College Edge Discovery Seminars are UW courses led by top faculty and experienced instructors. The small-class environment promotes instructor and student interaction and collaborative learning.
These are seminars devoted to all kinds of thought-provoking subjects in different aspects of the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Click on a course title to see a complete description and schedule information.
Arts and Cultural Expression
ARTSCI 160 E: Viral Vibes: Music's Visual Language
Explore the relationship between music and visual media from the 20th and 21st centuries. Read more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 G: Music, Birdsong, and the Limits of the Human
Is birdsong a form of music? This seminar explores how approaches to this question from different perspectives reveal the boundaries of the concepts of “music” and “birdsong. Read more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 I: Food!
Everyone loves food, but have you ever stopped to think about where it really comes from? How did it get to your plate? Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 D: Reading Fashion
What are you wearing? This class takes fashion seriously as a means of self-expression and something you can read for. Read more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 H: Writing the Self in Nature
How does our relationship with nature shape the way we define ourselves and our place in the world? Read more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 A: Arts and the City
How do the arts re-imagine cities? How has Seattle’s geography and history – including as the incubator of grunge music and Pacific Northwest hip hop – engage with aesthetics and urbanism? Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 C: Think Like an Artist
How do artists approach problems? Where do ideas come from? Read more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 B: All the World's a Stage
If you want to learn new things, first remember how to play. Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 F: Musicking Across Cultures
This course explores how and why people—including you!—music around the world and here in Seattle. Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 J: Meanings of Life
Explore how multiple meanings of life are explored in literature, art, cinema, and philosophy from different world regions and eras. Read more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&H
Society and Human Experience
ARTSCI 160 Q: Roommates and Partners
We’re diving into contemporary world literature to explore the different kinds of partnerships that form when people live and learn together. Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 161 D: Sex and the College Campus
As you start your college journey, you probably have a lot of questions about campus life, especially regarding sexual culture. Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of SScARTSCI 160 N: The Bilingual Advantage
Explore the benefits of being bilingual, the crucial steps to learning a language, and what students can do to reinforce their language learning. Read more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 L: Within Walking Distance
Ever thought of art as something you do, not just something you see? Read more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 M: How to Be a Person
What does it mean to “just be yourself”? To “act natural” or “act normal”? Read more..
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 P: Modernity Through Japanese Film and Fiction
An introduction to modern Japan through films. Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 160 O: Toy Design
Get ready to unleash your creativity in this exciting class focused on designing toys and design thinking. Read more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 161 B: Civil Rights and Law
Most people never have access to legal education. This course explores civil rights in the United States from the perspective of our legal system. Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of SScARTSCI 161 C: Black Digital Studies
Did you know that the algorithms that fuel AI and Search engines like Google aren’t neutral, benign, or objective? Quite the contrary! Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of SScARTSCI 161 E: Native UW
This is a class designed by Indigenous faculty specifically for first-year Indigenous students. Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of SSc
Science, Technology and Wellbeing
ARTSCI 160 K: How to Imagine a City?
How do we become part of the city around us? How can we contribute to a city in which we will belong? Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of A&HARTSCI 162 G: Physiology and You!
How do bodies really work on the inside? Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NScARTSCI 162 I: Numbers and Reasons
Ever wondered how numbers can reveal hidden truths about our world? Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NScARTSCI 162 E: Fetal Origins of Adult Diseases: a Public Health Perspective
Are you ready to embark on a transformative educational journey with our cutting-edge fetal origins class that delves deep into the relationships of fetal experience and adult diseases? Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NScARTSCI 162 A: Secret Codes and Online Security
Security breaches in communications -- whether in the form of identity theft or alleged Russian interference in elections --- are very much in the public eye. Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NScARTSCI 162 F: This is Your Brain on Drugs
In this class, we’ll explore the topics of neuropharmacology – drugs that affect our brains. Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NScARTSCI 162 B: Game Design for Global Challenges Using Python and Artificial Intelligence
How can game design, Python programming, and AI language models be utilized to better understand and address challenges like climate change, homelessness, and more? Find out...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NScARTSCI 162 H: The Science of Stress and Well-being
Curious about what stress really is and how it affects our lives? Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NScARTSCI 162 C: Exploring Quantum Universe With Artificial Intelligence
How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) help us comprehend the quantum world? Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NScARTSCI 162 D: The Biology of Human Consciousness
How do our brains give rise to consciousness? Learn more...
General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NSc