Other Opportunities
Learn about academic and campus opportunities open to the Dietrich College community.
Fall 2026 Featured Courses
76-236/736: The American Story: Our World and Other Worlds
Professor: Jeffrey Williams
Units: 12
GenEd Requirement: Experiential Learning
This course surveys classics of American fiction, such as Washington Irving’s tale of colonial America, “Rip van Winkle,” and William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, up to contemporary fiction such as Octavia Butler’s Kindred and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven. Fiction imagines other worlds, but what does fiction tell us about our world? And what does it tell us about alternatives? The course will be discussion-based and take place at Somerset Prison, so we’ll also talk about the world inside and the world outside.
This course is taught as part of the CMU Prison Education Project and will take place inside Somerset State Correctional Institution. CMU students will learn alongside incarcerated students. Students leave on Fridays together on the bus at 12:30 p.m. and return at 6:45 p.m. This course fulfills the Dietrich GenEd requirement for Experiential Learning and is worth 12 rather than 9 units. An application for admission to the courses is required.
79-239: Theories of Nationalism: Race, Identity and Power
Professor: Aidan Beatty
Units: 12
GenEd Requirement: Experiential Learning
Nationalism is one of, if not the dominant, ideologies of modernity. But where did it come from and why has it been so successful? Our class traces the history of nationalism from the early modern Atlantic world, through Europe and the Middle East and back to North America, examining how and why nationalism merges, in different times and places, with class, race, religion and gender. As we will explore, nationalism can be a progressive force for positive change or a reactionary and exclusionary ideology. In this class, we will take nationalism apart and see what it’s made of; we will examine some of the leading theories of nationalism and survey a variety of nationalist movements across different times and places, from Zionism and Palestinian nationalism, to Irish republicanism, the Armenian Diaspora and contemporary white nationalism.
This course is taught as part of the CMU Prison Education Project and will take place inside Somerset State Correctional Institution. CMU students will learn alongside incarcerated students. Students leave on Fridays together on the bus at 12:30 p.m. and return at 6:45 p.m. This course fulfills the Dietrich GenEd requirement for Experiential Learning and is worth 12 rather than 9 units. An application for admission to the courses is required.
98-067: We Are Not Alone: Supporting Peers’ Mental Health
Instructors: StuCo taught by Gavin Kelly and Hailey Cintron
Day and Time: Thursday, 3:30 to 4:50 p.m.
Are you interested in mental health and peer support? Consider enrolling in We Are Not Alone, a StuCo taught by Gavin Kelly and Hailey Cintron. This class invites students into the Highmark Well-being Lab, where they will learn to support themselves and their peers through mental health struggles. Each week, students are offered a unique opportunity to learn directly from mental health professionals. Together, we will engage in inclusive and open class discussions, practice peer support skills through various frameworks, and learn about available resources for self-care and treatment."
Fall 2026 Art Courses for Non-Majors
60-105: Cultural History of the Visual Arts
Days: Monday, 7 to 9:20 p.m. (Section A) & Wednesday, 7 to 9:20 p.m. (Section B)
Professor: Maria Elena Versari
Cultural History of the Visual Arts I (in the fall) covers the period from Antiquity to the end of the 1700s and features masterpieces and lesser known works in Western and Non-Western art.
Learn more about Cultural History of the Visual Arts.
60-109: Creature Features
Day: Tuesday, 7 to 9:50 p.m.
Professor: Liz Kurtzman
In this course, we will watch films with murderous sharks, man-made horrors, and creatures from beyond the stars to better understand what makes a monster.
Learn more about Creature Features
60-122: Comics
Days: Tuesday and Thursday, 7 to 9:50 p.m.
Professor: John Peña
In this course, students will learn practical and technical skills to communicate their ideas more effectively through comics and sequential art.
60-136: Ceramics
Days: Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. (Section A) & 2 to 4:50 p.m. (Section B)
Professor: Yoko Sekino-Bové
An introduction to three-dimensional form in clay, including hand building, sketching and modeling for larger fireable clay forms, throwing on the wheel, and basic glazing techniques.
60-157: Drawing
Days:
- Monday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.
- Tuesday and Thursday, 2 to 4:50 p.m.
- Monday and Wednesday, 7 to 9:50 p.m.
Professors: Julia Betts, Alli Lemon, and London Williams
In this class, you’ll learn perceptual, analytical, and structural drawing skills that allow you to both more accurately and more expressively create an image on paper.
Academic Opportunities
Science, Technology, and Public Policy Additional Major and Technology and Policy Minor Info Session
Wednesday, April 15, 5 to 6 p.m., email Deanna Matthews for location information
Students can drop in any time during the hour for an overview and Q&A.
The Science, Technology, and Public Additional Major and Technology Policy Minor provide students with skills and knowledge to work on problems at the interface between technology and society and enhance their interdisciplinary problem solving skills.
Society is largely responsible for setting the goals and framing the problems that engineers and scientists work on. However, technologies designed by engineers and scientists profoundly change the societies in which they operate. This connection requires students from all disciplines to work together on solutions.
“But I don’t want to work in government.” That’s fine - our program is designed for career paths to industry and consulting where interfacing with policy happens. Graduates of the program have gone to work in consulting, industry, and government in areas where they support organizations in technical problems such as satellite ground operations for Space X (CMIST), water infrastructure improvements (Chemistry), international security (SDS), climate research (Physics), among others.
Explore the Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ESS) Major and Minor
The Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ESS) program takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying environment and sustainability. ESS offers an additional major and minor built upon existing schools and institutes across Carnegie Mellon University. You can find more detailed information in the ESS course catalog.
Get Involved On Campus
Submit Student Artistic Projects to the Center for the Arts in Society
Deadline: April 17
Center for the Arts in Society invites CMU students to submit artistic projects on “Hospitality,” exploring questions of welcome, belonging and power. Submit a 150-word proposal and work samples for a chance to receive a $250 award. Selected works will be featured in the Hospitality Guide (print and digital).
Learn more about Hospitality and submit your work by April 17
2026 Gelfand Student Educational Outreach Award
Apply by: April 21
Each year the Gelfand Center recognizes three students who have made a commitment to sharing their knowledge, talents, skills and time to make a difference in the lives of children in the community, with a priority for STEM educational outreach activities. Three students will each earn a $250 prize and be recognized for their work!
All nomination materials are due by Tuesday, April 21.
This is a self-nomination process, with letters of support provided by on-campus or community partners who know about your work.
Email questions and send letters to GelfandCenter@andrew.cmu.edu.
Sci-Fi Book Club: The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Register by: Aug. 27
The next Sci-Fi Book Club, co-sponsored by the Center for the Arts in Society, will bring readers together around "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline, with the discussion taking place on Aug. 28. Join us for coffee, snacks, and a great conversation.
Free copies are available for the first 50 who sign up.
Underclassmen: Fill Out the Summer Undergraduate Experience Survey
First-years, sophomores and juniors: Already have a summer internship, research or opportunity? Please fill out the CPDC summer undergraduate experience survey! This helps other students see the kinds of opportunities students get during their time at CMU.
Graduating Students: Fill Out the First Destination Survey
Are you graduating and know your post-grad plans? Make sure to fill out the First Destination Survey in Handshake based on your degree: