating the role of anthropology in understanding, responding to, and preparing for climate change.

The impact of diseases on populations from prehistoric times through the present will be examined, along with public perceptions of disease, scientific breakthroughs on treatment and prevention, and the ways that politics and public health policies can enhance or impede the advancement of disease treatment. The natural history of disease, population structure, and immunity will be discussed. The class will address emerging and re-emerging diseases and the ways that first responders, researchers, and policy makers may affect the outcome of an outbreak.

Study of the major components of Earth's climate system and climate change history. Discussion of 21st century climate change prediction, mitigation and adaptation efforts.

What are weather and climate? Most people think they know but if you ask people to explain the differences and similarities you're bound to get a range of answers. Weather affects not just our daily activities but other important aspects of society such as transportation, commerce, security and agriculture. Most people understand what weather is to some extent. Climate and climate change are concepts that evoke strong emotional responses from people but are less well understood. In this class, students examine fundamental issues such as the greenhouse effect, severe weather, and global weather patterns and how they relate to a changing climate. Instruction in the lectures will provide the basic knowledge needed to understand these issues. In the discussion sections, students will be divided into groups to address the implications of these topics through group projects.

Designed to help students develop their leadership skills in order to identify their personal and professional purpose with an entrepreneurial mindset, and create strategies that will help them develop their abilities and achieve their aspirations by collaborating within teams and organizations. Students will apply insights from recent scholarship in entrepreneurship, leadership and strategic management to themselves in order to identify solutions to problems they find meaningful to solve in their own world. This self-discovery course will introduce students to the "CEO of ME, Inc." framework and tools such as the strategic initiatives matrix and business model canvas that they can use to help guide the choices that lie ahead, and develop collaborative, win-win relationships. In doing so, students will learn how to unlock the value of business in society and develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills that enable personal happiness and upward mobility.

This course provides an overview of the concepts, approaches, and vocabulary of evidence-based management (EBM) and provides an understanding of how experts in many disciplines can employ evidenced based decision making. EBM is an emerging movement in business to explicitly use the current best information in management decision making with special emphasis on relevant scientific findings and unbiased organizational facts. The course stresses how individuals practicing EBM learn how to rethink their approaches to data and knowledge in order to make more effective decisions.

In what profound ways have plants changed humanity and the world we live in today? An interactive way to learn about plants and science, focusing on how plants have changed human history, the biology of their growth, and the science behind their use.

How have microorganisms exploited every conceivable ecological niche, and how have humans harnessed this diversity to improve medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology? The course covers fundamental concepts in morphology, physiology, genetics, immunology, ecology, and pathogenic microbiology. Applications of microbiology to medicine, the food industry, and biotechnology.

What are the dimensions of violence in the United States and worldwide, and how has humanity responded to violence? Conflict is unfortunately resolved through violence in a number of settings. It ranges from interpersonal to international in its scope. This course investigates the strengths and weaknesses of a number of resolutions to reducing violence over the course of history using both state centered and informal control.

What is human trafficking and how do we stop it? An introduction to the trafficking of human beings in its historical, legal, economic, political and social contexts. Scope of the global problem, different forms of human trafficking, and regional trends and practices. Roles of government, the international community and individual actors. Strategies to combat trafficking.

Explores the cultural, historical, educational, and medical roots of difference among human beings and examines the impact of cultural and technological changes on individuals traditionally identified as disabled. The course is designed to develop a broad understanding of the concept of "disability" and the emerging technologies that shape contemporary understanding of this phenomenon and the lives of those considered disabled.

What are myths and why do we tell them? What powers do myths have? We will tackle these questions by looking at the enduring and fascinating myths from ancient Greece and Rome. In addition to studying how they shaped ancient societies, we will also look at their modern influence and reflect upon the power that myths still hold in our contemporary world. Taught in English.

Mechanisms of the creative mind. Psychological, social, sociological, developmental, cultural, educational, genetic and neural based roots of creativity.

Investigation linking research in the brain science of learning and development, including the neural basis of academic skills, to achievement, disability, and broader applications to classroom learning. This course will focus on areas of education including language (spoken and written), conceptual change, numerical/quantitative processing, and social cognition as well as burgeoning areas of neuroscientific research in general cognitive processes such as attention, memory, and executive processing. These topics will be discussed with respect to typical and atypical development with some focus on developmental disabilities including autism, specific language impairment, reading and math impairment, and attention deficit disorders among others. This course will focus on both the theoretical perspectives and pragmatic issues of how evidence regarding brain development can or may be translated into useful or misleading information for educators, professionals, and parents/guardians of our children.

