What does artistic production look like during a time of cultural unrest? How did America's poets help shape the political landscape of the American 60s and 70s, decades that saw the rise of the Black Panthers, 'Flower Power,' and Vietnam War protests? Through reading poetry, studying films and engaging with the music of the times we will think about art's ability to move the cultural needle and pose important questions about race, gender, class, and sexuality. We will study Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, Audre Lorde, Eileen Myles, and others. We will talk about The Beats, The San Francisco Renaissance and The New York School poets.

This is a hands-on seminar and laboratory experience about the engineering design of motorcycles. Students will restore or repair a vintage Triumph motorcycle and will compare it to previous restorations of the same make and model of motorcycle from other years (1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, and 1964). No previous shop or laboratory experience is necessary, and we welcome liberal arts students as well as engineering students. The class meets twice each week. Each session starts with a 90-minute precept followed by a 90-minute laboratory.

There are certain years that define our history more than others. 1964 was one of those years. These twelve months were a tipping point after which the nation took a deep dive into the tumult of this fractious decade. The year began with Lyndon Johnson in the Oval Office after he had taken over the office following the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy. The year would end with Johnson's resounding reelection victory against the right-wing conservative Barry Goldwater, a landslide that opened the doors to what the president called a 'Great Society.' This seminar takes a deep dive into the year.

Have you ever wanted to "pay someone back" because you felt injured? After all, each of us has likely been wronged--and has pondered how that wrong is to be recompensed. We'll sample that dish "best served cold" by reading texts with revenge at the center of the story, depicting the heart-stopping dilemmas that accompany vengeance. These narratives write revenge's idiom, showing how it relates to "evenness" in justice, to theories of punishment, and to philosophies of honor and forgiveness. We will also engage with art depicting revenge and with the discourses of law and ethics to deepen our conversation.

An introduction to religious studies and history of philosophy using classic works produced by imprisoned authors. Readings span the world's major religious and philosophical traditions and include works by Plato, Boethius, Marguerite Porete, Gandhi, Levinas, Martin Luther King, Jr., JP Sartre, and detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Works will be exegeted according to their contexts of origination while also asking what they have to teach us in an era of rising nationalism and mass incarceration.

When, where, why and how did human language originate? There are no definite answers, but findings from many different areas of investigation (including paleontology, archeology, linguistics, animal communication, neurobiology, genetics, statistics), when considered in conjunction, shed light on these old and fascinating questions. Current research often gives rise to contrasting interpretations and hypotheses; the seminar will attempt to present a balanced picture and invite students to weigh all evidence.

This seminar looks at science in the popular media. We'll examine these from the perspective of both science and of journalism, in order to understand what compromises science writers are forced to make as they turn technical information into engaging, readable informative pieces the public will readily engage with--without "dumbing down" the science so much that it's misleading or inaccurate. In order to do so, the instructor will draw on his more than 30 years of experience as a science journalist, and also on the experiences of visiting journalists and scientists who will help us analyze case studies from a wide range of media outlets.

Fiction and nonfiction seem like different things: novelists make things up, but scholars document the truth. Yet on closer inspection they have a lot in common. The dividing line between truth and imagination gets blurred. What does 'truth' mean, anyway? Can something be true but not factual? This seminar is co-taught by a literary critic and novelist, and a historian and journalist. We explore great works of fiction, journalism, film, memoir, and history. We will learn from writers and journalists how stories are made. We will work on our own creative stories that engage with the issues most important to us today.

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This interdisciplinary seminar focuses on global health, agriculture, food security, and environmental sustainability. Basic epidemiology, public health and policy, history of food safety and security, climate change, essentials of zoonotic diseases, the politics of antibiotic resistance, and the national and international organizations that oversee health, agriculture, and the environment will be discussed.

What would a Marxism for the 21st century look like? Our seminar will examine the contemporary viability of Marx's fundamental concepts - such as labor, exploitation, ideology, and revolution. How must these concepts be reimagined to account for the specific shape of contemporary capitalism? What can Marxism learn from forms of critical thought that have emerged more recently, especially those concerned with race and gender? Subtopics include student-debt, social media and communicative capitalism, eco-Marxism, #Blacklivesmatter, Occupy Wall Street.

