Courses: Spring 2025
AFSO offers the following seminars in Spring 2025. Meeting times are all Afghanistan time. Following the AFSO course listings is a listing of credit-bearing courses offered through our partnership with Bard College and the Open Society University Network. Students may sign up for AFSO courses, marked by *, that are cross-listed with OSUN; only nominated students may enroll in other OSUN courses.
Admitted students should create an account on the "For Students" page. Beginning January 16, 2025, registration will open, and students will list their choice of seminars through the same link. Students may choose only those courses listed for their level of English. As courses fill, they will be removed from the list of options.
Offerings remain free of charge for women in Afghanistan and are focused on synchronous meetings and independent reading and research.
Courses in English and Writing
Learning English through Speaking and Writing: OPEN
Professor Carmel Finnan
A2 - B1 students
This course focuses on developing students' communication skills, with particular emphasis on speaking and writing with the goal of becoming confident and competent communicators in English.
Throughout the course, students will work on building their vocabulary, improving grammar usage and comprehension skills by engaging in different class material. Apart from improving your English, this class also aims to:
· provide a supportive learning environment where everyone feels comfortable about using the language without fear of making mistakes
· encourage each student to take responsibility for their own learning progress
· encourage students to actively engage in learning within a supportive group dynamic
Please note that:
· You should attend all classes. If for some reason you cannot attend, please inform the teacher or the TA.
· You are expected to submit all assignments ON TIME. Again, if for some reason, you cannot submit an assignment on time, please inform the teacher or the TA.
· All assignments submitted must be your own work. We do NOT accept any assignments that are copied or use AI.
20th January - 17th February, Mondays and Wednesdays 13:00
English Writing and Conversation: OPEN
Professor Erin Leigh Frymire
A2 - B1 students
In this class, we read and write in a variety of genres to develop our English writing, we will use a rhetorical framework to develop our English writing, academic vocabulary, and speaking skills. Via small group activities and individualized feedback, students will expand their knowledge of English and their own unique writing processes. We will practice thinking critically and strategically to become more confident communicators.
Goals:
- Build confidence in speaking English
- Build confidence in writing English
- Develop individual writing process
- Develop rhetorical awareness
January 6 - February 12, Mondays and Wednesdays 20:00pm-22:00pm
Reading and vocabulary: OPEN
Professor Fariha Nazari
A2, low intermediate students
This course is designed for learners at the A2 level and who wish to improve their reading comprehension and expand their vocabulary in English through a several texts, including short stories, articles, dialogues, and interactive activities, students will enhance their ability to understand written English in both everyday contexts and more formal setting. More specifically
Course objectives: The students in the course can expect to:
Discuss ideas, opinions, and personal experiences related to topics they have read about in class Comprehend and use 120 target words from the Academic Word List and know their word families, multiple meanings, parts of speech, and common collocations.
Goals:
Learn how to identify the main idea
Learn to use context clues to guess unknown words
Learn and understand details and recognize supporting details
Course format: The course will meet online via Zoom using the link provided by the instructor. The course materials will be posted on Google space and Google classroom. The students are encouraged to join the course's WhatsApp group led directly by the course instructor and communicate with instructor and peers.
27th of January to 5th of May, Saturdays and Wednesdays 1:00PM
Translation and Power:OPEN
Professor Kathryn Batchelor
B1 - B2 students
This class will begin by considering the general relationship between languages and power. Within any given country, some languages are more powerful than others; speaking those languages gives individuals relatively more power. On a global level, languages are arranged in hierarchical patterns – with English at the top. Language learning and translating are activities which are thus always intimately connected with questions of power. We move on to consider some of the more specific ways in which translating can strengthen or challenge existing power structures. First, in relation to feminism, we explore translation's potential to challenge patriarchal structures within society (e.g. by giving women access to knowledge) or within language itself. Second, in relation to activism, we use case studies to understand the ways in which translation can be harnessed in support of a variety of causes such as human rights or climate justice. Finally, taking a closer look at the mechanics of translation, we explore the ways in which word choices can perpetuate or contest dominant worldviews.
