Sep 1, 2004 -- The 2004-5 academic year at Yeshiva University boasts a line-up of exciting new courses, covering the academic spectrum from physics to the arts to Jewish studies. The courses, a few of which are profiled here, knit together disparate fields of thought and respond to the latest developments in research, business, and world events. Undergraduate political science courses in response to timely political issues, such as the war in Iraq and the US presidential elections, include "Authoritarianism in the Middle East," taught by new SCW assistant professor of political science, Bryan Daves, PhD. It will examine the history of repressive Arab regimes and their potential for change in the wake of Saddam Hussein's ousting. Budding wordsmiths at Stern will explore their creative skills in a new apprenticeship-style course with Jay Ladin, PhD, David and Ruth Gottesman Professor of English, director of Stern's Writing Center, and a published poet. The course will combine one-to-one sessions with workshops that enable students to interact with one another. An innovative new women's studies course taught by Nora Nachumi, PhD, assistant professor of English, will examine how female writers, comediennes, and actresses use humor to call attention to, cope with, and challenge stereotypes about their nature and roles. "Women and Humor" will examine works such as Sigmund Freud's essays, Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando, and I Love Lucy. New YC physics professor Sergey Buldyrev, PhD, will draw on his research into computational physics for "Introduction to Complex Systems." Using the Internet, students will analyze data from real systems in economics, ecology, bioinformatics, biochemistry, and physics, and build mathematical models to understand their behavior. YC students interested in media production will learn the art and craft of filmmaking from Jerry Tartaglia, an internationally recognized filmmaker and scholar. "Film-making Techniques" will run as a workshop with the objective of producing a five to seven-minute film. Students will have access to the facilities of Millenium Film Workshop, one of New York's best-established independent filmmaking resources. A new undergraduate men's Jewish studies initiative, the Mechinah Program, will reach out to students with a limited yeshiva background. The program features a new curriculum that includes a class on Jewish prayer, "The Weekday Service," and afternoon classes on the laws of Shabbat, Jewish philosophy, the weekly Torah reading, and question-and-answer sessions with RIETS roshei yeshiva. For its new courses, Sy Syms School of Business has turned to top executives, who combine the theoretical underpinnings of business with practical solutions. "Venture Capital," which debuted last spring, will be taught by Peter Kash, senior managing director, Paramount Capital, a hedge fund with about $700 million under management. The course will teach the fundamentals for creating one's own business, identifying entrepreneurial opportunities, writing a successful business plan, and presenting it for fund-raising. In "Media Planning and Buying," students will learn about media strategy, venues, and budgets from Adam Berger, partner and group planning director, mOne Worldwide, a global digital and direct media buyer. The business school has also introduced a real estate minor and will offer "Real Estate Law," taught by Benjamin Weinstock, a real estate attorney.