24.00 Problems of Philosophy (MIT)
The course has two main goals: First, to give you a sense of what philosophers think about and why. This will be done through consideration of some perennial philosophical problems, e.g., the existence of God, reason and faith, personal identity and immortality, freewill, moral responsibility, and standards for moral conduct. We will draw on readings by important figures in the history of philosophy as well as contemporary authors. The second goal is to develop your philosophical skills, and you
21F.102 Chinese II (Regular) (MIT)
This subject is the second semester of two that form an introduction to modern standard Chinese, commonly called Mandarin. Though not everyone taking this course will be an absolute beginner, the course presupposes only 21F.101/151, the beginning course in the sequence. The purpose of this course is to develop: (a) basic conversational abilities (pronunciation, fundamental grammatical patterns, common vocabulary, and standard usage); (b) basic reading skills (in both the traditional character se
21F.101 Chinese I (Regular) (MIT)
This subject is the first semester of two that form an introduction to modern standard Chinese, commonly called Mandarin. Though not everyone taking this course will be an absolute beginner, the course presupposes no prior background in the language. The purpose of this course is to develop:
Basic conversational abilities (pronunciation, fundamental grammatical patterns, common vocabulary, and standard usage)
Basic reading and writing skills (in both the traditional character set and th
12.097 Chemical Investigations of Boston Harbor (MIT)
This is an undergraduate introductory laboratory subject in ocean chemistry and measurement. There are three main elements to the course: oceanic chemical sampling and analysis, instrumentation development for the ocean environment, and the larger field of ocean science.
This course is offered through The MIT/WHOI Joint Program. The MIT/WHOI Joint Program is one of the premier marine science graduate programs in the world. It draws on the complementary strengths and approaches of two great inst
16.412J Cognitive Robotics (MIT)
Cognitive robotics addresses the emerging field of autonomous systems possessing artificial reasoning skills. Successfully-applied algorithms and autonomy models form the basis for study, and provide students an opportunity to design such a system as part of their class project. Theory and application are linked through discussion of real systems such as the Mars Exploration Rover.
6.163 Strobe Project Laboratory (MIT)
This is a laboratory experience course with a focus on photography, electronic imaging, and light measurement, much of it at short duration. In addition to teaching these techniques, the course provides students with experience working in a laboratory and teaches good work habits and techniques for approaching laboratory work. A major purpose of 6.163 is to provide students with many opportunities to sharpen their communication skills: oral, written, and visual.
STS.001 Technology in American History (MIT)
This course will consider the ways in which technology, broadly defined, has contributed to the building of American society from colonial times to the present. This course has three primary goals: to train students to ask critical questions of both technology and the broader American culture of which it is a part; to provide an historical perspective with which to frame and address such questions; and to encourage students to be neither blind critics of new technologies, nor blind advocates for
14.731 Economic History (MIT)
This course offers a comprehensive survey of world economic history, designed to introduce economics graduate students to the subject matter and methodology of economic history. Topics are chosen to show a wide variety of historical experience and illuminate the process of industrialization. A final term paper is due at the end of the course.
17.317 U.S. Social Policy (MIT)
This subject examines the historical development and contemporary politics of social policy in the United States. We will discuss the kinds of risks individuals face over a lifetime and why some are ameliorated by social policy while others are not (and how the U.S. is similar or different from other countries in this regard). We will examine the policymaking process in the U.S., why some alternatives are implemented and others abandoned, why some interests are privileged over others, and how th
15.668 People and Organizations (MIT)
This course examines the historical evolution and current human and organizational contexts in which scientists, engineers and other professionals work. It outlines today's major challenges facing the management profession and uses interactive exercises, simulations and problems to develop critical skills in negotiations, teamwork and leadership. It also introduces concepts and tools to analyze work and leadership experiences in optional undergraduate fieldwork projects.
21L.420 Literary Studies: The Legacy of England (MIT)
Topic: The English sense of humor. This course examines English literature across genre and historical periods. It is designed for students who want to study English literature or writing in some depth, or to know more about English literary culture and history. Students will also learn about the relationships between literary themes, forms, and conventions and the times in which they were produced. Materials include: Medieval tales, riddles, and character sketches; Renaissance lyrics and a play
4.144 Architectural Design, Level II: New Orleans Studio (MIT)
The project for this studio is to design a demonstration project for a site near the French Quarter in New Orleans. The objectives of the project are the following:
To design more intense housing, community, educational and commercial facilities in four to six story buildings.
To explore the "space between" buildings as a way of designing and shaping objects.
To design at three scales - dwelling, cluster and overall.
To design dwellings where the owners may be able to help build and
21H.418 From Print to Digital: Technologies of the Word, 1450-Present (MIT)
There has been much discussion in recent years, on this campus and elsewhere, about the death of the book. Digitization and various forms of electronic media, some critics say, are rendering the printed text as obsolete as the writing quill. In this subject, we will examine the claims for and against the demise of the book, but we will also supplement these arguments with an historical perspective they lack: we will examine texts, printing technologies, and reading communities from roughly 1450
4.367 Studio Seminar in Public Art (MIT)
How do we define Public Art? This course focuses on the production of projects for public places. Public Art is a concept that is in constant discussion and revision, as much as the evolution and transformation of public spaces and cities are. Monuments are repositories of memory and historical presences with the expectation of being permanent. Public interventions are created not to impose and be temporary, but as forms intended to activate discourse and discussion. Considering the concept of a
24.01 Classics in Western Philosophy (MIT)
This course will introduce you to the Western philosophical tradition, through the study of major figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, and Kant. You will get to grips with questions that have been significant to philosophy from its beginnings: questions about the nature of the mind or soul, the existence of God, the foundations of knowledge, ethics and the good life. In the process of evaluating the arguments of these philosophers, you will develop your own philosophical and analyt
24.201 Topics in the History of Philosophy: Kant (MIT)
In this course we shall study the Critique of Pure Reason with special focus on questions about idealism, about our ignorance of things in themselves, and about what, if anything, idealism has to do with this kind of ignorance. Along the way we shall consider Kant's distinctive account of space, matter, and force, all of which had a significant role to play in his own philosophy, and in the historical evolution of field theory. In the last part of the course we shall look at an alternative, and
11.201 Gateway: Planning Action (MIT)
This course introduces persistent themes and challenges facing planners. It emphasizes the historical roots of contemporary urban planning problems and comparative study of practice in the U.S. and other countries. It is a nine week module intended for first semester Master in City Planning students.
Little-Known Aspects of Human Migration: An interview with Susan Martin
A daughter of immigrants, Dr. Susan Martin sees historical patterns in the strong feelings surrounding immigration that can make our own era sound much like the late 1800s and early 1900s.
3.016 Mathematics for Materials Scientists and Engineers (MIT)
This course covers the mathematical techniques necessary for understanding of materials science and engineering topics such as energetics, materials structure and symmetry, materials response to applied fields, mechanics and physics of solids and soft materials. The class uses examples from the materials science and engineering core courses (3.012 and 3.014) to introduce mathematical concepts and materials-related problem solving skills. Topics include linear algebra and orthonormal basis, eigen
ESD.932 Engineering Ethics (MIT)
This course introduces the theory and the practice of engineering ethics using a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural approach. Theory includes ethics and philosophy of engineering. Historical cases are taken primarily from the scholarly literatures on engineering ethics, and hypothetical cases are written by students. Each student will write a story by selecting an ancestor or mythic hero as a substitute for a character in a historical case. Students will compare these cases and recommend acti