Goals:
- Learn about global language structures and reflect on their own positions within them, including how to strengthen those positions
- Develop critical thinking skills, particularly in relation to analysing language choices
- Develop a critical understanding of translation, in particular its intersection with power
- Learn about ways in which translation has been used around the world to challenge the status quo
28th January – 1st April (no class on 25 February), Tuesdays 14:00 - 16: – plus weekly discussion group with TA
Art of Caring in Reading and Writing: OPEN
Professor Sarah Whitney
A2 - B1 students
This course teaches how to learn about caring as a framework and the many ways people express care. Topics mostly include care through hospitality, health care, gender and caregiving and self-care. Students develop a care philosophy statement identifying the values that are important to them and care methods they intend to use. Students are prepared to assist others with (non-medical) support. Students practice reading/writing in English
Goal: We will learn about caring as a framework and the many ways people express care. Students will learn to develop an ethic of care that will help them succeed in their future professional and personal sphere.
February - April, Monday and Wednesday, 16:30
Medical English: OPEN
Professor Patience Wesoamo Alogokali
B2 - C1 students
This course plan is comprehensively designed for B2-C1 students with a variety to fit students who are interested in medical/healthcare backgrounds and who would like to develop a higher level of English in the field of medicine and general English. Students interested in working in English-speaking countries will especially benefit from the course material. Each lesson will focus on a different medical theme, for example, doctor-patient scenarios, medical emergencies, and body systems, and offer audio-visual materials and articles that are engaging and relevant for students at this level. There are also role-play opportunities that allow students to practice the lesson vocabulary.
Goals: Develop reading, speaking, listening, and critical thinking skills, learn vocabulary, and be able to use them appropriately in medical terms.
January -March 2025, 18:30
English Language Test Preparation
Professor Christina Schoux Casey
C1 students and permission of instructor
English Grammar Classes: OPEN
Team-taught
All levels
Optional classes at intermediate and advanced levels to improve your English grammar and usage. Team-taught by peer educators.
January 27 -- May 1, Sundays 19.30
Workshop series: Leadership
Peer-taught: Gul Naz Attai
B1 - C1 students
Date-Time TBA
Courses in Literature and the Arts
Screenwriting: OPEN
Professor Temenuga Trifonova
B2 - C1 students
The course is focused on writing short films. Explains about "What makes a good story"? "How does screenwriting differ from other types of writing"? The course explores the fundamental principles of visual and aural storytelling: plot, character, dialogue, subtext, conflict, exposition, climax and resolution. Students are expected to participate actively in class discussions, to share their material with the rest of the class, and to serve as story editors on their peers' work. Exploration of different screenwriting concepts and of standard screenplay format will be integrated into the hands-on screenwriting assignments. Students will be asked to share their own material in class and in small groups in the process of creating characters, scenes, and short scripts.
Jan 29 – March 5, Wednesdays, 15:30 - 17:30, Note: The class on March 5 will meet exceptionally from 15:00 - 17:00
AFSO Digital Art class part II : OPEN
Professor Ina Malloy
Prerequisite Digital Art Class I - Fall semester. B1 - C1 students
Digital Art Class Part II is a continuation of Fall's Digital Art Part 1
In this course, students will continue to expand their ability to communicate through Digital Art and make Art with a concentration in free Apps including Google Draw, Google Sites, Pixlr/e, and SumoPaint along with many others. Students will learn how to utilize digital art to communicate messaging in real world applications.
30th January - late March 2025, Wednesday 8.00 - 8.45
Introduction to Middle Eastern Cinema: OPEN
Professor Persheng Vaziri
B1 - C1 students
The course will introduce students to major trends and movements in the cinema of the region since the 1980s. We watch films and discuss them in light of the historical and cultural frameworks of the countries that produced them. We will also discuss production and aesthetic concepts that constitute the films.
27th December - March 2025, Thursdays 18.00
POWERFUL WOMEN ON STAGE: How Plays Portray Societies and Women's Lives: OPEN
Professor Ellen W. Kaplan
B1 - C1 students
This course is an Introduction to Plays that feature strong women from different eras, regions, and genres. Using scenes, monologues and video, we explore the ways women are depicted on stage, and how women characters reflect their historic and cultural contexts. We read excerpts from a range of plays by and about women, from Classic Greek, Chinese, and Spanish Golden Age, to Comedic Women in Shakespeare, early 20th century modernism, and contemporary plays that focus on Afghanistan. We consider love, power, status, and national identity; how women's roles change and what matters most to the characters we study. In-class discussion, readings, on-line viewing and short writing assignments supplement lectures and presentations. No background in theatre is required; intermediate level English recommended.
