2026 CLUSTERS COMING SOON!
Cognitive Neuroscience and Law
Cognitive Neuroscience and Law offers an introduction to several important aspects of the study of the brain. Our cluster will include courses that include the basic principles of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and neurochemical processes, as well as a focus on the neurofunctionality of brain… read more and view courses » for the Cognitive Neuroscience and Law cluster.
Exploration of Genetics and Genomics
Discoveries of the genomes of literally thousands of organisms inhabiting this planet have facilitated renewed emphasis on the study of life and its meaning in the social sciences and humanities as well as in the life sciences. For every individual, experiencing and living the implications of such… read more and view courses » for the Exploration of Genetics and Genomics cluster.
Free For All: Freedom, Justice, and Citizenship
How do we make a just society? Do human rights help bring about social change? Should governments insist that other governments respect human rights? Is our obligation to local poverty different than it is global poverty? What does ethical civic engagement look like, within the university and… read more and view courses » for the Free For All: Freedom, Justice, and Citizenship cluster.
Geopolitics & Culture
This cluster explores a rich and diverse array of cultures, societies, and histories traditionally associated with global divisions of East and West. How have these geopolitical entities been historically constructed and imagined, represented and misrepresented, lived and inhabited? With a specific… read more and view courses » for the Geopolitics & Culture cluster.
Global Energy: Past, Present, and Future
Global Energy: Past, Present, and the Future offers an introduction to a wide range of topics related to energy. This multidisciplinary cluster applies approaches and methods from engineering, materials science, and social sciences including economics and history, to solve energy problems.It… read more and view courses » for the Global Energy: Past, Present, and Future cluster.
Global Health: Problems and Paradigms
Health is affected, for better or worse, by almost every human act. Examining human health across regions, populations, and cultures reveals wide variations in health burdens and outcomes. However, how health inequity is generated and determining how to rectify it are complex processes requiring a… read more and view courses » for the Global Health: Problems and Paradigms cluster.
Humanitarian Challenges
The Humanitarian Challenges Focus seminars introduce students to global citizenship, the challenges that face societies in our contemporary world, and approaches of both thought and action that address these challenges. "Humanitarian" by definition implies promoting human welfare, social justice,… read more and view courses » for the Humanitarian Challenges cluster.
Implications of Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models
This cluster explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and linguistic theory in the construction of large language models and includes philosophical, neuroscientific and assessment approaches embedded in the historical and conceptual threads that connect these fields. Students in these… read more and view courses » for the Implications of Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models cluster.
It’s Not Too Late to Build a Better World
It is almost a cliché to say the world is facing cataclysmic crises—of governance, of the environment, of inequality in wealth, opportunities, and capacities. Many reformers confront big challenges like these with proposals that essentially tinker at the margins and stop short of exposing… read more and view courses » for the It’s Not Too Late to Build a Better World cluster.
Knowledge in the Service of Society
You are at an exciting transition point in your life, envisioning your future as you begin your Duke journey. How are you creating your story? What elements important to your identity will flourish? What aspects do you hope to change? Planning for 2030, the University has laid out an… read more and view courses » for the Knowledge in the Service of Society cluster.
Medicine, Ethics, and Health Policy
Medicine, Ethics, and Health Policy will include courses that explore policy issues in end of life care by considering personal and societal ethical issues, help students to develop scientific, clinical, and social perspectives on the issue of addiction and substance abuse disorders, and help… read more and view courses » for the Medicine, Ethics, and Health Policy cluster.
Modeling in Economic and Social Sciences
When is it the right time to bluff in poker and diplomacy? Why do stock markets crash? How should the delivery of global healthcare be managed? And why do people have the values and beliefs that they do? All of these phenomena depend on models for the way that humans make decisions. This cluster,… read more and view courses » for the Modeling in Economic and Social Sciences cluster.
Science and Religion in Public Life
Are science and religion compatible with one another? Are they inherent antagonists? This cluster will consider all these options and include a segment on “Oceans and the End Times.” Here we will consider: How will the world end? What is the impact of Climate Change? What threats exist for nuclear… read more and view courses » for the Science and Religion in Public Life cluster.
Science and the Public
The aim of this Focus cluster is to take a scholarly, multidisciplinary and, we hope, fun approach to science and technology and the ways in which they reach the public. Our cluster will be a cohort of four courses dedicated to various aspects of science’s place in the world, including: patient… read more and view courses » for the Science and the Public cluster.
Science, Invention, and Imagination in the Renaissance
Science, Invention, and Imagination in the Renaissance explores the dynamic intersections of art, science, and literature in one of history’s most transformative periods. This cluster investigates how Renaissance thinkers challenged traditional boundaries and reimagined concepts of… read more and view courses » for the Science, Invention, and Imagination in the Renaissance cluster.
The American Experiences
In this FOCUS cluster, we examine the making and remaking of the United States from a variety of perspectives--historical, political, philosophical, religious, legal and literary. What does America profess to value in its institutions, and what realities does it, in fact, institute? How are we to… read more and view courses » for the The American Experiences cluster.
Thinking through Music and the Arts
Immersion in the Duke departments and programs in music and the arts is an important backdrop for this new Focus cluster that brings artists and musicians to the classroom, as well as taking students to performances in music, theatre, film, and visual arts. The opportunity to combine… read more and view courses » for the Thinking through Music and the Arts cluster.
Virtual Realities, Fictional Worlds, and Games
Virtual reality, fictional worlds, and games are all over the so-called real world: from education, business, and popular entertainment to how we conduct politics, meet other people, and define ourselves and our communities. Although new technologies make videogames and extended reality… read more and view courses » for the Virtual Realities, Fictional Worlds, and Games cluster.
Visions of Freedom
Over the last three hundred years, ideas of freedom have changed the world, contributing to the collapse of monarchy, the abolition of slavery, the promotion of women's rights, the rise of national independence movements, the advent of self-government, the rise of capitalism and the rise of… read more and view courses » for the Visions of Freedom cluster.