Badger Precollege Classes

Did you know there are an estimated 1 billion different species of microorganisms on Earth? Microorganisms play a role in every aspect of the world we live in. As an applied biological science, microbiology deals with many important practical problems in medicine, agriculture and industry. Microbial physiology and genetics will be emphasized along with a survey of applied microbiology in the fields of medicine, agriculture, food safety and ecology. This lab-intensive course will focus on laboratory techniques and procedures used in research and industry including cultivation, identification, enumeration, genetic engineering and aseptic technique. The effect of microorganisms on human health, specifically epidemiology and the microbiome will be explored. The manipulation of microorganisms in ecological bioremediation, food production and preservation, and pharmaceutical development will be investigated. This course is intended to satisfy any curriculum that requires introductory-level microbiology. It will challenge you to use scientific inquiry skills to investigate and analyze data and will allow you to examine the diversity of microbes on Earth and their importance in the biosphere.

From the birth of the cosmos to the mesmerizing death of stars, this course offers a comprehensive exploration of space that will leave you with a profound understanding of the celestial wonders that surround us.

This course is intended to provide a thorough understanding of the relationship between economics and social relationships. Students will become familiar with the basic principles of markets, how economic resources are organized, and how economics and sociology come together.

Engineering is a problem-solving profession that is both academically rigorous and creatively demanding. This course will introduce you to a broad spectrum of engineering fields and provide a strong foundation for understanding its key tools and concepts.

You will learn to collect, analyze and interpret physical and biological trace evidence such as fingerprints, hair, fibers and DNA. This laboratory-based course will allow you to use logical thought processes and scientific inquiry skills to interpret evidence and analyze criminal psychology.

Diseases challenge scientists to unlock the most complex puzzles of illness, disability and the body's response. Beginning with an overview of human anatomy and physiology, students will probe the nature of disease with new understandings of genetics, pathology and epidemiology.

Computer programming impacts social media, digital games, and music, and leads to medical breakthroughs, business innovation and engineering marvels. Using real-world examples from Google, Netflix and other corporate trendsetters, you'll use programming principles and applications in final projects.

This course will investigate the impact that chemical products have on consumers' daily lives. Major topics may include food additives, prescription and non-prescription drugs, fuels, pesticides, detergents, synthetic fibers and plastics.

Discover the intricacies of your brain, what motivates us to learn and how to become a lifelong learner. The course will delve into the sometimes surprising new research about practical strategies we can use to learn faster, remember more and think more creatively.

Is art capable of influencing social change? How have artists used their work as a form of activism? In this class, students will explore how art and visual culture uphold or challenge systems of power and social norms, and learn how to recognize these forces at work in visual media. Students will think expansively about what shapes the visual, and how the visual shapes us. Students will develop the skills to critically analyze the visual materials we encounter in our everyday lives. We will engage with a wide array of media including art, comics, animation, television, performance, social media, activism and exhibitions. Students will read scholars from art history, visual culture studies, media studies, LGBTQ+ studies, critical race theory, and disability studies, and participate in field trips to local museums and galleries.

Environmental Studies is interdisciplinary, embracing several unifying themes, including The Living World, Global Change and Sustainability. Our focus will be on assessing and promoting the Natural Capital of local ecosystems (deciduous forests, prairies and lakes). We will explore different social science approaches to interpreting the relationship between the environment and society at various scales, from the local to the global. This course will trace the social origins of environmental concerns, their social impacts and the different responses they engender. Students will have an opportunity to interact with UW researchers, educators and campus leaders. In the end, students will grasp the values of the natural world and the tools for protecting it.