Monday, July 6– Friday, July 31, 2026
All classes are taught by Wheaton faculty and offered online.
ARTH 222: Learn to Negotiate
Asynchronous
Participants in this course will gain an understanding of societal factors driving income inequality and pay disparity in the United States, particularly with an intersectional focus. We will also cover historical and current efforts to combat the pay gap, including labor organizing and legislative efforts, and an understanding of income inequality and the ongoing harm of the pay gap (with focused study on the pay gap on federal and state levels, as well as within a student’s desired profession). After setting this foundation, students will explore resources and strategies to assist with negotiation in their future workplace (this includes workshops and exercises geared to helping students define, articulate, and claim their expertise).
Attributes: Sophomore Experience, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars, Humanities
Faculty: Kim Miller
BIO 241: Biological Data Analysis
Asynchronous
Biologists use data to understand life. This course will introduce you to the kinds of data biologists collect, how they summarize those data, and how they use statistics to interpret data and tell a biological story. We will explore data using the computer tools that biologists use, and you will analyze data by writing code. You will work with real biological datasets and questions as you explore summary statistics, common statistical tests in biology, and graphical representations of biological data.
Prerequisites: BIO 114
Attributes: Natural Science
Faculty: Drew Davinack
CHEM 102: Forensic Science
Asynchronous
In this course, students will learn the basics of forensic science. Topics will include criminal justice; crime scene investigations; microscopes; human remains identification; autopsy and the role of the medical examiner; forensic anthropology; forensic entomology; analysis of organic material; analysis of hair, fiber and botanical materials; forensic toxicology ; forensic serology; DNA analysis; fingerprints; forensic properties of glass and soil evidence; firearms, ballistics, tool marks and arson; handwriting analysis and computer forensics.
Attributes: Natural Science
Faculty: Hilary Gaudet
CHIN 102: Beginning Chinese II
Asynchronous
A continuation of CHIN 101.
Prerequisites: CHIN 101
Attributes: Foreign Language
Faculty: Yi-Ting Pomfred
DMC 198: Digital Storytelling: Culture, Creators, & Platforms
Asynchronous
This asynchronous course explores the rise of influencers, content creators, and digital storytellers through a critical lens, examining the cultural, economic, and ethical stakes of producing content in a saturated, algorithm-driven ecosystem. While students will develop foundational skills in social media storytelling and digital production, the emphasis is equally on interrogating the power structures, labor demands, and politics at play in influencer and creator cultures through multimedia content, readings, and case studies, as well as hands-on projects and critical media journal entries. Though we will work with current platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, the focus remains on cultivating adaptive, cross-platform thinking. Students will leave this course not only with practical skills related to digital storytelling but with the critical perspective needed to navigate and shape the evolving digital landscape as informed creators and consumers.
Faculty: Taryn Gilligan
ESCI 105: Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Asynchronous
Earthquakes and Volcanoes are large and dynamic forces that shape the Earth and those who live on it. Through readings, exercises, and film we will examine the science behind earthquakes and volcanoes, tsunamis and landslides, hurricanes and floods. Beyond that, we will examine how both current and historical natural disasters have impacted society and in some cases changed the course of human history. Students will complete online quizzes and exercises, and will submit a short report on a natural disaster of their choice.
Attributes: Natural Science
Faculty: Matt Evans
ESCI 201: Environmental Science
Asynchronous
An introduction to the science needed to address current and future issues in conservation biology. The course focuses on biodiversity, including what it is, how it is distributed, threats to its existence, and strategies to protect it. Topics include habitat destruction and fragmentation, climate change, overexploitation, invasive species, and endangered species.
This course can be counted towards a requirement in the Environmental Science 4+1 Master’s Program.
