Course Catalog

Four divisions. One connected curriculum.

Stella Nova courses are built to be porous. A student in anthropology may need genetics, geography, and computation; a physicist may need ethics, communication, and visualization. Browse the developing course catalog below. Course publication does not by itself indicate program authorization or accreditation.

Anthropology & Archaeology

3 courses
ANTH 110 Foundational

Foundations of Anthropological Inquiry

Participant observation, field notes, interviewing, and the ethics of studying human worlds where they happen.

3 credits Fall

ANTH 240 Intermediate

Spatial Anthropology and Hybrid Worlds

How social life organizes across physical, digital, and hybrid space — and what happens to ritual and identity when those spaces blend.

3 credits Spring

ANTH 360 Advanced

Digital Culture and Platform Ethnography

Methods for studying online communities, mediated ritual, and platform cultures as living field sites.

3 credits Fall

Geography & Spatial Sciences

3 courses
GEOG 120 Foundational

Maps, Place, and Spatial Reasoning

Cartographic literacy, coordinate systems, and how spatial questions are framed and answered.

3 credits Fall

GEOG 250 Intermediate

Geographic Information Systems

Hands-on GIS: data models, remote sensing, drone survey, and analysis for fieldwork and research.

4 credits Spring

GEOG 370 Advanced

Landscape, Environment, and Movement

Human–environment systems, migration pathways, and reading landscapes as evidence.

3 credits Spring

Sociology

2 courses
SOCI 130 Foundational

Social Systems and Institutions

Institutions, inequality, media, and social change through observation and evidence.

3 credits Fall

SOCI 290 Intermediate

Networks, Media, and Society

How information, influence, and belonging move through social and digital networks.

3 credits Spring

Psychology & Cognitive Science

2 courses
PSYC 105 Foundational

Mind, Behavior, and Perception

Cognition, perception, and behavior, with attention to how claims about the mind are tested.

3 credits Fall

PSYC 280 Intermediate

Perception, Cognition, and Altered States

Attention, salience, and consciousness research, including disciplined study of altered states.

3 credits Spring

Biology & Ecology

2 courses
BIOL 115 Foundational

Life Systems and Experimental Design

Core biology with an emphasis on hypothesis, controls, measurement, and honest reporting.

4 credits Fall

BIOL 260 Intermediate

Field Ecology and Survey Methods

Transect design, biodiversity survey, and ecological documentation in real landscapes.

4 credits Spring

Genetics & Genomics

2 courses
GENE 140 Foundational

Inheritance, Ancestry, and Molecular Data

Foundations of genetics and the careful, ethical interpretation of molecular and ancestry data.

3 credits Fall

GENE 310 Advanced

Ancient DNA and Bioarchaeology

Reading genetic signals from the deep past alongside climate and archaeological evidence.

3 credits Spring

Physics & Astronomy

2 courses
PHYS 125 Foundational

Matter, Energy, and Measurement

Classical foundations with a working emphasis on measurement, uncertainty, and modeling.

4 credits Fall

PHYS 300 Advanced

Frontier Models and Speculative Physics

How frontier and speculative models are structured, staged, and separated from validated claims.

3 credits Spring

Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence

3 courses
CSCI 108 Foundational

Computational Thinking and Tools

Programming foundations oriented toward data, simulation, and research instruments.

4 credits Fall

CSCI 255 Intermediate

Data Systems for Research

Structuring, querying, and visualizing research data; building durable, shareable datasets.

4 credits Spring

CSCI 380 Advanced

AI, Simulation, and Research Software

Applied AI and simulation as research tools, with attention to evidence, limits, and ethics.

3 credits Spring

Communication & Public Scholarship

2 courses
COMM 100 Foundational

Public Scholarship and Communication

Writing, presenting, and translating research for real audiences and institutional voice.

3 credits Fall

COMM 270 Intermediate

Media Production for Research

Producing media packages, exhibits, and documentation that carry research into the world.

3 credits Spring

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