MIT OpenCourseWare: New Courses

14.01SC Principles of Microeconomics (MIT)

Gruber, Jonathan — 2012-02-10T13:49:24+05:00

14.01 Principles of Microeconomics is an introductory undergraduate course that teaches the fundamentals of microeconomics. This course introduces microeconomic concepts and analysis, supply and demand analysis, theories of the firm and individual behavior, competition and monopoly, and welfare economics. Students will also be introduced to the use of microeconomic applications to address problems in current economic policy throughout the semester.

18.03SC Differential Equations (MIT)

Mattuck, Arthur — 2012-02-08T14:08:08+05:00

The laws of nature are expressed as differential equations. Scientists and engineers must know how to model the world in terms of differential equations, and how to solve those equations and interpret the solutions. This course focuses on the equations and techniques most useful in science and engineering.

MAS.771 Autism Theory and Technology (MIT)

Picard, Rosalind W. — 2012-02-01T10:05:32+05:00

This course illuminates current theories about autism together with challenges faced by people on the autism spectrum. Theories in communicating, interacting socially, managing cognitive and affective overload, and achieving independent lifestyles are covered. In parallel, the course presents state-of-the-art technologies being developed for helping improve both theoretical understanding and practical outcomes. Participants are expected to meet and interact with people on the autism spectrum. Weekly reading, discussion, and a term project are required.

18.06SC Linear Algebra (MIT)

Strang, Gilbert — 2012-01-24T16:18:50+05:00

This course covers matrix theory and linear algebra, emphasizing topics useful in other disciplines such as physics, economics and social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering.

11.941 Urban Climate Adaptation (MIT)

Carmin, JoAnn — 2012-01-17T15:48:42+05:00

"Designing a dream city is easy. Rebuilding a living one takes imagination." -Jane JacobsThis course examines the challenges that cities will face and strategies they can use to prepare for the impacts of climate change. Particular attention will be paid to the presence of global disparities, the needs of vulnerable populations and resource constrained locales, and the ways in which local government and community-based activities can achieve equitable levels of climate-readiness.

11.027 City to City: Comparing, Researching and Writing about Cities: New Orleans (MIT)

Abbanat, Cherie Miot — 2012-01-17T15:47:07+05:00

City to City, as a class, will jump into the complexity of planning in New Orleans, a post-disaster city. City-to-City will ask how a post-disaster city grapple with its ideas of identity, what it is, who it represents, and how it projects its sense of self to residences, businesses, tourists, and to the outside world. In considering its people, how do city planners think about who lives where and why? At the same time, how can city planners celebrate a city's history and its culture and how can these elements be woven into reconstruction? Students will travel from Cambridge to New Orleans over Spring Break to meet and consult with their alumni clients, and continue to work on projects.

MAS.836 Sensor Technologies for Interactive Environments (MIT)

Paradiso, Joseph — 2012-01-12T10:44:43+05:00

This course is a broad introduction to a host of sensor technologies, illustrated by applications drawn from human-computer interfaces and ubiquitous computing. After extensively reviewing electronics for sensor signal conditioning, the lectures cover the principles and operation of a variety of sensor architectures and modalities, including pressure, strain, displacement, proximity, thermal, electric and magnetic field, optical, acoustic, RF, inertial, and bioelectric. Simple sensor processing algorithms and wired and wireless network standards are also discussed. Students are required to complete written assignments, a set of laboratories, and a final project.

STS.050 The History of MIT (MIT)

Mindell, David — 2012-01-12T10:29:53+05:00

This course examines the history of MIT through the lens of the broader history of science and technology, and vice versa. The course covers the founding of MIT in 1861 and goes through the present, including such topics as William Barton Rogers, educational philosophy, biographies of MIT students and professors, intellectual and organizational development, the role of science, changing laboratories and practices, and MIT's relationship with Boston, the federal government, and industry. Assignments include short papers, presentations, and final paper. A number of classes are concurrent with the MIT150 Symposia.

3.021J Introduction to Modeling and Simulation (MIT)

Buehler, Markus — 2012-01-10T13:52:26+05:00

This subject provides an introduction to modeling and simulation (IM/S), covering continuum methods, atomistic and molecular simulation (e.g. molecular dynamics) as well as quantum mechanics. These tools play an increasingly important role in modern engineering. You will get hands-on training in both the fundamentals and applications of these methods to key engineering problems. The lectures will provide an exposure to areas of application, based on the scientific exploitation of the power of computation. We will use web based applets for simulations and thus extensive programming skills are not required.

