Seoul National University Courses

Counseling and Psychotherapy Theory

5

Counseling and Psychotherapy Studies seeks to understand and clarify our mind’s pains, sufferings, and illnesses, and to explore and practice various coping methods. "Counseling and Psychotherapy Theory " examines both traditional and modern theories of counseling theories through rich case illustrations. This course will provide an easy-to-understand overview of the process of positive behavioral change of human being.

Introduction to Economics: Microeconomics

0

A country’s economy consists of three major economic agents; consumers, firms and government. Analyzing the choices made by these economic agents is one of the main subjects of microeconomics.In this economics and finance course, you will learn how the decisions made by economic agents are represented in the market as demand and supply of commodities. You will also learn about equilibriums in the market, which is when the quantity demanded is equal to the quantity supplied. The derivation of this equilibrium is another main focus of microeconomics. By deriving an equilibrium in a market, we can see at which level the price will be and how much of a transaction will occur.Since this is an introductory economics course at the most elementary level, no prior knowledge of economics is needed. Anyone who is interested in economics is welcome to take this course.

Life in the Universe: Syntheses for Life

0

“Syntheses for Life” will start with the Bohr model of hydrogen atom and discuss chemical evolution, protein synthesis and structure, photosynthesis, and Haber’s synthesis of ammonia. The course provides an overview of remarkable scientific discoveries. First, In 1913 Bohr showed that the hydrogen line spectrum can be explained based on the nuclear model of the atom and quantum theory. Bohr model introduced the concept of energy levels for electrons in an atom and led to wave mechanics and a full understanding of chemical bonding. We will then discuss how amino acids could be produced from methane, ammonia, water and hydrogen using electric discharge as a source of energy. Chromatographic separation of simple compounds will be demonstrated. The 1953 paper in Science by Miller will be the primary source material. Third, The central dogma in protein synthesis will be briefly described. The determination of the primary structure of insulin will be discussed using Sanger’s 1958 Nobel Lecture. Experimental techniques such as electrophoresis and mass spectrometry as well as X-ray crystallography will be highlighted. We focus on the chemical principles of oxidation and reduction in photosynthesis. Calvin’s 1961 Nobel Lecture explains the role of enzymes involved in the dark reaction. How plant life and animal life are coupled by photosynthesis and respiration will be emphasized. Finally, Haber’s synthesis of ammonia is on top of the list among scientific discoveries that saved most lives. How Haber successfully selected the right process conditions and the catalyst will be described using his 1918 Nobel Lecture. Ertl’s discovery of the mechanism of the iron catalyst will also be discussed.

Introductory Statistics : Basic Ideas and Instruments for Statistical Inference

1

Statistical Inference is the process by which data is used to draw a conclusionoruncover ascientific truthabout a population from asample. This course aims to familiarize the student with several ideas and instruments for statistical inference. It covers fundamental concepts and properties of probability. Specifically, youwill learn to work with sequences of successes and failures using the binomial formula. You will also learn how the law of averages can be used, as well as how to understand stochastic processes by applying box models. The normal approximation for probability histogram, which is an essential idea for statistical inference, will be discussed in depth in this course.

Big Bang and the Origin of Chemical Elements

3

This course will start with the nuclear structure of atoms and discuss the creation of hydrogen in the big bang universe and the fusion of hydrogen to make heavier elements in stars. Three pillars of the big bang cosmology will be elaborated.Ch. 1 “Atomic Nucleus” Rutherford’s 1908 Nobel Lecture will be used to discuss identification of the alpha particle as a possible building block of elements such as carbon and oxygen. The discovery of the proton as the ultimate building block of all nuclei will also be covered.Ch. 2 “Origin of Elements” The modern view of the big bang synthesis of light elements and the stellar synthesis of heavy elements will be discussed. The 1978 Nobel Lecture by Penzias, titled “The Origin of Elements”, will be the primary source material.Ch. 3 “Cosmic Background Radiation” How big bang cosmology was established by the discovery of the cosmic background radiation by Penzias and Wilson in 1965 will be discussed using Wilson’s 1978 Nobel Lecture.Ch. 4 “Expansion of the Universe” How the foundation for big bang cosmology was laid out by the works of Leavitt, Slipher, and Hubble is the subject of this chapter. Hubble’s 1929 paper in PNAS about Hubble’s law will be the primary resource.