Goals:
Students can expect to learn how to read and analyze plays; how to find central themes, goals and desires as depicted in plays. Students will identify characteristics that distinguish the roles we study, to write clearly and thoughtfully about dramatic texts, to express their ideas and opinions based on textual analysis. Students will be able to identify central ideas, and compare and contrast scenes from different plays.
January 27- March 31, Days & Times: TBA Twice weekly: 75 minutes; 45 minutes
Courses in Social Science
Europe and Its Legal Traditions : OPEN
Professors Reut Paz and Christoph König
B2 - C1 students
The course seeks to provide a broad and theoretical overview of European legal traditions from social, political, economic and comparative perspectives. Starting with Roman Law, its coverage
ranges from discussing the authority of law in history, literature, economics and religion, through the creation of the European legal frameworks up to the establishment of a human rights tradition. Focus is given to the wider scope of legal developments in history that have shaped the conceptualization of law in present-day Europe and beyond.
What is Europe and what are its legal traditions? More importantly: why should the rest of the world today care what Europeans have been calling their legal systems? This course is designed for all those who are interested in gaining a closer understanding of how history and law intermingle with European political thought and cultural practices.
January - April 2025, Thursdays, time TBA
Major Women Philosophers:OPEN
Professor Simona Aimar
B2 - C1 students
This course introduces students to the work of influential women thinkers from history and the present. The first part of the course focuses on how, because women were traditionally excluded from philosophy, its most fundamental questions, concepts, and principles have been defined from a male perspective. The rest of the semester focuses on the work of particular women philosophers whose contributions have challenged the male-dominated nature of philosophy and therefore helped to reshape it.
January- April 2025, Date- time TBA
Feminist Ethnographies of Everyday Spaces: OPEN
Professor Elisa T. Bertuzzo
B2 - C1 students
This course will provide an introduction into foundational theories about space and gender, students are encourage to analyse everyday spaces, such as the home, the street, the broader environment, etc.. Different methodologies for the descriptive, (self)ethnographic and sensorial analysis of spaces of everyday life, from photography to video, from participant observation to mapping, will be discussed and put to test. While the focus is on space, time – the temporalities and rhythms of human and nonhuman actions – will be given attention. The observations, texts, drawings, photos, gathered throughout the semester, should ideally generate a collective "animated space".
Goals:
Reflect on the many factors, actors, and processes which affect the production of space in everyday life from a gender point of view
Learn and compare different methods for the study of everyday spaces on diverse scales, including visual approaches and mapping
Sharpen attention for spacial and social processes in the built environment
Explore different qualities of space: physical/built, emotional/remembered, social/lived
Date-Time TBA
Philosophers and Queens: Women in the History of Political Thought: OPEN
Professor Rebecca Kingston
B1 - B2 students
This course introduces important and diverse contributions by women to political theory. New lines of research have demonstrated the myriad and complex ways women have contributed to the development of political reflection. We will explore key texts written by women offering reflections on their condition. While most of the texts come from the Western tradition, I also include two examples of Asian contributions to this global tradition.
Course requirements: Students are asked to write three mini-papers of 2-5 pages discussing some of the themes associated with a reading as raised in class. If students wish to, I may ask that some students work together to prepare a short presentation on the reading of 5 minutes, with questions for the rest of the class to begin discussion. At the end of the course, I will have an informal discussion with each of the individual students on the course material in lieu of a final exam.
January 27 - April 2025, Saturdays 17:30 to 18:30 pm
Introduction to International Relations: OPEN
Captain Cheng Xu
B1 - C1 students
This course provides a general overview of the study of international relations, with an emphasis on understanding international relations as an academic discipline by exploring the major theoretical debates as well as the topics it covers. It builds a foundation for understanding the actors, processes, and structures that shape and constrain global politics. The course first introduces major concepts in the study of international relations and provides an overview of the main theoretical approaches to understanding world affairs. It then explores major research agendas and issues in international politics and concludes by providing a brief review with applications to future challenges to the study of international relations.