2.854 Introduction to Manufacturing Systems (MIT)

Gershwin, Stanley — 2012-01-10T13:51:53+05:00

This course provides students with ways of analyzing manufacturing systems in terms of material flow and storage, information flow, capacities, and times and durations of events. Fundamental topics covered include probability, inventory and queuing models, forecasting, optimization, process analysis, and linear and dynamic systems. This course also covers factory planning and scheduling topics including flow planning, bottleneck characterization, buffer and batch-size tactics, seasonal planning, and dynamic behavior of production systems.

17.100J Political Economy I (MIT)

Berger, Suzanne — 2012-01-10T08:07:09+05:00

Political Economy I explores the major social science paradigms for analyzing relations among state, economy, and society. Through readings, lectures and discussion of original texts in political liberalism and individualism, neo-classical economics, Marxism, sociological and cultural theories, and neo-institutionalism, the seminar examines the fundamental assumptions on which our understanding of the social world and our research are based.

21A.265 Food and Culture (MIT)

Paxson, Heather — 2012-01-09T15:39:55+05:00

Explores connections between what we eat and who we are through cross-cultural study of how personal identities and social groups are formed via food production, preparation, and consumption. Organized around critical discussion of what makes "good" food good (healthy, authentic, ethical, etc.). Uses anthropological and literary classics as well as recent writing and films on the politics of food and agriculture.

RES.14-002 Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Executive Training: Evaluating Social Programs 2011 (MIT)

Glennerster, Rachel — 2012-01-05T16:07:57+05:00

This five-day program on evaluating social programs will provide a thorough understanding of randomized evaluations and pragmatic step-by-step training for conducting one's own evaluation. While the course focuses on randomized evaluations, many of the topics, such as measuring outcomes and dealing with threats to the validity of an evaluation, are relevant for other methodologies. About the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab J-PAL's goal is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is based on scientific evidence. Every day, evidence generated by J-PAL researchers is influencing policy and improving lives, sometimes very directly – for example through the scale-up of effective programs – but also in less direct but equally important ways. To date, our evidence has helped improve the lives of at least 30 million people around the world through the scale-up of highly effective policies and programs. By 2013, J-PAL aims to have positively impacted 100 million lives.

MAS.111 Introduction to Doing Research in Media Arts and Sciences (MIT)

Bove, V. Michael — 2012-01-05T15:57:06+05:00

This course is intended for students pursuing research projects at the Media Laboratory. Topics include Media Lab research areas, documenting research progress, ethical issues in research; patents, copyrights, intellectual property, and giving oral, written, and online presentations of results. A final oral presentation is required. Enrollment limited with preference given to students in the Media Arts and Sciences freshman program.

21M.380 Music and Technology: Live Electronics Performance Practices (MIT)

Ariza, Christopher — 2012-01-05T14:55:22+05:00

This course is a creative, hands-on exploration of contemporary and historical approaches to live electronics performance and improvisation, including basic analog instrument design, computer synthesis programming, and hardware and software interface design.

16.30 Feedback Control Systems (MIT)

How, Jonathan P. — 2012-01-05T14:54:23+05:00

This course will teach fundamentals of control design and analysis using state-space methods. This includes both the practical and theoretical aspects of the topic. By the end of the course, you should be able to design controllers using state-space methods and evaluate whether these controllers are robust to some types of modeling errors and nonlinearities. You will learn to: Design controllers using state-space methods and analyze using classical tools. Understand impact of implementation issues (nonlinearity, delay). Indicate the robustness of your control design. Linearize a nonlinear system, and analyze stability.

21W.789 Communicating with Mobile Technology (MIT)

Barrett, Edward C. — 2012-01-05T14:54:44+05:00

Students work in small collaborative design teams to propose, build, and document a semester-long project focused on mobile applications for cell phones. Additional assignments include creating several small mobile applications such as context-aware mobile media capture and games. Students document their work through a series of written and oral proposals, progress reports, and final reports. This course covers the basics of J2ME and explores mobile imaging and media creation, GPS location, user-centered design, usability testing, and prototyping. Java experience is recommended.

