PreCollege Courses
Duke University PreCollege Program…
Duke University and Duke University TIP reserve the right to make changes in announced offerings that may be required due to staffing or other considerations. Course updates, additions, and cancellations will be made to the list below as information becomes available.
Note: Math, Science, and Language courses increase in difficulty as course numbers increase.
ASIAN AND AFRICAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE
AALL 137
Contemporary Culture in South Asia
Film can project powerful images. When combined with historical texts, these images can not only provide insight into the past, but also its representation in the present. This course combines films and texts to analyze contemporary questions about society and power in the historical study of South Asia. By highlighting such questions through film, this course explores South Asia's past as medium for discussing modern views and values of the region. It focuses on these views and values through readings and films that address modern and early modern South Asia.
Course meets: M,T,Th 3:30pm - 5:35pm
ART AND ART HISTORY
ARTHIST 69
Intro to History of Art: Prehistory to the Renaissance
This course is a study of the history of western architecture, sculpture, and painting in a cultural context from prehistory to the Renaissance (c. 1400).
Course meets: M,T,Th 3:30pm - 5:35pm
ARTHIST 70
Intro to History of Art: Renaissance to the Present
This course is a study of the history of western architecture, sculpture, and painting in a cultural context from the Renaissance (c. 1400) to the present.
Course meets: M,T,Th 3:30pm - 5:35pm
BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ANATOMY
BAA
40
Next of Kin: Understanding the Great Apes
This course is a survey of ape (gibbons, orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas) morphology, ecology and behavior. Topics include evolutionary history, locomotion, social interactions, mating systems, reproduction, parental care, infanticide, medicinal use of plants, cooperative hunting, alliances, warfare, conflict resolution, and cross-species measures of intelligence. Intended for non-majors.
Course meets: M-Th 3:00pm - 4:35pm
BAA 93
Intro to Biological Anthropology
This course is an introduction to human behavior and anatomy from an evolutionary perspective. Topics include Darwin’s contribution to evolution, Mendel’s work on genetics, primate behavior and evolution, the origins of human social organization and culture, and a survey of human paleontology and human biology. The course will also cover the origin and development of the human animal and the morphological and behavioral relation of humans to other primates.
Course meets: M-F 12:30pm - 1:45pm
BAA 147
Bodies of Evidence: Forensic Anthropology
This course is an introduction to the medicolegal investigation of death, focusing on forensic examination of the human skeleton. Case studies and lectures will cover crime scene protocol and body recovery, basics of human osteology, and methods and issues involved in identifying individuals from skeletal remains, determining cause and manner of death and time since death, and serving as an expert witness in criminal court. The role of the forensic anthropologist in mass disasters, military service, and investigation of war crimes and other human rights violations will also be covered. Intended for non-majors (meaning no science background is necessary), but suitable for majors as well.
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
CHEMISTRY
CHEM 22L*
General Chemistry (pt 2)
This course emphasizes thermodynamics, chemical kinetics and equilibrium with emphasis on applications to related fields such as biology and materials science. Laboratory work includes both qualitative and quantitative analysis. This course is the second part of a two-semester sequence in which part 1 emphasizes stoichiometry and atomic and molecular structure.
Prerequisites: One year of AP Chemistry and SAT Math≥610 or ACT Math≥29
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
Lab: T,Th 1:15pm - 5:15pm
* Chemistry 22L requires a $750 lab fee.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
COMPSCI 4
Intro to Programming
This course is a study of clear thinking and problem solving using computers. Students learn representation, problem decomposition, structured programming, and modern computer language; students develop skills by solving a variety of symbolic and numerical problems. Every effort is made to enable students of all levels to increase programming and problem-solving abilities.
Course meets: M-F 2:00pm - 3:15pm
COMPSCI 6
Program Design & Analysis I
In this course, students will study the design and implementation of programs to solve problems in computer science, engineering, and natural sciences. Object oriented programming using Java, analysis of programs and algorithms, reading, modifying, and designing classes, data structures including arrays, sets, and maps. Intended as an introduction for majors and those interested in programming and computer science with applications in the sciences.
Prerequisites: One full year of high school Calculus with a grade of “A” and SAT Math≥610 or ACT Math≥29
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
CULANTH 104
Anthropology and Film
This course features the study of feature films and documentaries on issues of colonialism, imperialism, war and peace, and cultural interaction. An introduction to critical film theory and film production in non-Western countries.
