University Scholars |
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Past Courses1984-85 University Scholars Courses Readings in Humanities - H. Thomas Williams, John Evans, Edwin Craun (Winter 1985) Reading and discussion of Virgil's Aeneid, and Ursula Leguin's The Dispossessed. Humanities Seminar - Edwin Craun (Spring 1985) Reading and Discussion of Chaucer’s And Pilgrimes Were They Alle, The Canterbury Tales, and works by Dante. Pilgrimage as an image of society and the self in the western Middle Ages. GE 4 1985-86 University Scholars Courses Introduction to Public Policy Making - William Buchanan, John Winfrey (Winter 1986) How contemporary problems in public policy are analyzed by economists, administrators, scientists, philosophers, and politicians. Alternative models such as market competition, rational decision-making, and incrementalism are examined. GE 6 in politics Readings in Humanities - H. Thomas Williams (Winter 1986) Reading and discussion of Virgil's Aeneid, and Ursula Leguin's The Dispossessed. Early Modernism - James Warren, Pamela Simpson (Spring 1986) An exploration of modernism as a period of cultural history in the early 20th century. An interdisciplinary seminar, the course will focus on changes in philosophy, science and society, and their reflections in the visual and poetic arts in the period from 1900 to 1920. GE 4 in fine arts 1986-87 University Scholars Courses The Evolution of Evolution - Peter Bergstrom, W. Lad Sessions (Fall 1986) An examination of the history of the theory of organic evolution from Lamarck to E. O. Wilson. Darwin's logical deduction of natural selection in the Origin of Species will be analyzed, and his theory will be examined in its historical context. A consideration of the modern biological understanding of evolution via the "modern synthesis" will bring Darwin up to date. Two modern theories using natural selection, human sociobiology and cultural evolution will be compared. The role of evolution in Kuhn's theory of scientific change will be discussed. GE 5c Social Science Seminar - David Parker (Winter 1987) The course will evaluate the chronicles of discovery and conquests of "Latin" America in an effort to determine the degree to which the methods of the social sciences can enhance our understanding of them. An additional goal will be to develop a concept of what a perfect history of the period 1450-1550 might be, and where the chronicles might fit in that conceptual scheme. GE 6 in sociology Philosophy and Literature - Harrison Pemberton (Winter 1987) Prerequisite for spring course. Philosophy and Literature - Harrison Pemberton (Spring 1987) A consideration of philosophy in contrast with tragedy and comedy, especially the contrast of Plato with the Greek tragic and comic poets. GE 4 in philosophy 1987-88 University Scholars Courses Seminar in Cognitive Studies - David Elmes (Fall 1987) A seminar examining research and theory in computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology that focus on understanding cognitive processes. GE 6 in psychology Readings in the Humanities - John Evans (Winter 1988) Reading and discussion of some major narratives of conversion and renewal, in conjunction with Spring Course. The Fabric of Geology - Edgar Spencer (Winter 1988) A seminar treating the basic concepts of physical and historical geology, selected methods of geological analysis, and patterns of thinking used by geologists. Topics for discussion may include geological concepts of time, plate tectonics, the origin of mountains, the law of superposition, faunal succession, and the theory of uniformitarianism. GE 5c. Narratives of Conversion and Renewal - John Evans (Spring 1988) A seminar dealing with the literature of conversions -- religious, philosophical, and political. Discussion will focus on the theories regarding the nature of such experiences. GE 3 in English 1988-89 University Scholars Courses Independent Seminar – W. Lad Sessions (Fall 1988) Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. Economics of American Health Care - Bruce Herrick (Fall 1988) An examination of the demand for and delivery of medical services in the American health care system. Topics include the system's historical development, policy problems at present and in the foreseeable future, the impact of technological change, organization transition, payments mechanisms, and international comparisons. The course will be multidisciplinary with an emphasis on economic analysis. GE 6 in economics Readings in Humanities - W. Lad
Sessions and Staff This course will explore texts, films, artifacts, and topics from the World War II era in conjunction with History of World War II. Humanities Seminar: History of World War II - Barry Machado (Winter 1989) The history and historiography of World War II. Using primary as well as secondary sources, the seminar will explore, among other topics, the theory and practice of air, land and sea power, the war's impact on the home front, and the cultural legacy of the war. The changing currents of historical interpretation will also be examined. GE 4 in history Cantor and Transfinite Numbers - Henry Sharp (Winter 1989) An introduction to Cantor's theory of the transfinite numbers. The basic mathematical concepts are one-to-one correspondence and the order relation. The cardinality of some familiar sets will be described and the ordinal sequence will be constructed. The arithmetic of transfinite numbers will be explored and will be compared with the usual arithmetic of the real number system. Finally, two of the most famous problems of 20th-century mathematics will be discussed: the Russell paradox and the continuum hypothesis. GE 5c 1989-90 University Scholars Economic History - Michael Smitka (Fall 1989) An examination of economic history. The course analyzes the first industrial revolution in 18th-century England and its subsequent diffusion to the United States and Japan. What is history, especially history seen through an economist's eyes? What is economics and how does the study of history contribute to economic knowledge? What lessons, applicable to the 1990s, can economic history teach us? GE 6 in economics Quantum Theory for Pedestrians - Steve Desjardins, H. Thomas Williams (Winter 1990) An inside view of "God playing dice with the universe." This course represents the revolutionary view of the physical world developed in the early part of this century, which replaced the more comfortable, intuitive, and deterministic classical science. The fundamentals of the quantum view of the physical world are introduced by a complete development of an ideal two-state system. No mathematics beyond algebra will be expected of the student. Material will be based upon classical texts (Dirac, Heisenberg) and exercises will make liberal use of computer simulations. The historical development of quantum theory and its most modern manifestations in superconductivity, microelectronics, and cosmology will be discussed. GE 5c Readings in Humanities: The Art of the 1960s - Pamela Simpson (Winter 1990) Prerequisite for spring course. Humanities Seminar: The Art of the 1960s - Pamela Simpson (Spring 1990) The seminar will examine the American 1960s, looking at the radical redefinition of aesthetics that took place in the movements called " Pop Art" and "Post-Painterly Abstraction." The art will be studied as an expression of cultural values of the time. Guest speakers from a variety of disciplines will help to define the decade of the 1960s in America. GE 4 in fine arts 1990-91 University Scholars Courses Anarchism: An Examination of the Anti-Statist Position - Delos Hughes (Fall 1990) Topics to be considered include the history of the anarchist idea; variations on the anarchist theme such as individualist, collectivist, and Christian anarchism, and related systems of nihilism, anarcho-syndicalism, anarcho-capitalism, and libertarianism; philosophical grounds of anarchism concerning human nature, the state and government, and moral autonomy; practical anarchism including possibilities of anarchistic communities in a statist world, considerations of scale and physical environment, and problems of transition from statism to anarchism. The class will read from classic thinkers such as Bakunin, Kropotkin, Proudhon, Godwin, and Stirner as well as contemporary thinkers such as Read, Woodcook