Environmental Engineering: Drinking Water Treatment

0

This course will cover fundamental science and engineering principles dealing with natural and water environmental systems. First, we focus on what influences water quality and what are sources, characteristics, and effects of water pollutants. Second, we will explore the basic chemical concepts needed to understand how pollutants may change their forms and influence water quality. Finally, we will learn different physicochemical processes used at drinking water treatment processes and how they will remove water pollutants and improve the water quality.

Robot Mechanics and Control, Part I

0

This course provides a mathematical introduction to the mechanics and control of robots that can be modeled as kinematic chains. Topics covered include the concept of a robot’s configuration space and degrees of freedom, static grasp analysis, the description of rigid body motions, kinematics of open and closed chains, and the basics of robot control. The emphasis is not on the latest research trends and technological innovations in robotics, but on learning the fundamental concepts and core principles that underlie robotics as a scientific discipline. The intent is to help students acquire a unified set of analytical tools for the modeling and control of robots, together with a reliable physical intuition that recognizes the unique and interdisciplinary nature of robotics—in short, content that will serve as a reliable foundation for whatever trends may appear later, and remain relevant to both the practitioner and researcher. This course is the first of two parts of “Robot Mechanics and Control.” Part II will start shortly after completion of Part I.

Introductory Statistics : Sample Survey and Instruments for Statistical Inference

0

In this course, you will learn about sample surveys with the concepts of samples and populations. In addition, we will discuss possible problems(bias) of the surveys based on practical examples and concept of probability errors in sampling. This course will familiarize you with statistical inference, the process by which data is used to draw a conclusion or uncover a scientific truth about a population from a sample. You can learn how to obtain confidence intervals and estimate the population percentage using sample percentage. We will also cover statistical inferences using sample average to estimate the population average with the concept of standard error and measurement error. Finally, you will learn fundamental idea and process of significance test to determine whether the observed difference is real or simply accidental. Test for difference in average between two groups and Chi-Square test will be discussed in depth in this course.

Environmental Engineering: Air Pollution and Treatment

0

This course will cover fundamental science and engineering principles dealing with air environmental systems. First, we focus on what pollutants can be present in air and how these pollutants move and spread in the air. Second, we will investigate indoor air quality and macroscale air-related problems including acid rain, ozone depletion, and global warming. Finally, we will study the impact of climate change on our lives and our environment and how we can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the change.

Understanding Religious Symbolism

0

In the first lecture, we will consider the question of what religion is, and ponder which cultural practices and expressions we can call “religious.” Students will evaluate current prevailing definitions of religion and query concepts such as “religious orientation” and the “religiosity” of human beings. The second lecture will begin with the notion of the sacred and then devote time to exploring the idea of hierophany, the manifestation of the sacred, closely examining symbols of hierophany from many different cultures. The third lecture focuses on characteristics of symbolism, and religious symbolism in particular. This course offers students a basic knowledge of religion and symbolism, and serves as a preliminary to my two other courses, “Myths, Rituals, and Cosmos” and “Religious Symbols of the World,” both of which contain many more concrete examples of religious expressions from the various cultures of the world.

Religious Symbols of the World

0

In this course, we will look at concrete examples of various religious symbols that appear in different cultures. We will think about the religious symbols of sky, sun, moon, water, earth, stones, plants, animals, and sexuality, one by one. We will see which aspects of these things have made religious human beings regard them sacred. The focus of this inquiry is not on summing up of the symbolic meaning of each natural thing, but on how religious humans have used these symbols to show their sacredness. ****In the last week of the course, we will focus on the symbols that show the limitations of human beings and the efforts to overcome these limitations. We will see that although religious human beings live in a variable, unstable, imperfect, and meaningless world, they try to experience the unchanging, permanent, transcendental, and meaningful sacredness beyond these limits. ****This course is the third and final course in the series following “Understanding Religious Symbolism” and “Myths, Rituals, and Cosmos.” Through the theories and patterns that you learned in these three courses, I hope that you will be able to interpret the various religious phenomena in different cultures, and through this gain a better understanding of culture and human beings.