Learning Objectives: This course aims to enhance students' theoretical and conceptual understanding of international relations as well as their practical applications. Assignments are designed with the goal of improving students' abilities to write clearly, communicate ideas, and develop arguments related to global politics. Finally, it creates a foundation for further study in the international relations subfield. By the end of the course, students should have developed proficiency in the following areas:
• Identify tensions and commonalities between theories of IR
• Identify levels of analysis between theories and topics
• Synthesize theories and apply to contemporary challenges facing the world
• Learn how to read arguments thoroughly and thoughtfully
• Discuss what theories appeal to them and which ones challenge their views
January 14 – March 19, Tuesday and Wednesday, 16:30 - 17:30 PM
Contemporary World Politics: OPEN
Professor Angus Fake
B1 - C1 students
This course explores the key political, social, and economic challenges shaping the 21st century. This course will be an interactive course, enabling us to interconnect with the world, by understanding contemporary political issues is vital for informed global citizenship.Students will analyze global events and trends through the lens of international relations, political ideologies, and geopolitical strategies. Students will engage with diverse perspectives through a range of materials, including current news articles, seminal texts, documentaries, and interactive case studies. Throughout the course, students will participate in debates, simulations (such as a United Nations assembly), and group projects that apply theories to real-world events. By examining the historical context and future implications of contemporary decisions, students will develop a nuanced understanding of their role as informed global citizens
Goals:
· Understand Government Systems: Identify and explain the structure and function of various global government systems.
· Compare Political Models: Analyze differences and similarities between democratic, authoritarian, and hybrid regimes.
· Evaluate Policy Impacts: Assess how governmental policies affect societies and global relations.
· Develop Analytical Skills: Interpret political data and evaluate media and primary sources critically.
· Foster Civic Awareness: Reflect on the role of governance in shaping global issues and individual responsibilities.
January 22 - April 16, Wednesday 14:45 - 15:45 pm
Courses in Mathematics and Data Science
Note: Some courses require a mathematics placement test.
* Introduction to Research Techniques: OPEN
Professor Xavier Prudent
B1 - C1 students. Students must have bachelor-level mathematics and access to a computer with Microsoft Windows
Students will learn how to use some of the most basic and widespread statistics methods in research. Students will learn how to understand and apply them, from hand computation to computer computation using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The course will cover fundamental concepts of statistics while highlighting the difference between statistics and probability: random variables, probability density functions, the Gaussian function and the central-limit theorem, population vs. sample, hypothesis sample: power and error, and introduction to statistics with Excel and SPSS. The lectures will be highly project-oriented, focusing on the understanding and the correct use of these various methods rather than the algebra of their mathematical fundamentals.
January 27 - March 2025, Fridays 18.00
Introduction to Statistics: OPEN
Professors Naomi Altman and Sarah Rajtmajer. Teaching Associate: Kathy Sykora
B1 - C1 students
"Information is the oil of the 21st century, and analytics is the combustion engine." —Peter Sondergaard.
This course covers basic concepts in statistics including statistical vocabulary, data collection, data summary and graphical display. Data analytics including statistical methods are essential to business, medical and health sciences, artificial intelligence, fraud detection, forensics, the sciences, social sciences, and even the arts. A knowledge of basic statistics is needed for most areas of university study, and is considered essential job training in many careers. In this course you will learn basic statistical methods to collect, manage, summarize, visualize and learn from data. Students should come away from the course understanding basic statistical terms and concepts, able to perform some analyses on the computer, and feel prepared for a college-level course in statistics. Students will be introduced to statistical computing using the R package. Students should come away from the course understanding statistical terms and able to do some basic analyses on the computer.