Course meets: M-F 9:30am - 10:45am
CANCELLED: CULANTH 121
Culture and Politics in China
ECONOMICS
ECON 51D
Economic Principles
An introduction to basic economic concepts such as supply and demand, markets and prices, equilibrium, and market failure. Students also analyze inflation, unemployment, trade, economic growth and development. Different macroeconomic perspectives on issues of monetary and fiscal policy will be discussed, as well as an emphasis on public policy issues and the logic behind economic thought.
Course meets: M-F 9:30am - 10:45am
CANCELLED: ECON 55D
Intermediate Economic Principles
EDUCATION
EDUC 100
Foundations of Education
Interdisciplinary examination of issues confronting American education, incorporating historical, political, economical, philosophical, and social perspectives. Exploration of ways cultural influences and differences have shaped public schools. Students participate in structured service learning experience in which they reflect on ethical issues related to schooling.
Course meets: M-F 9:30am - 10:45am
EDUC 118
Educational Psychology
Principles of developmental, social, and cognitive psychology as applied to education, with a focus on how children learn. Examination of the impact on learning of race, class, gender, and ethnicity, including a comparative analysis of cultural differences in American schools. Through structured service learning experiences in local schools, students reflect through writing on ethical issues in teaching.
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
ENGLISH
CANCELLED: ENGLISH 26S.1
Literature at Sea
CANCELLED: ENGLISH 26S.2
Experimental Fictions
FULL: ENGLISH 63S
Introduction to Creative Writing
In this course, you will have a chance to explore creative writing in three genres: creative non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. For each genre, you will examine a number of published works, complete several writing assignments, and submit your work for peer review. In a writing workshop such as this one, attendance and participation are essential.
Course meets: M,T,Th 3:30pm - 5:35pm
ENGLISH
90AS
Readings in Genre: Noir America
Taking popular culture seriously, this course will examine crime fiction and film noir and their relationship to twentieth-century America. How do these films and fictions help us make sense of America’s social landscape and history, particularly the history of “marginal Americans”? By considering issues of genre and representation—such as race, class, gender and political ideology—we will assess noir’s visual and narrative strategies and explore its relevance to ongoing cultural conflicts. Our investigation will be particularly attentive to the predominantly urban setting of hardboiled fiction and film noir. Set amid the littered streets, dark alleys and decaying buildings of the downtown, these texts frequently represented the postwar crisis of the public city through narratives of social disorder and psychological malaise. What is at stake in the visual representation of the traffic between the city and the violence pervasive in both hardboiled fiction and film noir? What lessons might these representations offer to the present? Finally, pushing the boundaries of the noir concept, we will reconsider its categorical presuppositions: Might we pose a relationship between noir’s “visual style” and its harsh worldview? Does noir have a politics? Is it an ideologically ambiguous aesthetic form, or potentially critical cinema?
Course meets:
M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
EARTH AND OCEAN SCIENCE
EOS 11
The Dynamic Earth
This course serves as an introduction to the dynamic forces that shape Earth and the environment, and the effect of these changes on society. This course explores some of those dynamic systems such as volcanoes, earthquakes, sea floor spreading, plate tectonics, floods, glaciers, landslides, and related phenomena.
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
FILM/VIDEO/DIGITAL
NEW: FVD 102
Introduction to Documentary
This class will investigate what makes nonfiction movies such a vital part of contemporary cinema. From where has documentary developed into one of the most inventive, and even financially lucrative, forms of movie making in the early twenty-first century? In explaining documentary's current golden age, class topics will explore the differences between fiction and nonfiction pictures; the form's ability to convey distant cultures and celebrity biographies, to generate national histories and social protest; the great aesthetic potential of documentary and its abilities to combine with other kinds of film. Possible screenings include: The Works of Lumiere, Nanook of the North, The Shape of the Moon, Phantom Limb, Sick, Don't Look Back, Monterey Pop, 32 Short Films about Glenn Gould, Blood of the Beast, A Certain Kind of Death, High School, Zdroj, Olympia, The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, Marlene, The Sorrow and the Pity, Night and Fog, The Last Bolshevik, F for Fake, Spare Time, Super Size Me, Rome Open City, and Zelig.
Course meets: M,T,Th 12:30pm - 2:35pm
NEW COURSE NUMBER: FVD 107 (previously FVD 106)
American Film Comedy
This course offers a survey of American film comedy. It examines the traditions of U.S. silent film comedy, one of the most influential in world cinema, through the works of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and other slapstick comedians who came from vaudeville into movies. The class then looks at the Hollywood studio comedies of the sound era, from the Marx Brothers to screwball comedy and the mixed genre films of writer-director Billy Wilder. Beyond the studio era, the class looks at the variety of targets for American film comedy from the 1960s onwards, including politics, sports, and rock ‘n roll. The class concludes by examining the movies of TV stars who came into film, comparing their work with the pictures of the earlier vaudeville comedians.