21F.405 Germany Today: Intensive Study of German Language and Culture (MIT)

Crocker, Ellen — 2012-01-05T14:53:38+05:00

Prepares students for working and living in German-speaking countries. Focus on current political, social, and cultural issues, using newspapers, journals, TV, radio broadcasts, and Web sources from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Emphasis on speaking, writing, and reading skills for professional contexts. Activities include: oral presentations, group discussions, guest lectures, and interviews with German speakers. No listeners.

16.863J System Safety (MIT)

Leveson, Nancy — 2012-01-05T00:09:09+05:00

The goal of 16.863J is to teach basic principles of system safety, including accident analysis, hazard analysis, design for safety, human factors and safety, controlling safety during operations, and management of safety critical projects and systems. While you will learn what is currently done today, you will also learn new techniques that are proving to be more powerful and effective than the traditional safety engineering approaches.

ESD.00 Introduction to Engineering Systems (MIT)

Sussman, Joseph — 2012-01-03T16:29:22+05:00

Students in ESD.00 work on projects to address large, complex and seemingly intractable real-world problems, such as energy supply, environmental issues, health care delivery, and critical infrastructure (e.g., telecommunications, water supply, and transportation). The course introduces interdisciplinary approaches - rooted in engineering, management, and the social sciences - to considering these critical contemporary issues. Small, faculty-led teams select an engineering systems term project to illustrate one or more of these approaches.

ESD.864 Modeling and Assessment for Policy (MIT)

Selin, Noelle — 2012-01-03T16:27:44+05:00

ESD.864 Modeling and Assessment for Policy explores how scientific information and quantitative models can be used to inform policy decision-making. Students will develop an understanding of quantitative modeling techniques and their role in the policy process through case studies and interactive activities. The course addresses issues such as analysis of scientific assessment processes, uses of integrated assessment models, public perception of quantitative information, methods for dealing with uncertainties, and design choices in building policy-relevant models. Examples used in this class focus on models and information used in earth system governance.

15.389A Global Entrepreneurship Lab: Asia-Pacific (MIT)

Huang, Yasheng — 2011-12-29T14:34:34+05:00

15.389A Global Entrepreneurship Lab: Asia-Pacific enables teams of students to work with the top management of global start-ups and gain experience in running, and consulting to, a new enterprise outside the United States. The focus is on start-ups operating in emerging markets throughout the world, with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region. The course combines an internship in a growing firm with in-class discussions of the issues and policies that affect the climate for innovation and start-up success around the world.

6.241J Dynamic Systems and Control (MIT)

Frazzoli, Emilio — 2011-12-28T16:31:42+05:00

The course addresses dynamic systems, i.e., systems that evolve with time. Typically these systems have inputs and outputs; it is of interest to understand how the input affects the output (or, vice-versa, what inputs should be given to generate a desired output). In particular, we will concentrate on systems that can be modeled by Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs), and that satisfy certain linearity and time-invariance conditions. We will analyze the response of these systems to inputs and initial conditions. It is of particular interest to analyze systems obtained as interconnections (e.g., feedback) of two or more other systems. We will learn how to design (control) systems that ensure desirable properties (e.g., stability, performance) of the interconnection with a given dynamic system.

12.001 Introduction to Geology (MIT)

Perron, Taylor — 2011-12-28T15:55:43+05:00

This course introduces students to the basics of geology. Through a combination of lectures, labs, and field observations, we will address topics ranging from formation of the elements, mineral and rock identification, and geological mapping to plate tectonics, erosion and climate engineering.

11.S196 Global Freshwater Crisis (MIT)

Murcott, Susan — 2011-12-28T15:54:18+05:00

For the first time in history, the global demand for freshwater is overtaking its supply in many parts of the world. The U.N. predicts that by 2025, more than half of the countries in the world will be experiencing water stress or outright shortages. Lack of water can cause disease, food shortages, starvation, migrations, political conflict, and even lead to war. Models of cooperation, both historic and contemporary, show the way forward. The first half of the course details the multiple facets of the water crisis. Topics include water systems, water transfers, dams, pollution, climate change, scarcity, water conflict/cooperation, food security, and agriculture. The second half of the course describes innovative solutions: Adaptive technologies and adaptation through policy, planning, management, economic tools, and finally, human behaviors required to preserve this precious and imperiled resource. Several field trips to water/wastewater/biosolids reuse and water-energy sites will help us to better comprehend both local and international challenges and solutions.