What would it mean to program a technology--like a self-driving car or a facial recognition program--to behave ethically? What responsibilities do engineers and entrepreneurs have for the (un)ethical uses of the tech they create? In this course, we will look at major theories of ethics and apply them to practical questions, including programming ethical tech; how tech distorts social networks; the meaning of "free speech" in tech ecosystems; tech that exacerbates racial discrimination; how productivity tech affects workers; and how AI complicates what it means to be an ethical agent.

The word "sick" means many things: "I'm sick," "Out sick," "That's sick," and "Sick!" What might the alternate connotations of the word "sick"--disturbing or cool--suggest about our relationship with its primary meaning of being ill? Illness narratives have often captivated our cultural imagination, yet these narratives have taken on a new urgency today as we navigate the COVID pandemic. This course will examine illness narratives--literature, films, TV shows--in order to see what it can tell us about our current moment. Our discussions will seek to understand illness with nuance and compassion towards ourselves, others, and our community.

What does democracy mean? What are the norms, institutions and social and economic processes that have sustained democracy? How are these being transformed in the contemporary world? What might explain the fact that fact that democracy is under stress in so many parts of the world simultaneously? Is the timing of this crisis merely a coincidence or is there something more systemic going on? This course will offer general theoretical reflections on the crisis of democracy and will include case studies of countries such as India, United States and others.

This seminar will explore some of the critical contributions of (mostly Allied) scientists, engineers, and mathematicians during World War II.

It is a commonplace that the humanities teach "critical thinking," but what, exactly, does it mean to think "critically" or practice "critique"? This seminar explores the rich history of reflection on critique in the German intellectual tradition, from Kant's critical turn in philosophy to the Critical Theory of the Frankfurt School and contemporary debates about whether critique has outlived its usefulness. We will explore the historical origins of the critical habitus, probe connections between literary criticism and cultural critique, and examine the uses and limits of critical demystification in times of post-truth politics.

In this reading and writing intensive seminar, we will critically examine some of the fundamental ideas of modern political conservatism, as presented by some of its leading thinkers. We will attempt to better understand conservative thought, and develop a framework for assessing its strengths and weaknesses, with respect to a number of representative topics, including the following: distributive justice and the apparent tension between liberty and equality, criminal justice and the nature of crime, and social conservatism and the role of religion in society. Our authors will include philosophers, economists and social scientists.

This course will focus on cross-cultural issues surrounding representation in documentary filmmaking, both in front of and behind the lens. Through film production, screenings and texts, we will explore the question of "who has the right tell whose story, and why?" Students will direct two documentaries each: one set in their own cultural sphere, the other set outside of it. Each student will direct these films while another student assists them. They will then switch roles, giving every student exposure to the construction of four different documentaries.

This course will explore the relationship between social movements and legal/policy reforms. It will critically assess the scope and limits of the 1960s-era civil rights laws through an examination of the following legal and policy issues that Black Lives Matter activists have pushed to the center stage of local and national policy debates: policing; protests and surveillance; mass incarceration; the role of prosecutors; housing segregation and environmental conditions; labor, work, and wealth; educational equity; health care equity and access; and voter suppression and political mobilization.

Democracy in the U.S. is in need of repair. Many Americans--fed up with gerrymandering, political extremism, hyper-partisanship, structural racism, and legislative gridlock--are calling for reforms to how we vote, draw districts, and conduct primary elections. If channeled successfully, reforms such as nonpartisan districting and ranked choice voting have the potential to renew democracy in the 21st century, much as the Progressive Era changed our country in the early 20th century. Students will not only learn about these critical issues, but will engage in hands-on work for electoral reform in New Jersey.

