20.104J Chemicals in the Environment: Toxicology and Public Health (BE.104J) (MIT)
This course addresses the challenges of defining a relationship between exposure to environmental chemicals and human disease. Course topics include epidemiological approaches to understanding disease causation; biostatistical methods; evaluation of human exposure to chemicals, and their internal distribution, metabolism, reactions with cellular components, and biological effects; and qualitative and quantitative health risk assessment methods used in the U.S. as bases for regulatory decision-ma
21L.701 Literary Interpretation: Beyond the Limits of the Lyric (MIT)
In this seminar we'll read individual poems closely within a set of questions about the moral and political position of poetry -- and of intellectuals -- in different cultural contexts. Of course, part of the divergence in the social positions of poetry [and of 'the aesthetic'] depends on the dominant paradigm of the social, political and literary culture; part of the divergence derives from the momentum of literary development in the culture [how did the culture experience modernism?, for insta
21H.101 American History to 1865 (MIT)
This course focuses on a basic history of American social, economic, and political development from the colonial period through the Civil War. The colonial heritages of Spanish and British America; the American Revolution and its impact; the establishment and growth of the new nation; and the Civil War, its background, character, and impact are examined. Readings include writings of the period by Winthrop, Paine, Jefferson, Madison, W. H. Garrison, G. Fitzhugh, H. B. Stowe, and Lincoln.
17.01J Justice (MIT)
This course explores three fundamental questions about the ideal of a just society and the place of values of liberty and equality in such a society. Answers to the questions provided by three contemporary theories of justice: Utilitarianism, Libertarianism, and Egalitarian Liberalism will be examined. To assess the strengths and weaknesses of these theories, a discussion of their implications for some topics of ongoing moral-political controversy will also be covered.
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
17.951 Special Graduate Topic in Political Science: Political Behavior (MIT)
This graduate seminar provides an examination of mass and elite political behavior in the United States, with an emphasis on political participation, political inequality, elections, voting behavior, and political organizations.
SP.246 Current Events and Social Issues (MIT)
The goal of this seminar is to have open discussions of controversial political and social issues and raise awareness of current world events in an informal setting. Discussions for the first part of each class will focus on current events from that week, while in the second part of class students will discuss a scheduled issue in greater detail. Scheduled issues include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the regulation of marijuana, how our society should punish criminals, genocide in Rwanda and
20.320 Biomolecular Kinetics and Cell Dynamics (MIT)
This class covers analysis of kinetics and dynamics of molecular and cellular processes across a hierarchy of scales, including intracellular, extracellular, and cell population levels; a spectrum of biotechnology applications are also taken into consideration. Topics include gene regulation networks; nucleic acid hybridization; signal transduction pathways; and cell populations in tissues and bioreactors. Emphasis is placed on experimental methods, quantitative analysis, and computational model
STS.042J Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman: Physics in the 20th Century (MIT)
This class explores the changing roles of physics and physicists during the 20th century. Topics range from relativity theory and quantum mechanics to high-energy physics and cosmology. The course also examines the development of modern physics within shifting institutional, cultural, and political contexts, such as physics in Imperial Britain, Nazi Germany, U.S. efforts during World War II, and physicists' roles during the Cold War.
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
8.282J Introduction to Astronomy (MIT)
Introduction to Astronomy provides a quantitative introduction to the physics of the solar system, stars, the interstellar medium, the galaxy, and the universe, as determined from a variety of astronomical observations and models.
11.366J Planning for Sustainable Development (MIT)
This course explores policy and planning for sustainable development. It critically examines concept of sustainability as a process of social, organizational, and political development drawing on cases from the U.S. and Europe. It also explores pathways to sustainability through debates on ecological modernization; sustainable technology development, international and intergenerational fairness, and democratic governance.
17.460 Defense Politics (MIT)
This course focuses on the institutional relationships that affect the raising, maintenance and use of military forces in the United States. It is about civil/military, government/industry, military/science and military service/military service relations.
The course examines how politicians, defense contractors, and military officers determine the military might of the United States. It analyzes the military strategies of the nation and the bureaucratic strategies of the armed services, contract
Tocqueville's New Political Science: Address by Professor Harvey Mansfield
Professor Mansfield discusses Tocquevillian political theory and its intrinsic connection to practice.
11.011 The Art and Science of Negotiation (MIT)
This course provides an introduction to bargaining and negotiation in public, business, and legal settings. It combines a "hands-on" skill-building orientation with a look at pertinent social theory. Strategy, communications, ethics, and institutional influences are examined as they influence the ability of actors to analyze problems, negotiate agreements, and resolve disputes in social, organizational, and political circumstances characterized by interdependent interests.
11.001J Introduction to Urban Design and Development (MIT)
This course examines the evolving structure of cities and the way that cities, suburbs, and metropolitan areas can be designed and developed. Boston and other American cities are studied to see how physical, social, political and economic forces interact to shape and reshape cities over time.
11.422 Downtown Management Organizations (MIT)
This course focuses on the origins, functions, and implications of downtown management organizations (DMOs), such as business improvement districts, in a variety of national contexts including the United States, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. It critically examines how a range of urban theories provide a rationale for the establishment and design of DMOs; the evolution and transnational transfer of DMO policy; and the spatial and political externalities associated with the local p
20.109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering (MIT)
This course introduces experimental biochemical and molecular techniques from a quantitative engineering perspective. Rigorous quantitative data collection, statistical analysis, and conceptual understanding of instrumentation design and application form the underpinnings of this course. The four discovery based modules include DNA Engineering, Protein Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Biomaterials Engineering. Additional information is available on the course Wiki (hosted on OpenWetWare.)
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3.051J Materials for Biomedical Applications (MIT)
This class provides an introduction to the interactions between cells and the surfaces of biomaterials. The course covers: surface chemistry and physics of selected metals, polymers, and ceramics; surface characterization methodology; modification of biomaterials surfaces; quantitative assays of cell behavior in culture; biosensors and microarrays; bulk properties of implants; and acute and chronic response to implanted biomaterials. General topics include biosensors, drug delivery, and tissue e
ESD.342 Advanced System Architecture (MIT)
This course provides a deep understanding of engineering systems at a level intended for research on complex engineering systems. It provides a review and extension of what is known about system architecture and complexity from a theoretical point of view while examining the origins of and recent developments in the field. The class considers how and where the theory has been applied, and uses key analytical methods proposed. Students examine the level of observational (qualitative and quantitat