and Wolff. GE 6 in politics The Art of Mental Calculation and the History and Science of Number Theory - Wayne Dymacek (Winter 1991) Number theory will be presented from the (human) calculator point of view. Just as number theorists have formulated and tested their conjectures by extensive calculations, students will be expected to perform computations mentally, manually, and with calculators. Required only a firm foundation in high school algebra, the class will study such topics as Euler's phi function, Fermat's Little Theorem, and Ramanujan's theorems on partitions. Illustrations from number theory will be used to introduce basic techniques of mathematical proof, including mathematical induction. GE 5c Women and the Creative Arts - Kathy Koberstein (Winter 1991) Prerequisite for spring course. Women and the Creative Arts - Kathy Koberstein (Spring 1991) Beginning with an introduction to the relevant issues from a variety of academic disciplines, the seminar will focus on the female artist in literature, art, and music. Issues examined will include how women view the creative process and how the female artist identifies herself in relation to the artist as traditionally defined in society. A comparison of the creative arts will analyze how women overcome the obstacles of socially-encoded means of communication to achieve self-expression. Frequent opportunities to meet female artists will be provided. GE 3 in literature 1991-92 University Scholars Courses Theories of Intelligence - Kenneth Lambert (Fall 1991) Several theories will receive critical examination: the theory that intelligence consists of many cooperating but loosely-coupled intelligences; the theory that intelligence is hierarchically organized into several interdependent layers; and the theory that intelligence can be more or less explained by a computational model. Readings for the course will include Gardner's Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Sternberg's The Triarchic Mind: A New Theory of Human Intelligence, and Penrose's The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds, and the Laws of Physics. GE 6 in psychology Science in the 21st Century - Maryanne Simurda (Winter 1992) This seminar will discuss various issues related to the sciences. The goal will be to gain insights into the process of science, the theories and mechanisms of biology, and the impact of biological research on the global society. Readings will include such literature as commentaries on science issues, research articles about experiments, and popular science news articles explaining science issues to the general public. Students will be expected to develop and express an understanding of a particular scientific issue. GE 5c Technology and Culture in 19th-Century America - James Warren (Winter 1992) Prerequisite for spring course. Technology and Culture in 19th-Century America - James Warren (Spring 1992) This course will focus on literary representations of technology produced in America during the age of progress (1830-1860), the Civil War (1861-1865), and the post-war period known as the Gilded Age. Issues such as perspective and the camera, urban architecture, transportation, communication, labor, and modes and means of production will be addressed. Also examined will be how some of America's writers represent the changes that were taking place during the 1800s. Selected works by Hawthorne, Twain, Davis, Crane, Riis, and Whitman will be included. GE 3 in English 1992-93 University Scholars Courses Democracy in America - William Connelly (Fall 1992) The course will be structured around de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, leading to reflection on and discussions of the relevance of de Tocqueville's early 19th-century observations and the strengths and weaknesses of the American model of government. The class will examine the role of social and economic structure, political structure, and political thought in American life. Issues covered will include race, religion, gender, capitalism, individualism, and the roles of the media and the university in a liberal democracy. GE 6 in politics Genome Projects - Darcy Russell (Winter 1993) This seminar will introduce the mapping and sequencing of genomes, i.e. the discovery of gene locations and their effects on appearance and behavior of various organisms. The process of gathering and categorizing genetic information will be described and will lead to discussions of the effects such projects have in such disciplines as economics, ethics, and law. GE 5c The Columbian Quincentenary - Jeffrey Barnett (Winter 1993) Prerequisite for spring course. The Columbian Quincentenary (1492-1992): The Encounter Between Two Cultures - Jeffrey Barnett (Spring 1993) This seminar will concentrate on the ramifications of the encounter between the Spanish and Pre-Columbian cultures and the contemporary implications for 'self-perception' in various disciplines. Examples of some themes which might be explored include the emergence of a New World aesthetic in literature; the fusion of New World and European mythology; ethical and theological implications of the conquest; the effects of the encounter in the realms of botany, diet and nutrition, and politics; the role of women; and modern Eurocentrism. GE 3 in Literature in Translation 1993-94 University Scholars Courses The Great Depression - Arthur Goldsmith (Fall 1993) A seminar beginning with a basic introduction to supply and demand analysis and the operating characteristics of the U.S. banking system. This will be followed by an examination of alternative economic theories on the causes and the economic, social and psychological consequences of the Great Depression as one of the major economic and social events in U.S. History. The imprint of this event will be explored through an examination of art, poetry, literature, music, philosophy, psychology, the union movement, photography, film and fashion during the 1930s. Readings will include works by Galbraith, Terkel, and Corey. Meets the general education requirement in social sciences. GE 6 in economics Quantum Theory for Pedestrians - Steve Desjardins, H. Thomas Williams (Winter 1994) An inside view of "God playing dice with the universe." This course represents the revolutionary view of the physical world developed in the early part of this century, which replaced the more comfortable, intuitive, and deterministic classical science. The fundamentals of the quantum view of the physical world are introduced by a complete development of an ideal two-state system. No mathematics beyond algebra will be expected of the student. Material will be based upon classical texts (Dirac, Heisenberg) and exercises will make liberal use of computer simulations. The historical development of quantum theory and its most modern manifestations in superconductivity, microelectronics, and cosmology will be discussed. GE area 5c. “And Pilgrimes Were They Alle”: Pilgrimage as Cultural Practice and Metaphor in the Western Middle Ages.– Edwin Craun (Winter 1994) Prerequisite for spring course. "And Pilgrimes Were They Alle": Pilgrimage as Cultural Practice and Metaphor in the Western Middle Ages - Edwin Craun (Spring 1994) For thousands of years, men and women have gone on pilgrimages -- to Jerusalem, to a Buddhist shrine, to Lourdes, to Liverpool (the home of the Beatles), to Mecca. This seminar will explore why Western people from 300 to 1600 A.D. went on pilgrimages and then how they used the image of human beings as pilgrims to interpret, direct and shape individual experience and the society in which they lived. Students will work primarily with medieval texts (chronicles, diaries, biographies, treatises, literary works) using as a map Jonathan Sumption's Pilgrimage, a wide-ranging account of the origins, ideals, and practices of the medieval pilgrimage. GE 3 in English 1994-95 University Scholars Courses Democracy and de Tocqueville - William Connelly (Fall 1994) The course will be structured around de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, leading to reflection on and discussions of the relevance of de Tocqueville's early 19th-century observations and the strengths and weaknesses of the American model of government. The class will examine the role of social and economic structure, political structure, and political thought in American life. Issues