Over 45,000 students have returned to the University of California, Berkeley for the fall semester, selecting from nearly 6,100 courses offered across 184 disciplines and 15 schools. The university has introduced a range of new classes this term, covering topics such as alternative medicine history, globalization, polar microbiology, and the influence of artificial intelligence on democracy.
One new course titled “Quack Cures and Fad Diets: The History of Alternative Medicines in America” is led by Professor Carla Hesse and Ph.D. candidate Emily Martin. It explores skepticism toward mainstream medicine in American history. According to the syllabus, students will investigate why alternative medicine has attracted interest over time and learn about unique historical details like “the surprising origins of the graham cracker.”
In political science, lecturer Di (Wendy) Wang is teaching “Globalization and Me,” which examines how global interconnections impact daily life through supply chains, policies like tariffs, international movements, and cultural exchanges such as Afrobeats and K-pop. Students are encouraged to “trace [their] own connections across the globe and see how even the smallest choices — what you eat, watch or buy — are part of a much larger story.”
Associate Professor Adrienne Correa leads “Polar Microbiology,” a one-unit class in Environmental Science that does not require prior biology knowledge. Each week focuses on a microbe adapted to extreme polar climates as a lens for understanding climate change.
A course titled “Readings in Classical Ethiopic” is being taught by Assistant Professor Yonatan Binyam. It provides instruction on Ge’ez language manuscripts from Eritrean and Ethiopian Orthodox churches and prepares students to compare these texts with their Greek or Arabic originals.
The Haas School of Business offers an undergraduate class called “Berkeley Changemaker: How to Successfully Scale Family- and Friend-Owned Businesses.” Taught by Rhonda Shrader and Chris Bush after a pilot last spring, it involves real-life case studies focused on business growth strategies.
Matthew Berry’s media studies course “Policing in Media, Televised Trials and the True Crime Genre” analyzes society’s fascination with true crime stories. The syllabus states that students will “consider the social, cultural and political implications of mediated policing, prosecution and the documentary approach to crime.”
Mechanical engineering professor Lining Yao teaches “Design with Morphing Materials and Mechanisms,” where students learn about materials that respond to environmental stimuli such as pressure or heat. The course concludes with team projects using morphing materials for practical applications.
The Celtic Studies program presents “Apocalyptic Ireland,” taught by Matthew Shelton. Students study Irish literature from periods marked by colonialism and rebellion while also examining works from other Celtic regions like Wales, Scotland, and Brittany.
At UC Berkeley Law, Larry Norden instructs “AI, Democracy and Elections.” This seven-week course covers how artificial intelligence may affect elections through issues like misinformation or advertising regulations. One discussion point is whether Section 230—part of U.S. law shielding social media platforms from liability over user-generated content—applies to AI-created material.
Finally, Professor Daniela Kaufer’s cross-listed class “The Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience” investigates biological mechanisms behind stress as well as scientific approaches for building resilience among individuals facing various life challenges. Kaufer encourages her students “to approach this class not just as a place to absorb information, but as a space to connect science with self-understanding, curiosity and compassion.”
