Class Highlights

Do you want to scratch that intellectually curious itch? The possibilities for that are endless at Tufts! Whether it’s learning how to make your own electronic musical instruments or discussing the complexities of raising civically engaged and thoughtful children, there’s always a new way to broaden your horizons. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your major in one of these courses. BY VALERIA VELASQUEZ ’23

Close up of a person's hands as they use a unique electronic musical instrument.

Electronic Music Instrument Design: Music engineering at Tufts is an interdisciplinary effort among various branches of our Computer Science and Music Departments as well as the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) and the School of Engineering. This eclectic program naturally produces some of the most niche and fascinating courses at Tufts. In Electronic Musical Instrument Design, students learn how to create non-standard electronic musical instruments, or “controllers”; incorporating sensors that respond to touch, position, movement, finger pressure, and other human factors. This project-based class challenges students to complete several creative projects, using music hardware, software, and object-oriented, music-specific programming languages. Many students who graduate with a music engineering minor and took this course are computer science students or engineers; showing that, at Tufts, students interested in STEM are encouraged to explore the intersection between the arts and their majors.

Artists’ Books Today: Are you interested in the craftsmanship of binding books? Do you want to create a book from scratch? Artists’ Books Today is a mixed media, hands-on class that explores bookmaking as an art form. The class draws from the global traditions of Asia, Western Europe, and the Middle East to teach students about the flexibility of bookmaking as art. Handmade books can be used to craft narratives, visualize poetry, showcase art, document memoirs, and so much more. Students learn how to bind their own books and embark on a variety of different bookmaking projects—making this the perfect class for someone whose love of books transcends the content of a book’s pages. This class is one of the countless examples of the dynamic nature of SMFA courses and shows how students are encouraged to explore like never before and to work outside the confines of traditional disciplines.

Raising Young Moral Citizens: The Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development is dedicated to the study and well-being of children and families from diverse backgrounds. The department blends psychology, education, public policy, and countless other fields. One of the many courses in this fascinating department is Raising Young Moral Citizens, which focuses on this question: how do children develop a sense of moral responsibility and commitment to the greater good? The course examines the role of parents, teachers, coaches, and other adults in the moral and social development of children and adolescents. Additionally, the context of pressing issues like poverty, racism, violence, and the environment of youths are carefully considered in the discussion. What can parents, family members, and society do to develop civically engaged youths who will work for a more just, caring, and equitable society? If you are curious about the developmental growth of children or want to be part of a program that aims to address deep-seated structural inequities, this class, and this department, are perfect for you.