15.389B Global Entrepreneurship Lab: Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa (MIT)

Johnson, Simon — 2011-12-27T15:39:54+05:00

15.389B Global Entrepreneurship Lab: Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa enables teams of students to work with the top management of global start-ups and gain experience in running, and consulting to, a new enterprise outside the United States. The focus is on start-ups operating in emerging markets throughout the world, with a special focus on Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. The course combines an internship in a growing firm with in-class discussions of the issues and policies that affect the climate for innovation and start-up success around the world.

6.172 Performance Engineering of Software Systems (MIT)

Amarasinghe, Saman — 2011-12-22T16:54:49+05:00

Modern computing platforms provide unprecedented amounts of raw computational power. But significant complexity comes along with this power, to the point that making useful computations exploit even a fraction of the potential of the computing platform is a substantial challenge. Indeed, obtaining good performance requires a comprehensive understanding of all layers of the underlying platform, deep insight into the computation at hand, and the ingenuity and creativity required to obtain an effective mapping of the computation onto the machine. The reward for mastering these sophisticated and challenging topics is the ability to make computations that can process large amount of data orders of magnitude more quickly and efficiently and to obtain results that are unavailable with standard practice. This class is a hands-on, project-based introduction to building scalable and high-performance software systems. Topics include performance analysis, algorithmic techniques for high performance, instruction-level optimizations, cache and memory hierarchy optimization, parallel programming, and building scalable distributed systems. The course also includes design reviews with industry mentors, as described in this MIT News article.

MAS.961 Networks, Complexity and Its Applications (MIT)

Hidalgo, Cesar — 2011-12-22T16:53:06+05:00

Networks are a ubiquitous way to represent complex systems, including those in the social and economic sciences. The goal of the course is to equip students with conceptual tools that can help them understand complex systems that emerge in both nature and social systems. This is a course intended for a general audience and will discuss applications of networks and complexity to diverse systems, including epidemic spreading, social networks and the evolution of economic development.

2.71 Optics (MIT)

Barbastathis, George — 2011-12-22T16:51:39+05:00

This course provides an introduction to optical science with elementary engineering applications. Topics covered in geometrical optics include: ray-tracing, aberrations, lens design, apertures and stops, radiometry and photometry. Topics covered in wave optics include: basic electrodynamics, polarization, interference, wave-guiding, Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction, image formation, resolution, space-bandwidth product. Analytical and numerical tools used in optical design are emphasized. Graduate students are required to complete assignments with stronger analytical content, and an advanced design project.

STS.042J Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman: Physics in the 20th Century (MIT)

Kaiser, David — 2011-12-21T14:55:24+05:00

This course covers the role of physics and physicists during the 20th century, focusing on Einstein, Oppenheimer, and Feynman. Beyond just covering the scientific developments, institutional, cultural, and political contexts will also be examined.

21H.433 The Age of Reason: Europe from the 17th to the Early 19th Centuries (MIT)

Ravel, Jeffrey S. — 2011-12-19T16:13:29+05:00

This course asks students to consider the ways in which social theorists, institutional reformers, and political revolutionaries in the 17th through 19th centuries seized upon insights developed in the natural sciences and mathematics to change themselves and the society in which they lived. Students study trials, art, literature and music to understand developments in Europe and its colonies in these two centuries. Covers works by Newton, Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Marx, and Darwin.

HST.184 Health Information Systems to Improve Quality of Care in Resource-Poor Settings (MIT)

Fraser, Hamish — 2011-12-19T16:12:49+05:00

This course is a collaborative offering of Sana, Partners in Health, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The goal of this course is the development of innovations in information systems for developing countries that will (1) translate into improvement in health outcomes, (2) strengthen the existing organizational infrastructure, and (3) create a collaborative ecosystem to maximize the value of these innovations. The course will be taught by guest speakers who are internationally recognized experts in the field and who, with their operational experiences, will outline the challenges they faced and detail how these were addressed.

21F.312 Basic Themes in French Literature and Culture (MIT)

Perreau, Bruno — 2011-12-19T14:34:13+05:00

Childhood is a source of fascination in most Western cultures. It is both a major inspiration for artistic creation and a political ideal, which aims at protecting future generations. Which role does it play in French society and in other francophone areas? Why is the French national anthem ("La Marseillaise") addressed to its "children"? This course will study the transformation of childhood since the 18th century and the development of sentimentality within the family. We will examine various representations of childhood in literature (e.g. Pagnol, Proust, Sarraute, Laye, Morgièvre), movies (e.g. Truffaut), and songs (e.g. Brel, Barbara). Course taught in French.

