Science & Technology   

This course offers an introduction to all things birds! Classroom lectures during weeks 1 & 2 will discuss bird evolution, basic anatomy & physiology, behavior, and ecology. Field sessions at Como Park and Crosby Farm Regional Park during weeks 3 & 4 from 9:30 -11:30 am will focus on bird identification. Terrain: flat, wheelchair accessible paths. Binoculars provided for those who need them. 

Recommended reading: Birds of Minnesota Field Guide by Stan Tekiela.

This is a brief look at something most of us are ignorant about: the biology and evolution of the origin of life. Why are we who we are? How is human life conceived? How does an egg & a sperm become a fetus? What are the stages of fetal development? What is abortion? No class on June 17.

This course will explain the basic physics, history, and economics of nuclear weapons, enabling informed discussion about the factors that influence the likelihood and impact of nuclear war. Participants will learn how the arms limitation treaties of the 1990s significantly reduced the potential destructiveness of nuclear conflict and consider how similar agreements could mitigate risks in the future.

Cat Bohannon's book, EVE: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, is the inspiration for this cross-category course. We'll think about biological evolution for the first three weeks, then turn to women's contributions to social and cultural evolution.