University Bulletin (2010-2011)

JOUR 105aj Political Reporting: Covering the Campaign
[ ss wi ]
Students will cover the campaign for governor of Massachusetts, examining policy positions and public records. The class covers the state Democratic convention, write political profiles, and learn laws governing campaign financing and open meetings. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. McNamara

JOUR 106aj Beat Reporting: Covering the State House
[ ss wi ]
Students will examine the political policy challenges on Beacon Hill, track legislation, interviewing lobbyists and law makers and considering the role of the media as government watchdog. Supervised reporting on Beacon Hill.
Ms. McNamara

JOUR 113aj Magazine Reporting: Long-Form Journalism
[ ss wi ]
Students will work collaboratively to build on their daily political reporting experiences to produce full-length magazine features. As a team of reporters, researchers, writers, editors, and fact-checkers, they will learn to write artful narrative stories.
Ms. McNamara

AMST 102aj Environment, Social Justice, and Empowerment
[ oc ss wi ]
Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.
This community-engaged course involves students first-hand in the legal, policy, science, history and social impacts of current environmental health issues challenging individuals and families and communities today, with a particular focus on low-income, immigrant communities and the profound and unique roles played by women. Students will engage directly in the topics through field trips, visiting speakers and discussions with stakeholders themselves. They also will address the issues by assisting low income residents in Waltham at the Tenant Advocacy Clinic, and collaborating in projects with EPA, DEP and local organizations such as Healthy Waltham, the Waltham Family School, Waltham Family YMCA, Jewish Family and Children's Service, Joseph Smith Community Health Center and others. Offered ast part of JBS program.
Ms. Goldin

BISC 6bj Environmental Health
[ sn ]
Does NOT meet requirements for the major in biology. Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.
An introduction to the science and tools of environmental health, giving students hands-on skills to explore directly current issues experienced by local communities. Students will become familiar with the environmental health paradigm, the conceptual model of the field, including underlying principles of hazard identification, exposure assessment, toxicology, risk assessment, and characterization and interpretation of epidemiological studies. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Stewart

ENVS 89aj Environmental Internship
[ oc ]
This is an experiential learning course. JBS students may do a fall internship related to the issues addressed in the JBS. The environmental studies internship provides the opportunity for students to experience firsthand actual environmental challenges in government, industry, public interest organizations and scientific research institutions. Students tackle current environmental issues alongside professionals in the environmental field, experiencing the real-life context and application of their course work. Weekly on-line discussion forums will provide perspective and a substantive basis for the internship experience, and students will present their work at the semi-annual Environmental Internship Symposium. Internship placements are individually tailored to support each student's academic goals and experience. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Goldin

ENVS 98aj Independent Study
Students explore in depth a topic directly related to their internship. In collaboration with the instructor, students develop a reading list and research questions, and write a series of short papers as well as a final paper. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Goldin

ANTH 98aj Individual Readings and Research in Anthropology
In conjunction with ANTH 99aj, students will be required to do 15-20 hours per week field research, following the research design developed in session one. This class will be run as a workshop for students to discuss and present their field projects and common challenges and strategies with each other. During the second session students will prepare a final project, developed by the student in consultation with the instructor and field research partners, if applicable. The project can take a variety of forms, including a final paper, outline and writing sample or chapter for senior thesis, short video, Web site design, PowerPoint, podcast, brochure, etc. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Ferry

ANTH 99aj Senior Research
In conjunction with ANTH 98aj, students will be required to do 15-20 hours per week field research, following the research design developed in session one. This class will be run as a workshop for students to discuss and present their field projects and common challenges and strategies with each other. During the second session students will prepare a final project, developed by the student in consultation with the instructor and field research partners, if applicable. The project can take a variety of forms, including a final paper, outline and writing sample or chapter for senior thesis, short video, Web site design, PowerPoint, podcast, brochure, etc. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Ferry

ANTH 181aj Designing and Conducting Ethnographic Research
[ ss ]
Examines principal issues in ethnographic fieldwork and analysis, including research design, data collection, and ethnographic representation. Students will learn how to develop a focused research question, design field research, and build skills for independent social science research. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Ferry

ANTH 183aj Anthropological Inquiry
[ ss wi ]
This is an experiential learning course. A study of how anthropologists have conducted fieldwork and turned it into different kinds of products—especially ethnographic writing, but also films, museum exhibits, Web sites, teaching curricula, etc. Looks at classic and contemporary ethnographic work in the context of the field research conducted. Explores collaborative and public anthropology approaches and the role of new media in the field. Students will write weekly reflective summaries of the material read and will develop an independent project examining how questions related to their particular project have been researched and written about. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Ferry

