ASA: Academic Study Associates 2008 Programs

This course will consider some of the major characteristics of international economics and will look at some theoretical microeconomic and macroeconomic aspects of international trade. You will investigate the concept of the global economy and trade integration, including discussion of NAFTA and the European Union. Other topics that will be considered include models of exchange rate determination, the role of the IMF and the World Bank, and overseas consequences of domestic economic policies.

This course employs a variety of media (film, TV programs, fiction, magazines, and music) to examine the way a sense of 'Britishness' is both defined and questioned in popular entertainment. Recurring themes include social class, attitudes to foreigners, Britain's place on the world stage, and changing conceptions of gender-roles. Students learn to look critically at pop culture, cultivating their perceptions through discussion and class outings.

Designed for non-native speakers of English who have completed at least three years of English study and who have achieved at least an intermediate level of competence. This course will concentrate on developing the writing skills that you will need to succeed in college classes. Through readings and class discussions you will also have the chance to improve your speaking, listening, and reading skills. You will read a variety of prose and journalistic writings and will concentrate on writing, editing, and revising compositions based on these readings.

In this course students go beyond the classroom to study the many treasures of art and architecture to be found in Cambridge. Most of the art and buildings discussed are viewed in situ, including Saxon and Norman churches, many individual colleges within the university, the famous King's College Chapel, Kettle's Yard, buildings by Sir Christopher Wren, the Fitzwilliam Museum's collection of Caravaggio, Turner, Constable, Rembrandt, and Blake, and special exhibitions. Through these excursions students are introduced to the field of art history and art historical investigation, and they will be encouraged to sketch or photograph the works they study and to reflect on the issues raised in class discussions.

This course covers the fundamental ideas of physics with a minimum of mathematics. Topics covered include the phenomena of everyday existence (motion, sound, and electricity), physics beyond the range of our senses, the realm of atoms and nuclei (quantum physics), the universe (cosmology), and high-speed phenomena (relativity). Special attention will be paid to the ideas of Cambridge physicists Isaac Newton, Paul Dirac, and Stephen Hawking.

Cambridge, the site of the discovery of DNA, is home to some of the most important research related to medical genetics. This course focuses on recent developments and findings on the nature and role of DNA and how genetic research and advances in molecular biology are re-shaping medicine, enabling new understanding and treatment of diseases such as cancer and AIDS. You will also discuss current ethical issues in medicine such as gene therapy, genetic engineering and cloning. Prerequisite: students must have completed at least one year of high school biology.

This course will focus on the concepts of psychology that have been revolutionary in our understanding of others and ourselves. You will examine the roots of personality and behavior as seen through the theories of Freud, Skinner, Maslow, Erikson, and Piaget. You will be asked to evaluate the validity of these theories in light of your own experiences. These theories will also set the stage for our investigation into the major areas of human experience: physical maturation, intellectual and moral development, sensuality and sexuality, family and peer relationships, and coping with stress and problems in everyday life.

This course provides an opportunity to study a number of Shakespeare plays in depth, while considering them as parts of a whole. Plays are chosen in order to demonstrate Shakespeare's creative development and so that students have an opportunity to see texts performed in Cambridge and at the Globe Theatre in London. These opportunities provide an authentic perspective on the experience of being in the audience in Shakespeare's day, while also enabling discussion of questions of interpretation in production and performance.

Effective writing is perhaps the most important skill for success in high school and college. This course will help students develop college-level writing and critical thinking skills that are applicable to any area of study. This foundational course focuses on moving through the steps common to all successful college writing: defining an audience, developing a substantive thesis statement, argumentation, organization, style, drafting, and revision. Structured writing exercises and reading assignments are followed by group workshops and student-teacher conferences as students work to complete polished final essays for inclusion in a program literary magazine.

Develop an understanding of the stock exchange through this introduction to the theory, methods, and concerns of financial markets. Topics will include the time value of money, uncertainty and the trade-off between risk and return, financial market efficiency, and portfolio analysis. Some attention will also be given to corporate finance topics, such as capital investment decisions and mergers & acquisitions.

This course, designed to impart a love for film and an increased awareness of major cinematic devices, will give you a basic grounding in the theory, history, and criticism of film. Topics such as story structure, visual style, and stardom will be emphasized. Excerpts from a diverse range of films will be shown and once a week there will be a full screening to illustrate the theme of that week's discussion.

Whether you are speaking in a high school class or college seminar, in an office meeting or as CEO to your Board, leadership is often exhibited through your performance as a polished public speaker. This course offers you a practical approach to the art of public speaking. You will develop skills in various speech types: exposition, entertainment, argumentation, and persuasion. Attention is given to the physical properties of the voice as well as to non-verbal aspects of presentation. Students' own work will be supplemented by examination of famous speeches and speakers from history.

Global intelligence and information gathering is as crucial today as ever in tracking the origins and key players of terrorism. Cambridge has a rich history and association with the world of espionage and has trained more notorious spies than any other university. You will discuss the major figures, techniques and strategy of MI6, the CIA, the KGB and Mossad. You will look at the historical and changing role of intelligence in times of war and in the global fight against terrorism, from the cold war to current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The course will also touch upon developments in the representation of spies within the media and pop culture.

Cambridge has been associated with many of the greatest geniuses and most significant developments in the history of science. Learn about such pivotal scientific figures as Isaac Newton and his formulation of the laws of physics, Charles Darwin and natural selection, Paul Dirac and quantum mechanics, Stephen Hawking and cosmology, Watson and Crick and the discovery of DNA, or Alan Turing and artificial intelligence. This course will introduce these thinkers' monumental ideas, the contexts that gave rise to them, and their implications for the future of science.

Effective writing is perhaps the most important skill for success in high school and college. This course will help students develop college-level writing and critical thinking skills that are applicable to any area of study. This foundational course focuses on moving through the steps common to all successful college writing: defining an audience, developing a substantive thesis statement, argumentation, organization, style, drafting, and revision. Structured writing exercises and reading assignments are followed by group workshops and student-teacher conferences as students work to complete polished final essays for inclusion in a program literary magazine.

Explore the art of writing within a lively and supportive college workshop environment. Drawing inspiration from Cambridge as well as the published work of well-known writers, we will work on such areas as the development of a personal “voice,” point of view, effective description, characterization, and genre. In addition to a variety of exercises, students will work towards completing polished pieces for inclusion in a program literary magazine.