What makes a technology socially responsible? At UMD, the Fearless Ideas campaign asks us to aim our enthusiasm for technology at big real problems. At the same time, we are coming to appreciate the increasingly complex nature of technological systems as they become integrated into all forms of infrastructure, we realize they may be unpredictable, interdependent on social and biological systems, and have unintended consequences. In this midst of this complexity, people make decisions with far reaching impacts. How then do we follow our passion for technology and innovation but also stay skeptical in a way that allows us to consider the potential and shortcomings of technology? Designed for both engineering and non-engineering students wishing to explore and assess the impact of engineering technology on society and the role of society in generating that technology.

What makes a technology socially responsible? At UMD, the Fearless Ideas campaign asks us to aim our enthusiasm for technology at big real problems. At the same time, we are coming to appreciate the increasingly complex nature of technological systems as they become integrated into all forms of infrastructure, we realize they may be unpredictable, interdependent on social and biological systems, and have unintended consequences. In this midst of this complexity, people make decisions with far reaching impacts. How then do we follow our passion for technology and innovation but also stay skeptical in a way that allows us to consider the potential and shortcomings of technology? Designed for both engineering and non-engineering students wishing to explore and assess the impact of engineering technology on society and the role of society in generating that technology.

Why did the Silver Bridge between Ohio and West Virginia collapse on Christmas Eve, 1967? What caused the top of an Aloha Airlines flight to rupture, creating a convertible airplane? How do these kinds of massive structural damage occur, and how might we prevent them? This course will introduce students to topics of stress and strain and their importance in determining the safety and reliability of engineering structures. Some of the major structural failures worldwide will be identified and researched as to the circumstances leading up to the failures. Reasons for failures will be investigated and are expected to include engineering, social, political, ethical, and economic explanations. Other possible failures to be researched and analyzed would be the collapse of a walkway in Kansas City, the failure of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington, the collapse of a bridge on Interstate 95 in Connecticut, and the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York after 911.

What is a Family? Engage in examination of the current trends and controversial issues in family life, including issues of marriage, reproductive technologies, adoption, child custody, remarriage, and marital violence.

An examination of changing fatherhood roles, health, and inequality in diverse families. Focus will be on masculinities and disparities among men by race and class; provider role expectations; and trauma and violence faced by men in contemporary society.

Catastrophic Environmental Events (CCE) that are becoming more common in this time of global environmental change and it is essential that today's students be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be leaders as we, as a society, understand the upheaval that these CCEs are causing. Students will examine how CEEs shape human society and ecosystem from the interdisciplinary perspective afforded by the field of Geography. Students will use the latest geographic science concepts and techniques in exploring these events. Using satellite imagery they will gain a multi-scale perspective of the ecological and societal aspects of the events.

Earth observations from space enable the mapping and monitoring of our changing planet. This survey course reviews current observational capabilities and examines scientific applications in quantifying global environmental change. Drivers and outcomes of key dynamics will be illustrated and discussed, including sea and continental ice loss, deforestation, ocean warming, urbanization, agricultural expansion and intensification, and vegetation response to climate change.

Cultural geography course on society and sustainability. Culture is the basic building block that is key to sustainability of societies. Course will cover sustainability of societies on different scales, examining local, regional, and worldwide issues. Sustainability will be examined as a key element of environmental sustainability. How societies adjust to rapid world change will be examined as a positive and/or negative factor in sustainability.

Study of the major components of Earth's climate system and climate change history. Discussion of 21st century climate change prediction, mitigation and adaptation efforts.

An overview of the major forces transforming the food system--political, economic, technological, environmental--and the political debates surrounding them.

Examination of some of the most famous trials in American history and their enduring hold on the imagination.

Investigates the search for personal fulfillment unleashed by the American Revolution; explores the many different meanings ascribed to the notion of the "pursuit of happiness" by Americans in the early national period.

Using a global perspective, this course teaches students to be critical consumers of current and historical health communication interventions. It also provides students with the skills to develop media interventions that target specific and general populations. Students will discover the array of diverse media messages that influence the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

Using a global perspective, this course teaches students to be critical consumers of current and historical health communication interventions. It also provides students with the skills to develop media interventions that target specific and general populations. Students will discover the array of diverse media messages that influence the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

What is design, who does it, and how is it done? There is no one answer to this question--it depends on who you ask. The answers to these questions vary across disciplines and across the University campus. This course, designed with modules from contributors in UMD programs including Information Studies, Human-Computer Interaction, Graphic Design, Immersive Media Arts, Journalism, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, and Policy, will introduce students to the goals and values, approaches, skills, and practices of diverse fields of design. It will enable students to identify grand challenges in design and serve as a sorting hat to help students find a design practice that matches their own values, approaches, skills and goals.