NEW TIME: M,T,Th 6:00pm - 8:05 pm
FVD 138S
Documentary Theory and Practice
Documentary methodologies and the debates that surround these forms of "truth depiction" spark discussions about the relation between reality and representation, further challenging easy distinctions between objectivity and subjectivity as well as fiction and nonfiction. This seminar will include weekly screenings of documentary classics as well as contemporary works. As we read, watch and discuss topics in documentary realism, observational tactics, subjectivity, hybridity and the digital age, we will work towards mastering the fundamental tools of documentary filmmaking. Class assignments and readings will culminate in the production of a short documentary film.
Course meets: M,T,Th 3:30pm - 5:35pm
HISTORY
HISTORY 104
CANCELLED: Diseases and Disparities in American History
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LITERATURE
LIT 120BS
Digital Third Worlds
This course focuses on the visual representations of Third World spaces and subjects in the digital age. We will study digital, computer and video art forms that employ the globalized new media in order to attack the dichotomies of globalization themselves and to challenge the complex dimensions of race, gender, ethnic and class inequalities. Although globalization has rendered territorial divisions of the world increasingly difficult and the cartography of cyberspace has weakened physical boundaries, the digital divide regarding privileges of connectivity, access, and virtual modes of production continues to exist. The promises of cyber-technologies, in other words, are haunted by political economic disparities looming over “forsaken” geographies. Even so, the digital revolution has been hailed by Third World artists as a means for emancipating themselves from the constraints of the “heavy industry” of classic film production. Digital media experiments have enabled those artists to transcribe the “actually existing” Third World situations into a critical visual language. The primary course material includes the following (mostly short) pieces of digital “third” works: Afro@digital; Tetra Vaal: Third World Robocop; Onedotzero Select DVD; The Free Speech Zone; Betraying Amnesia, Portraying Ourselves; Society of the Spectacle: A Digital Remix; Measures of Distance; Panopticon; Ethno-techno vol. 1; Global Grove; Sonic Acts XI; In Whose Name?; Introduction to the End of an Argument; A.B.C. Africa; The Imagined; Geospirit 1: Virtual Vortex; Milking & Scratching: Hand-made Films; Barefeet; Baghdad in No Particular Order; Risk/Riesgo; [E]-dentity. We will supplement the primary material with brief articles on the global repercussions of digital cinema.
Course meets: M,T,Th 6:00pm - 8:05pm
CANCELLED: LIT 150S
The Beat Generation
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MATHEMATICS
MATH 31L
Laboratory Calculus I
This course is introductory calculus with a laboratory component. Emphasis is on laboratory projects, group work, and written reports. The course covers differentiation, transcendental functions, optimization, differential equations, numerical approximations, Euler’s method, the Fundamental Theorem, separation of variables, slope fields, and mathematical modeling.
Prerequisites: Geometry, Algebra, and Pre-Calculus courses and SAT Math≥610 or ACT Math≥29
Course meets: M-F 8:30am - 10:30am
MATH 32L
Laboratory Calculus II
This is the second semester of introductory calculus with a laboratory component. Emphasis is on laboratory projects, group work, and written reports. The course will include methods of integration, application of integrals, functions defined by integration, improper integrals, introduction to probability and distributions, infinite series, Taylor polynomials, series solutions of differential equations, systems of differential equations, and Fourier series.
Prerequisites: One full year of high school Calculus with a grade of “A” and SAT Math≥710
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 1:00pm
MATH 103
Intermediate Calculus
This course includes partial differentiation, multiple integrals, and topics in differential and integral vector calculus, including Green’s theorem, the divergence theorem, and Stokes’ theorem.
Prerequisite: A score of 5 on the AP Calculus (AB or BC) exam
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
MARKETS AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
FULL: MMS 161
Marketing Management
This course is an introduction to current basic principles and concepts in marketing. Focus is on the Internet's impact on traditional marketing methods. There will be exposure to marketing concepts in settings such as: consumer goods firms, manufacturing and service industries, small and large businesses. Development and trends in strategic implications of the Internet for consumer behavior, business opportunities, and marketing strategies will also be addressed.
NEW TIME: M,T,Th 5:00pm - 7:05pm
PHILOSOPHY
CANCELLED: PHIL 43S
PHIL 44S
Intro to Philosophy: Ethics and Value Theory
This course is an examination of problems in philosophy, with an emphasis on ethics (including the nature of morality, amoralism, utilitarianism, and deontology) and value theory.
Course meets:
M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
PHIL 48
Logic
This course will study the conditions of effective thinking and clear communication. In addition, we will examine the basic principles of deductive reasoning.