Despite being a very small Middle Eastern country, Israel has continually attracted the world's attention since its inception in May 1948 until today. This course focuses on the dilemmas associated with the institutions, wars, peace agreements, conflicts, domestic debates, and international challenges that collectively make Israeli politics so fascinating, important, and relevant. We will explore the politics of Israel through a variety of points of view, aiming to reach a better, richer, and more complex understanding of Israel itself.

This is a reading-and-writing-intensive course focused on short stories that play with conventions of fantastical fiction as commentary on our psychological, sociopolitical, and cultural realities. Critical works provide theoretical background. Each week we will read two uncanny stories exploring the essential mystery of being human in the world through such topics as our relationships to technology, climate change, illness and addiction, and the social contracts that sustain, link, or imprison us. Assignments will include creative writing prompts, response papers, a presentation, and a final essay/short story.

Our way of speaking is an essential part of our identity. Our particular language variety gives information to the listeners about where we were born, how old we are, our social class and even our race or ethnicity. However, since not all dialects are equally accepted, some speakers might feel judged because of their way of talking. In this seminar, we will analyze the reasons behind the belief that some language varieties are better than the rest, and debunk that myth. We will look at several examples of dialects around the globe and especially here in the US and we will study linguistic situations like multilingualism in our society.

How do we grapple with the lasting, unintended impacts of conducting science, engineering, and medicine in "the nation's service and service of humanity"? What lessons can we learn from the University's past to conduct morally sound research and generate culturally inclusive knowledge? In this course, students will use perspectives from Indigenous studies to critically approach the intersection of Princeton's history, nuclear science, settler colonialism, and environmental racism to collectively imagine a more holistic approach to studying science and the environment. The course revolves around the Nuclear Princeton project.

Qué es una frontera? How has the US-Mexico border been configured and imagined since colonial times? What does it mean to live in-between nations, languages and worldviews? This seminar will explore the concept of the border and borderland spaces from a humanistic and historical perspective. We will reflect on the border as a geographical space but also as a discursive site where authors reflect on dreams, (land) struggles, trans-nationalism, language, identity, race, gender, and human rights. Some reading knowledge of Spanish is desirable but not required.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a wave of revolutions reshaped both sides of the Atlantic, soliciting vigorous responses across Europe and the Americas. With particular attention to debates over rights and freedom, this class will explore how the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions fought, often violently, to establish democratic self-determination and challenge entrenched roles and statuses associated with the family, religion, slavery, and government. In addition to gaining a broad understanding of these revolutions, students will closely analyze historical documents, including visual and literary artworks.

This course will provide an overview of the scientific study of gemstones. Topics covered will include crystallography, crystal structures, and optical properties of gems. Diamonds and gems will be used to illustrate geological concepts such as plate tectonics and our planet's deep interior. The course will also examine recent analytical advances for constraining the provenance of historical gems as well as new applications of gemstones in modern technology. The course will make use of Princeton's large gem collection for hands-on demonstrations and activities and will include a field trip to the American Museum of Natural History.

The overall objective of this seminar is to understand and assess how developments on the scientific and/or technological frontier may raise issues and challenges for public policy as well as associated moral and/or legal issues in the U.S. context. The focus will be on developments since World War II.

Have you ever paused to consider the material that forms your ceramic coffee mug or dinner plate? They are modern iterations of a method of ceramic production first developed in China around 19,000 years ago. Using objects in the Princeton University Art Museum's collection, this seminar will investigate how and why artists from the dawn of civilization to the present day in China created objects made of ceramic, lacquer, bronze, jade, silk, wood, and other natural materials. Through discussions on technology, artistry, and function we will consider how objects made in China embody cultural beliefs and capture the eye with their beauty.

Lasers are not focused, and quantum leaps are tiny. This freshman seminar first explores the science behind quantum technologies. What makes a physical object "quantum", and what does it mean for the way it behaves? The future of quantum technologies, especially quantum computation and quantum cryptography are discussed. Besides the technical aspects, this freshman seminar also explores the use of "quantum" in popular culture, media, film, and literature. This seminar is open to all first-year students, and does not require any specialized prerequisites beyond general high school science and mathematics.