covered will include race, religion, gender, capitalism, individualism, and the roles of the media and the university in a liberal democracy. GE 6 in politics Art, Culture and Society - George Bent (Winter 1995) Prerequisite for spring course Art, Culture and Society - George Bent (Spring 1995) This seminar will focus on the social, political, and cultural developments experienced in Western Europe from 1200 to 1322. The consolidation of power in cities and in national governments will be studied, as will contemporary trends in religious and philosophical thought. An intensive examination of the revolution in vernacular literature and the visual arts will complete the investigation of 13th-century Europe. GE 4 in art Aspects of Contemporary Culture - James Warren (Winter 1995) This course focuses on current issues in the contemporary cultural scene. The course is organized in six two-hour seminars, each of which features a particular area for reading and, when appropriate, viewing and listening. Presentations and discussion are organized by student-faculty teams. Topics include television and popular culture, scientific theories of order and disorder, contemporary classical and popular music, Quentin Tarrantino's Pulp Fiction, postmodernism, and Stephen Greenblatt's theory of cultural poetics. Students are required to attend all seminars and write a brief analytical paper on a topic of their choice. Ringing the Changes: An Introduction to Finite Groups - Henry Sharp (Winter 1995) Change ringing (campanology) was popularized in Dorothy Sayers' classic mystery, The Nine Tailors. "Changes" are rearrangements in the order of bell ringing. Rearrangements induce permutations, which in turn provide one of the basic models of group structure. An examination of change ringing leads to the concepts of permutation group, sub-group and co-set and on to Lagrange's theorem, Cauchy's formula, Burnside's lemma, and applications in combinatorial mathematics. The course will explore fundamental ideas of finite groups via many examples, including specific peals traditionally rung in English country churches (such as the one described in Sayer's novel). GE 5c 1995-96 University Scholars Courses Max Weber - Winston Davis (Winter 1996) This seminar is an interdisciplinary study of the writing of Max Weber, one of the founders of the modern social sciences. Although Weber was primarily an economic historian, his interests were many -- the history of religion and contemporary politics above all. The class reads his Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism and various other books and essays on politics, comparative religion, and the methodology of the social sciences. GE 6 in sociology Readings in the Humanities: Negritude - John Lambeth (Winter 1996) Prerequisite for spring course. Negritude - John Lambeth (Spring 1996) This seminar focuses on the literary movement known as "Negritude" which is associated with young African expatriate writers in Paris in the 1930s (especially Cesaire and Senghor) and with their subsequent literary and political careers in their native countries. A selection of prose, poetry, theatre, and theoretical essays representative of the movement are read, as well as contemporary commentary by African writers. The course deals with notions of cultural identity and the function of literature. GE 3 in literature Botany for Poets - Thomas Nye (4 credits) (Spring 1996) This course introduces the students to the spring flora of the local area through weekly field trips to various locations. In the lecture and the laboratory, the evolution of the plant kingdom is discussed and particular attention focused on such groups as algae, fungi, mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants Laboratory course. GE 5a 1996-97 University Scholars Courses Evolution of Consciousness - Tyler Lorig (Fall 1996) An exploration into the biological and cultural evolution of human consciousness. The course begins by defining consciousness, then evaluating the possible neural substrate of this phenomenon. Fossil and behavioral evidence of humans and other animals are also discussed. The course concludes with an examination of consciousness in machines and Dawkins' hypothesis of biopsychosocial evolution. Does not meet a general education requirement. The Constitution of Civility - Edouardo Velásquez (Winter 1997) From both the left and the right in American political life there is much talk of the decay of "community" and the loss of "values," not least among them civility. Some look forward and wonder about the prospects for civility in the context of a rapidly changing and increasingly diverse society. Others look backward and wonder about the possibility of preserving the traditions that supposedly inform America's distinct way of life. In the former case, civility is looked upon as the virtue of liberal republicanism par excellence and coincident with toleration; in the latter case, civility is looked upon with awe and reverence, as if part of a golden age that is no more. There is undoubtedly much talk about civility, but what is it? This course examines the origin, extent, and character of civility, particularly in relation to the virtues civility is thought to have supplanted, namely, the martial virtues of antiquity and the pious virtues of medieval Christianity. Civility is compared to friendship, citizenship, piety, charity, and love. Finally we explore the relation of civility to the formation and education of the liberal character. Our inquiry is guided by a close reading of Rousseau's First and Second Discourses, the Emile, and Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral. Readings in the Humanities: Pilgrimage in Religious Traditions - Alexandra Brown (Winter 1997) Prerequisite for spring course. Pilgrimage in Religious Traditions - Alexandra Brown (Spring 1997) Whether to visit temples or churches, climb mountains, bathe in rivers, venerate relics, or trace the footsteps of a religious master, people have made pilgrimages and talked about pilgrimage throughout known history and everywhere in the world. This course examines a variety of pilgrimages, both actual and literary, from different religious traditions and historical periods with a view to seeing pilgrimage as a category for understanding religion. In the winter term reading course, the participants prepare to approach particular pilgrimages by reading basic theory about religion and about how pilgrimage informs the study of religion. From this foundation, we proceed to examine particular pilgrimages in both Eastern and Western religious traditions. GE 4 in religion 1997-98 University Scholars Courses Economic Themes in Literature and Film - Arthur Goldsmith (Fall 1997) The purpose of this seminar is to enhance understanding of the causes and consequences of economic issues by examining economic themes in literature and film. Viewing economic issues through the prism of literature and film offers a richer understanding of the human experience. The course fosters the development and use of critical thinking, effective writing, oral presentation skills, and visual analysis. The reading list includes Looking Backward (Edward Bellamy) and In a Free State (Richard Wright). Films include Ragtime (Milos Forman, 1981), Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927), Death of a Salesman (Volker Schlöndorff, 1986), Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989), and Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931). GE 6 in economics Statistical Inference and the Normal Curve – Thomas Vinson (Winter 1998) The Normal Curve is introduced and used to test elementary statistical hypotheses. Relevant properties of vectors and matrices are then established, permitting the study of more elaborate (linear) statistical models. The successful student will obtain an overview of applied statistics, and will also gain insight into the nature of mathematical proof. GE 5c Readings in the Humanities: Dante and Machiavelli: Giants of the Renaissance, Precursors of Modernity - Domnica Radulescu (Winter 1998) Prerequisite for spring course. Dante and Machiavelli: Giants of the Renaissance, Precursors of Modernity - Domnica Radulescu (Spring 1998) Situated at the different ends of the Italian Renaissance, two centuries apart, Dante and Machiavelli are not only two