Course meets: M-F 12:30pm - 1:45pm
CANCELLED: PHIL 117
Ancient & Modern Ethical Theory
PHIL 118
Philosophical Issues in Medical Ethics
This course will examine ethical issues arising in connection with medical practice and research and medical technology. Definition of health and illness; experimentation and consent; genetic counseling and biological engineering; abortion, contraception, and sterilization; death and dying; codes of professional conduct; and the allocation of scarce medical resources.
Course meets:
M-F 2:00pm - 3:15pm
PHIL 130
Philosophy of Religion
This course studies the justification for and content of religious belief. Topics considered include arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, religious diversity, and the importance of religion for morality.
Course meets:
M-F 9:30am - 10:45am
PHYSICS
PHYSICS 55
Intro to Astronomy
This is a general interest course that describes the evolving theories of the physical universe, including cosmological models, galaxies, stars, interstellar matter, the solar system, and experimental techniques and results. Several observatory and/or planetarium sessions are incorporated into the course. No prior instruction in physics assumed.
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
POLITICAL SCIENCE
CANCELLED: POLSCI 93
Elements of International Relations
POLSCI 114
Public Opinion
This course will focus on theories of public opinion: childhood socialization, attitude formation, learning, expression, and the opinion/behavior link. We will examine public attitudes toward central ethical and political issues and controversies at various times in American political history, democratic norms and values, race and affirmative action, candidate impression formation, and relation of elite and mass opinion.
Course meets: M,T,Th 3:30pm - 5:35pm
POLSCI 131
Intro to American Political Thought
Basic elements of the American political tradition will be examined through critical analysis of the ethical and political issues and controversies that developed from its historical English roots to the present day.
Course meets: M-F 9:30am – 10:45am
CANCELLED: POLSCI 155
Political Economy of Development
PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 11
Introductory Psychology
This course addresses the complete spectrum of psychological subject matters, including the nature of psychological inquiry; biological bases of behavior; sensory processes and perception; memory, language, and thinking; learning; motivation and emotion; psychological development; psychological tests; normal and abnormal psychology; and social psychology. Students may be required to participate as subjects in 3-6 hours of psychological research.
Course meets: M-F 9:30am - 10:45am
CANCELLED: PSY 92
Cognitive Psychology
PSY 99
Personality & Social Behavior
This course addresses the determinants of socially significant human behavior, those residing in the person, those that are the product of interpersonal context, and those resulting from the interaction of both sources. Formative as well as contemporary influences considered. Emphasis on the reasoning, research designs and methods used to examine the complex interplay of individual and social context. Students may be required to participate as subjects in 3-6 hours of psychological research.
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
PSY 119A
Abnormal Psychology
This course will focus on disordered behavior and constructive personality change viewed in interpersonal and social context for purposes of understanding normal and abnormal personality development and functioning. We will also examine the research designs, methods and reasoning by which psychologists assess behavioral disorders and personality variants, and how these disorders vary from culture to culture and the ethical issues associated with treatment.
Course meets: M-F 12:30pm - 1:45pm
CANCELLED: PSY 170GS
Social Psychology of Education
PSY 170RS
Intimate Relationships and Dating: Theories and Research
This course focuses on romantic relationships and will provide students with a general overview of research and theory based on classic and contemporary findings from the social psychological literature. We will study how individuals think about and behave in interpersonal relationships. Topics covered include issues such as jealousy, factors affecting breakups, how partners can bring about the best or worst in each other, factors that influence attraction and dating, the difference between loving and liking, and a research based discussion of modern dating trends such as 'hooking up'. More generally, students will learn about the development of romantic relationships, individual differences that affect how people function in relationships, and typical patterns of conflict in relationships. The scientific study of relationships is fascinating, and certainly one that readily applies to our lives.
Prerequisite: Minimum of one semester of AP Psychology with a grade of “A”
Course meets: M-F 2:00pm - 3:15pm
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RELIGION
RELIGION 102
The New Testament
This course is an examination of the major books of the New Testament, covering their contents, ethical implications, historical and social setting, authorship, date, and theology. By the end of this course, students will be familiar with important critical tools for the interpretation of the New Testament, and they will be able to apply them to the historical study of several New Testament texts. They will become familiar with the historical context and the texts of the New Testament and will gain an understanding of the origins of Christianity and its earliest writings.
Course meets:
M-F 9:30am - 10:45am
CANCELLED: RELIGION 185S
Animals, Angels, Artificial Intelligences
SOCIOLOGY
SOCIOL 10D
Intro to Sociology
This course is a study of the basic conceptual framework of sociology. Topics include the structure and dynamics of groups, organizations, and institutions; social behavior over the life cycle; social control and deviance; population and social ecology; formation and change of societies. Emphasis is on the major models that guide sociological research and analysis.
