AP/EA Humanities & Social Sciences Courses
The university reserves the right to change or cancel class times and/or course offerings without notice.
- 73-100 Principles of Economics
- New Course Listing
9 units
An introductory course in the development and use of economic tools for analysis of public policy issues. The course begins with an introduction to the central problem of organizing an economy and allocating resources, emphasizing an overview of the market system in a private enterprise economy. Demand and supply analysis and the elements of long-run competitive equilibrium are developed. This is followed by an analysis of the foundations of consumer behavior, which determine market supply and demand. The course concludes with an examination of cases in which the competitive paradigm does not hold (monopoly, oligopoly), and a consideration of the problem of multi-market equilibrium in a private enterprise economy. 80-minute session.
10:30 - 11:50 a.m. daily - 76-101 Interpretation and Argument
- 9 units
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University-wide required freshman course
Students are presented with a systematic method of reading texts and producing arguments by learning first to summarize complex arguments, second to synthesize a series of separate but related arguments, third to analyze arguments for the problems they do and do not address and finally, to build their own arguments on a topic. The primary focus is on literacy and various literate practices: elements of reading, writing, language and culture. Students are introduced to arguments and positions regarding the role such practices play in representing and building knowledge.
- This Changing Climate
New Section Listing
3 - 4:20 p.m. daily
This section of Interpretation and Argument is part of a campus-wide effort to integrate environmental issues into the undergraduate curriculum. As in any Interpretation and Argument section at CMU, you will develop the basic skills necessary to interpreting and composing academic arguments at the college level. Unlike other sections, you will at the same time develop what might be called an “ecological consciousness.” This is not to be confused with an “ecological conscience,” which implies moral or ethical judgment. While morals and ethics are a concern in this course, the goal is not to indoctrinate, but to educate. Students will be asked to develop, through their interpretations and arguments, a capacity for thinking and writing critically and persuasively about the environmental issues that have become part of our cultural landscape.
Cultural Resistance: Representation for the Hell of It?
New Section Listing
9 - 10:20 a.m. daily
Stephen Duncombe defines cultural resistance as “culture that is used, consciously or unconsciously, effectively or not, to resist and/or change the dominant political, economic, and/or social structure.” This 76-101 section asks the question: Is cultural resistance politically and socially effective? Participants will engage with arguments about the problems of representation, artistic autonomy, subculture, and political activism. Not only introducing participants to academic essays, this course will also equip students to critique and interpret the arguments made by artists, musicians, authors, and activists in the many media of resistant representation. The texts in this course will include film (Fight Club), music (Rage Against the Machine), print/literature, painting/sculpture, performance art, and web sites. In short, participants will learn to self-consciously “read” their culture and to recognize the powers and responsibilities attending their position as makers of cultural meaning. They will engage with texts through a variety of in-class activities and field trips, as well as by completing the three core 76-101 writing assignments. By the end of the course, participants will enter the larger conversation by constructing their own arguments about a question of their choosing within the issue of cultural resistance and political efficacy. - 76-217 Looking Forward, Sliding Back?
Nineteenth Century Stories of Progress and Decay -
New Course Listing
9 units
England in the nineteenth century witnessed impressive growth in its commercial, military and scientific ventures. This course will examine several texts from the nineteenth century to explore the ways in which England's many narratives of progress were haunted by fears of decay. Evolution's grisly counterpart was devolution, or degeneration. Commercial expansion brought fascinating and exciting products to England, products that were not always beneficial to English consumers. We will read Thomas DeQuincey's Confessions of an English Opium Eater (1821) and discuss ways in which overseas trade bred fears of Eastern infection and Otherness. Narratives of industrial manufacture will inform our reading of Hard Times (1854). Finally, the impact of Darwinian and other theories of evolution, criminality, the populace and the metropolis will guide us through The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), and Dracula (1897). We will finish with a novel that ties together themes of empire, commerce, otherness, criminality and evolution -- Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Students will be asked to give a short presentation and write two papers.
10:30 - 11:50 a.m. daily - 76-225 Counter/Mass Culture: the Beats to Hip-Hop
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New Course Listing
9 units
This course will explore radical or counter-cultural forms from the mid-20th century to the present day, including the Beats, punk-rock, language poetry, and hip-hop rap, among others—as literary and cultural forms. Through literary analysis, semiotic readings and the methods of cultural studies, we will explore the explicit oppositional narratives of these cultural formations in their works and culture. As the course title implies, the question of mass appropriation of counter- or radical cultural forms lurks in the background of all these discussions and surfaces in specific cases—such as the Ginsberg Gap ad and of course, in punk and hip-hop. Given the nature of the material, classes will regularly involve a ‘sampling’ of audio and audio-visual performances. The instructor offers the unique historical perspective of having been an apprentice to Allen Ginsberg at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa Institute in Boulder. Weekly digests and a final paper comprise the assignments. -
1:30 - 2:50 p.m. daily
- 76-313 Introduction to Creative Writing
- 9 units
-
Gives students practice in the reading and writing of various types of creative writing. This particular section will focus on poetry and fiction. We will discuss student submissions in a typical workshop setting, putting into practice the analytical skills necessary to grow as writers and critics. Excellent course for developing writing skills.
noon - 1:20 p.m. daily - 79-104 Introduction to World History
- 9 units
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Focuses on two leading aspects of world history: the formation of major traditional civilizations with their distinctive features and the reactions of each to the challenge of Western dominance/industrialization during the past two centuries. Emphasis is on leading themes of world history, rather than a detailed chronological narrative. Eight principal civilizations or cultural traditions will provide the basic units for analysis.