of the most prominent minds of all times and founders of humanism but also visionaries whose works left an indelible mark on the thinking, philosophy, literature and civilization of the western world. We owe more of our vision of the afterworld to Dante's Divina Commedia than to the Bible and it is hard to discuss modern politics and morality without the commonly used term "machiavellian." The course consists of an interdisciplinary approach to Dante's Inferno and Machiavelli's The Prince and The Mandrake. These texts are studied from the point of view of the theology, mythology, philosophy, politics and aesthetics of which they are representative as well as in terms of their appeal and significance for modern thinking and society. One reason for choosing to combine these two very different thinkers in one course is precisely the fact that they stand respectively at the beginning and the end of the Renaissance and face each other as two humanists at odds with each other, thus embodying the very extremes and contradictions of their times. GE 3 in literature 1998-99 University Scholars Courses: Industrial Revolutions - Michael Smitka (Fall 1998) The Industrial Revolution is a watershed in human history. Over the last 150 years, technology has wrought changes in geography, communications, politics, family structure, work content and organizations, social interaction and culture. But defining "the Industrial Revolution" is difficult at best. Perhaps it is better to look at "industrious revolution"(a term used of the Low Countries), "growth revolution" (characteristic of Japan in the 18th and 19th centuries before "industrialization" began), or "protoindustrialization" (with France as an example). One focus of this seminar is on "industrial revolutions" in England, Europe, the United States, Japan and elsewhere, and the crucial elements which define them. The other focus is on the impact on people, as explored especially through literature. Writings of Adam Smith, Karl Marx, David Ricardo and other novelists and journalists are included. Students work both in the area of the "industrial revolution" writ large and in exploring the revolution through the arts or other sources that provide insights into the impact of change on individual lives. GE 6 in economics Introduction to T'ai Chi Ch'uan - Kimberly Cass (Fall 1998) T'ai chi ch'uan is a traditional Chinese exercise practiced for health, relaxation, meditation and self-defense. Its value lies in its emphasis on total body integration and development of internal strength, relaxation and cooredination. This class introduces the postures and sequence of the first third of the Yang Style Short Form as interpreted by Cheng Man Ching. Participants also study and discuss works form the literary tradition that present a philosophical perspective on the physical practice. Technology and American Frontiers - Dr. Blackmer (Winter 1999) A seminar with a multimedia lab component, this course examines the technical background and social and cultural implications of a broad range of evolving technologies. Selected readings, library exploration, class and World Wide Web presentations. Readings in the Humanities: Existentialism and Literature - Marc Conner (Winter 1999) Prerequisite for spring course. Existentialism and Literature - Marc Conner (Spring 1999) An intense engagement with major writings of the existentialist tradition, in both the philosophical and literary genres. Students read works ranging from formal philosophy to philosophical poetry and fiction to more traditional literary forms. The central focus of the course is two-fold: first, to explore the principal questions of existentialism (what does it mean to exist? how is existence related to essence? what relation does theology have to existentialism? can one exist meaningfully within society or, as Emerson says, "must isolation precede true society"? how do questions of gender bear on existentialism?); and second, to examine these philosophical questions in a number of powerful literary works, where they are given shape and body in the lives of imagined characters who themselves attempt to live with, or against, the questions of existence. Authors studied include Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Shakespeare, Nietzsche, Wordsworth, Emerson, Heidegger, Conrad, Dickinson, Kafka, Rilke, Camus, Eliot and, perhaps, others. GE3 3 in literature Science in Art - Erich Uffelman (Spring 1999) Development of fundamental understanding of certain physical, chemical, biological and geological principles utilizing primarily 17th-century Dutch art as the basis for discussion. When possible, the course develops modern notions of science with those of the 17th century in order to see how 17th-century science influenced 17th-century art. The choice of Holland is logical from scientific and art conservation standpoints but also poses interesting artistic questions from political, religious, and economic perspectives. The emphasis is on key aspects of optics, light and chemical bonding needed to understand how a painting "works" and how art conservators analyze paintings in terms of conservation and authenticity. 1999-00 University Scholars Courses Absurdity in Contemporary World Literature - J. Lambeth (Fall 1999) Students study the theme of absurdity in contemporary literature of various genres from several regions of the world. This literature in translation course attempts to expose students to the complex and intriguing concept of absurdity from the varying perspectives of several different cultures. The course provides an overview of absurd works from Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia. During the first week, background information on the concept of absurdity, as well as an introduction to the structure of the course, is provided, followed by three, three‑ week long segments offering a more specific examination of absurdity as it relates to the contemporary works of specific geographical regions. Students are encouraged to explore this theme through a series of discussions, lectures, papers of varying lengths, and presentations. Love and Friendship – E. Valesquez (Fall 1999) This course examines the nature of and relationship between love and friendship as depicted in some of the most important philosophic, literary, and religious texts of the Western tradition.. The examination is both thematic and historical, a survey of classical Greek and Roman, medieval, modern, and postmodern sources. Primary texts and authors considered for the course may include: The Bible (Genesis 1-3, along with Muslim, Christian, and Jewish commentaries), Plato's Phaedrus, Lysis, and/or Symposium, Aristotle's Politics and Nichomachean Ethics, Plutarch's Moralia, Montaigne's Essays, Bacon's Essays, Shakespeare's sonnets and selected plays, Hume's Treatise and Essays, Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Man (and Woman), Kant's Lectures on Ethics, Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Emerson's Essays, Kierkegaard's Works of Love, Nietzsche's Gay Science and Human All Too Human, Foucault's The History of Sexuality, Bataille's The Accursed Share, and Derrida's The Politics of Friendship. Secondary sources include, but are not restricted to: Dennis de Rougemont's Love in the Western World: A History of Private Life, Stone's The Family, Sex, and Marriage in England 1500-1800, and Elias' The Civilizing Process. Our readings may be supplemented by an examination of art, music, and film, likely to be led by guest speakers and to include visits to museums or concerts The Atomic Bomb: Origins, Use, and Legacy - F. Settle (Winter 2000) This seminar reviews the science and technology leading to the development and production of the atomic bomb. With this background, students examine the decision to use the bomb against Japan as well the political, economic, social and environmental legacies of this weapon. Students write briefs (short position or information papers) based on their readings of primary and secondary sources which form the basis for group discussions throughout the seminar. The Machine and The Garden: History and Prospects of Humanity Computing - H. Blackmer (Spring 2000) How did computers become entwined in every aspect of our lives? What can we expect in the next 20 years of the evolution of silicon-based life forms? This course uses classic texts, syntheses, predictions, critiques, and fictional extrapolations to explore technological history, scientific and social implications, philosophical issues, and utopian visions of the computer. Students undertake research projects presented as web pages. 