SP.775 D-Lab: Energy (MIT)

Banzaert, Amy — 2011-12-19T14:33:37+05:00

D-Lab: Energy offers a hands-on, project-based approach that engages students in understanding and addressing the applications of small-scale, sustainable energy technology in developing countries where compact, robust, low-cost systems for generating power are required. Projects may include micro-hydro, solar, or wind turbine generators along with theoretical analysis, design, prototype construction, evaluation and implementation. Students will have the opportunity both to travel to Nicaragua during spring break to identify and implement projects. D-Lab: Energy is part of MIT's D-Lab program, which fosters the development of appropriate technologies and sustainable solutions within the framework of international development.

21L.325 Small Wonders: Media, Modernity, and the Moment: Experiments in Time (MIT)

Jackson, Noel — 2011-12-16T18:04:39+05:00

The "small wonders" to which our course will attend are moments of present time, depicted in the verbal and visual media of the modern age: newspapers, novels and stories, poems, photographs, films, etc. We will move between visual and verbal media across a considerable span of time, from eighteenth-century poetry and prose fiction to twenty-first century social networking and microblogging sites, and from sculpture to photography, film, and digital visual media. With help from philosophers, contemporary cultural historians, and others, we will begin to think about a media practice largely taken for granted in our own moment.

12.445 Oral Communication in the Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (MIT)

Malcolm, Alison — 2011-12-16T18:04:00+05:00

This course focuses on developing oral presentation skills through practice, self-evaluation, and in-class feedback. Topics include slide preparation, answering difficult questions, explaining technical details and presenting to a general audience.

2.019 Design of Ocean Systems (MIT)

Chryssostomidis, Chryssostomos — 2011-12-15T16:59:29+05:00

This course covers the complete cycle of designing an ocean system using computational design tools for the conceptual and preliminary design stages. Students complete the projects in teams with each student responsible for a specific subsystem. Lectures cover such topics as hydrodynamics; structures; power and thermal aspects of ocean vehicles; environment, materials, and construction for ocean use; and generation and evaluation of design alternatives. The course focuses on innovative design concepts chosen from high-speed ships, submersibles, autonomous vehicles, and floating and submerged deep-water offshore platforms. Lectures on ethics in engineering practice are included, and instruction and practice in oral and written communication is provided.

7.346 Cellular Garbage Disposal: Misfolded Proteins in Normal Biology and Human Disease (MIT)

Sanyal, Sumana — 2011-12-15T16:53:53+05:00

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) orchestrates different cellular processes by which proteins are synthesized, correctly folded, modified and ultimately transported to their final destinations. As part of this crucial biosynthetic process, proteins that are not properly folded and consequently detrimental to normal cellular function are constantly generated. A common signature of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, is accumulation and deposition of misfolded proteins that arise when the ability of cells to deal with the burden of misfolded proteins is compromised. In this course, we will explore how the ER quality control machinery ensures that only properly assembled proteins exit the ER while distinguishing between nascent proteins en route to their biologically active folded state from those that are terminally misfolded.

21H.346 France, 1660-1815: Enlightenment, Revolution, Napoleon (MIT)

Ravel, Jeffrey S. — 2011-12-14T13:22:30+05:00

This course covers French politics, culture, and society from Louis XIV to Napoleon Bonaparte. Attention is given to the growth of the central state, the beginnings of a modern consumer society, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, including its origins, and the rise and fall of Napoleon.

17.565 Israel: History, Politics, Culture, and Identity (MIT)

Eiran, Ehud — 2011-12-14T12:51:40+05:00

The course provides the students a basic understanding of modern Israeli history, politics, culture and identity through lectures, discussions and projects. Among the topics to be explored are: ideational, institutional and material foundations of the state of Israel; Israeli national identity, Israeli society, economy, and foreign and security policies.

11.483 Housing and Land Use in Rapidly Urbanizing Regions (MIT)

Kim, Annette M. — 2011-12-14T12:51:04+05:00

A truly inter-disciplinary course, Housing and Land Use in Rapidly Urbanizing Regions reviews how law, economics, sociology, political science, and planning conceptualize urban land and property rights and uses cases to discuss what these different lenses illuminate and obscure. It also looks at how the social sciences might be informed by how design, cartography, and visual studies conceptualize space's physicality. This year's topics include land trusts for affordable housing, mixed-use in public space, and critical cartography.

