Interested in diving deeper into the themes of the 2024 On the Same Page selection Oppenheimer? Consider enrolling in one or more of the following courses.
Instructors: If you are teaching a course in fall 2024 or spring 2025 that assigns Oppenheimer and/or related topics, let us know!
Spring 2025 Courses
ANTHRO 171: Japan, Mikiko Soga
This course offers an introductory survey of Japan from a four-field anthropological perspective. It is open without prerequisite to anyone with a curiosity about what is arguably the most important non-Western society of the last 100 years, and to anyone concerned about the diverse conditions of modern life. We will range over many aspects of contemporary Japan, and draw on scholarship in history, literature, religion, and the various social sciences.
ASAMST 122: Japanese American History, Lisa S Hirai Tsuchitani
This course will be presented as a proseminar with selected topics in order to give students an opportunity to participate in the dynamics of the study of Japanese American history. Topics include immigration, anti-Japanese racism, labor, concentration camps, agriculture, art and literature, and personality and culture.
COLWRIT R1A 001: Accelerated Reading and Composition: Writing at the End of the World, David Jamieson
Whether it is the threat of nuclear warfare, impending climate disaster, or the apocalyptic prophecies of various religious traditions, anticipating the imminent end of the world is a mode of thinking that is seeded deep within the collective consciousness of many civilizations. For thousands of years, the apocalypse has supposed to have been right around the corner, and anxieties surrounding its approach have manifested in fiction, film, poetry, politics and, more recently, computer science. Will nuclear weapons or climate upheavals render the world into a Mad Max-like hellscape? Will ChatGPT attain consciousness and wipe out humanity in order to protect its own existence? More importantly, what do these questions and depictions tell us about the cultures that are asking them? In this course you will learn to read and write as a way of participating in an intellectual community, both at Cal and beyond. You will learn to use writing as a way of thinking. Rather than approaching writing as some mystical, innate affinity with words, this course approaches writing as a craft that can be learned and developed.
ENGIN 11: A Hands-on Introduction to Radiation Detection: Getting to know our Radioactive World, Ali Hanks
Introduction to basic concepts in radiation detection and radioactivity, electrical circuits, and data analytics. Lectures provide the theoretical foundation of the work being performed in the accompanying laboratory. The course will contain three sections: introduction to how radiation interacts with matter and radiation detection technologies; development of the tools (mathematical and computational) needed for analyzing various types of radiation and environmental data; and building of a basic radiation sensor system.
IAS 157AC: Engineering, The Environment, and Society, Khalid Kadir
This course engages students at the intersection of environmental justice, social justice, and engineering to explore how problems that are commonly defined in technical terms are at their roots deeply socially embedded. Through partnerships with community-based organizations, students are trained to recognize the socio-political nature of technical problems so that they may approach solutions in ways that prioritize social justice. Topics covered include environmental engineering as it relates to air, water, and soil contamination; race, class, and privilege; expertise; ethics; and engaged citizenship. This course cannot be used to complete any engineering technical unit requirements.
JAPAN 7B: Introduction to Modern Japanese Literature and Culture, Jonathan E Zwicker
An introduction to Japanese literature in translation in a two-semester sequence. 7B provides a survey of important works of 19th- and 20th-century Japanese fiction, poetry, and cultural criticism. The course will explore the manner in which writers responded to the challenges of industrialization, internationalization, and war. Topics include the shifting notions of tradition and modernity, the impact of Westernization on the constructions of the self and gender, writers and the wartime state, literature of the atomic bomb, and postmodern fantasies and aesthetics. All readings are in English translation. Techniques of critical reading and writing will be introduced as an integral part of the course.
NUCENG 24: Freshman Seminars: How It’s Made, Peter Hosemann
This class is an introduction to the conventional manufacturing techniques of components used in nuclear and other engineering applications. An introduction to metal fabrication will be given, including, but not limited to, a brief introduction to refining, casting, forming, machining and joining. After an overview of the techniques available to engineers, the students will be expected to perform a literature review and discuss how specifically chosen components can be manufactured. In addition, the students will be encouraged to participate in the campus-offered machine-shop training where basic skills in machining are taught after a short introduction by the professor to the shop tools.