January - April 2025, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 18:30
Math in Society:OPEN
Professor Shabnam Akhtari
B1 - C1 students
The focus of this course is on some non-technical mathematical background and quantitative skills in various applications of mathematics in daily life. We will follow some chapters of an open textbook called Math in Society. The plan is to discuss Graph Theory, Sets, Counting Systems, Cryptography, and Logic. Students are encouraged to participate in weekly lectures by attending the lecture, as well as participating in the discussion about the topic in the beginning of each lecture. The students will be assigned reading assignments ahead of each lecture and are expected to read the assigned sections of the book before coming to lectures, so that they are prepared to follow the discussion and ask questions about the reading. Our focus is learning new materials, as well as learning to read mathematical texts.
February 4 - April 8, Tuesdays 19:30 to 21:00. No Class on Tuesdays, March 18 and March 25, due to Nowruz and Eid Al-Fitr.
College Algebra: OPEN
Professor Barbara Kaltenbacher
B1 - C1 students
This course is about Mathematics fundamental "language" needed for working in sciences, economics and engineering – and of course in mathematics itself. The purpose of this course is to refresh some known background from school and to augment it to a base of skills and tools on the level of a standard college algebra course. To this end, we will closely follow the freely available textbook https://people.math.wisc.edu/~jwrobbin/112online/UWCABook.pdf and work on abstract concepts as well as concrete examples; the taught material will be complemented by assignments to be solved by the students. The course will use quizzes, assignments, and discussions to assess the student performance.
January 30 – April 10, Thursdays 10:00 - 11:30
Introduction to Computing Science and Software Development in Python: OPEN
Professor Anne Lavergne
B2 - C1 students
This is an elementary introduction to Computing Science and software development, suitable for students with little or no programming background. Students will learn fundamental concepts and terminology of Computing Science and acquire elementary skills for developing software in a high-level language, i.e., Python. The students will be exposed to diverse fields within, and applications of Computing Science. Topics may include: software development process; data types and control structures; fundamental algorithms; recursion; reading and writing files; measuring performance of algorithms, etc.
Goals: At the end of this course, students will be able to create software solutions to small problems by following the steps of the software development process using the high-level language Python. This is to say that the students will be able to ...
• Elaborate a plan (an algorithm) describing in detail how they will solve the problem given in a problem statement.
• Implement their algorithm as a Python program and debug it.
• Create test cases and use them to prove the correctness of their program and its robustness.
January 14 - March 27, Tuesday 8:30 - 10:00 / Thursday 20:30 - 22:00
Courses in Health and Science
Introduction to Forensic Science 2: OPEN
Professor Janet Morrison
B1 - C1 students
Pre-requisite: Introduction to Forensic Science 1 (Fall 2024)
A continuation course to Introduction to Forensic Science 1 from the Fall 2024 semester, Introduction to Forensic Science 2 will continue to investigate the techniques used in the forensic laboratory for the analysis of common types of physical evidence encountered at crime scenes. Part 2 will focus on bloodstain pattern analysis, DNA, hair, fibers, and other trace evidence, toxicology and drug analysis. The nature and significance of physical evidence, the underlying chemical/physical principles of the scientific techniques employed for its analysis, and the interpretation and evidentiary value of scientific results will be studied.
January - April, (Exact dates still TBA) Monday and Wednesday, 18.30 - 19.45
Women in Science: OPEN
Professor Ellen Anderson
B1 - C1 students
What makes a woman scientist extraordinary? Why have women historically not pursued education and research in science? What obstacles did they face and what limited their access to and interest in such fields of study? This course will seek to understand why women have not fully participated in scientific communities and why many still feel unwelcome when they do, articulate reasons why it is advantageous to science to include a diversity of people and perspectives and develop a deeper knowledge of the scientific contributions made by a number of these extraordinary women scientists. We will study the achievements of a number of women scientists over the past 150 years and evaluate the obstacles faced by women in many different scientific fields.
January - April, Monday, Wednesday- Friday 11:00-11:50
Introductory Physics: OPEN
Professor Gary Felder
B2 - C1 students
In the 17th century, Isaac Newton showed that one simple set of laws can describe everything we see around us, from a piece of fruit falling out of a tree to the planets going around the sun. In this course you will learn how to describe motion mathematically, how the forces on an object determine that object's motion, and how "conservation laws" (such as the conservation of energy) limit the possible behaviors that objects can have. By the end of the course, you should be able to mathematically describe and predict many kinds of motion, and be able to look at the world around you and understand it in a new way. Part 1 of the course focused on kinematics (the description of motion) and Newton's Laws. Part 2 will finish those topics and introduce conservation laws.
