Deep Dive Courses

This deep dive focuses on the concept and applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI). You will gain an understanding of AI's history and development, as well as its current and potential impact on various fields such as healthcare, finance, and transportation. The course will cover the fundamental concepts of AI, including machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. You will also be introduced to the ethical and social considerations surrounding AI, such as privacy, bias, and transparency. Through lectures, discussions, and real-world examples, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of AI and its implications for our future. This course is designed for non-technical students and does not require any prior programming experience.

Hoping to manage the stress of transitioning to college? Explore various techniques of sitting and walking meditation. Meditation has been associated with health benefits such as reducing stress, depression, and anxiety and improving cardiovascular and digestive health. It's an effective tool for navigating the uncertainty in our lives. Join us as we cultivate an enhanced sense of balance, inner peace, and well-being. You'll learn transformative techniques for deep relaxation to help you throughout your college career and your entire life.

Hollywood has its own translations of comic characters—as do publishing, licensing, and other industries—and comic conventions have now become worldwide gateways to this phenomenon. See behind the curtain to discover how it all works, including a historical look at female and black creators who often did not enjoy the spotlight. In this eye-opening course, we'll start with fan passion then explore the inner workings of an entire industry.

Prepare yourself for success in every aspect of your college experience, from achieving academically to improving personal relationships to choosing a career path. Discover how your personality type can affect your learning style, study habits, test-taking, roommate and personal relationships, time management, and stress. You'll learn your MBTI® type and focus on practical strategies for overcoming potential challenges and achieving success. (MBTI is Myers Briggs Type Indicator, a tool informed by decades of research to help individuals understand their communication preferences and interactions with others.)

This course will introduce you to timeless philosophical questions and issues through film. By pairing classic philosophical writings with movies, this course will guide your discovery of the joy of philosophical conversations. Potential topics: the existence of God, the nature of mind, personal identity, free will and moral responsibility. By discussing and writing about philosophical questions in classical texts and recent movies, you will develop your critical and analytic thinking and writing skills. *You will be expected to watch assigned films prior to class discussions.

Queer Representation on Televisionfocuses on images of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people on American television from the 1950s through the present day. Through lectures, readings, and screenings we will examine the role fiction and non-fiction television programming has played in the “cultural construction” of homosexuality and the formation of the public and private identities of LGBT people.We will investigate television’s dual role in promotingandchallenging dominant beliefs, attitudes, and social myths about homosexuality and LGBT people and examine how television programming has reflected the social, legal, and political changes of the LGBT rights movement over the past seven decades.

Using the fairy tale genre and its storytelling patterns, you'll use the process of reflective writing as a prompt for creative writingand self-discovery. In this deep dive course, we will read and analyze various fairy tales and talk about how we react to them and how they connect to the world around us. You will have the opportunity to present a final project that is either scholarly or creative in its approach.

Decolonize your mind as you enter the learning community of Ithaca College. Together we'll draw on decolonial thought to consider the meaning and uses of knowledge and how this idea is linked to power dynamics. We'll think outside the box and question the idea that some knowledge is valuable while other knowledge is not. We will examine work produced by Indigenous thinkers, African philosophers, Global South intellectuals, among others. You'll learn new ways of thinking and strategies for academic success as you build community.

Fit-checks. Gym Bros. Fitness Models. Bro-science. If aliens came to earth, they might think humans need spandex, creatine, and social clout to be healthy. With the vast amount of misinformation online regarding health and movement, it is vital to learn how to develop movement habits that last. As a physical therapist, it is my job to help people to move better after an injury and restore their health; but it’s my mission to empower people to create movement habits that support lifelong health and wellness.

Teaching Methods: In this course, you will be part of a community of first-year college students that will collaborate on developing empowering movement habits while identifying and addressing movement biases and myths in the context of personal health and wellness. By engaging in classroom discussions, analyzing how health information is shared online, and learning foundational movement skills, you will learn how to create sustainable movement habits for a lifetime. After completing this course, you will be able identify health myths, develop a better understanding of how your body moves, and have a framework for developing confidence through movement.

Most people go through their lives believing that they will never need to fight a Dragon. Unfortunately, the truth is that Dragons are real and someday everyone will have to take on a Dragon. Ok, so even if there has never truly been flying, fire-breathing lizards for humans to encounter, what they represent can be found in our everyday lives. Dragons have long been symbols of strength, wisdom, and intelligence but also of fear, envy, and insurmountable adversities. Everyone will face a challenge in their lives that will feel like preparing to fight a Dragon. Thanks to Dungeons and Dragons, I’ve learned how to level up enough to fight, befriend, outwit, and persuade the Dragons in my life. In this course, I will share how DND can help you level up too.

Teaching Methods: In this course, you will embark on an adventure with your fellow party members in a mini campaign that will teach and test your abilities. Your party will gain experience by embarking on quests to learn each other’s backstories, prepare strategies for vanquishing procrastination and loneliness, and develop a bond stronger than plot armor. By the end of this course, you will have a fundamental knowledge of not only how to play the game of DND but also how in-game-skills can help you level up for real while working towards your degree.

This course is designed to equip and empower you in laying the groundwork for your future dream careers. Through a comprehensive curriculum, we will explore various aspects of career readiness, including goal setting, professional communication, and strategic planning. With an emphasis on practical skills, you will master resume writing, crafting compelling cover letters, optimizing LinkedIn profiles, and leveraging your MBTI personality type for career alignment. Furthermore, you will gain invaluable insights into effective interview techniques and strategies to secure coveted job and internship opportunities. By the end of the course, you will have a tailored action plan to pursue your career aspirations with confidence and competence. This course serves as a vital springboard for first-year students as they embark on their academic and professional endeavors.

In this course, you will dive into the facts and fiction about the drug Alcohol. You will explore the physical, social, emotional and mental functions that this widely promoted substance performs – or doesn't – for college students. Drinking alcohol has become a ritual that college students often see as typical part of their higher education experience. Learn more about what alcohol really is, what it does to the body and brain and how it can impact your life as an Ithaca College student. Course content includes documentary films, articles and first-person testimony about alcohol use.At the end of the course, you will present a final project to the class on a selected focus. You will discuss topics related to alcohol including myths, misinformation, mental health and neuroplasticity. By reading articles, viewing documentaries and participating in discussion, you will develop a considered, reasoned approach to your own relationship to alcohol as you begin your life as an Ithaca College student.