2000-01 University Scholars Courses Unfinished Science: Experiments and Uncertainty - J. Wilson, S. DesJardin, H.T. Williams, M. Simurda (Fall 2000) This course is about science in action not science accomplished. Science does not wholly consist of unquestioned facts recorded in textbooks and journals. In every scientific field, there are contested hypotheses which are at odds with the available evidence. By examining in detail real cases of disputed hypotheses, students learn about the relation between hypothesis and evidence and how scientists manage uncertainty. The course is divided into four sections: 1) philosophical and sociological theories of scientific change and the relationship among experiment, evidence, and theory; 2) origin of life on earth as a scientific problem, including discussions of the differences between historical and laboratory science, various models and evidence for the origin of life, and substitution of computer simulations for experimentation; 3) string theory and discussion of how a theory without confirming empirical evidence becomes prominent -- comparisons with Einstein's 1915 General Theory of Relativity and the agenda of the Pythagoreans, cases in which faith in the "truth" was based more on aesthetic judgment than comparison of prediction and experiment; and 4) vaccinations: central unresolved questions which affect public health policy, including investigation of the history of immunization, advances in vaccine research, immunological bases for vaccination, processes of vaccine development and administration of vaccination programs. Natural Science Seminar: Time Machines - A. McRea (Winter 2001) We already know that it is possible to time travel into the future; backward time travel would make all of history a fantastic tourist attraction. This fantasy has not been neglected by Hollywood where time machines are fueled by runaway imagination rather than science. This seminar is at once a look at the creative use of time travel in literature and film, at the beautiful physics and geometry of space-time lying behind these wonderful tales, and at the troublesome time-travel paradoxes and their treatment (and sometimes mistreatment) by philosophers and scientists. Children's Literature – H. Miller (Winter 2001) The focus is on significant literary areas found in children’s literature that are reflected also in contemporary adult literature. These have to do with theme, character, conflict: such as the Child Woman, the Feral Boy, the Animal Bride or Bridegroom, the lost family. The books are chosen mainly from Victorian-Edwardian British writers and American writers. 2001-02 University Scholars Courses: Human Geography - G. Cooper (Fall 2001) This course seeks to develop factual background and information skills to enable students to understand the numbers and distribution of humans, past and present. Human geography is concerned with anthropogenic change: environmental history in which man is the primary actor. Analysis centers on the explanation of patterns in multidimensional landscapes. Data drawn from epidemiology, demography, economics, politics, ecology, technology, social history, and many other specialties may be applicable to the elucidation of observed spatial distributions and processes. Case studies at global, continental, national, regional and local scales address ecological settings, resource allocation decisions, temporal trajectories, and landscape transformations. Students develop information literacy skills across a broad range of disciplines and media, and use the Web to develop and present their own syntheses of data in projects defined by their own interests. Basic training in the use of Geographic Information Systems software supports data analysis and presentation. African‑American History, Politics and Literature - M. Connor (Fall 2001) An exploration of African‑American history and politics through African‑American literature. The course touches on five areas: the slave narrative; The Harlem Renaissance; the African‑American novel from the 1930s to the 1960s; Black Power and black aesthetic poetry in the 1960s and 1970s; and the contemporary African‑American novel. The course culminates in a thirty‑page research paper focusing on the political and social history of the Civil Rights era with reference to writings and reflections on the movement by Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison. Humor - H. Pemberton, E. Wilson, J. Woodzicka, A. Gordon (Winter 2002) What makes humans laugh? The faculty evaluate humor from a disciplinary perspective for about three weeks each. The following disciplines, in this order, and topics are included. Philosophy: treatment of humor by Kant, Freud, Bergson, and Koestler, among others, culminating in students writing a philosophic essay. Psychology: When and why do individuals perceive stimuli as humorous? What role does disparagement humor have in today's society? Students read articles on motivational theories of humor and cognitive theories and examine biological and attitudinal factors influencing the appreciation of humor. Students also explore research on sexist and racist humor and examine the effects of such jokes on targeted group members. English: A survey of the range of aesthetic, literary, and physiological theories of humor in 16th- and 17th-century Europe. Opening our inquiries with Bakhtin's theories of "the carnivalesque" and "popular festive forms," readings of Renaissance texts focus on both the social character and the aesthetic styles of "laughter," "comedy," and distinctive "bodily humors." Each class centers on a primary text (e.g. Gargantua And Pantagruel, Bartholomew Fair, Twelfth Night) in conjunction with brief supplementary readings chosen to flesh out these arteries of comic discourse (e.g. excerpts from Renaissance jestbooks, generic and philosophical definitions of comedy, critical essays examining Renaissance comedy and physiology).Theatre: Beginning with the origin of comedy in 5th-century Athens, continuing with a study of the rise of situation comedy, and finishing with a study of the establishment of standard comic characters in Commedia dell’Arte. Emphasis is placed on relating these origins of theatrical comedy to contemporary topics and genres with lectures and discussions of reading and audio-visual assignments. Readings include selected plays of Aristophanes, Menander, and Plautus as well as Commedia scenarios, with assignments in the history, development, and analysis of the comic conventions represented in the original sources and, where possible, relevant tapes and films. Philosophy and Economics - J.B. Eggleston (Winter 2002) An exploration of some topics at the intersection of philosophy and economics, through an investigation of questions such as the following: Can welfare reasonably be construed as preference-satisfaction? Do rational agents necessarily act so as to maximize expected utility? What is the significance of efficiency construed as Pareto-optimality? What do game theory and social-choice theory teach us about rationality? Throughout, course participants examine some of the materials of the economist through the lens of the philosopher. The principal source of assigned readings is Economics And Moral Philosophy, co-authored by Daniel Hausman and Michael McPherson, but some papers are used as well. The Nuclear Age: The History and Legacy of Nuclear Science and Technology – F. Settle (Winter 2002) This seminar initially reviews the science and technology leading to the development and production of the first nuclear weapons, and then examines the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. The final portion of the course addresses the political, social, and environmental legacies of these weapons. Students write a series short papers, based on their reading of primary and secondary sources, that form the basis for group discussions throughout the seminar. Contemporary Racial Issues in Historical Perspective – L. Morel (Spring 2002) This course evaluates contemporary issues and policies regarding race