Introductory Statistics : Analyzing Data Using Graphs and Statistics

0

Why do we study statistics? The field of statistics provides professionals and scientists withconceptual foundations and useful techniques for evaluating ideas, testing theories, and - ultimately -uncovering the truth in any situation. This course will familiarize you with data and basic statistical concepts, enabling you to analyze data using graphs and statistics. We'll start with types of data, controlled experiments,and observational study. You'll learn touse ahistogram, a representation of the distribution of numerical data, to easily arrange data. You will learn about basic concepts of statistics, such as average and standard deviation. Methods of using the normal approximation to solve a problem will be covered in this course. Inaddition, we'll discussthe correlation coefficient and the regression method in order to represent the relationship between two variables.

Mathematical understanding of uncertainty

0

The first part of the series (three weeks) discusses the basics of probability theory such as the mathematical formulation of probability, random variables, expectation, and variance in a creative way as a means to quantify uncertainty.The second part of the series (five weeks) introduces a few universal principles of probability theory. Standard theorems in probability theory such as the law of large numbers and the central limit theorems are introduced as fundamental examples of universal principles, and hence, are discussed from a unique perspective. These universal principles are used to explain uncertainty in the real-world, and numerous interesting examples are introduced for illustration.The third part of the series (four weeks) introduces the concept of Markov chain and then discusses various randomized algorithms as examples of Markov chains. For example, riffle shuffle of playing cards, Markov chain Monte Carlo, and deep learning algorithms are discussed based on the modern theory of Markov chains.The lecture series requires knowledge of calculus, but knowledge of higher mathematics and probability is not a pre-requisite.

DNA and Atoms: The Secret of Life

0

In this chemistry course, you will learn about “Life in the Universe." We will explore DNA as genetic material and atoms as the building blocks of life. We will discuss the discovery and key features of the double helical structure of DNA and the chemical principles behind the sugar-phosphate backbone and hydrogen bonding in the base pairs will be emphasized. We will also discuss identification DNA as genetic material.At the end of the course, you will learn how and why atoms are bonded to make molecules such as DNA and the discovery of argon will be used to explain the valency and reactivity of different elements based on the periodic table.To help learners better understand the material, we will be referencing Nobel lectures and scientific papers such as:Watson and Crick’s 1953 paper in NatureRayleigh’s 1904 Nobel Lecture on the discovery of argonThe 1944 paper in J. Experimental Medicine by Avery, MacLeod, and McCartyPerrin’s 1928 Nobel Lecture

Myths, Rituals, and Cosmos

0

In this class, we will first think about myths and rituals from the perspective of the comparative study of religion. We will explore the symbolism of sacred time and space, rubrics by which how various religious communities have conceptualized the cosmos. From there, our focus will shift to notions and practices regarding purity and pollution.*In the first and second lectures, we will think about possible definitions and important functions of myths and rituals, identifying their major types. Students will be able to see that the meanings of religious symbols are most effectively conveyed through myth and ritual. In the third and fourth lectures, we will discuss how religious human beings symbolically understand time and space – namely, the cosmos. We will think over why and how people distinguish certain times and spaces, establish order within them, and imbue them with meaning. In the fifth lecture, we will examine the issue of purity and pollution. We will see that purity is the requisite condition or necessary quality of each realm produced by people’s interpretations of the world and their own place in it. * This course is the second in a series that begins with the course “Understanding Religious Symbolism.” The final course, “Religious Symbols of the World,” follows. The first two courses, “Understanding Religious Symbolism” and “Myths, Rituals, and Cosmos,” pay more attention to the theoretical understanding of religion and symbolism. In the third course, “Religious Symbols of the World,” students will have a chance to see many vivid examples of religious symbols from various cultures.