CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

INNOVATION

Whether you’re enthusiastic about singing the blues, interested in developments in cultural activities, or fascinated by ethics and responsibility, there are many ways to innovate during your time at Tufts. Here are just a few courses that show how “innovation” is alive on campus.

MUS-0025 History of Blues In this class, students will delve into the origins, development, and regional styles; downhome blues, classic blues, and urban blues; vocal and instrumental traditions and innovations. There will be an emphasis on major gures such as Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King. —Michael Ullman, Senior Lecturer, Department of English and Music

ARB-0055 Cultural History of the Modern Middle East In this introductory survey course, students will focus on trends and developments in cultural activities (for example, music, cinema, literature, and the ne arts) across diverse Middle Eastern cultures, with emphasis on the Arab world, Turkey, and Iran, from the nineteenth century to the present day. The course traces a broad trajectory engaging with the formulation of the concepts of the “modern” and the “traditional” in these arts, with a focus on themes such as: innovation and reform, political resistance, revolutionary ideologies, the rural-urban divide, transformations of gender roles, the rise of youth cultures, new religious movements, and reactions to consumerism and globalization. —Kamran Rastegar, Director of Center for Humanities at Tufts, Program Director of the Arabic Program, and Professor of Comparative Literature, Department of International Literacy and Cultural Studies

CVS-0149 / ENT-109 Societal Aspects of Design In this course, students will study the multi-disciplinary perspective of innovative technology-based design process for societal and community in uence. The course will explore elements and principles of design from product development process, to thought and emotion, to ethics and responsibility. There will be experiments to explore failure and iteration, and re ection for self-discovery and innovation. Students will experience articulation and expression via written, oral, and pre-recorded audio and video presentations, showing measurable impact of solutions as societal bene ts. —Ronald Lasser, Professor of the Practice, Electrical and Computer Engineering