NUCENG 24: Freshman Seminars: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About NUC ENG But Were Afraid To Ask, Eric B Norman
Have you ever wondered how a nuclear power plant produces electricity, or what makes a nuclear bomb explode, or how radiation can both cause and treat cancer? What caused the nuclear disaster at Fukushima? What powers the Perseverance rover on Mars? In this seminar, we will examine the basic science behind these and other topics and explore the engineering methods that underlie such technologies. Seminar is open to all interested freshmen.
PHYSICS 10: From the Quantum Universe to Quantum Technologies, Barbara V Jacak
The most interesting and important topics in physics, stressing conceptual understanding rather than math, with applications to current events. Topics covered may vary and may include energy and conservation, radioactivity, nuclear physics, the Theory of Relativity, lasers, explosions, earthquakes, superconductors, and quantum physics.
This course will provide an introduction to the fascinating mysteries and applications of quantum mechanics, for both nonscience and science majors. We will start with an introduction to particle-wave duality and quantum mechanics. We will discuss our quantum universe of atoms and nuclei, and learn about nuclear fusion and fission, energy production, and how stars work. We will explore novel quantum technologies, particularly quantum information, computing, and quantum sensors, which are all amazing new applications of quantum physics. This course will stress conceptual understanding rather than math, and give you new insights into some of the most modern technologies being developed right now. You will develop your skills in logical, physical reasoning and apply them to some of the issues facing humanity right now.
PUB POL 190/290: Special Topics in Public Policy, Janet Napolitano
The National Security and Intelligence Seminar is a three unit elective course that combines several papers with a once a week special topic seminar with intelligence and security practitioners from the national security community. Guided by former Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, this practitioner-led seminar will examine the policy, players, and factors shaping the 21st century geostrategic landscape, as reflected in contemporary media headlines. Aided by the lived experiences of former intelligence operatives and policy practitioners, students will debate the implications of variables such as emerging technology, cyber security, climate change, and political instability and how these and other variables increasingly influence the nature and complexity of the global security environment. The seminar will endeavor to debunk, demystify, and distinguish fact from fiction on topics like: The Future of Space is Now; Frontier Tech & Innovation (AI, Biotech, Semiconductors); Ukraine v. Russia; Great Power Competition, and more. The course will also incorporate select site visits in the bay area and will conclude with an onsite simulation exercise. This course is limited to 20 students and is open to all UC Berkeley students, with a limited number of spots for undergraduates available. Students from all departments on campus are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to students who are pursuing an area of security studies as part of their degree and to those who are interested in pursuing a career in public service.
Fall 2024 Courses
L&S 10: The On The Same Page Course, Aileen Liu
This is a course for new students (freshmen or transfers) who would like to engage with the On the Same Page book or theme for their year in a more in-depth way than the average student might. They will take full advantage of the On the Same Page events and programming planned for the fall of each year, and will enjoy opportunities to discuss the book or theme with faculty and fellow students.
AMERSTD 10: Introduction to American Studies: Going Nuclear, Christine Palmer, Mark Brilliant
From the moment that scientists first split the atom in the 1930s, “going nuclear” has conjured up dystopian fears alongside utopian hopes—from mushroom clouds, reactor meltdowns, Superfund sites, and planetary annihilation, on the one hand, to cancer treatment, war deterrence, job creation, and planetary salvation through clean energy, on the other hand. Through an exploration of these and other examples of the utopian/dystopian (or, hopeful/frightful) understandings of “going nuclear” in twentieth century American history and culture, this course will introduce students to the concepts and methods of American Studies as an interdisciplinary field of study.
