Quest for Knowledge First Year Seminars

New beginnings can also bring challenges as you navigate a new environment. Join fellow first-year students in a Quest for Knowledge course. 这些课程的创建是为了帮助你掌握这些挑战，并通过教你如何:

• Take charge of your learning inside and outside of the classroom in new and exciting ways
• Leverage campus resources to help you succeed
• Navigate the New College academic program and use it to support your goals

Quest for Knowledge 2024 Courses

行为经济学

Dr. 特蕾西·柯林斯

本课程介绍行为经济学领域所涉及的问题和使用的方法. 行为经济学 adds insights from psychology, 社会学, and anthropology to the rational economic model. 这样做的时候, it looks beyond the standard neoclassical model of how people make decisions; examining ways in which behavior is not consistent with strict rational self-interested decision-making. This includes what is considered to be “irrational” behavior, and the fact that people often make decisions that are not optimal. 它还包括社会偏好——人们关心他们的决定将如何影响他人/环境，而不仅仅是出于公平或利他主义的考虑. 经常, 我们将回顾标准经济理论如何预测人们在特定情况下的行为，并将其与实验实际展示给我们的人类行为进行比较. 行为经济学是经济学中的一个跨学科领域，其受欢迎程度和相关性持续增长. It applies the tools of economics to explore 社会 issues. Behavioral Economists study the effects of psychological, 社会, 认知, 情感因素对个人和机构的经济和非经济决策及其后果的影响. 在本课程中, 你将学习行为经济学最重要的原理，这将使你能够评估我们在课堂上学习的概念在现实世界中的不同应用.

Chinese Martial Arts Films

Dr. Fang-yu李

在这门课程中，我们将观看来自中国、台湾、香港和好莱坞的武术电影. 我们将从全球视角考察视觉效果和类型结构，并讨论男女主人公的人物塑造等话题, the spiritual cultivation and moral codes in Confucian and Daoist tradition, the pursuit of 社会 justice and national defense, and the construction of “Chineseness” in the context of imperialism and globalization. We will introduce the two main subgenres—the “kungfu” films and the “wuxia” films, and compare with Hollywood martial arts films. All films have English subtitles, and all 阅读 materials are in English. No prior knowledge of Chinese required.

Data and You: Surviving the Information Age

Dr. 蒂亚戈·佩雷斯

有没有想过，公司怎么能从你的一个朋友(而不是你)身上了解到你的优点!)安装应用程序? How Target knows you are pregnant before your parents do? Is your password really “strong”? Are all those google searches really anonymous? In the Information Age that we are living in, 了解数据科学和计算机安全的基础知识已经成为保护数据的基础, 你的隐私, 甚至你的钱. No experience with programming, or background in computer/data science needed.

Human Flourishing in a Mathematical World

Dr. 弗拉德Serban

It is not far-fetched to say that our world is becoming increasingly data-driven, 甚至是数学上的. 但是，在我们的日常生活中，数学的实践和应用如何改善我们所说的生活(如果有的话)?? How do these pursuits interact with our desires for beauty, meaning and justice, among others? Do they help individuals and communities to flourish? 在本课程中, 使用有趣的谜题, 阅读, exploration and group discussion, 我们将会发现聪明人在历史上以及最近是如何思考这些问题的. 你可能会体验到解决难题的满足感，同时也会渴望进一步研究我们将涉及的一些主题，利用新博网页提供的大量资源. 本课程将以一个小项目结束，在这个小项目中，你可以做到这一点，并深入研究课堂上提到的你选择的主题.