in the United States by examining works of fiction and non-fiction throughout American history. Examples include speeches and writings by Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, Langston Hughes's poetry, Flannery O'Connor's short stories, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and social criticism, court cases (e.g., Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, and Regents v. Bakke), and contemporary essays that address policies and controversies like racial profiling, black (slavery) reparations, affirmative action and diversity, and the education "achievement gap." 2002-03 University Scholars Courses Shamanism, Spirit Possession and the Occult - S. Goluboff (Fall 2002) This seminar examines shamanism, spirit possession, witchcraft, and the occult in Siberia, indigenous North America, Latin America, and Africa. Special attention is devoted to how these religious practices relate to local culture, politics, and social conditions, as well as to the history of colonization and recent trends in globalization. Emphasis is placed on the developments in anthropological theory about these religions and the challenges anthropologists have faced studying them in the field. Lies, Deception & Secrecy - J. Mahon (Winter 2003) What is a lie? Does all deception involve lying, or are there forms of deception that do not involve lying? Is lying the worst form of deception? Is lying ever morally permissible? Are all lies equally wrong? Is deception ever morally permissible? Is it a form of deception to keep a secret? In this course we attempt to provide necessary and sufficient conditions for an action's being a lie and consider arguments for and against the permissibility of lying, deception and the keeping of secrets. Authors include St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Michel de Montaigne, Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, David Ross, Peter Geach, Sissela Bok, Alasdair MacIntyre and Bernard Williams. Global Environmental Governance: Law, Policy, & Economics - J. Kahn, M. Drumbl (Winter 2003) This seminar examines challenges to the integrity and well-being of the global environment. Its approach is interdisciplinary, drawing from economics, law, political science, and ecology. Through a series of case-studies, this seminar unpacks the tragedy of the commons, open-access resources, the place of markets, intergenerational equality, distributive ethics, environmental racism, and the role of "law" in promoting sustainable economic regimes. The case-studies are introduced on a modular basis. Case-studies include, but are not limited to: climate change, trade and globalization, biodiversity and intellectual property, deforestation and poverty, marine resources, and transboundary movement of hazardous substances. Throughout, an attempt is made to understand the economic and ecological effects of extant international legal regimes, and also to explore how these can be improved. Lecture, readings, discussion, use of video, film, and literary works. Regular Polygons: Euclid & Gauss - H. Sharp (Spring 2003) Near the end of the 18th century, a young genius named Carl Gauss made a discovery in geometry that had eluded Euclid and his successors for more than 2,000 years. Our course, essentially, is the story of that astonishing achievement. Euclid produced his great work, called simply Elements, in Alexandria, Egypt – a principal center of Greek learning and intellectual ferment in his day. In the thirteen books of the Elements, he collected, codified, and extended the huge but disorganized array of know writings on both plane and solid geometry. The very first construction in Book I produces an equilateral triangle, which is the smallest example of a regular polygon (all sides and angles congruent). Later results include the construction of regular polygons of 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 16 sides (restricting attention to numbers less than 20). It became an irresistible challenge to construct regular polygons of other numbers of sides, like 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, and 19. Despite the passing of centuries, not one of them was ever constructed, nor was any one of the desired constructions ever proved impossible – until 1796! By his nineteenth year, young Gauss knew the answer: one and only one of those elusive constructions (up to 20 sides) is possible. Now, would you like to guess which one it is? The mystery unravels like a detective novel – finding clues in unexpected areas of elementary mathematics, then following obscure leads to the development of a few new and more advanced concepts. So, what about pre-requisites? None needed, really. Calculus is not involved, and we will review in detail all of the necessary parts of arithmetic, geometry and trigonometry. Caveat: don’t expect a miracle! By the end of the course we will still not have covered some of the more subtle arguments produced by Gauss. But we will: a) learn some of the mathematics “time line”; b) understand the context of the problem; c) follow, in broad outline, the sweep of the solution; and d) construct each of the possible regular polygons of fewer than 20 sides. Science in Art: 17th Century Dutch Painting - Dr. Erich Uffelman (Spring 2003) No prerequisites. Permission of the instructor required.. This course will develop students' fundamental understanding of certain physical, chemical, biological, and geological concepts and utilize that vocabulary and knowledge to discuss 17th century Dutch Art. The emphasis will be on key aspects of optics, light, and chemical bonding needed to understand how a painting "works" and how art conservators analyze paintings in terms of conservation and authenticity using techniques such as X-ray radiography, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, infrared microscopy, infrared reflectography, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, UV-vis spectroscopy, UV photography, and laser ablation methods. When possible, the course will develop modern notions of science with those of the 17th century in order to see how 17th century science influenced 17th century art. The choice of 17th century Holland is logical from a scientific/conservation standpoint, but also poses interesting artistic questions from the standpoint of politics, religion, and economics. 2003-04 University Scholars Courses Skepticism, Secularism and Modernity - W. Davis (Fall 2003) For decades scholars have argued about the roles of religious belief and unbelief in the rise of the modern world (e.g., capitalism, the modern state, science, the emergence of the autonomous self, etc.). This seminar will examine the relationship between religion, religious skepticism and the rise of modern institutions by reading some essays by Max Weber and at my own theory of "passive enablements" (the idea that religion contributed most by retreating and getting out of the way of development). We will then read specific materialists, skeptics and atheists who may (or may not!) have paved the way for a more secular, modern world. Authors studied will (probably) include: D'Holbach, Pierre Bayle, Ludwig Feuerbach and Bernard Mandeville. Time Machines - A. McRae (Fall 2003) We already know that it is possible to time travel into the future; backward time travel would make all of history a fantastic tourist attraction. This fantasy has not been neglected by Hollywood, where time machines are fueled by runaway imagination rather than science. This seminar is at once a look at the creative use of time travel in literature and film, at the beautiful physics and geometry of space-time lying behind these wonderful tales , and at the troublesome time-travel paradoxes and their treatment (and sometimes mistreatment) by philosophers and scientists. Avoiding Armageddon: The Politics and Science of Non-proliferation - R. Strong, F. Settle (Winter 2004) This seminar will address the political issues, as well as the science and technology associated with the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Participants will study scientific/technical aspects of the production, acquisition, and use of these weapons. They will discuss the external and internal effects of a nation state’s acquisition of WMDs including case studies of Iran, North Korea, India, and Pakistan. The history of