Tufts College Accelerator Seminars
Tufts College Accelerator Seminars
Available Seminars - Spring & Summer 2025
Spring Session 1 Seminars (Feb 18 - 21)
Seminar Schedule: Tuesday - Friday
AM - 10:30 AM - 12:50 PM
PM - 1:30 PM - 3:50 PM

Psychology of Racism
Instructor: Sanjana Kadirvel
This course will examine a social psychological perspective on stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination where we will examine implications for social perception and social experience for individuals' thoughts, behavior, and outcomes. We will explore and discuss original research studies in intergroup relations that shed light on potential ways to address discrimination. This course will include lecture-based content, peer and group discussions, an understanding of psychological science, and a final project for students to design a study.

Sigmund Freud's Interpretation of Dreams
Instructor: John Lurz
What do your dreams mean? More importantly, how do your dreams mean? And what does interpreting dreams tell us about textual interpretation as such? This seminar will consist of a slow and careful consideration of Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams, a work that not only revolutionized our understanding dreams' significance for waking life but that also gave us an entirely new conception of the mind itself. Through in-depth discussions of central excerpts from this groundbreaking text, we will address questions of the rational and the irrational, censorship and desire, language and image, and ultimately consciousness and the unconscious. Ultimately, we will be looking to Freud's discussion as a masterclass in reading as we familiarize ourselves with the subtle and sophisticated moves he uses to make sense of what seems to lack any sense at all. Students interested in literature, psychology, philosophy, film, and visual art are particularly welcome.
Spring Session 2 Seminars (April 22 - 25)
Seminar Schedule: Tuesday - Friday
AM - 10:30 AM - 12:50 PM
PM - 1:30 PM - 3:50 PM

Beyond “us vs. them”: Building bridges and finding agreement in polarizing times
Instructor: Elke Jahns-Harms
Are you feeling frustrated or discouraged at how polarized our country has become? If so, you aren’t alone: according to a recent study, 87% of Americans are tired of the extreme political and cultural divisions and want to move forward (https://startswith.us/). How can we get unstuck?
We’ll seek insights from the fields of sociology, negotiation and conflict resolution to help frame our discussions. How can the idea of in-group bias help us understand and change our own thinking? Do interactions with the “other” really help, and if so, under what conditions? When people hold widely different positions, how can we find creative solutions that meet everyone’s interests?
We’ll think about steps each of us can take to help counteract toxic polarization, and gain inspiration from some bridge-building efforts in the US and elsewhere -- including a world-famous orchestra composed of young Arab and Israeli musicians overcoming their divides through music.

Youth and Media
Instructor: Rumeysa Ozturk
This course explores the dynamic relationship between youth and media, examining how young people engage with various digital platforms and the influence of social media on their lives. From screen time and media use trends to the impacts of social media on well-being, identity, and socialization, we’ll dive into current issues and research on youth digital interactions. A critical focus will be placed on how youth can positively use social media to contribute to themselves, others, and society. We will discuss social media's crucial role in reflecting varied voices and experiences. This course encourages an interactive and reflective approach, supporting students in understanding their roles as users and change-makers in the quickly evolving media-embedded world. The seminar program will feature lectures, discussions, activities, viewing media, guest speaker visits, and practical strategies for healthy and prosocial social media use.
Note: This seminar can be taken as part 2 of "Introduction to Children's Media" offered in February.

Can Numbers Lie? Using Statistics to Combat Misinformation
Instructor: Jailekha Zutshi
What’s the mean GPA required to get into your dream college? What is the median salary in your school district? Can we really prove that getting more sleep is beneficial to human health?
In our daily life, we are constantly bombarded with statistics. Unfortunately, popular media can often misinterpret or overstate statistical claims for the sake of an eye-catching headline. In this course, you will learn about basic statistical concepts and discuss the claims we can (and cannot!) make from them. The goal of this course is to provide an accessible and relevant introduction to this field, so that you feel more confident consuming everything from news headlines to educational statistics in a more data-literate way. As part of this, we will also dive into how statistics can be used to hide or manipulate reality, and how this can reproduce existing systems of inequality. Finally, we will discuss ways in which to address these issues using a more nuanced, equitable approach to statistics. Course material will be shared through a combination of activities and lectures.