Noon - 1:20 p.m. daily - 79-207 Development of European Culture
- New Course Listing
9 units
This course surveys the evolution of European culture from 1500 to 1950. It defines “culture” broadly to include philosophy, literature, and art but also science, manners, sexuality, morality, and religion. Lectures, readings, and discussions will introduce students to what Europeans thought and wrote about these questions. Readings will include no “history books” but only novels, plays, and memoirs. We will discuss these writings, on the one hand, as “literature,” that is, as examples of literary styles and themes and, on the other hand, as documents that reveal much about the philosophical and social conflicts that divided Europeans. This summer, special emphasis will be placed on the role of science and technology in the development of European culture. Classes will include discussion and a field trip, and texts will include novels, plays, poetry and other cultural products. 80-minute sessions.
10:30 - 11:50 a.m. daily - 79-276 The Global and the Local: Pittsburgh in the World
- New Course Listing
9 units
As historical phenomena, many “global” processes - imperialism, industrialization, urbanization, and migration - leave their imprint upon the local landscape in ways that may be either painfully obvious or barely acknowledged. A freeway system, for example, is not only a transportation conduit, but reflects the rise of American military power and the centralization of federal power during the Cold War. Less dauntingly, a neighborhood Taiwanese restaurant might very well be the end product of revolutionary changes halfway around the globe. Each week, the class will read literature that discusses the emergence of global systems of exchange in the modern and contemporary periods. The course will also require students to participate on weekly field trips within the city and its environs, in order to observe the physical environments created or altered by worldwide events.
1:30 - 2:50 p.m. daily + field trips - 79-281 Modern Soviet History from Communism to Capitalism
- 9 units
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This course covers a broad sweep of Soviet history from the revolution in 1917 to the turmoil of the present. Spanning almost a century of upheaval and transformation, the course examines the October revolution, the ruthless power struggles of the 1920s, the triumph of Stalin, the costly industrialization and collectivization drives, the battle against fascism, and the present attempts to create a market economy. The course provides essential background for anyone interested in understanding the explosive, history-making events in the former Soviet Union. 80-minute sessions.
3 - 4:20 p.m. daily - 80-100 What Philosophy Is
- 9 units
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In this introductory course, we will explore three major areas of Philosophy: Ethics, Metaphysics and Epistemology. Accordingly, the course is divided into three sections. In each section we will read primary sources and discuss some of the main philosophic problems associated with that area. These will include moral problems (Ethics), problems arising from debates about free-will, personal identity or intelligence (Metaphysics) and inquires about the scope and limits of human knowledge (Epistemology). We will then introduce some theories designed to solves such problems, and try to understand the strengths and weaknesses of these theories. We will apply different techniques and theories to issues that we might encounter in the real world. We will use class discussions, homework and papers to learn skills for evaluating arguments. These skills include how to present a philosophic argument, what are the assumptions that justify it, what are its weaknesses and strengths, whether such weaknesses can be resolved and, if they cannot be resolved, why.
noon - 1:20 p.m. daily - 80-130 Introduction to Ethics
- New Course Listing
9 units
This course provides both a historic and thematic survey of Western ethical theory. Key figures such as Aristotle, Hobbes, Kant, Mill, and Nietzsche will be presented as background to the thematic problems of relativism, egoism, and other concepts in ethical theory. Students will take part in the creative process of developing skills necessary to engage in reflective moral reasoning. This process will culminate in the use of interactive multimedia modules simulating real-world scenarios involving difficult moral choices. Participating in a class ethics committee will provide students with opportunities for personal reflection on the ways moral reasoning can be used to expand our understanding of hard choices and moral dilemmas.
noon - 1:20 p.m. daily - 82-191 Elementary Russian I
- New Course Listing
12 units -
A beginning level Russian language course. The course takes a proficiency based approach to teaching basic skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Language is presented in communicative contexts illustrating cultural aspects of daily Russian life. Special emphasis is given to developing oral competency. One or two hours per day outside of class must be devoted to practicing language skills.
TBA - 85-102 Introduction to Psychology
- 9 units
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Examines major areas of scientific psychology. The primary focus is on the areas of neural and motivational control of behavior, memory and thought, social interaction and psychological development. Specific topics within these areas include brain function, motivational control systems, cognitive and perceptual information processing, problem solving, obedience and conformity, emotion, how our social, cognitive and language functions develop, the importance of childhood to adult functioning and psych-pathology. Includes a small number of computerized laboratory experiments and experiences in which the student will perform experiments and analyze real data.
noon - 1:20 p.m. daily
All courses in AP/EA are subject to change. Additional courses may be substituted for current AP/EA courses offered.
If you'd like to take a class not available through AP/EA, some classes are open in Carnegie Mellon's Summer Session II courses for current college students. The faculty member teaching the course and the director of the AP/EA program must also authorize your decision. For a complete listing of these courses, contact Enrollment Services - The HUB at 412-268-8186.