14.454 Economic Crises (MIT)

Caballero, Ricardo — 2011-12-13T16:32:37+05:00

14.454 is an introduction to current macroeconomic concerns with particular emphasis on medium-run economic fluctuations, economic crises, and the role of asset markets. Topics include the explanation of high chronic unemployment in some nations, the source of modern liquidity crises, the origin and end of speculative bubbles, and the factors that lead to substantial periods of economic stagnation.

7.342 The Biology of Aging: Age-Related Diseases and Interventions (MIT)

Lamming, Dudley W. — 2011-12-13T16:31:46+05:00

Aging involves an intrinsic and progressive decline in function that eventually will affect us all. While everyone is familiar with aging, many basic questions about aging are mysterious. Why are older people more likely to experience diseases like cancer, stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders? What changes happen at the molecular and cellular levels to cause the changes that we associate with old age? Is aging itself a disease, and can we successfully intervene in the aging process?This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

1.011 Project Evaluation (MIT)

Sussman, Joseph — 2011-12-13T16:30:51+05:00

1.011 Project Evaluation covers methodologies for evaluating civil engineering projects, which typically are large-scale and long-lived and involve many economic, financial, social and environmental factors. The course places an emphasis on dealing with uncertainty. Students learn basic techniques of engineering economics, including net present value analysis, life-cycle costing, benefit-cost analysis, and other approaches to project evaluation. Examples are drawn from both contemporary and historical projects in various fields, including transportation systems, urban development, energy and environmental projects, water resource management, telecommunications systems, and other elements of the public and private projects and programs.

18.024 Multivariable Calculus with Theory (MIT)

Breiner, Christine — 2011-12-08T10:51:15+05:00

This course is a continuation of 18.014. It covers the same material as 18.02 (Multivariable Calculus), but at a deeper level, emphasizing careful reasoning and understanding of proofs. There is considerable emphasis on linear algebra and vector integral calculus.

18.440 Probability and Random Variables (MIT)

Sheffield, Scott — 2011-12-07T11:34:46+05:00

This course introduces students to probability and random variables. Topics include distribution functions, binomial, geometric, hypergeometric, and Poisson distributions. The other topics covered are uniform, exponential, normal, gamma and beta distributions; conditional probability; Bayes theorem; joint distributions; Chebyshev inequality; law of large numbers; and central limit theorem.

16.410 Principles of Autonomy and Decision Making (MIT)

Williams, Brian — 2011-12-06T09:18:08+05:00

This course surveys a variety of reasoning, optimization and decision making methodologies for creating highly autonomous systems and decision support aids. The focus is on principles, algorithms, and their application, taken from the disciplines of artificial intelligence and operations research. Reasoning paradigms include logic and deduction, heuristic and constraint-based search, model-based reasoning, planning and execution, and machine learning. Optimization paradigms include linear programming, integer programming, and dynamic programming. Decision-making paradigms include decision theoretic planning, and Markov decision processes.

15.320 Strategic Organizational Design (MIT)

Malone, Thomas — 2011-12-06T09:16:36+05:00

15.320 Strategic Organizational Design focuses on effective organizational design in both traditional and innovative organizations, with special emphasis on innovative organizational forms that can provide strategic advantage. Topics include when to use functional, divisional, or matrix organizations, how IT creates new organizational possibilities, and examples of innovative organizational possibilities, such as democratic decision-making, crowd-based organizations, internal resource markets, and other forms of collective intelligence. Team projects include inventing new possibilities for real organizations.

15.317 Organizational Leadership and Change (MIT)

Klein, Janice — 2011-11-29T13:52:13+05:00

15.317 Organizational Leadership and Change focuses on practical experience that blends theory and practice. Students reflect on prior leadership experiences and then apply lessons learned to further develop their leadership capabilities. The course requires active participation in all leadership classes and/or activities as well as short deliverables throughout the program.