College Prep 101
Instructor: Tufts Pre-College Admissions Team
At Tufts, we know preparing for college is a difficult task and we are here to help! This spring, we will be offering a modified version of our summer College Prep 101 workshop, which will explore topics like career & college major planning, time management, interview skills, resume building, the college application process, and library research. The offering will include speakers and panelists — like current undergraduates and grad students, admissions and financial aid officers, career advisors, and more — as you discover the skills you need to prepare for college applications, college life, and beyond!
Summer Session 1 Seminars (July 6 - 18)
Seminar Schedule: Monday-Thursday
AM - 9:30 - 11:30 AM
PM - 1:30 - 3:30 PM

Alien Worlds
Instructor: Andrew West
Alien Worlds focuses on the search (and study of) extraterrestrial worlds, some of which may harbor life. We will embark on an examination of our solar system, and the discovery and characterization of the more than 6000 confirmed planets orbiting other stars. This seminar will examine alien worlds we can touch, alien worlds on which we can land (or have landed), alien worlds that are studied from a great distance, and the question of how common life is in the Universe. Students will be exposed to the myriad discoveries coming from current studies of extrasolar planets, including recent results that indicate planets around other stars appear to be common.

Cognition and Perception of Digital Media
Instructor: Avalyn Renee
This class will conduct a philosophical investigation into digital media— including television, film, social media, and virtual reality—to explore questions about perception and cognition. Questions include (but are not limited to): how do we perceive digital and non-digital content differently? What about our perceptual and cognitive faculties enable television and film to be so culturally formative? In what way does social media usage affect our attention, cognitive patterns, and personal identity? Will virtual reality influence our engagement with a non-virtual world?

Creative Writing Workshop
Instructor: Vasantha Sambamurti
A creative writing workshop has several moving parts. The members of a workshop— writers with unique stories to tell— function as a team, working together for the betterment of one another and for the overall collective. Each writer will offer their piece for class discussion on a designated “workshop day,” pieces which will be generated in response to the multi-genre writings we will collectively engage and replicate: short stories, novel excerpts, short prose, and poetry, as well as hybrid work such prose poetry, lyric essays, flash fiction, vignettes, etc. This course is ideal for students seeking a supportive artistic environment to generate and share their writing, benefiting from personalized instructor and peer feedback.

Teaching and Learning About Race
Instructor: Janine de Novais
Race is “socially constructed.” By that we mean that, as we go about our every day lives, we are learning and relearning our ideas about what race is and how it affects us. Educational settings are one of the main places where we “learn about race.” We learn about race explicitly through the curriculum, and we learn about race implicitly, through the experiences we have, our relationships with peers and teachers, and how we make sense of it all. This seminar takes a step back to ask: Where do our ideas about the relationship between racial inequality and education come from? What are those ideas? How do those ideas influence the lives of students and communities? By the end of the seminar students will: Understand what it means to say that race is socially constructed; Develop a greater understanding of the relationship between racial inequality and education; Gain experience in participating in rigorous, productive and inclusive discussion about racial inequality, education and society.

True Believer: The Creation of Mass Movements
Instructor: David Proctor
An interactive, thought provoking, and hopefully enjoyable class in which we are going to read The True Believer by Eric Hoffer and Address Unknown by Kressman Taylor. We will talk about what forges mass movements and fabricated realities and think about how individuals are at times willing to subsume their personal wills into a group will/dynamic. No previous experience in history is expected

U.S.-China Relations: China's Innovation and Security
Instructor: Lilly Lee
This seminar offers an in-depth exploration of U.S.-China relations with a special focus on China's technological innovation and its implications for national and global security. Students will engage with cutting-edge research on artificial intelligence, information operations, cyber capabilities, and military modernization to understand the evolving dynamics between these two global powers.
The course aims to:
1. Provide a theoretical and historical foundation for analyzing U.S.-China relations
2. Develop critical thinking skills to assess the impact of China's technological advancements on national and global security
3. Enhance understanding of the global implications of U.S.-China strategic competition
4. Improve policy analysis and writing skills through practical exercises and workshops
Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and workshops, students will gain insights into the international relationship between the United States and China, with a focus on China's technological development. They will learn to analyze complex security issues, evaluate competing arguments, and craft policy recommendations.
By the end of the seminar, students will have developed a nuanced understanding of China's technological trajectory, its impact on U.S.-China relations, and acquired practical skills applicable to future pursuits in international relations, security studies, and technology policy.
Summer Session 2 Seminars (July 20 - Aug 1)
Seminar Schedule: Monday - Thursday
AM - 9:30 - 11:30 AM
PM - 1:30 - 3:30 PM

Critical Animal Studies
Instructor: Stephen Strout
The course will critically examine the relationship between humans and animals, challenge human exceptionalism/anthropocentrism and promote ethical consideration for animal welfare.