Attributes: Natural Science
Faculty: Jen Bonin
FNMS 198: Fundamentals of Film Analysis
Asynchronous
This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of film analysis by examining cinema as a complex system of meaning-making. Combining theoretical, historical, and critical approaches, students will explore key concepts, methods, and figures in film studies while learning to interpret films as cultural texts. Through the application of diverse analytical frameworks, the course emphasizes how cinematic form, narrative, and style produce meaning and reflect the social and historical contexts in which films are created. Students will also develop their ability to articulate critical arguments about film, strengthening their analytical and academic writing skills in the process.
Attributes: Humanities
Faculty: Masoud Arabkouchehkhatibi
MGMT 278: Jumpstart Your Career in Business
Asynchronous
This course will help students master the building blocks for a successful internship or job search. The course will cover self-presentation (resume and cover letter tactics and LinkedIn) researching industries and companies, networking, and the interview and selection process. Students who complete the course will have a strong understanding of the job search process and an action plan to conduct a successful job search.
Attributes: Social Sciences, Sophomore Experience
Faculty: Leanna Lawter
MUSC 275: A History of Popular Music in the USA
Asynchronous
This course will provide an overall history of popular music in America since the end of the 19th century, with emphasis upon mainstream popular music since 1954. Its focus will be the simultaneous independence and interdependence of black and white musical cultures in America, and how this can help us understand our nation’s history in new and different ways. Students will develop listening skills as they learn about the ways popular music styles and genres have mirrored our nation’s social and cultural history. Topics will include blackface minstrelsy, the blues, jazz, country music, classic Broadway song, rhythm & blues, rock’n’roll, folk music, blues-rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, metal, soul, funk, hip-hop, punk, indie-rock, disco, and electronic dance music.
Faculty: Del Case
POLS 109: Introduction to International Relations
Asynchronous
After a brief introduction to salient events in world politics since World War II, basic concepts in the analysis of international politics are considered. The course will analyze the various types of international actors (nations, international organizations, liberation movements, multinational corporations), their goals and how they seek to attain them, and will explore the determinants of international political behavior.
Attributes: Global Honors, Social Science, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
Faculty: Jonathan Chow
PSY 334: Practicum in Human Services and Public Health
Asynchronous
Students intern in a community mental health or human service agency for one day or two half-days a week. They receive supervision both at the agency and by the professor. The weekly class meeting integrates the fieldwork experience with the theoretical literature. Placements may address issues such as homelessness, family violence, adolescent pregnancy, AIDS, mental illness and child care.
Permission of instructor required to register.
Faculty: Michael Berg
REL 162: Perspectives on Death and Dying
Asynchronous
Study of the grief process. Exploration of cross-cultural rituals surrounding death and speculation from various religions on immortality, resurrection and reincarnation. Investigation of end-of-life moral questions.
Attributes: Humanities
Faculty: Laurie Cozad
SOC 111: Introduction to Criminology
Asynchronous
This course will provide the student with a multidisciplinary approach to the study of crime and criminal behavior. To this end we begin with a cursory discussion of criminal law. However, the primary focus will be to consider various explanations of criminal behavior. As such, theories from the disciplines of biology, psychology, and especially sociology will be examined. We will also consider several typologies of criminal behavior systems including violent personal crime, public order crime, occasional property crime, corporate crime, and organized crime. These systems will include considerations of the definition of behavior as criminal, the sociology of criminal behavior, and social reactions to criminal behavior. Finally, we will look at issues of penology and the uses and abuses of punishment.
Attributes: Humanities
Faculty: J Sterphone
WGS 102: Introduction to LGBT+
Asynchronous
Sexuality is an important part of human life and society, but despite claims that we were all “born this way,” its meanings and social significance have changed over the course of history. This class offers an introduction to that history, looking at the rise of sexuality-based classifications in law and medicine, the development of sexual identity politics, and the intersections of sexuality with gender, race/ethnicity, and class. We will examine the history of social movements for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other minority gender/sexuality groups’ rights, and we will ask how that history shapes LGBT+ politics in the U.S. today.
Attributes: Social Science, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
Faculty: Mónica Rey