12.158 Molecular Biogeochemistry (MIT)

Summons, Roger — 2011-11-29T13:50:01+05:00

This course covers all aspects of molecular biosignatures, such as their pathways of lipid biosynthesis, the distribution patterns of lipid biosynthetic pathways with regard to phylogeny and physiology, isotopic contents, occurrence in modern organisms and environments, diagenetic pathways, analytical techniques and the occurrence of molecular fossils through the geological record. Students analyze in depth the recent literature on chemical fossils. Lectures provide background on the subject matter. Basic knowledge of organic chemistry required. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

15.431 Entrepreneurial Finance (MIT)

Schoar, Antoinette — 2011-11-21T14:31:31+05:00

15.431 Entrepreneurial Finance examines the elements of entrepreneurial finance, focusing on technology-based start-up ventures and the early stages of company development. The course addresses key questions which challenge all entrepreneurs: how much money can and should be raised; when should it be raised and from whom; what is a reasonable valuation of the company; and how should funding, employment contracts and exit decisions be structured. It aims to prepare students for these decisions, both as entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. In addition, the course includes an in-depth analysis of the structure of the private equity industry.

12.119 Analytical Techniques for Studying Environmental and Geologic Samples (MIT)

Bowring, Samuel — 2011-11-16T15:19:14+05:00

This is a laboratory course supplemented by lectures that focus on selected analytical facilities that are commonly used to determine the mineralogy, elemental abundance and isotopic ratios of Sr and Pb in rocks, soils, sediments and water.

6.262 Discrete Stochastic Processes (MIT)

Gallager, Robert — 2011-11-03T15:28:27+05:00

Discrete stochastic processes are essentially probabilistic systems that evolve in time via random changes occurring at discrete fixed or random intervals. This course aims to help students acquire both the mathematical principles and the intuition necessary to create, analyze, and understand insightful models for a broad range of these processes. The range of areas for which discrete stochastic-process models are useful is constantly expanding, and includes many applications in engineering, physics, biology, operations research and finance.

6.045J Automata, Computability, and Complexity (MIT)

Aaronson, Scott — 2011-11-02T16:25:19+05:00

This course provides a challenging introduction to some of the central ideas of theoretical computer science. Beginning in antiquity, the course will progress through finite automata, circuits and decision trees, Turing machines and computability, efficient algorithms and reducibility, the P versus NP problem, NP-completeness, the power of randomness, cryptography and one-way functions, computational learning theory, and quantum computing. It examines the classes of problems that can and cannot be solved by various kinds of machines. It tries to explain the key differences between computational models that affect their power.

18.702 Algebra II (MIT)

Artin, Michael — 2011-10-28T12:57:09+05:00

This undergraduate level course follows Algebra I. Topics include group representations, rings, ideals, fields, polynomial rings, modules, factorization, integers in quadratic number fields, field extensions, and Galois theory.

18.701 Algebra I (MIT)

Artin, Michael — 2011-10-28T12:56:15+05:00

This undergraduate level Algebra I course covers groups, vector spaces, linear transformations, symmetry groups, bilinear forms, and linear groups.

21H.421 Introduction to Environmental History (MIT)

Ritvo, Harriet — 2011-10-20T15:20:40+05:00

Focusing primarily on the period since 1500, explores the influence of climate, topography, plants, animals, and microorganisms on human history and the reciprocal influence of people on the environment. Topics include the European encounter with the Americas, the impact of modern technology, and the historical roots of the current environmental crisis.

14.42 Environmental Policy and Economics (MIT)

Allcott, Hunt — 2011-10-20T15:18:23+05:00

This course explores the proper role of government in the regulation of the environment. It will help students develop the tools to estimate the costs and benefits of environmental regulations. These tools will be used to evaluate a series of current policy questions, including: Should air and water pollution regulations be tightened or loosened? What are the costs of climate change in the U.S. and abroad? Is there a "Race to the Bottom" in environmental regulation? What is "sustainable development"? How do environmental problems differ in developing countries? Are we running out of oil and other natural resources? Should we be more energy efficient? To gain real world experience, the course is scheduled to include a visit to the MIT cogeneration plant. We will also do an in-class simulation of an air pollution emissions market.

12.009 Theoretical Environmental Analysis (MIT)

Rothman, Daniel — 2011-10-20T15:16:38+05:00

This course analyzes cooperative processes that shape the natural environment, now and in the geologic past. It emphasizes the development of theoretical models that relate the physical and biological worlds, the comparison of theory to observational data, and associated mathematical methods. Topics include carbon cycle dynamics; ecosystem structure, stability and complexity; mass extinctions; biosphere-geosphere coevolution; and climate change. Employs techniques such as stability analysis; scaling; null model construction; time series and network analysis.