Introductory Psychology Seminar: Memories: True, False, and Distorted

Dr. 米歇尔·巴顿

Memories are an essential aspect of everyday life, whether we are recounting a family trip to a best friend, 找车钥匙, or remembering to meet a friend at the cafe. For these tasks, we rely on our memories to be accurate, and most of the time they are. But because memory is a reconstructive task, rather than a verbatim recording of the past, it can be prone to forgetting, as well as distortions and interference from other information. 在更极端的情况下, 记忆很容易受到暗示的影响，这些暗示可能会让人生动地回忆起从未发生过的事件. 本次知识探索研讨会将探讨影响我们记忆创造和回忆的因素, as well as how our memories can shape our expectations of ourselves, 我们的社会伙伴, and of our new experiences. 我们将用这门课的主题来反思我们的过去，我们的现在和我们的未来. (这个研讨会是心理学的基础课程，满足中级心理学课程的心理学入门的先决条件.)

Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing 

Dr. 詹妮弗·威尔斯

本课程向学生介绍修辞概念和以观众为中心的写作方法，包括写作过程, language conventions and style, and critical analysis and engagement with written texts and other forms of communication. Student Learning Outcomes:

•  学生将运用修辞知识与不同的受众和目的进行交流.
• Students will employ critical thinking to analyze forms of communication.
• Students will engage in writing processes that involve drafting, revising, and reflecting.

Mathematical Thinking: Patterns, Puzzles, and Exploration

Dr. 克里斯Kottke

本课程通过探索在典型数学课上没有的问题，介绍数学思维的方法. 而不是说教, the class is built around student exploration of the material, in order to discover and understand mathematical concepts organically, while at the same time building general transferable problem solving and teamwork skills. We also investigate sociological aspects of mathematics, breaking down some of the harmful preconceptions about who is suited for mathematical thought.

Science of Light and Color

Dr. 马里亚纳Sendova

Why are sunsets brilliantly red and orange? Have you ever set your heart on bringing the stars closer? We will expand your horizon by exploring light. Light is the primary medium of our natural world. Through the study of light, we understand the composition of stars and galaxies that are light years away, while simultaneously we watch microscopic processes of living cells in vivo. 在这个课堂上, 你将被邀请:1)跟随你的激情，同时了解光和我们丰富多彩的现实. 2)我们将引导你好奇和艺术的心灵去观察光，将源与诗融合, 摄影, 以及科学探究. 3)你会思考，头脑风暴，并参与创造光的“魔法”与你的同行分享.

关于写作的写作

Dr. 詹妮弗·威尔斯

关于写作的写作是一门修辞学和写作的入门课程，它邀请学生反思自己与写作的关系，以确定他们对写作/自己作为作家的信仰的起源. Once they can name their own beliefs, they are encouraged to reflect on how those beliefs can lead to behaviors, 其中一些可能在高中时对他们很有帮助，但在大学里可能不会继续发挥作用. 从那里, 学生们尝试不同的策略和工具来支持他们与写作的关系. While this class is focused on writing, there are clear parallels with other types of academic skill development, 许多策略和工具都是为了在大学生活的其他课程或领域中使用. Knowledge transfer is the overarching goal of this class.

Pathways to Health Sciences 

艾米·博汉教授

Interested in a career in medical research, medicine, or veterinary medicine? 来学习这些领域和发展技能，这将有助于你在生物医学领域的职业生涯取得成功. We’ll explore principles of biomedical science, 解剖学和生理学, and topics in veterinary medicine. 当我们探索这些领域时, 你将配备技能，这将有助于你的旅程健康领域，如科学课程的学习策略, 写摘要, creating scientific posters, 期刊社, 还有更多!

Introduction to the Marine Biology of 萨拉索塔 Bay

Dr. 萨曼莎Levell

在本课程中, 学生将通过身临其境的实地体验和定量实验室分析来了解萨拉索塔湾海洋生物学. 学生们将共同努力，以更好地了解发生在我们海湾的过程, both natural and human-involved. Students will meet 萨拉索塔 Bay Estuary Partners, 谁对我们所面临的问题有广泛的经验，以及积极的修复和保护工作. 通过这些经历, 学生将以本地海洋生态系统知识大使的身份开始他们的发展.