A Few Courses to Explore
For the final lecture of THINK66, I have curated a set of courses to look into (with the hope that they will further lead you to discover interesting courses over the next few years of your Stanford education). These are examples of classes that offer an "aesthetic lenses: philosophical, artistic, and moral lenses that gives broader meaning and context in bridging one's discipline and domain"—as described in the Pi-Shaped Person from Artful Design. Over the arc of your Stanford education, there will be courses that find you (e.g., in your major, and courses that almost everyone considers taking, like CS106A); here are just a few that you might seek out (organized here by the quarter in which they are usually taught). In general, consider taking at least one course each term that isn't "useful" or "applicable", as much as it is interesting to you. Note: a few of the courses gives preferences for first-year students, but you shouldn't be deterred: ask the instructor if you can join. Don't underestimate the power of genuine interest. — Ge
Autumn Quarter
HISTORY 5Q | Prof. Tom Mullaney
“The History of Information: From Movable Type to Machine Learning”
Information has a history—and it's not the one you've been told by Silicon Valley…
MUSIC 14N / FEMGEN 13N | Prof. Heather Hadlock
“Women Making Music”
Women's musical activities across times and cultures; how ideas about gender influence the creation, performance, and perception of music.
CS 476A / Music 256a | Prof. Ge Wang
“Music, Computing, and Design: The Art of Design”
The craft and practical philosophy of building expressive software…
PHIL 21N / ETHICSOC 121N | Prof. Juliana Bidadanure
“Ethics of Sports”
We will focus on the moral and political issues that affect the world of sport and which athletes, coaches, sports commentators and fans are faced with. For instance, we will ask questions such as: what is a fair game (the ethics of effort, merit, success)? Is it ethical to train people to use violence (the ethics of martial arts)? Are divisions by gender categories justified and what should we think of gender testing? Is the use of animals in sport ever justified? …
COMM 166 | Prof. Jermey Bailenson
“Virtual People”
The concept of virtual people or digital human representations; methods of constructing and using virtual people; methodological approaches to interactions with and among virtual people; and current applications. Viewpoints including popular culture, literature, film, engineering, behavioral science, computer science, and communication.
Winter Quarter
ARTSINST 142 / ARTSTUDI 163 | Prof. Camille Utterback
“Drawing with Code”
This studio course will engage coding practices as drawing tools.
ARTHIST 219 | Prof. Alex Nemerov
“Caravaggio, Vermeer, and the Life of Paintings”
this seminar will consider how and why artists these artists strove to overcome the boundary between representation and the real and make the world "present" to the viewer. Reading authors such as George Steiner and Jacques Derrida, we will develop a definition of the word "presence" and consider the various critiques of it. NOTE: This seminar is for undergraduates only.
COMM 1B / AMSTUD 1B | Prof. Fred Turner
“Media, Culture, and Society”
The institutions and practices of mass media, including television, film, radio, and digital media, and their role in shaping culture and social life. The media's shifting relationships to politics, commerce, and identity.
HISTORY 40A | Prof. Jessica Riskin
“The Scientific Revolution”
What do people know and how do they know it? What counts as scientific knowledge?
MUSIC 39B / Humbio 179B | Prof. Denise Gill
Music and Healing”
To what extent can sound or music heal? This interdisciplinary course asks questions about music and healing around the world, drawing on the fields of medical ethnomusicology, medical anthropology, sound studies, and music therapy.
PHIL 20N | Prof. John Etchemendy
“Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence”
Is it really possible for an artificial system to achieve genuine intelligence: thoughts, consciousness, emotions? What would that mean? How could we know if it had been achieved? Is there a chance that we ourselves are artificial intelligences? Would artificial intelligences, under certain conditions, actually be persons? If so, how would that affect how they ought to be treated and what ought to be expected of them?
Spring Quarter
COMM 120W / AMSTUD 120 | Prof. Fred Turner
“The Rise of Digital Culture”
From Snapchat to artificial intelligence, digital systems are reshaping our jobs, our democracies, our love lives, and even what it means to be human. But where did these media come from? And what kind of culture are they creating?
CSRE 230c / COMM 230C: | Prof. Lucy Bernholz
“Digital Civil Society”
Digital technologies have fundamentally changed how people come together to make change in the world, a sphere of action commonly called 'civil society'. How did this happen, what's being done about it, and what does it mean for democratic governance and collective action in the future?
CS 247G | Prof. Christina Wodtke
“Introduction to Game Design”
A project-based course that builds on the introduction to design in CS147 by focusing on advanced methods and tools for research, prototyping, and user interface design. Studio based format with intensive coaching and iteration to prepare students for tackling real world design problems. The focus of CS247g is an introduction to theory and practice of the design of games. We will make digital and paper games, do rapid iteration and run user research studies appropriate to game design. This class has multiple short projects, allowing us to cover a variety of genres, from narrative to pure strategy.
MUSIC 128 / CS 170 | Prof. Ge Wang and Dr. Matt Wright
“Stanford Laptop Orchestra: Coding, Composition, Performance”
Come make instruments and music together!
PHIL 2 / ETHICSOC 20 | Prof. Barry Maguire
“Introduction to Moral Philosophy”
What should I do with my life? What kind of person should I be? How should we treat others? What makes actions right or wrong? What is good and what is bad? What should we value? How should we organize society? Is there any reason to be moral? Is morality relative or subjective? How, if at all, can such questions be answered? Intensive introduction to theories and techniques in contemporary moral philosophy.