Important Announcement

Zero Waste initiatives are some of the most important things we can do to reduce our environmental impact. As part of the Boston University Climate Action Plan, which will make the University carbon neutral by 2040, BU is committed to achieving Zero Waste by 2030. In this experiential, project-based course student groups will be directly impacting the BU Campus, by better understanding the problem, and by collaboratively creating solutions to help BU achieve this goal.

What is Zero Waste? From the Zero Waste International Alliance, here is the goal: “The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”

MW 2:30pm – 4:15pm

Puppetry and other forms of object performance are experiencing a renaissance in the US and across the globe. But what can they offer a research university, where not only creating but also communicating new knowledge to a range of audiences is increasingly important? These “animated objects” have traditionally been used to convey narrative content; can they help research to become a compelling story that engages, informs, and even entertains an audience–by activating their intellect and affect? In this course, students from across BU’s many colleges will explore how a broad range of puppetry techniques can help them to investigate and then communicate abstract theories, philosophies, and complex processes, injecting them with humor, suspense, and awe. Through visual storytelling, metaphors, materiality, and the handmade, participants will research the function and power of animate objects as tools of arts research. They will engage in analyzing ideas, making and performing, reflecting and giving feedback. The final products will be two puppet slams (a collection of short, experimental works), one based on the students’ own research in small groups, and the other in collaboration with BU doctoral students, who are client partners for this project. Other stakeholders are the office of the Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs at BU and the Puppet Showplace Theater, which in hosting the second event is lending its brand along with providing its venue.

F 2:30pm – 5:15pm

HUB-XCC’s Spirit of Wonder Course allows students to learn the Spirit of Wonder (SOW) research model, including interviewing, video blogging and essay writing. This course provides students with the opportunity to study and practice social cross-cultural research methodologies, including designing qualitative research questions, connecting and engaging with targeted populations, collecting data through SOW’s storytelling interviews, analyzing data, and presenting their findings in written and visual formats. Students receive the tools they need to interview candidates, analyze their stories and develop narratives, comparative analysis and presentations on various themes. This course also requires students to work effectively in teams to develop creative strategies for presenting their research to a broader public and to recommend additional research strategies and uses of the data. Initially, students will work individually to practice the skills needed to succeed in the class. Subsequently, students will work with their peers to process the interview data as a team. Each team will choose a target population locally or internationally. Students will be supported by the SOW project team as needed.

T 2:00pm – 4:45pm

As Massachusetts recently opened the first year of its legal cannabis industry, policy makers, industry leaders and public health experts are hoping to gain insight from research on this incipient market and point to the best direction forward. In particular, the historically disproportionate impact of cannabis prohibition on people of color and in their communities continues to raise questions about whether legalization will benefit these same populations. This project intends to match students with members of the Massachusetts’s regulatory leadership or with entrepreneurs to investigate this issue. Thus, the focus for the projects will be to research and find social justice opportunities in the industry and to recommend policy that would make the “adult use” marijuana business in Massachusetts more socially equitable.

Th 9:30am – 12:15pm

Investigative journalism is an interdisciplinary endeavor. The Justice Media Computational Journalism Co-Lab will provide students from diverse disciplines an opportunity to work with and publish investigations in professional news outlets including NPR, the Boston Globe, the Baystate Banner, and more. The investigative journalism assignments will be focused on issues of justice and accountability. This course will bring together students from journalism, computer science and other disciplines guided by veteran faculty practitioners in journalism and computer science/ engineering.

W 1:00pm – 3:45pm

The Spark! Innovation Fellowship program supports student innovators passionate about solving problems through technology. The course provides a structured process where students advance a technology project of their own creation, or an innovative solution for a problem sponsored by an external partner. The goal is to design, develop, and deploy a working prototype in one semester with the support of industry mentors. Students can participate as part of a pre-formed team or they can be assigned to a team. There are two participant tracks for each team: developers and designers. Effective Summer 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation, Research and Information Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.

*Permission and application required for this XCC section.

Skill-based prerequisites:

• Developers track:

Proficiency in any major programming language (Python, Java, JavaScript, C++, C, etc.). Prior Software Engineering project experience (through classes, internships, hackathons, or personal projects) preferred but not required.

• UX Designers track:

Competency in any of the following: knowledge of graphic design principles and proficiency in design software programs e.g. Adobe XD, Sketch, Figma, etc.

M 2:30pm – 5:15pm