nonproliferation treaties and their effectiveness will be reviewed. The potential impact of WMDs in the hands of non-nation state (terrorist) organizations will be presented. Finally, participants will examine measures for reducing proliferation of WMDs. Writing intensive course. Continental Philosophy, Theology and Religion - J. Kosky (Spring 2004) Readings in continental philosophy that address the relation between philosophical, theological and religious forms of thought, language, and practice. Students are introduced to key figures in continental philosophy and then consider, more particularly, these thinkers' attempts to address theology and the question of religion. Readings may include Derrida, Levinas, Heidegger, Marion, Hegel, Nietzsche, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Pseudo-Dionysius, Meister Eckhart, or others. Introduction to Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics - J. Eason (Spring 2004) This course is intended to be a survey of the fundamentals of medical physics and an exploration of emerging topics in biomedical engineering intended for students interested in biophysics, bioengineering, or preparing for a career in the health profession. We will take an interdisciplinary approach to understand both the physiology and the physics of commonly used clinical devices and procedures. We will also discuss technical, practical, and ethical aspects of biomedical research. 2004-05 University Scholars Courses Ethnomusicology – Hugh Blackmer (Winter 2005) Science in Art: Technical Examination of 17th Century Dutch Painting – Erich Uffelman (Spring 2005) No prerequisites. Permission of the instructor required. The two courses are co-requisites of each other. This six credit course will develop students' fundamental understanding of certain physical, chemical, biological, and geological concepts and utilize that vocabulary and knowledge to discuss 17th century Dutch Art. The emphasis will be on key aspects of optics, light, and chemical bonding needed to understand how a painting "works" and how art conservators analyze paintings in terms of conservation and authenticity using techniques such as X-ray radiography, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, infrared microscopy, infrared reflectography, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, UV-vis spectroscopy, UV photography, and laser ablation methods. When possible, the course will develop modern notions of science with those of the 17th century in order to see how 17th century science influenced 17th century art. The choice of 17th century Holland is logical from a scientific/conservation standpoint, but also poses interesting artistic questions from the standpoint of politics, religion, and economics. Consequently, the second half of the course involves a survey of 17th century Dutch history, art history, etc., which links the scientific analysis to the art and culture of the time. The first three weeks of the course involving the scientific and technical background will occur at W&L. The second three weeks of the course involving the art history, politics, religion, economics, etc., will occur at the Center for European Studies (CES) Universiteit Maastricht. Trips to Amserdam, The Hague, Delft, Haarlem, and Rotterdam will be part of the course. Major museums such as the Rijksmuseum, Rembrandthuis, the Mauritshuis, the Frans Hals Museum, the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, and the Bonnefanten Museum will be visited, along with major cathedrals. The course will run MTWThF two hours per day at W&L, but will run MTWR at Maastricht in order to provide long weekend opportunities for students to visit other major European cities of their choosing. In The Netherlands, students will also receive guest lectures from faculty at Universiteit Maastricht, as well as the opportunity to see the conservation laboratories at some of the major Dutch art museums. The technical part of the course will be graded by student performance on three or four tests; the non-technical part of the course will be graded by student performance on two research projects involving one paper and two Powerpoint presentations. The working language at CES Maastricht is English, and random Dutch people are typically fluent in at least Dutch, English, German, and French, so students will not have to learn a foreign language to participate in the program. However, students will be expected to learn key phrases in Dutch as a matter of courtesy to citizens of the host country, and students will be expected to be sensitive and polite regarding the manners and customs of The Netherlands. The cost to students will be about $2,700-$3,000. [Art 380 (3 credits, GE 4); Univ 202 (3 credits, GE 5c)] 2005-06 University Scholars Courses First- and Second-Generation French and American Existentialistic Novelists. – A. Fralin. (Fall 2005) A thematic and imaged, Internet-enhanced, foray into the realms of philosophy and literature, this course aspires to thoroughly acquaint students with the origins and essence of the philosophy of existentialism and with the manner in which, through its emphasis on individualism and authentic being, it informs not only several French novels of the mid-1900s and American objectivist Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead [1943], but also certain American and French novels of the second half of the twentieth century. Additional works to be studied are essays by Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Frenchman, Georges Bataille, as well as Sartre’s novelette, A CEO’s Childhood [1939], Camus’ novel, The Fall [1956], Walker Percy’s The Moviegoer [1961], James Dickey’s Deliverance [1970], W. & L. alumnus Philippe Labro’s Manuella [1999] and Lolita Pille’s Hell [2002]. In terms of typically existentialistic metaphorical imagery, also to be fully emphasized and appreciated in the course, perhaps none is more poetic than is the Biblically Dantesque imagery of The Fall resurrected in Deliverance. To be viewed and also analyzed in conjunction with our readings will be two films: The Passion of Ayn Rand [1999] based on Barbara Branden’s 1986 biography and Deliverance [1972] based on Dickey’s novel. GE 3 in literature or philosophy Industrial Revolutions –M. Smitka. (Fall 2005) The Industrial Revolution is a watershed in human history. Over the last 150 years, technology has wrought changes in geography, communications, politics, family structure, work content and organizations, social interaction and culture. But defining "the Industrial Revolution" is difficult at best. Perhaps it is better to look at "industrious revolution"(a term used of the Low Countries), "growth revolution" (characteristic of Japan in the 18th and 19th centuries before "industrialization" began), or "protoindustrialization" (with France as an example). One focus of this seminar is on "industrial revolutions" in England, Europe, the United States, Japan and elsewhere, and the crucial elements which define them. The other focus is on the impact on people, as explored especially through literature. Writings of Adam Smith, Karl Marx, David Ricardo and other novelists and journalists are included. Students work both in the area of the "industrial revolution" writ large and in exploring the revolution through the arts or other sources that provide insights into the impact of change on individual lives. GE 6 in economics Scientific, Political & International Response To WMDs – Frank Settle and Robert Strong (Winter 2006) This team-taught course will address the science, technology and political issues associated with the proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. Students will study scientific/technological aspects of the acquisition and use of modern weapons of mass destruction and the issues surrounding the weapons programs of Iran, North Korea, India and Pakistan. The effectiveness of nonproliferation treaties and policies will be reviewed and consideration will be given to new national and international initiatives to reduce or control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Writing intensive course. University Scholars seeking to fulfill the science seminar requirement may petition the director for permission to count this seminar as UNIV 202. The Song of the Dodo –Jim Warren (Winter 2006) Prerequisite for spring