COLWRIT R1A 017: Perspective-Taking: (How) Can We (Ever) Reach Common Ground?, Michelle Baptiste
This interactive experiential course focuses on “Perspective-Taking: (How) Can We Reach Common Ground?” We’ll delve into the lives of two complex individuals: Robert Oppenheimer and George Floyd, as well as explore tense opposing perspectives on current events: the mining controversy at Oak Flat on Apache Land as well as the influential US presidential election. You will engage in discussions of science and ethics, politics and law, racism and activism, civil rights and indigenous land rights, mainstream media and social media, education and democracy, technology and medicine. As a member of a community of writers, you will have the opportunity to write from these different angles to interpret what most interests you in each text – crafting a film analysis after viewing UC Berkeley’s On the Same Page selection: the movie Oppenheimer and then writing text analysis essays on two books – one a cradle-to-grave biography and another that combines diverse written genres while also weaving in illustrations; finally, you’ll use Lakoff’s nation as family metaphor theory as a lens through which to compose a rhetorical analysis comparing two politicians’ speeches. Ultimately, you will revise selected pieces to design and publish a reflective multimodal portfolio showcasing your best work of the course!
DATA C104: Human Contexts and Ethics of Data – DATA/History/STS, Cathryn Carson, Ari S Edmundson
This course teaches you to use the tools of applied historical thinking and Science, Technology, and Society (STS) to recognize, analyze, and shape the human contexts and ethics of data. It addresses key topics such as doing ethical data science amid shifting definitions of human subjects, consent, and privacy; the changing relationship between data, democracy, and law; the role of data analytics in how corporations and governments provide public goods such as health and security to citizens; sensors, machine learning and artificial intelligence and changing landscapes of labor, industry, and city life. It prepares you to engage as a knowledgeable and responsible citizen and professional in the varied arenas of our datafied world.
ENGIN 125: Ethics, Engineering, and Society, Karl A Van Bibber
How should engineers analyze and resolve the ethical issues inherent in engineering? This seminar-style course provides an introduction to how theories, concepts, and methods from the humanities and social science can be applied to ethical problems in engineering. Assignments incorporate group and independent research designed to provide students an opportunity to contribute novel findings to the emerging field of engineering ethics while building their analytical and communication skills. This course cannot be used to fulfill any engineering technical requirements (units or courses).
HISTORY 14: Introduction to the History of Japan, Andrew E Barshay
This undergraduate survey course will introduce students to the history of the Japanese archipelago, from antiquity to the present day, with a special focus on regional contacts, internal developments, and global exchanges. Beginning with the pre-textual archaeological record, we go on to explore the introduction of rice agriculture, Chinese writing and forms of political organization, and Buddhism as these culminated in the high aristocratic cultures of Nara and Heian. We then turn to the development of warrior (samurai) culture, the emergence and persistence of warrior rule in its successive phases. Particular attention will be given to the Tokugawa/Edo period, the flourishing of popular culture, the indigenous sources of Japanese industrialization and modern economic development, and the border and frontier interfaces of Edo Japan with China, Korea, the Ainu, the Ryukyus, and Europe. These considerations will form the basis for an interpretation of the Meiji restoration, the formation of the Japanese empire, and the regional conflicts leading to WWII and Japan’s defeat and surrender. In the final phase of the course we will discuss the postwar (or post-imperial) era and its extension into recent decades. This course is also intended to introduce students to some fundamental techniques of historical research and analysis and to major critical approaches to historical sources in general and those of Japanese history in particular. Course readings will include a wide range of primary sources (translated from Japanese into English) along with selected secondary (interpretive) materials. The course will offer students the opportunity to improve their academic writing and research skills while familiarizing themselves with the history of Japan.
HISTORY 30: Science and Society, Jordan Thomas Mursinna
Science as we know is the product of a historical process. In this course, we will explore the origins of its concepts, practices, goals, and cognitive authority by surveying its roots in their diverse social and cultural settings. We will trace the development of conceptions of the natural world from antiquity through the Middle Ages up to the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. In this way, we’ll study the relations of modern science to other forms of knowledge—magical, religious, and philosophical. Our considerations will have a truly global reach, and all the main branches of science and technology fall within our purview.
