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ACADEMIC PROGRAM OVERVIEW

278 ADVANCED STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (3)

Cha. Free and forced response of continuous systems, including the vibration of strings, rods, shafts, membranes, beams and plates. One dimensional finite element methods: discretiza- tion of a continuum, selection of interpolation functions, and determining the element mass and stiffness matrices and the corresponding load vector. Introduction to special topics, including the effects of parameter uncertainties on the dynamics of periodic structures and model updating in structural dynamics. Prerequisite: Engineering 171. (Every other year; Spring)

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HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES, AND THE ARTS

HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES, AND THE ARTS

Professors Alves (Chair), Balseiro, Barron, Beckman (emeritus), Cubek, Dadabhoy (visiting), de Laet, Dyson, Evans, Fandell, Groves, Hamilton, Kamm, Lamkin (emeritus), Mashek, Mayeri, Olson (emeritus), Steinberg, Sullivan, Tan and Wright.

As a liberal arts college, Harvey Mudd offers its curriculum in the spirit of providing a broadly based education. One reflection of that commitment is the College’s Core, to which all academic departments contribute. Another is the program in Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts (HSA), which each student completes along with the Core and a major. Exposure to the subjects and methods of the various HSA disciplines builds analytical skills and offers avenues for the development of increased self-knowledge, a humane concern for society, an understanding of the wider context in which science and engineering are prac- ticed, and an examined and evolving set of values.

The required program consists of HSA 10, Critical Inquiry—a Core course taken in the spring of the first year—along with a minimum of 10 other HSA courses. These 10 (or more) further courses must together satisfy the distribution, concentration, writing, and departmental requirements described below. A given course may be used to satisfy one or more of these requirements; e.g., the same course might count toward a student’s concentra- tion and satisfy the writing requirement. There are no prescribed courses other than HSA 10; thus, students have significant flexibility in planning their programs of study.

Distribution and concentration requirements. The distribution requirement is satisfied by taking at least one course in each of five different HSA disciplines. The concentration requirement is satisfied by taking at least four courses in a single HSA discipline or interdis- ciplinary field chosen from the distinct areas of liberal arts study offered at The Claremont Colleges (see the list of approved concentrations under “Advising Resources” on the HSA Department website). Together, these requirements ensure that students gain exposure to a variety of methods and perspectives within HSA, but also achieve depth and intellectual de- velopment within one area of study. Since the concentration is intended to represent progress in a field of study, even though that field might be interdisciplinary, the concentration should typically advance beyond introductory level courses. A concentration in the arts must include at least two courses that focus on theory, criticism or historical analysis. Students who intend to concentrate in areas not covered by the department’s faculty should plan their program carefully in order to be able to fulfill all requirements.

Writing requirement. So that students can build on the writing skills addressed in HSA 10, at least one HSA course taken in addition to HSA 10 must involve significant writing. Both departmental courses and HSA courses offered at the other Claremont Colleges (or outside of Claremont) can satisfy this requirement. The department’s website contains a list of the depart- mental courses with significant writing, as well as an approval form that can be used to satisfy the writing requirement with a non-departmental HSA course. In general, a course satisfies this requirement if it assigns at least 5,000 words of formal graded writing, excluding exams, short response papers, email or online discussion contributions, and in-class writing.

Departmental requirement. The department is responsible for ensuring that exploration of the humanities, the social sciences and the arts constitutes an integral component of the life of the Harvey Mudd College community. This means that Harvey Mudd students and the department’s faculty should explore these disciplines together to a significant extent. Accordingly, at least five of the courses required in addition to HSA 10 must be taken with departmental faculty. Remaining coursework (including any extra courses) may be done at the other Claremont Colleges, and the department encourages students to take advantage of this opportunity. Courses offered by departmental faculty in the Joint Music Program (Professors Cubek and Kamm) count as departmental courses although they are taught at Scripps.

ADVISING

The department assigns each student an HSA advisor in the spring of the first year. Normally, a student’s HSA 10 instructor fills this role. The student and the advisor meet at least once a semester with the approach of preregistration to review the student’s progress in the program and plan future coursework. The HSA advisor can be helpful at other times also, such as when a student is considering dropping a course, encounters academic difficulties, or is thinking through choices regarding graduate school or career. Since the HSA program affords students significant choice, students are encouraged to plan ahead and keep in touch with their advisors from semester to semester. Students should also consult the department’s Advising Handbook and the “Advising Resources” section of the department’s website.