Reviews how specific values are built into different automated decision-making systems as an inevitable result of constructing mechanisms meant to produce specific outcomes. These values create differential outcomes for the different people enmeshed in these systems, but both these values and these systems can be changed to support different values and different outcomes. The class serves as an introduction to the emerging field of algorithmic bias that bridges the disciplines of information science, computer science, law, policy, philosophy, sociology, urban planning, and others.

How has social media changed the world, and how has the world changed social media? This course explores how social media has influenced relationships, culture, industry, politics, and the information environment, as well as how significant global events and technological advancements have contributed to the evolution of social media. This course gives students a broad contextual understanding of social media that they may apply in their daily lives as well as future academic inquiry.

Can the profound and rapid technological advances experienced in the 21st century change what it means to be human or the nature of humanity? Emergent technologies, new materials, increased computer power, engineering innovations, and groundbreaking work in the sciences of cognition and action provide myriad opportunities for repairing and enhancing the human body and brain. Examines the ethical, social, and technological implications of an increasing synergism of technology and the body in sports and the arts, at work or home, rehabilitating the body and the brain, and society at large.

Students will examine the growing development of urban agriculture and edible landscapes. Urban agriculture has seen a recent growth and interest in cities across the globe. From Paris to New York, from Baltimore to Detroit, urban agriculture is an emerging land use to address a variety of needs. Redevelopment, food deserts, community engagement and environmental justice are just some of the issues and topics that are connected to the recent growth of urban agriculture. This course will take a critical examination of urban agriculture's contribution to the food system, its input and outputs in the urban landscape, and the planning and design of urban agriculture and edible landscapes.

"Greening Cities" can have many interpretations: improving or adding urban economic activity, realizing energy efficiency, greening urban transport systems, etc. An important component of livable and sustainable cities and metropolitan ecosystems are the plants and landscapes that are inhabited by plants. With the majority of humans now living in cities, a survey of urban ecosystem principles and an examination of design and planning strategies for plant and landscape resources in urban and metropolitan regions is critical.

Environmental Justice will be explored in the context of the built environment. What unequal public built environmental threats exist? How can these threats be prevented or eliminated? Public schools, public parks, access to clean water, air pollution, tree coverage are among the built environments examined in the course.

Virtually everyone thinks it's permissible to kill people only in special circumstances. But why is killing usually wrong? Is it ever acceptable to kill an innocent human being intentionally? This course raises these and related questions and examines cases such as terrorism, suicide, abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, war. Except for a brief discussion of animals, all the controversies considered deal with killing and causing death to human beings.

What does the discipline of philosophy teach us about happiness? This course explores how philosophers have addressed questions about the nature of happiness and its role in the good human life. Questions to be addressed include: what is it to be happy? What social, economic, and political institutions foster and support human happiness? Can an immoral person be happy? And is a happy life the same as a meaningful life?

What are the secrets to living a happy life? Can happiness be found within the context of war, a depressed economy, violence and other major stressors? Are some people born happier than others? This course will teach you the scientific process that psychologists use to study happiness (and related emotional variables) and give you the opportunity to practice applying that process in a number of ways. You will learn how we (a) gather and critically evaluate research findings in the existing literature, (b) integrate those findings into coherent and testable theories, (c) design and conduct valid scientific research that tests those theories and extends our knowledge, and (d) effectively communicate our theories and findings to a wide range of audiences. The result of the process is a more accurate and objective understanding of happiness, and that is what prepares you to apply your scientific understanding to explain and influence a wide range of outcomes.

Why is there evil in the world? Are some born evil, or do social, environmental and cultural forces create evil? What makes otherwise good people do evil things? The scientific study of evil epitomizes the fundamental challenge that psychology faces in dissecting the role of biology (nature) and the social context (nurture).

Interrogate musical theater's political history, investigating how this uniquely American genre uses narrative, song, and dance to weave critical differences across race, ethnicity, immigration status, religion, gender, sexuality, and ability into our national fabric.

Surveys innovative approaches to child education, including unschooling, homeschooling, blended instruction, place-based learning, Big Picture Learning, democratic schools, microschools, self-directed learning centers, and other alternatives to traditional schools.