Public Speaking: Speech, Rhetoric & Persuasion
Instructor: Vasantha Sambamurti
To grow as persuasive public speakers and rhetoricians, students will create compositions that demonstrate and enhance their ability to critically analyze and respond to a variety of sources, as well persuade an audience to connect with their unique vision and voice. To accomplish this, students will engage and demystify the process of composing and performing speeches, and hone qualities of good writing and teamwork. The material of the course will foreground the material often covered in first-year college writing, composition and communication courses.

Social Identity, Belonging, and Healing
Instructor: Jada Copeland-Hayes
Social Identity, Belonging, and Healing is a course designed to explore the scientific study of social identity through a psychological lens. In this course, we will explore theories, paradigms, and research developed to understand how psychology has historically investigated social identity while also uncovering how our identities contribute to our experiences of belonging and how to create opportunities for healing. Example topics will include White-centric biases in psychology, possessing multiple minoritized identities, and social justice and impact.

Staging the Psyche: Psychology in Media and Popular Culture
Instructor: DeVante Love
Explore how psychology is presented in TV shows, movies, advertisements, and social media. Analyze how influencers, writers, and clinicians communicate psychological concepts, uncovering hidden messages and nuanced cues in popular culture. Get ready for a dynamic and thought-provoking journey, and emerge with sharper skills in discerning the real from the reel in psychology's portrayal in modern media.

Responsible AI
Instructor: Stephen Muscolino
This course explores the philosophical, moral, and societal challenges brought forth by the rise of artificial intelligence. It engages students in critical thinking about the ethical dimensions surrounding the development and application of AI technologies, from biases in algorithms to the implications of using machines to make art. Drawing from the fields of philosophy, computer science, visual arts, sociology, and policy-making, the course offers students an interdisciplinary lens through which to consider one of the 21st century's most pressing challenges. It urges students not only to reflect on AI's implications but also to envision and work towards a future where AI aligns with human values and ethics.

How Kids Learn
Instructor: Gauri Harindranath
How do we know what babies are thinking when they cannot communicate their thoughts and feelings to us? How do children learn that other people have different beliefs than their own? Across the lifespan, children develop a diverse range of skills: motor, social, cognitive, and more. This two-week introduction to developmental psychology will focus on how this development takes place from infancy to early childhood. In particular, we will examine how infants learn to navigate the physical and social world around them. We will also review various methods used to study this development and consider ways to apply them to our own emerging questions.

Forecasting in International Relations
Instructor: Arik Burakovsky
How do we understand and prepare for the future? What makes some people good at making predictions? What does the future hold for international affairs? Being able to accurately forecast global trends and events can have many benefits. For individuals, it can inform career decisions, investment choices, and personal planning, allowing them to better navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. For organizations, it can inform strategic planning and decision-making, allowing them to better prepare for and respond to potential future occurrences. For governments, accurate forecasting can be crucial for developing effective policies and strategies at all levels to address a wide range of issues, from economic development to national security. The ability to make clear probabilistic forecasts and keep score on them can help reduce uncertainty and risk by providing a better understanding of the potential outcomes of different actions and policies. That can be particularly important in times of instability, when the possible consequences of decisions may be difficult to predict. This seminar will help give participants the tools and knowledge they need to see into the future. We will delve into some traditional forecasting methods and explore their utility in international relations scholarship and policymaking.

Exploring Computer Science
Instructor: Diane Souvaine
How do we understand and prepare for the future? What makes some people good at making predictions? What does the future hold for international affairs? Being able to accurately forecast global trends and events can have many benefits. For individuals, it can inform career decisions, investment choices, and personal planning, allowing them to better navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. For organizations, it can inform strategic planning and decision-making, allowing them to better prepare for and respond to potential future occurrences. For governments, accurate forecasting can be crucial for developing effective policies and strategies at all levels to address a wide range of issues, from economic development to national security. The ability to make clear probabilistic forecasts and keep score on them can help reduce uncertainty and risk by providing a better understanding of the potential outcomes of different actions and policies. That can be particularly important in times of instability, when the possible consequences of decisions may be difficult to predict. This seminar will help give participants the tools and knowledge they need to see into the future. We will delve into some traditional forecasting methods and explore their utility in international relations scholarship and policymaking.

Biomaterials in Cancer Metastasis: A Biomedical Engineering Pathway to Equitable Research
Instructor: Tianna Edwards
This seminar will focus on how research can better reflect the demographics overrepresented in various cancers and cancer subtypes. We will discuss cancers such as breast, pancreatic, and prostate, and explore how cancer metastasis differs across these groups. Additionally, we will examine ways to more accurately recreate these conditions in a laboratory setting.