January 27 - May 2, Tuesdays and Thursdays 19.15 - 20.15
Intro Astronomy: Observing, Our Arab Inheritance, and Current Exploration: OPEN
Professor Emily Haynes
B1 - C1 students
This course is designed for non-science majors as well as scientists with an interest in observing the night sky and learning about the science of stars and planets. We will discuss the contributions of different cultures throughout history to this oldest of sciences and how they observed and thought about the sky. We will also look at the tools and results through the modern day to find out about the types of stars, how stars change, galaxies and other strange astronomical objects. A focus will also be on the tools used in exploring the planets in our solar system and what has been discovered.
Goals:
- Learn how to find stars and constellations in the night sky
- Learn about the motion of the Earth, moon, Sun and other objects to produce lunar phases, eclipses, changes in the night sky throughout the year, etc.
- Learn about the contributions of different cultures to our understanding of astronomy with a focus on the contributions of the Arab world and women
- Learn methods of scientific investigation of planets in our solar system and the nature of the galaxy and universe beyond
February 11 – April 17, Tuesdays and Thursdays 19:30 - 20:45
Principles of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry: OPEN
Professor Ellen Anderson
B2 - C1, students with background in chemistry
An introduction to the basic principles of chemistry with focus on structure, properties, and reactions of representative inorganic and organic compounds. Special emphasis will be placed upon applications to biological systems and health related fields.
Goals:
1. Recognize the relevance and importance of chemistry in everyday life and in the health professions.
2. Experience increased empowerment in the ability to learn about science and technology.
3. Recognize the names and symbols for the elements essential for life.
4. Investigate the history of an area of science/technology.
5. Define and discuss the relationships between subatomic particles, atoms, molecules, elements, and compounds.
6. Describe general atomic structure and both ionic and covalent bonding.
7. From a Lewis dot structure, determine the 3-dimensional structure of a covalent molecule and relate that to its chemical and physical properties.
8. Write proper chemical formulas for many ionic and covalent compounds.
9. Write and balance chemical equations.
10. Properly perform calculations that rely upon balanced chemical equations.
11. Define and give examples of pH, acids, bases and buffers.
12. Classify organic compounds by functional groups: alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, carboxylic acids, etc.
13. Properly name and draw structures for compounds in each of the major families of organic compounds.
14. Write several representative reactions for the various families of organic compounds.
Course Outcomes: Successful students will:
1. Read the text and complete the assigned homework problems.
2. Complete the following assessments consisting of problems, short-answer questions and essays: three hour exams, numerous quizzes, and a comprehensive final.
3. Carry out library research on the structures, properties and functions of a list of ingredients in a consumer product.
4. Attend lab weekly, complete all labwork and all lab reports.
5. Be able to relate the structures and functions of inorganic and organic molecules.
January - April. Three 50 minute classes per week TBA
Introduction to Environmental Health:OPEN
Carolina Santos
A2 - C1 students
This course is an introduction to environmental health concepts. How does our environment impact our health? Learn about One Health, climate change, environmental factors involved in the transmission of communicable diseases, prevention of natural disasters, environmental justice, and more. Students will understand how our living environment influences our health, the environmental health disparities of specific populations, and ways to address the impact of environmental change.
Goals:
-Be introduced to global environmental changes that are impacting the planet and their consequences for human health;
-Understand the various approaches to link environmental exposures to human health effects;
-Learn about the relationship between people and their environment, and how it affects their physical and mental well-being;
-Learn about climate change and health risk impacts, prevention of disasters, the role of public health agencies and community engagement;
-Learn about environmental justice, with a focus on how environmental exposure disproportionately impacts disadvantaged communities.
January 30 – March 27, Thursdays 17:30 - 19:00
OSUN Credit-Bearing Courses for Advanced AFSO Students
AFSO has partnered with the Open Society University Network to enable advanced students nominated by AFSO to take select courses for university credit. Courses identified above with * are open to all high intermediate and advanced AFSO students as credit- or non-credit courses. Other classes are available only to advanced students who have taken AFSO classes and received permission.