Discovery Courses Fall 2009

Expand Your Horizons!

The seven-course L&S breadth requirement can be an unparalleled opportunity to explore fascinating worlds of knowledge. The Letters & Science Discovery Courses, which the College launched in Fall 2005, take the guesswork out of satisfying the breadth requirement. Taught by some of the most distinguished faculty on campus and deliberately designed to engage and ignite the minds of non-experts, these courses are destined to be unforgettable.

For past Courses visit the Discovery Courses Archive

Discovery Course Video

Learn about the L&S Discovery Courses from the faculty themselves!

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What's New

(April 26, 2009) Discovery Course professor Rich Muller's Physics for Future Presidents wins Northern California book award:
Read the article

Discovery Course Professor Walter Alvarez's new book combines geological with personal history.
Read the article

(July 22, 2008) Discovery Course professor Saul Perlmutter discusses the role dark energy plays in the expansion of the universe.
See Video

News Archive

Past Discovery Course news items - Click Here

Student Testimonials

  • "I love the Discovery Courses-this is my 3rd! I feel it contributed greatly to my understanding of the world and to my education."
  • "This Discovery Course inspired me to take classes in the future that I had not planned to take."
  • "Very enriching--I would not take a course like this if I were only sticking to major requirements."
  • "I think this class exemplifies the tremendous opportunities to expand one's academic horizon through some of these breadth courses, that most people would otherwise not have considered taking."
  • "This course was my best this semester because it taught me how to simply live in and understand the world. Great!"
  • "It allowed me to take a class mostly because I'm interested in it, not because it was for a major or any other reason."
  • "As always, Discovery Courses make me think about an entirely different field and issues that I've never been exposed to."

Our Benefactors

The Letters & Science Discovery Courses are made possible by the generous support of the Barbara Joan Gummerson Fund, the Cynthia C. Railton Fund for the Liberal Arts, and the L&S Leadership Fund.

For program-related questions, please contact alix@berkeley.edu
For website-related questions, please contact dmurray@berkeley.edu

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