We all know that many species on earth are going extinct--but why do we care? What species are most threatened? What are the consequences of losing these plants, animals, and other organisms, and, most importantly, what can we do to prevent it? Through a series of case studies on successful and unsuccessful conservation efforts, this class will explore the science behind endangered species and what conservation biologists can do to help them survive.

Metafiction, simply put, is writing about writing--for example, a book that talks about reading a book! In this class, we'll look at two classic examples of metafictional literature, Don Quixote and Madame Bovary, and see how they portray reading--and its consequences--as seductive, dangerous, and powerful.

Come learn a little bit of everything about economics! What is economics, anyway? What do economists do? How do markets work? Why does Canada export maple syrup and not bananas? Why do you buy what you buy and companies sell what they sell? We’ll answer these questions and more as we go over basic microeconomics (the small-scale stuff, like a single market for a product) and some topics in macroeconomics (bigger-scale thinking, like between countries).

In the fourth century BCE, Aristotle defined humanity as "the political animal." Across the ensuing millennia, Western writers, philosophers, and political scientists have grappled with ideas about both real and ideal political systems. They've asked questions like: What defines a society? What's the purpose of government? Are humans naturally inclined to live in government, or not? What are our responsibilities in a political community, and what are governments' responsibilities to us? And, fundamentally--what kind of government should we have? In this class, we'll explore these questions and more by investigating the political writings of thinkers like Aristotle, Plato, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx. We'll see how they create an ongoing, contentious conversation about political systems, and practice thinking critically about their arguments in light of our own experiences. By the end of the class, we'll be able to talk about what you'd like your ideal governments to look like!

Come learn a little bit of everything about economics! What is economics, anyway? What do economists do? How do markets work? Why does Canada export maple syrup and not bananas? Why do you buy what you buy and companies sell what they sell? We’ll answer these questions and more as we go over basic microeconomics (the small-scale stuff, like a single market for a product) and some topics in macroeconomics (bigger-scale thinking, like between countries). If we have time or there is interest, we can also make forays into behavioral economics and basic game theory!

For thousands of years, philosophers and scientists have endeavored to understand the nature of the fundamental building blocks of the universe. In this class, we’ll see how thinking about atoms has evolved from the ideas of ancient Greek and Roman thinkers to the modern-day understanding of elementary particles, and everything in between! Along the way we’ll learn a lot of cool history and science in its own right, think about the ways people have done and thought about science over the centuries (connecting to broader topics in the history of science), and about some awesome historical figures.