HSSP 89aj Internship and Analysis
This is an experiential learning course. A supervised internship in a health care or policy organization. Internships may include work in a department of public health, hospital or health care agency, health advocacy organization, or other appropriate government or private-sector organization; but regardless of the venue, the internship itself must focus on some aspect of health and public service and be approved by the JBS instructor prior to enrollment. Students are required to participate in a regular blog and internet communication with the instructor and other students. Students are required to complete a thirty five to forty page research paper in conjunction and present a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation on capstone day. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Zincavage

HSSP 98aj Independent Research in Health: Science, Society, and Policy
Under the direction of a member of the HSSP faculty or faculty sponsor approved by HSSP chair, students conduct an intensive laboratory- or field-based project that culminates in a thirty five to forty page research paper. Offered as part of JBS program.
Staff

HSSP 100bj Introduction to Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Population Health
[ qr ss ]
Core course for the HSSP major and minor. Provides an orientation to the science of epidemiology, the quantitative foundation for public health policy. As a comprehensive survey course, students from varying academic backgrounds are introduced to biostatistics and major epidemiological concepts, and provided with training in their application to the study of health and disease in human populations. Case studies examine how environmental, physical, behavioral, psychological and social factors contribute to the disease burden of populations. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Mignone

HSSP 102aj Global Perspectives on Health
[ ss ]
A primer on major issues in health care. Topics include the natural history of disease and levels of prevention; epidemiological transitions; health disparities; and determinants of health including culture, social context and behavior. Also covers infectious and chronic disease incidence and prevalence; the role of nutrition, education, reproductive trends, and poverty; demographic transition including aging and urbanization; the structure and financing of health systems; and the globalization of health. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Bhalotra

HSSP 120bj Health Care Landscapes
[ ss ]
Focuses on developing skills and understanding of health care landscapes, with an emphasis on experential learning in specific communities. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Zincavage

COSI 89aj Research Internship
Full-time internship with at least 300 hours from August to December. Students blog about their internship, comment on classmates blog entries and write papers about their internship and its role in the world. Offered as part of JBS program.
Staff

COSI 98aj Independent Study
Read scholarly articles related to web services, mobile applications, and cloud computing. Requires a final paper ideally related to student's internship. Offered as part of JBS program.
Staff

COSI 152aj Web Application Programming
[ sn ]
Prerequisites: COSI 11a, 12b, and 21a.
An introduction to web programming that covers the fundamental languages and tools, including HTML/CSS for page layout, javascript/ajax for client-side integration, and server-side programming in Java, Ruby, and SQL. The course also discusses security, scaling/optimization, and multi-tier architectures. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Hickey

COSI 153aj Mobile Application Development
[ sn ]
Prerequisites: COSI 11a, 12b, and 21b.
An introduction to the design and analysis of mobile applications that covers the architecture of mobile devices, APIs for graphical user interfaces on mobile devices, location-aware computing, social networking. Also covers the theory and practice of space and time optimization for these relatively snall and slow devices. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Hickey

COSI 154aj The JBS Incubator
[ sn ]
Prerequisite: COSI 11a, 12b, and 21a.
An introduction to software engineering for web and mobile applications. Covers agile programming techniques, rapid prototyping, source control paradigms, effective software documentation, design of effective APIs, software testing and analysis, software licensing, with an introduction to business plans for software entrepreneurs. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Hickey

COSI 210aj Independent Study
Read scholarly articles related to web services, mobile applications, and cloud computing. Requires a final paper ideally related to student's internship.
Staff

COSI 293aj Research Internship
Full-time internship with at least 300 hours from August to December. Students blog about their internship, comment on classmates blog entries and write papers about their internship and its role in the world.
Staff

AMST 104b Boston and Its Suburbs: Environment and History
[ ss ]
Advanced seminar follows the development of the cultural landscape of Boston, Waltham and the western suburbs from glacial retreat to urban sprawl. Employs ecology and history to better understand and address contemporary environmental issues. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Donahue

AMST 106b Food and Farming in America
[ ss wi ]
This is an experiential learning course. American food is abundant and cheap. Yet many eat poorly, and some argue that our agriculture may be unhealthy and unsustainable. Explores the history of American farming and diet and the prospects for a healthy food system. Includes extensive fieldwork. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Donahue

BIOL 32a Field Biology
[ sn ]
Students must be enrolled in the Environmental Field Semester (JBS) to enroll in this course in fall 2010.
This is an experiential learning course. Introduces students to the biodiversity of southern New England, emphasizing woody plants . Course work primarily takes place on field trips to various terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Usually offered every year.
Mr. D.L. Perlman

ENVS 100e GIS and Field Methods: The New England Landscape
[ ss ]
This is an experiential learning course. Open to students in the environmental field semester program only.
The skills, methods, and fieldwork component of the Environmental Field Semester. Trains students in geographic information systems (GIS), ecology, farm and forest work, and research into the ecology, history and stewardship of conservation land in New England. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Donahue and Mr. D. L. Perlman