All

The seminar centers on fundamental questions concerning labor: Why do people work? What is the relationship between ‘work’ and ‘employment’? And how do the concerns of ‘nonwage work’—specifically care work within households—intersect with wage work within the labor market? These inquiries motivate our exploration. We will delve into established theories in labor economics and

Simply put, economics deals with the material world, and ecology is concerned with the living world. How do the two worlds meet and interact? This seminar explores this intriguing question. This broad question can be analyzed in terms of more pointed queries: What are the feedbacks between the economic and the ecological systems? How do markets and incentives affect people’s

This seminar will explore how human economies and natural ecosystems interact and evolve over time and space. We will examine the dynamics of human relationship with ‘nature’, and the response they evoke to environmental issues. We will ask: how is human behavior connected to changes in hydrological, nutrient or carbon cycles? How do changes in climate and hydrology bring about

Polity (Latin polītīa Greek polīteía) denotes citizenship and forms of government, while economy (Latin oeconomia  Greek oikonomíā) denotes how a nation’s resources are managed and organized. In this seminar, we will explore how resources are put to use in a country and how goods and services are produced, consumed and distributed amongst its people. We

Why do people work? How can we make sense of the relationship that workers have with their workplace? What determines the income they earn from work? And, how are the concerns of ‘nonremunerative work’ (especially care work carried in the realm of household) related to that of 'remunerative work' (carried in the realm of labor market)? This seminar is motivated by these

The course will be divided into four sections corresponding to four elements of nature that have been transformed in the anthropocene. In order to strengthen our environmental literacy, we will read scientific articles as well as news articles about wildfires in California, Europe, and Australia. We will educate ourselves about disappearing islands through the rise of sea

Food, place and politics. This course investigates food in the globalized world considering political economy, history of colonialism and cultural identity. Focusing on various geographical locales, we examine the economic factors, socio-political structures and cultural implications behind what determines a crop’s value based on power relationships and global trade strategies.

Food, Place, and Politics. This course investigates food in a globalized world by considering political economy, the history of colonialism, and cultural identity. Focusing on various geographical locales, we examine the economic factors, socio-political structures, and cultural implications that determine a crop’s value based on power

Food, place and politics. This course investigates food in the globalized world considering political economy, history of colonialism and cultural identity. Focusing on various geographical locales, we examine the economic factors, socio-political structures and cultural implications behind what determines a crop’s value based on power relationships and global trade strategies.

This course is a 1-credit, seven-week course focused on providing video and animation students with the skills to edit in Premiere Pro CC 2015. The first third of the course will provide the essential training of capturing, editing, audio mixing, and performing special effects, as well as review methods of best practice when organizing footage and exporting finished

This course is a 1-credit, seven-week course focused on providing video and animation students with the skills to edit in Premiere Pro CC 2015. The first third of the course will provide the essential training of capturing, editing, audio mixing, and performing special effects, as well as review methods of best practice when organizing footage and exporting finished

During the Edo period (1600-1867), Japan closed its doors to other countries for about two hundred fifty years, and this isolation helped Japan develop its own unique culture. However, it ended in 1867 when Japanese culture was introduced to the Western world at an International Exposition in Paris. Contrary to the Edo period, the next era—the Meiji—brought rapid westernization

During the Edo period (1600 - 1867), Japan closed its doors to other countries for about two hundred years, and this isolation helped Japan develop its own unique culture. It, however, ended in 1867 when Japanese culture was introduced to the Western world at an International Exposition in Paris. On the contrary to the Edo period, the next era, Meiji, brought rapid

During the Edo period (1600-1867), Japan closed its doors to other countries for about two hundred fifty years, and this isolation helped Japan develop its own unique culture. It, however, ended in 1867 when Japanese culture was introduced to the Western world at an International Exposition in Paris. On the contrary to the Edo period, the next era, Meiji, brought rapid

In Italy, they call him simply Eduardo. His legacy is timeless like the texture of humanity that he portrayed in his plays. A playwright, an actor, a poet, a film director, and above all a poignant interpreter of the ephemeral, the Neapolitan Eduardo De Filippo has earned worldwide admiration for his work. This course focuses on his theatrical productions in the years soon

Democracy in the United States continues to be under threat and countless Americans do not understand enough of our country’s history or political systems to comprehend the threat. This has led to inaction by the American people, media outlets that share disinformation and individuals who care more about power than participating in democratic governance. To reach this point, it

Democracy in the United States is being threatened and countless Americans do not understand enough of our country’s history or political systems to comprehend the threat. This has led to inaction by the American people, media outlets that share disinformation and individuals who care more about power than participating in democratic governance. To reach this point, it took

Each of the current candidates for the Office of President of the United States across the political spectrum has detailed positions on education: early childhood opportunities, public vs charter schools, free college and student debt loads, among other issues. This pop up course will look at the current candidates’ positions in the context of the broader policy debates

Patrick J. Leahy was United States Senator from Vermont from 1975 to 2023, a career that put him front and center in American history for almost fifty years. This course invites historians, politicians, and those who know Leahy best to discuss and analyze the key policies that impacted American democracy on the local, national, and international levels. We will examine how

Patrick J. Leahy was United States Senator from Vermont from 1975 to 2023, a career that put him front and center in American history for almost fifty years. This course invites historians, politicians, and those who know Leahy best to discuss and analyze the key policies that impacted American democracy on the local, national, and international levels. We will examine how

Using the newly approved Vermont Education Bill as a starting point, we will examine the changing needs and responses of both the government, and its public constituency, with regard to public education. How do governing bodies view the challenge of modernizing public education differently than the general public, and how are assets being newly allocated to respond to those

“Education in Society: Purpose, Power and Possibility” comprises a series of interactive lectures, recorded for those unable to attend synchronously, and written assignments including an asynchronous discussion board to share your reactions to the lecture and reading materials. Additional information about this course will be forthcoming soon. This class meets once a week for

Improving literacy, reforming school discipline, civic education, universal school meals. These are all issues that the Vermont legislature worked to advance in the 2021 biennium. This class will assess each of the major pieces of legislation. What did each initiative try to achieve, how it will impact education and what policies are still need to improve education in Vermont.

In this course, we will examine the rise of market-based approaches to K-12 education reform in America. What are the theoretical arguments for implementing free market reforms in public schooling? What are examples of school choice policies and what are the consequences of these for students and families? How has the increased privatization and marketing of schools influenced

The fundamental goal of educational software is to teach or reinforce the user’s knowledge in a specific domain.  The system must be able to adapt to user needs and current level of domain knowledge to be truly effective. In this class, we will be using language learning as the primary domain for exploring the concepts of educational software design. Designing software