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PREC 100
Conversations in a World of Strangers
(1)
First Year Preceptorial is a broadly based inquiry into fundamental
issues that define the human condition and inform significant choice.
The course is organized about several topics basic to the way in which
people define themselves and their relations to other people: the
seemingly contradictory impulses toward individualism and membership in
society, our attempts to find purpose through faith, creative
inspiration, and reason, and finally the conflicts that we face and the
strategies that we devise as we move to action. The course will meet
MWF in individual sections for discussion and Tuesdays, all sections
together, for lectures and films.Staff
PREC 300
Advanced Participation in First-Year Preceptorial
(1)
(Student Co-Leaders) Selected upperclass students may participate in the First-Year Preceptorial at an advanced level. Students chosen assist a faculty member who is teaching in the Preceptorial and provide an upperclass perspective in class discussions. In addition, each student co-leader undertakes additional study related to the course, as agreed upon with the instructor.
Prereq : upperclass standing and selection by the First-Year Preceptorial staff;
Staff
PREC 312
Gay and Lesbian Identities
(1)
This course draws on the wealth of recent scholarship in lesbian and gay studies that examines ideas of culture, sexuality and identity. We explore questions like: How is identity formed? What place do sexual orientation and sexual practice have in an individual's identity, and how does this vary over time and across
cultures? What does it mean to say that sexual orientation has a biological base? How do research questions in different disciplines focus our attention in certain directions to the neglect of others?
HSS;
Prereq : junior standing;
Cross Listing : GWST 312;
H.Hoffmann;
PREC 313
Christianity and Politics
(1)
This course studies Christianity as it relates to politics, culture, society and value formation. The intent is to cross fields, disciplines and centuries to cover diverse topics of interest to students of religion, culture, politics and history. Topics include the philosophical and constitutional origins of the First Amendment protection of religious liberty; Supreme Court interpretations of the meaning of the First Amendment; the history of religion in the U.S.; the 20th century politicization of U.S. fundamentalist and mainline churches as they debated intervention in government and social justice policy; the rise of Christian fundamentalism as it reacted to the emergence of secular humanism; ethics of war vs. pacifism; and the debate over liberation theology.
Prereq : senior standing;
Cross Listing : RELS 313;
L.Hulett;
PREC 315
Nationalisms
(1)
This course explores the historical creation of the concept of "nation," and looks at the implications of nationalism for the creation and development of empire. The course also addresses the dissolution of empire in the face of growing ethno-nationalisms and supranational organizations.
Prereq : at least junior standing. The following is preferred: familiarity with relevant issues, through courses taken previously;
M.Schneider;
PREC 319
London Arts Alive
(1 1/2)
(Fall/December Break) During the fall term, students participate in meetings about once a week focusing on the contemporary performance, visual and language arts of London, as well as the relationship of these arts to the socio-political and economic dynamics of the city. During the December Break, the group travels to London to experience these phenomena firsthand.
Prereq : senior standing;
E.Metz;
R.Metz;
PREC 320
Russia Then and Now
(1 1/2)
(Fall/December Break) A study of Russian cultural, political, economic and
social history culminating in an on-site exploration of contemporary Russia. In St. Petersburg and Moscow lectures, field trips, cultural events and discussions focus on the wide spectrum of the contemporary Russian scene.
Prereq : senior standing;
Cross Listing : RUSS 321E;
C.Mills;
PREC 321
Dying and Death
(1)
"Men fear death," says Sir Francis Bacon, "as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other." People have always tried to cast a little light into this darkness, but death has remained mysterious and impenetrable. Our goal nonetheless is to explore a variety of ways of thinking about death. Does death deprive life of all meaning, or is it a necessary condition of meaning? To what extent is culture based on a denial of death, and to what extent is our concept of death shaped by our culture? What happens to us physically when we die, and what happens to us psychologically when others die?
Prereq : senior standing;
D.Beck;
T.Kasser;
PREC 322
Postmodernism
(1)
What is Postmodernism? Definitions of the term have largely focused on the movement's differences from "modernism" and tend to be hard to hold on to. Although the postmodern has become an object of fascination in many academic disciplines, its defining features are in dispute. This course surveys these scholarly debates and emphasizes their relationship to every day experience. Throughout our analysis, we explore the postmodern critique of modernism's commitment to reason, truth, objectivity and social progress. This course makes significant use of literature, painting and film.
Prereq : senior standing;
W.Young;
PREC 323
Visual Culture
(1)
This course examines the emerging interdisciplinary field of Visual Culture Theory and will introduce students to a study of modern and post-modern discourses on vision and visuality. Drawing from art history, sociology, psychology, film and media studies, Marxism, feminist and post-colonial theory, Visual Culture Theory analyzes the role of visual images in shaping philosophical, cultural, political, racial and sexual notions of identity. The course also investigates the meaning of images in relation to such popular media as photography, film, television, video, animation, advertising, pornography and the digital culture of the web.
Cross Listing : ART 323;
G.Gilbert;
PREC 325
The Impulse Toward Freedom
(1)
This course examines the impulse toward freedom that defines the democracy at Athens no less than the republican principles of the U.S. Constitution. Special attention focuses on the persistent conflict between the citizen seeking freedom of movement and expression, and the demands of the city that often seem to restrict personal freedom.
