| Course Title: Living in A Material World |
| Start Date: 09/09/2026 End Date: 12/22/2026 |
| Term: Fall Semester 2026 |
| Description: In a world full of designed objects made from a wide range of materials. What makes fabric stretchy? Why does gluten change the texture of food? What are the pros and cons of plastic? What is neodymium, how do we get it out of the ground, and why is it in your phone? Some naturally occurring materials require only a little work by humans to make a useful item, while engineered materials may involve complicated processes. We will examine the role of different materials in society, considering economic and ethical questions as we learn about scientific breakthroughs that enabled new products. Hands-on activities will help us better understand the topics. |
| Distribution(s): NO - Meets No Distrib. Rqmt , FY - First-Year Seminar , WI - Writing-Intensive |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Katherine Aidala | 413-538-2234 | kaidala@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 09/09/2026 - 12/22/2026 | Seminar | Tuesday and Thursday | 10:30AM - 11:45AM | TBA | TBA | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| None |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags | ||
| FYSEM0001 | First-Year Seminar | This is a First-Year Seminar. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 16 | Enrollment: 0 | Available: 16 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| To be determined. |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is NOT the complete book list for this class. |