In this introductory course, you’ll explore the histories, cultures, and experiences shaping African and African American communities. Deepen your understanding of today’s world and its challenges.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday; Tuesday, Thursday; Online
Analyze how media shapes perceptions of race and build critical thinking skills, media literacy, and awareness that is useful across majors and everyday life.
Online
Learn about our night sky and planetary neighbors! You’ll enjoy weekly sections in the planetarium with hands-on activities. This class is designed to suit any major with a focus on building quantitative skills.
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Learn about the universe beyond our solar system! Explore galaxies, black holes, and the birth and fate of our universe.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Discover how drugs work, what distinguishes them from supplements, and how we make decisions about what we put in our bodies.
Tuesday, Thursday
How do we quantify biodiversity, how is biodiversity generated, and what are the threats to biodiversity? Explore global biodiversity trends and the biodiversity of Iowa.
Tuesday, Thursday
Chemistry is everywhere and is essential to our everyday lives. With a focus on the non-scientist, we’ll explore chemistry in modern society.
Tuesday, Thursday
Explore ancient novels, the blockbusters of the Greek and Roman world! Love, war, betrayal, magic, and pirates await in this study of the ancient Mediterranean. These stories provide unique insight into classical culture.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Not a computer science major, but want to add programming to your skillset? This course is for you! Learn all about Python programming, with topics like Python shell, variables and assignment statements, functions, and so much more.
Online
In this introductory course, learn to think critically with data, gain hands-on coding skills, and explore real-world applications – essential tools for any major in today’s data-driven world.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday; Online
Explore deeper data science tools, build data visualizations, and gain experience with real datasets – be empowered to solve complex, data-driven problems.
Monday, Wednesday
Ever wonder why health care is so expensive? Learn how economics reveals the tough choices behind affordable, high-quality, and accessible care.
Online
Learn to design apps and websites people actually want to use. Create, test, and improve user experiences through hands-on projects – no tech background required.
Tuesday, Thursday
Ponder the fraught relationship between “nature writing” and nature. Explore the possibility that texts help people commune with nature and care more about its health and survival.
Tuesday, Thursday
This British literature course explores medieval texts and screen adaptations. Go from page to screen as you learn about the evolution of Robin Hood’s image and the forces shaping it.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Discover the sparkling, multi-faceted world of gemology in this introductory course that explores how gemstones form, how gems are valued … and how to spot a fake!
Tuesday, Thursday
Explore this highly interdisciplinary field that investigates the environmental and geologic factors that influence the occurrence and movement of groundwater and its global significance.
Tuesday, Thursday
In this introduction to international studies, you’ll learn about cultural, geographic, economic, and political characteristics of major world areas and nations.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday; Tuesday, Thursday; Online
Study Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East within the context of globalization and regionalization.
Online
Explore why, how, when, and what highly successful people (“bosses”) read and how adopting these reading practices might help you achieve your goals.
Online
Build confidence and practical skills to make a difference. Pair this class with your 1-credit intro course and prepare to thrive as a changemaker in college and beyond.
Tuesday, Thursday
Explore animal communication through the lens of human language and examine the ethics of using AI to listen in on and interpret animal conversation.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
From babies to adults, discover how speech and language work – and sometimes involve struggle. In this introductory course, you’ll learn communication access for aphasia, stuttering, hearing loss, and more.
Tuesday, Thursday
Learn the pros and cons of ranked choice voting, how congress is apportioned, plus how to win at games!
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Data: Wait, it’s all linear algebra? Yes! Always has been. Discover systems of linear equations, determinants, vector spaces, linear transformations, orthogonality, least-squares methods, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors.
Tuesday, Thursday; Online
Political polarization and political violence are both increasing, why? And what could be done to reverse this trend? This course explores these questions.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Wars, tariffs, and strategic alliances impact agriculture. Explore the influences global politics and agriculture have on each other.
Tuesday, Thursday
Explore the science of well-being. Learn the foundational principles to cultivate a life rooted in meaning, purpose, growth, and happiness.
Tuesday, Thursday
Study the influence of culture on board and video games with a focus on cults and post-apocalyptic worlds. You’ll play games and also practice game design skills.
Tuesday, Thursday
What do religions say about gender, marriage, sex, and identity? Explore how communities across cultures and centuries both shape – and are shaped by – desire, the body, love, and the sacred.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Explore the social and environmental forces behind mental health, chronic illness, and infectious diseases that influence who gets to live the long and good life.
Tuesday, Thursday
Explore what sociology can tell us about organizations, technology (new and old), bureaucracy, power, and the future of work in capitalism.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Raise the curtain on the wide world of performance – from Broadway to Netflix, TikTok to video games. Explore how theatre, film, music, dance, television, and new media shape our culture through interactive lectures, field trips, and guest artists. A hands-and-brains-on experience you won’t forget.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Bring your stories to life through performance, media, and design – learn to craft, share, and apply storytelling across digital and live platforms to make an impact on your community and the world.
Monday, Wednesday
In this introductory course, you’ll explore Latinx communities in the United States and their unique histories, heritage, and relationships to communities around them. Build professional skills through interactive, research-based projects.
Tuesday, Thursday; Online
Through the readings and analyses of Latina/o/x memoirs, community service, and the collection of oral histories (in conjunction with Parks Library), you’ll discover the extensive realities of Latinx communities in Iowa.
Tuesday, Thursday