Prereq : senior standing;
S.Fineberg;
PREC 326
Perspectives on Time
(1)
This course explores some of the ways in which humankind has tried to come to terms with the ubiquitous but elusive concept of Time. We study time both as an objective phenomenon and as an aspect of human experience, through readings from physics, philosophy, religion, psychology, and several literary forms, as well as some hands-on experiments. We examine social aspects of time, and the ways that we structure our time, whether by conscious choice or societal constraint.
Prereq : senior standing;
Staff
PREC 327
Memory
(1)
The course reflects on the many and often contradictory meanings attributed to the term "memory" in contemporary society. It examines memory as a historical category, charting important moments of change in its understanding and definition. It explores scientific approaches to the study of memory and how these approaches are understood and made relevant in the practice of everyday life. Thus class focuses on how individuals and groups construct their memories, and how those memories, in turn are used to construct individual and collective identities.
Prereq : junior or senior standing;
Staff
PREC 328
Violence
(1)
The news is filled with stories of violent acts--school shootings, ethnic wars, and multiple murders. The seemingly ever present visions of violence raise questions: What counts as violence? Date Rape? Self-defense? Corporal Punishment? Hate speech? The death penalty? Who decides what is violent and what is not? Who gets called a terrorist? Who is a defender of liberty? This course focuses on understanding violence by examining our own experiences with violence alongside explanations offered by a variety of disciplines.
D.Jurich;
PREC 329
Modern Jewish Identities
(1)
This course persistently asks the question: What is a Jew?--more specifically, what is a Jew in modern times? How do Jews define themselves--and how are they represented and defined--in religious cultural, national and racial terms? What has been the impact on Jewish identity of key historical events: the emancipation of the Jews in Western Europe; mass emigrations from Eastern Europe; the Holocaust; the founding of Israel? What have been the effects of movements within Judaism: toward religious reform; Socialism and Zionism; the less formal "movement" of assimilationism? In short, how does Jewish identity arise from within and without, in conflicts and interactions with the larger cultures Jews inhabit? Through this intensive case study of modern Jewish identities, students examine the complex relationship between modern social and political forces and the shaping of identity.
P.Gold;
N.Rosenfeld;
PREC 330
Slavery in the United States
(1 1/2)
(Fall/Mini-term)
This course explores the experience of slavery through its representation in literature and film, while also investigating the historical, political and economic context of African slavery in the Americas-primarily, in the United States. We look at the enslaved and the enslavers, and the middle merchants from Europe, the Americas, as well as Africa, who facilitated the trade. The courses uses a variety of disciplinary approaches to examine the experience of American slavery, and the economic, political, religious, and scientific justifications used to maintain it and, eventually, to destroy it. Additionally, through a mini-term trip to Ghana and Benin, the course examines the West African cultural traditions from which the slaves emerged and the aspects of it they were able to retain in slavery to create a new African-American and, later, American-culture.
Staff
PREC 331
Tragedy and Comedy
(1)
Life without comedy is unbearable; life without tragedy is unlikely. The tragic and comic aspects of life as well as the artistic and theatrical representations of tragic and comic visions of the human situation have been enduring sources for philosophic reflection on how we should live our lives. This course examines philosophical theories about the nature of comedy and tragedy with special emphasis on what those art forms reveal about the human condition. Readings are taken from Plato, Aristotle, Lao-Tzu, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Camus, and Nietzche. Examples are taken from film versions of famous comedies and tragedies.
Prereq : senior standing;
L.Factor;
PREC 334
Science, Science Fiction, and the Future
(1)
Our conception of our identity as individual persons and our identity as a species is informed by the modern scientific point of view. As science and technology advance in the next millennium, our understanding of what it means to be human and of the optimal way to organize human society may be fundamentally changed. This course explores the ways our view of ourselves is influenced by scientific ideas and attempts to extrapolate ahead, exploring the potential impacts of new technologies on our identities and our worldviews. Drawing on readings from science and science fiction, we discuss issues like the potential dangers of scientific research, free will versus humans as robotic molecular machines, artificial intelligence and consciousness, the potential of genetic engineering and cloning, global ecology, utopian and anti-utopian visions of human society in the future. A.Leahy;
T.Moses;
PREC 335
Science and Ethics
(1)
This course examines the ethical dimensions of scientific practice. In this regard, our study is guided by five questions. They are: (1) Is scientific practice subject to ethical constraints? (2) If so, which aspects of scientific practice fall within the ethical? (3) How should the ethical direct or guide scientific practice? (4) Who should implement those constraints? (5)How might scientific advances outstrip present moral practice? W.Young;
PREC 336
Science and the Social Construction of Race and Gender
(1)
We will examine the social construction of race and gender and how social constructs influence scientific knowledge. We will use the social constructs of the past and present to discuss the following: (a) How does science define and how does it examine issues related to gender and race? (b) How do societal attitudes about race and gender influence scientific knowledge and scientific access?
Cross Listing : BKST 336;
M.Crawford;
D.Cermak;
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