21W.731-2 Writing and Experience: Crossing Borders (MIT)

Faery, Rebecca Blevins — 2011-10-19T13:29:28+05:00

In this era of globalization, many of us have multi- or bi-cultural, multilingual or bilingual backgrounds, and even if we don't have such a background, we need urgently to understand the experiences of people who do. You will very likely work outside the United States at some point in your future; you will almost certainly work with people who speak more than one language, whose ancestry or origins are in a country other than the U.S., who have crossed borders of nation, language, culture, class to amalgamate into the large and diverse culture that is America. In this class we will read the personal narratives of bilingual and bicultural writers, some of whom have struggled to assimilate, others of whom have celebrated their own contributions to a culture of diversity. You will write four personal essays of your own for the class, each of which will receive workshop discussion in class and response from me; you will then revise the essays to polish them for possible publication. One of your essays will be an investigative one, where you will focus on a subject of your choice, investigate it thoroughly, and then write with authority about it. The process of the class will encourage you to both improve your writing significantly and gain a greater understanding of experiences of people who are in some way like you as well as those who are in some way different.

6.061 Introduction to Electric Power Systems (MIT)

Kirtley, James — 2011-09-30T12:20:12+05:00

This course is an introductory subject in the field of electric power systems and electrical to mechanical energy conversion. Electric power has become increasingly important as a way of transmitting and transforming energy in industrial, military and transportation uses. Electric power systems are also at the heart of alternative energy systems, including wind and solar electric, geothermal and small scale hydroelectric generation.

2.094 Finite Element Analysis of Solids and Fluids II (MIT)

Bathe, Klaus-Jürgen — 2011-09-26T14:00:58+05:00

This course presents finite element theory and methods for general linear and nonlinear analyses. Reliable and effective finite element procedures are discussed with their applications to the solution of general problems in solid, structural, and fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, and fluid-structure interactions. The governing continuum mechanics equations, conservation laws, virtual work, and variational principles are used to establish effective finite element discretizations and the stability, accuracy, and convergence are discussed. The homework and the student-selected term project using the general-purpose finite element analysis program ADINA are important parts of the course.

21A.470J Gender and Representation of Asian Women (MIT)

Buyandelger, Manduhai — 2011-09-23T15:56:16+05:00

This course explores stereotypes associated with Asian women in colonial, nationalist, state-authoritarian, and global/diasporic narratives about gender and power. Students will read ethnography, cultural studies, and history, and view films to examine the politics and circumstances that create and perpetuate the representation of Asian women as dragon ladies, lotus blossoms, despotic tyrants, desexualized servants, and docile subordinates. Students are introduced to the debates about Orientalism, gender, and power.

10.626 Electrochemical Energy Systems (MIT)

Bazant, Martin — 2011-09-14T10:14:32+05:00

10.626 introduces principles and mathematical models of electrochemical energy conversion and storage. Students study equivalent circuits, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, transport phenomena, electrostatics, porous media, and phase transformations. In addition, this course includes applications to batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and electrokinetics.

7.347 Fueling Sustainability: Engineering Microbial Systems for Biofuel Production (MIT)

O'Malley, Michelle — 2011-09-06T17:22:27+05:00

The need to identify sustainable forms of energy as an alternative to our dependence on depleting worldwide oil reserves is one of the grand challenges of our time. The energy from the sun converted into plant biomass is the most promising renewable resource available to humanity. This seminar will examine each of the critical steps along the pathway towards the conversion of plant biomass into ethanol. This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

21A.232J Rethinking the Family, Sex, and Gender (MIT)

Paxson, Heather — 2011-08-22T15:05:00+05:00

Through investigating cross-cultural case studies, this course introduces students to the anthropological study of the social institutions and symbolic meanings of family, household, gender, and sexuality. We will explore the myriad forms that families and households take and evaluate their social, emotional, and economic dynamics.

11.701 Introduction to International Development Planning (MIT)

Rajagopal, Balakrishnan — 2011-08-16T08:12:35+05:00

This introductory survey course is intended to develop an understanding of key issues and dilemmas of planning in non-western countries. The topics covered in this course will include state intervention, governance, law and institutions in development, privatization, participatory planning, decentralization, poverty, urban-rural linkages, corruption and civil service reform, trade and outsourcing, labor standards, post-conflict development, and the role of aid in development. The course will illuminate current development challenges through published research in the field. The literature is rich, and across many disciplines in the social sciences. Case studies and real world examples through interaction with planning practitioners are drawn from around the world.