Discovery Seminars

 

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

Image of someone signing with a mic on stage

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&H
birds in flight

ARTSCI 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&H 
Students in the dining hall

ARTSCI 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&H
Fashion Show

ARTSCI 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&H
Field of wild flowers

ARTSCI 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&H
space needle and red outdoor sculpture

ARTSCI 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&H
Students in a drawing class

ARTSCI 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&H
Students on a stage

ARTSCI 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&H
student playing a guitar and looking at various guitar pedals

ARTSCI 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&H
Space odyssey

ARTSCI 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

roommates in their dorm room

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&H
Students laying in the quad in the sunshine

ARTSCI 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 SSc
Students speaking together on Hub lawn

ARTSCI 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&H
gasworks park

ARTSCI 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&H
Two UW Students holding cupcakes in Red Square

ARTSCI 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&H
Japanese illustration

ARTSCI 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&H
sketches and a 3d printed toy

ARTSCI 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&H
civil rights

ARTSCI 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 SSc
students in a group looking at a laptop

ARTSCI 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 SSc
Canoe journey

ARTSCI 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

puget sound

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&H
Inside look at the human body

ARTSCI 162 G: Physiology and You!

How do bodies really work on the inside? Learn more...

General Education Requirement Info: 5 credits of NSc
visual of a graph

ARTSCI 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 NSc
fetus

ARTSCI 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 NSc
hands typing on keyboard with lock images

ARTSCI 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 NSc
image of a brain

ARTSCI 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 NSc
human and robot fingers touching

ARTSCI 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 NSc
stress

ARTSCI 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 NSc
image of our galaxy

ARTSCI 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 NSc  
brain image

ARTSCI 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