2018 E-term Bulletin

23 This Exploration Term project will examine the intimate relationship between independent cinema and film festivals, with a focus on the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Film festivals have been central to international and independent cinema since the 1930s. Sundance is the largest independent film festival in the United States and has launched the careers of filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith, and Quentin Tarantino. During this project, students will study the history of film festivals and the ways in which they have influenced the landscape of contemporary cinema. The class will then travel to the Sundance Film Festival for the last two weeks of the term to attend film screenings, panels, workshops and to interact with film producers and distributers. Estimated Student Fees: $3200 PHILOSOPHY PL*E299*66 Philosophy and Film Bill Myers Prerequisites: None Open To: First-years and Sophomores Grading System: Letter Max. Enrollment: 15 Meeting Times: M Tu WTh F We will meet three or four mornings (10:00 am– 12:00 pm) and 2 afternoons (1:00 pm - 4:00pm) a week. In this project, we are going to explore the medium of film as a tool for philosophical exploration. Some potential films we might watch include Bladerunner, BeingThere, Goodfellas, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Do the Right Thing. In order to give ourselves the necessary philosophical background, we will read a limited number of relevant philosophical texts on issues such as personal identity, personhood, ethics, and existentialism. Everyone will write an 8-10-page paper that analyzes the philosophical issues in one film or takes one philosophical issue and explores its treatment over a number of films. Grades will be based on the paper, class participation, and short response papers. Class meeting times will vary, depending on the time required for weekly viewing. Generally, discussion time will be Monday-Thursday 10:00 am-12:00 pm, and viewing times Monday and/or Wednesday 1:00 pm-4:00 pm. PHYSICS PH*E299*67 Solar and Fuel Cell Technology Matthew W. Rhoades Prerequisites: Algebra Proficiency Open To: All Students Grading System: Letter Max. Enrollment: 15 Meeting Times: M Tu WTh F 9:00 am– 12:00 pm The sun has the potential to power the Earth indefinitely, but we must first harness the energy and store it. You will investigate what solar cells are and how they work. You will learn about different types of fuel cells for storing energy. You will get hands-on activities involving solar cells and hydrogen fuel cells. Grading will be based on attendance and active participation; daily homework assignments; weekly quizzes and lab reports; and a final presentation. MA*E299*63 Number Theory Doug Riley Prerequisites: MA 231 (for mathematical maturity) Open To: All Students Grading System: Letter Max. Enrollment: 16 Meeting Times: MWTh 10:00 am–12:00 pm, 1:30 pm–3:30 pm Number Theory is the study of relationships and patterns among the integers and is one of the oldest sub-disciplines of mathematics, tracing its roots back to Euclid’s Elements. Surprisingly, some of the ideas explored then have repercussions today with algorithms that allow secure commerce on the internet. In this project we will explore some number theoretic concepts, mostly based on modular arithmetic, and build to the RSA public-key encryption algorithm and the quadratic sieve factoring algorithm. Mornings will be spent in lecture introducing ideas. Afternoons will be spent on group work and student presentations, with some computational work as well. Students will be expected to both do computation and to reason in writing about mathematical relationships. Grades will be based on projects, group-work, and student presentations. MA*E499*64 Senior Project in Mathematics Bernadette Mullins, Sebastian Troncoso Naranjo Prerequisites: MA 470 Open To: Junior and Senior Math Majors Grading System: Letter Max. Enrollment: 24 Meeting Times: M Tu WTh F TBA Students will focus on special topics in mathematics beyond the scope of the regularly offered courses. Each student will choose a research project and submit a research proposal in writing prior to the end of the fall semester for approval by the instructor. Team projects are permitted. The bulk of your time for this project will be independent work on your research project. Any approved research project will take a significant time commitment, so you should be prepared to devote at least 40 hours per week to your research. Additionally, each teamwill meet with the instructor (M, Tu, Th, F at times to be arranged) and the class will meet together once per week (Wednesdays 12:30-3:30). Grades will be based on progress reported in teammeetings (15%), oral progress reports in class (20%), a final oral presentation at a mathematics conference (15%), a draft research paper (5%), and a final research paper (45%). MEDIA AND FILM STUDIES MFS*E299*65 Sundance Film Festival and the Independent Film Market Teddy Champion and Robert Corna Prerequisites: Instructor Consent Open To: All Students Grading System: S/U Max. Enrollment: 12 Meeting Times: On Campus: January 3-16 Travel: January 17-29