Past Courses

MLL 370 – From Ice Ages to Global Warming: Extreme Natural Events and Human
Resilience
Instructor: Professor Antonella Cassia
Open to: First- or Second-Year da Vinci Scholars
This seminar explores how societies across eras have understood and adapted to extreme natural events—from eruptions to climate transitions—through scientific, cultural, and artistic lenses.

WRS 231F – Archives as Art: Interpreting History through Visual and Rhetorical Inquiry
Instructor: Professor Quang Ly
Open to: Second-Year da Vinci Scholars and other undergraduates
Students work hands-on with UM’s digital special collections and develop creative, multimodal projects that reinterpret archival materials.

WRS 231 – Writing Pop Culture
Instructor: Professor Adam Abraham
Open to: Second-Year da Vinci Scholars and other undergraduates
A seminar examining how contemporary popular culture shapes identity, attention, and communication. Students complete analytical, collaborative, and public-facing writing assignments.

Courses with Reserved Seats for da Vinci Scholars

ASG 150 – Designing for All: Accessibility and Technology
Instructor: Professor Mykel Mangrum Billups
Seats for da Vinci: 5
This course introduces students to accessibility through hands-on exploration of how technology and design shape access in digital, physical, and educational environments, with attention to legal and ethical frameworks such as the ADA.

REL 406 – Religion and Human Evolution: An Exploration
Instructor: Professor William Green | Seats: 9
Collaborative and multimedia exploration of evolutionary theories of religion, featuring AI/VR and digital storytelling components.

REL 322 – Paul: Letters and Controversies
(** Now Waitlisted, but check out Prof Walsh’s REL325 Jesus in Myth and History course as an alternative!)
Instructor: Professor Robyn Faith Walsh | Seats: 3–5
Historical, philosophical, and literary investigation of Paul’s letters and adjacent early Christian writings, with attention to ancient science and social networks.

REL 451 – Ethics and Genetics
Instructor: Professor Catherine Newell | Seats: 3–5
This course examines urgent ethical, social, and legal questions emerging from modern genetics, including personal genetic data, inherited disease, race and genetics, stem-cell  research, and GMOs.

REL 244 / ARC 589 – Sacred Space
Instructor: Professor William Green | Seats: 2
A cross-cultural study of sacred architecture using the Harkness table format to deepen discussion, collaboration, and interpretive analysis.

CLA 233 – Ancient Medicine
Instructor: Professor Charles Bartlett | Seats: 5
A study of Greco-Roman medical traditions through textual evidence and material culture.

ENG 430 – Shakespeare: The Early Plays
Instructor: Professor Pamela Hammons | Seats: 10
A literary study of Shakespeare’s early dramatic works, focusing on performance, rhetoric, gender, and the development of the playwright’s artistic practice.

New Addition: Narrative Medicine

Narrative Medicine
(ENG 395 / GHS 330 / BPH 499 / HCS 499 / NUR 499)
Instructor: Professor Tim Watson (English & Creative Writing)
Meeting time: Tuesday/Thursday, 5:05–6:20pm
This course is designed primarily—but not exclusively—for students considering health professions. It focuses on developing skills in empathy, storytelling, and careful analysis of clinical practice across psychological, social, cultural, and ethical contexts. Students read and analyze narratives centered on the patient experience, with the goal of understanding how stories shape medical practice and professional life.

ART 206 – “Da Vinci’s Notebooks” (Jeannette Stargala)
Open to first- or second-year students
This studio art course explores new topics in practice and theory, including media-specific and interdisciplinary approaches. While inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, this is not an Art History class. Students will engage in hands-on bookmaking and develop their own observational notes in natural environments.

BIL175-R – Bioluminescence and Caravaggism: The Glowing Intersection Between Art
and Science (Lorella Di Gregorio, Yunqiu Wang)
Open to first- or second-year students
This interdisciplinary seminar explores the surprising parallels between natural phenomena and artistic innovation. Students will investigate bioluminescence—the ability of living organisms to produce light—and its scientific principles, while examining the dramatic chiaroscuro techniques of Caravaggio and other artists who mastered the interplay of light and shadow. Through readings, lab demonstrations, and creative projects, participants will discover how art and science illuminate each other, fostering a deeper appreciation for observation, experimentation, and aesthetic expression.

CHM 160 – “Being a Scientist” (V. Ramamurthy)
For first-year students
Although for thousands of years humanity has been curious to know the inner workings of the Nature surrounding them, science, as we know it, has emerged as a tool in this context only
during the last two centuries. In this course, development of a few important concepts in physics, chemistry and biology will be discussed to illustrate what is needed to be a successful scientist. It will attempt to interlink concepts, personalities, geography and the history. Familiarity with the growth and the current status of science should help young minds to build a world where peace, prosperity and good health prevail.

ENG 210-1K – “Winners and Losers: America’s Workplace—Perspectives on Literature and Life” (Les Levi)
Open to first- or second-year students
This seminar examines how literature reflects and shapes our understanding of success, failure, and identity in the American workplace. Through novels, short stories, and essays, students will explore themes of ambition, competition, and resilience, considering how cultural narratives influence real-world experiences. Writing assignments will encourage critical analysis and personal reflection, bridging literary study with contemporary issues in work and life.

WRS 231/GSS 370 – “Drag” (Barbara Hoffman)
For second-year students | 5 seats in sections E and R

WRS 231-R – “Sustainability” (Monica Torres)
For second-year students
In the Arts & Humanities disciplines, students develop a nuanced understanding of complex cultural and artistic practices. Writing in these fields requires the ability to convey sophisticated critical and analytical judgments effectively through both print and digital forms of communication. In this course, students will practice writing in formats and genres common to professions in the humanities fields, including criticism, reviews, museum/exhibition catalogs, and web blogs/social media.