Courses

MASP Seminar Schedule Spring 2026

Course #TopicLocationTimeInstructor
ARSC 1480-403REco-Imagination for SustainabilityÌýUniversity Theatre C1B40 Movement StudioM 3:35 pm - 4:50 pmBeth Osnes
ARSC 1470-403RNeuroscience of LearningÌýLBB 153T 9:30 am - 10: 45 amKate Semsar
ARSC 1492-400RExploring Academic Interests & ResearchLBB 330TH 12:30 pm - 1: 45 pmKate Semsar
ARSC 1492-403RStudent Ambassadors for Inclusive EducationLBB 330TH 11:00 am -12:15 pmKaren Ramirez
ARSC 1490-401RMindful Campus

ÌýRENÉE CROWNÌýWELLNESS INSTITUTE-

ASPEN CONFERENCE ROOM

W 2:00 pm-3:30 pmMichele Simpson
ARSC 1480-404RFarm to TableLBB 330T 3:30 pm-4:45 pmKate Fischer
  • MASP seminars are exclusively for MASP students completing the Program Requirements.
  • If you are a current MASP student who would like to register for a MASP class, please check your email, Canvas, or the newsletterÌýfor details on MASP seminar registration for Spring 2026.
    • Registration for MASP seminars begins October 27th at 9:00 am in the MASP Office.
    • Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Students must take a series of MASP courses depending on when they join the program - if you have questions about the number of courses you are expected to complete, please reach out to your mentor or email masp@colorado.edu.

Class Descriptions

Eco-Imagination for Sustainability: (ARSC 1480-403R / Beth Osnes)

Eco-Imagination for Sustainability

Mondays, 3:35 pm - 4:50 pm, University Theatre C1B40 Movement Studio

This course is an invitation to intensely imagine the world you want, maybe a world of care, a world of nurturing tendrils of growth, a world of wonder. In this class, we will explore theories on imagination, eco-arts-based activism, the materiality of costumes for transformation, and the creation of new stories towards the world we want to live in. We will create stories where capes imbue characters with magic, mystery, invisibility, or superpowers. Each of you will literally be designing and decorating a cape. Each of you be creating and telling a story in this cape about the world you want. Any story you want. Any story that rises up. An equitable, survivable, and thrive-able world is possible, but it needs to be imagined into beingÌýbeforeÌýwe do the work to bring it into being.ÌýEs-cape-ismÌýis a ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä project of eco-imagination. It is an invitation to don a cape and escape for a time from the parts of our world that were created from the imaginations of dominators and oppressors who have caused harm to our Earth and those who live on it. Capes may stir your memories of tales from old worlds that you could use in the imagining of possible worlds.

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Neuroscience of Learning

Tuesdays, 9:30 am - 10:45 am, LBB 153

What are you an expert in? How did you achieve that expertise? How can you use that process to develop your expertise in any area? Learning how to learn is a fundamental part of developing any expertise, whether it is expertise in sports, music, academic, or time management. In this interdisciplinary course we will weave together knowledge from three disciplines (neurobiology, cognitive psychology, and education research) to explore the underpinnings of expertise-building by examining how the brain acquires, stores, and integrates new knowledge. By the end of the course, you should be able to: (1) describe the neurobiology of how the brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information, (2) predict how changes to neural systems can affect their function, (3) connect the neurobiology of how people learn to specific learning strategies, (4) share you knowledge in creative ways with others.Ìý

Exploring Academic Interests & ResearchÌý

Thursdays, 12:30 pm - 1: 45 pm, LBB 330

Whether you know where your academic and career interests are taking you or not, taking the time to explicitly name your interests and explore academic pathways on campus can be a helpful foundation for your time in college. In this class, we will first spend time investigating your academic interests, and as we move through the class, we will explore how these interests fit into your overall life goals and viewpoints. In addition, we will start to explore the type of research being conducted here at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä in your specific area of interest. As an undergraduate student, you will have opportunities to conduct research alongside faculty, and these rich experiences can help you excel in any career path you have. It can be difficult, however, to know where to start in working towards doing undergraduate research, so in this class, you will be able to explore what research in your area of interest entails, how participating in research can benefit you, and how to get involved. In your final project, you will summarize the discoveries you have made and chart a pathway forward.Ìý

Student Ambassadors for Inclusive Education

Thursdays, 11:00 am -12:15 pm, LBB 330

Think back to a class where you were not only challenged but also felt truly seen, included, and empowered. Those feelings aren't simply a bonus; they are the foundation for deeper learning and genuine educational success.
This class will teach you the evidence-based impacts of inclusivity and belonging—or the damaging effects of the lack thereof—on students' educational experiences. We'll use an interdisciplinary approach—blending an overview of the neuroscience of learning with sociological perspectives on learning and personal narrative sharing—to explore why inclusion is a core driver of student success. You'll learn specific evidence-based strategies that either accelerate or hinder learning in educational settings.
As an impact-driven class, you will also gain skills to champion the principles of inclusive education we are studying. By the end of the semester, you will craft a "Student Ambassador" testimonial to share beyond the classroom, enabling you to use your own voice to advance inclusive education in your own community.
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Mindful Campus

Wednesdays, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm, Renée Crown Aspen Conference Room

Mindfulness teaches us to be aware, attentive, and present in our lives.

“You can’t pour from an empty cupâ€Ìýis a familiar and self-explanatory adage that we regularly return to throughout the Mindful Campus course—a class that actively encourages and supports the mental health and well-being of undergraduates participating in MASP.

Our intention is to build a community of mindful practitioners. Each session is devoted to information-sharing, discussion, journaling, contemplative practices, and movement. Art, poetry, and music are among the tools woven into the course that aims to nourish the hearts, minds, and spirits of MASP students.

We welcome both beginners and seasoned practitioners. The invitation is to meet, listen, and learn about yourself and others in a space free from judgment and criticism.

MASP Mindful Campus is a pass/fail class that meets for ninety minutes, once a week, over an eight-week period.Ìý

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Farm to Table

Tuesdays, 3:30 pm-4:45 pm, LBB 330

How does your coffee get from there to here? Why is wine so much more expensive than beer? And what about all those stories of child labor in chocolate supply chains? In this course, we’ll discuss these issues and more via the lens of sustainability, broadly conceived, with a focus on how food and beverage can bring people together – or drive them apart. We’ll look at cultural ideas about food, follow a few food items around the world, and discuss farmers markets, Fair Trade, and other proposed solutions to socioeconomic and environmental inequality in food systems. By the end of the course you’ll have thought more deeply about food and community, and will come away with a better understanding of just how complicated it is to get food from farm to table.

Enrollment Dates for Spring 2026

MASP Registration Opens: October 27, 2025, at 9:00 am in the MASP Office.

Questions?

Visit ourÌýFrequently Asked QuestionsÌýsection!

If you are unable to find answers on our FAQ page, please contact the MASP staffÌývia email (masp@colorado.edu)