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
CANCELLED: SOCIOL 119
Juvenile Delinquency
FULL: SOCIOL 153
Sport & Society
This course will examine sport roles and sport institutions using the sociological perspective to help explain different patterns of involvement in sport, the social forces that have created sports organizations, and the consequences of sports participation. The ethical consequences of the modern pressures on athletes in schools and colleges and the commercialism of professional sport.
Course meets:
M-F 9:30am - 10:45am
SOCIOL 155
Organizations & Management
This course studies dimensions and aspects of modern organizations and the concepts and tools for analyzing them. Special attention to the impact of changing social and technological environments on the evolution of organizational structures and strategies and on issues related to business ethics. The structure and operation of organizations; how organizations are managed by analyzing processes of organizational decision making; business case studies as illustrative of the concepts and the analytical tools.
Course meets:
M-F 2:00pm - 3:15pm
SPANISH
SPANISH 1
Elementary Spanish 1
This course introduces the basic elements of the language and includes exposure to aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures. It gives equal attention to aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills and is conducted entirely in Spanish, using a communicative approach. No previous study of Spanish is necessary.
Course meets: M-F 1:00pm - 3:00pm
SPANISH 2
Elementary Spanish 2
This course builds on the elements of the language acquired in Elementary Spanish 1. Speaking, reading, and writing skills emphasized; exposure to some aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures is an important component. Classes are conducted entirely in Spanish, using a communicative approach.
Prerequisites: Two years of high school Spanish
Course meets: M-F 1:00pm - 3:00pm
FULL: SPANISH 63
Intermediate Spanish
This course builds on the elements of the language acquired in the elementary sequence. The four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) will continue to be developed as well as expanding the range and complexity of grammar usage and vocabulary. Exposure to some aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures will also be included.
Prerequisites: Three years of high school Spanish
Course meets: M-F 9:30am - 10:45am
SPANISH 76
Advanced Intermediate Spanish
The second part of the intermediate curriculum, this course consists of an advanced grammar review complemented by oral practice, composition, and selected literary readings. It includes further development of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The course expands the range and sophistication of grammar usage and vocabulary, increasing ability in speaking and writing. Spanish is the exclusive language spoken in this course.
Prerequisites: Three years of high school Spanish
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
SPANISH 105
Spanish for Oral Communication
This course focuses on development of speaking skills in Spanish, aiming to solidify the knowledge of Hispanic cultures and civilization in general, as well as to improve the knowledge of Spanish and Latin American current affairs. The course uses contemporary articles, short texts, TV news, documentaries, and Web materials. Special attention is given to different registers of spoken Spanish; increased competency in speaking about abstract issues is expected. Spanish is the exclusive language spoken in this course.
Prerequisites: A score of 5 on the AP Spanish exam
Course meets: M-F 2:00pm - 3:15pm
STATISTICS
CANCELLED: STA 10
Basic Statistics & Quantitative Literacy
STA 101
Data Analysis and Statistical Inference
This course covers first principles in the construction and critique of quantitative arguments for research questions in the social and behavioral sciences and public policy. Topics include: descriptive statistics, graphical methods for exploring distributions and variables, elementary probability, point and interval estimation, and statistical inference from frequentist and Bayesian perspectives. Applications include education, sports, law, environment, government, discrimination, psychology, sociology, and public policy.
Prerequisites: Geometry, Algebra, and Pre-Calculus courses and SAT Math≥610 or ACT Math≥29
Course meets: M-F 12:30pm - 1:45pm and T,W,Th 2:00pm - 3:00pm
THEATER STUDIES
CANCELLED: THEATRST 100S
Communication, Improvisation, & Business
WOMEN'S STUDIES
WOMENST 150S.1
Feminist Memoirs
In this course we will read a global sampler of feminist memoirs and focus on how feminist writers have used “life-writing” to describe both personal and political experiences and to theorize from them. Our central aim is to develop critical reading and thinking about women’s lives and the ways in which women have engaged in local/global politics for social transformation and change. Through memoirs, we will trace the socio-political meaning and practice of gender in everyday life and glimpse into women’s movements from the perspective of their most singular figures. These narratives tell engaging stories of success and defeat, harmony and discord, from their personal vantage points and provide insight into one of the most far-reaching social movements of the twentieth century..
Course meets: M-F 11:00am - 12:15pm
CANCELLED: WOMENST 150S.2
Real Women: From Documentary Film to Reality TV