HISTORY C187 / LS C140V: The History and Practice of Human Rights, Stefan-Ludwig Hoffmann
What are human rights? Where did they originate and when? Who retains them, and when are we obliged to defend them? Through what kinds of institutions, practices, and frameworks have they been advocated and affirmed? And which are the human rights that we take to be self-evident? The rights to speak and worship freely? To legal process? To shelter and nourishment? Is health care a human right? If so, can human rights ever be global in scope? Or is the idea of universal human rights a Eurocentric delusion or, worse, a neoliberal ploy? History will not answer these questions for us, but historical understanding can help us answer them for ourselves. With a focus on the last two centuries, and especially the late twentieth century to the present, “The History and Practice of Human Rights” offers historical perspective on some of today’s most challenging issues, from state violence, military intervention, and international justice, to inequality, corporate abuse and environmental disaster. Much of our analysis of these topics will center on the law, but we will also consider how the media and social movements have influenced the emergence of human rights thought and practice around the world.
HISTORY C182C / ISF C100G / STS C100: Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society, Shreeharsh Kelkar
This course provides an overview of the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) as a way to study how our knowledge and technology shape and are shaped by social, political, historical, economic, and other factors. We will learn key concepts of the field (e.g., how technologies are understood and used differently in different communities) and apply them to a wide range of topics, including geography, history, environmental and information science, and others. Questions this course will address include: how are scientific facts constructed? How are values embedded in technical systems?
NUCENG 100: Introduction to Nuclear Energy and Technology, Guanyu Su
The class provides students with an overview of the contemporary nuclear energy technology with emphasis on nuclear fission as an energy source. Starting with the basic physics of the nuclear fission process, the class includes discussions on reactor control, thermal hydraulics, fuel production, and spent fuel management for various types of reactors in use around the world as well as analysis of safety and other nuclear-related issues. This class is intended for sophomore NE students, but is also open to transfer students and students from other majors.
PHILOS 5: Science and Human Understanding, Ezra Rubenstein
Introduction to the Philosophy of Science.
PHILOS 104: Ethical Theories, Nicholas G Kolodny
The fundamental concepts and problems of morality examined through the study of classical and contemporary philosophical theories of ethics.
PHYSICS 24: Big Science, Steven M Kahn
This seminar will examine the characteristics and implications of “big science” experiments, i.e. those with costs at the level of several hundred million dollars or more. How and why have experiments grown to this scale? How do such experiments get born? How do they get funded? How are they managed? What are the effects (positive and negative) on the sociology of science at this scale? Some of the big experiments discussed in class are: James Webb Space Telescope-NASA, Laser Interferometric Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), Human Genome Project, etc. Prerequisites: Students with some scientific background, either in the mathematical and physical sciences, the biological sciences, or in engineering. Students should have an interest in some of the larger societal aspects of science.
POLSCI 124M: The Scientific Study of International Conflict, Michaela Mattes
The goal of this upper-level seminar is to familiarize students with the scientific approach to studying international conflict, provide them with a deep understanding of the basic factors that exacerbate or mitigate international conflict, and sharpen students’ analytical and research skills.
PUBPOL 155: Introduction to Security Policy, Daniel J Sargent, Janet Ann Napolitano
This course introduces students to the arena of security policy. Students will learn the origins and evolution of the governing framework for security policy in the United States, including the post-9/11 creation of Homeland Security, and key methodologies of security policy, including risk assessment. The course will evaluate the variety of scales at which security policy is enacted, from state/local to federal and even international. The course delves into defining security dilemmas of the present: the challenge of securing democracy against both internal and external threats; the challenge of cybersecurity in a networked world; and global climate change. The course concludes with a required one-day crisis simulation exercise.
PUBPOL 190: War? Emerging Technologies & National Security Policy, Andrew W Reddie
Course examines current problems and issues in the field of public policy. Topics may vary from year to year and will be announced at the beginning of the semester. Open to students from other departments.
SOCIOL 166: Society and Technology, Joseph Klett
This course studies the interaction between society and technologies in a comparative and multicultural perspective. Some topics covered include the relationship between technology and human society; technology, culture and values; technology in the new global economy; development and inequality; electronic democracy; how technology has transformed work and employment; and the challenges of technological progress and the role that society plays in addressing these challenges.