course. Field Biogeography & Species Conservation –Jim Warren and John Knox (Spring 2006) The THREE courses comprise 7 credits, running from midterm of our Winter term 2006 to the end of our six-week Spring term 2006. In the Winter term, we will conduct a 1-credit reading course, focusing on David Quammen’s Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions (1996). Quammen’s book is an excellent piece of science journalism. It mixes personal narrative, history of science, cultural anthropology, and ecology to account for species distributions, associations, survivals and extinctions. The book places scientific knowledge in the context of global environmental stewardship. It delivers basic scientific knowledge concerning island biogeography in an accessible literary form. This will be a pass/fail discussion seminar, with a paper due at the end of the term. The six-week Spring course will be for double credit, and this means that the course will meet officially 24 hours per week. In practice, we expect to spend the whole day together. The focus in the spring will be field botany, but we plan to use the focus on fieldwork to develop island biogeography as an approach to scientific and literary concepts of place. Specifically, Professor Knox conducts research on the endangered plant species Helenium virginicum at the Big Levels sinkhole ponds in Augusta County, Virginia. The environment of the ponds in effect creates island conditions, so the students will see how theories of island biogeography can be applied in the field. Nearby, in Bath County, shale barrens create another type of island environment, with rare plant species that are most closely akin to the prairie ecosystems of the Midwest. These two places abound in other plant species, and the fieldwork will focus on the taxonomy of vascular plants; the organization of plants into family, genus, and species; the use of a scientific manual of vascular plants to identify unknown plants by family, genus, and species; the ecological and historical contexts responsible for speciation and extinction. In addition to the work in field botany, we plan to examine humanistic geography and literature as ways of developing a sense of place. Readings will include selections from Darwin and Wallace, printed in the Norton Critical Edition of Darwin’s works, and E. O. Wilson, the co-founder of island biogeography as a field. We also plan to use Jonathan Weiner’s The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time (1994) and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses (2003). All of these works cross the boundaries of academic disciplines and literary genres. Terms like Ascience writing, Anature writing, and Anatural history are not fixed epistemological categories but convenient phrases. We hope to teach our students a variety of ways of knowing a place. Professor Kimmerer has agreed to come to campus to spend a week with the class, both in the field and in the classroom. 2006-07 University Scholars Courses Film Adaptation - D. Kramer (Fall 2006) This course examines both the theory and practice of film adaptation by studying how directors such as Ang Lee, Stanley Kubrik, and Werner Herzog treat and transform major literary works by Jane Austen, Vladimir Nabokov, and Georg Büchner into moving pictures. Modern European Theatre and Politics - D. Radulescu (Fall 2006) This course consists of reading, discussing, and analyzing some of the most prominent works of 20th‑century European drama, examining especially their connection to the politics and socio‑historical movements of their respective periods. Using a cultural studies approach to the texts and their authors, students explore the many interactions between literary, aesthetic, and dramatic forms and political events and ideologies. We examine the ways in which modern European playwrights have used dramatic form, language, and character creation to subvert oppressive ideologies; to resist and remember historical tragedies such as World War I and World War II, the Holocaust, and the Bosnian War; or as a catalyst for social revolutions, for the emancipation of women, or for emphasizing the rights of workers in capitalist societies. Among the texts required for the course are Sartre’s The Flies, Camus’ Caligula, Brecht’s Mother Courage, Churchill’s Top Girls, Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist, and Arrabal’s The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria. Students prepare oral presentations, research papers, and an extensive final project. GE 3 Nuclear Age – F. Settle (Winter 2007) This seminar initially reviews the science and technology leading to the production of the first nuclear weapons. It then examines the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. The final portion of the course then addresses the political, social, and environmental legacies of these weapons. Students write a series of short papers, based on their reading of primary and seconday sources, that form the basis for group discussions throughout the seminar. A term paper is required, this is not a laboratory course. Legal Ethics – Greg Cooper (Winter 2007) An examination of the issues associated with lawyers’ roles in society and their impact upon and their obligations to the client, the court, and the legal profession. The course also addresses questions of the role and function of law and the adversary system. String Theory and the Philosophy of Science – Weickert, Mazilu (Winter 2007) The course explores the philosophical issues raised by the recent development of string theory in physics. The theory is controversial because it seems to offer the unification of quantum mechanics and relativity that physicists have longed for going back to Einstein. On the other hand, the theory appears to be untestable in principle by any empirical evidence which, in the eyes of some, renders it unscientific. As I understand it, the course does not require a strong background in either physics or mathematics, however, anyone interested in the course should probably check with Professor Weickert about the requisite background in these areas. Biopolicy and Bioethics – Rebecca Harris (Spring 2007) A survey of policy problems arising from advances in microbiology and genetics, particularly including human cloning, reproductive technologies, genetically modified organisms, forensic DNA, behavioral genetics, patenting genetic material, genetic medicine, and genetic counseling. Students will write response papers and final paper. The Pacific Basin in World Affairs – Kiracofe (Spring 2007) This course will consider diplomatic, economic, and strategic dimensions of the Pacific Basin (East Asia/ Southeast Asia/ Pacific) in World Affairs. Issues such as energy, environment and terrorism will also be considered. The foreign policies of the major powers involved in the region will be explored and assessed: China, Russia, Japan and the United States. The foreign policies of other significant regional players will also be explored and assessed: India, Indonesia and Australia. There will be a MidTerm and a Final exam and students will write two short papers (1000 words each) and a term paper (2500 words) on topics of their choice with the professor’s approval. Ethics of Conservation of Biodiversity – Hurd, G. Cooper (Spring 2007) How important is biodiversity to the health of ecological systems? The course will be a discussion based seminar on ecological and philosophical works (including E.O. Wilson and other tropical ecologists.) We will investigate the tension between the pursuit of environmental gains, and the economic and developmental goals for the indigenous people inhabiting areas of high biodiversity. Sociology of Literature – Eastwood (Spring 2007) This seminar introduces students to the field of the sociology of literature. After surveying a number of the classic problems of the field, the course focuses on several sociological theories of the emergence and development of the novel. In addition to reading theorists such as Benedict Anderson, Pierre Bourdieu, Wendy Griswold, Michael McKeon, and Ian Watt, among others, there is a sociological reading of several classic novels (for example, by Cervantes, Defoe, Austen, and Flaubert, among others). Science in Art: Technical Examination of 17th Century Dutch Painting – Erich Uffelman (Spring 2005) No prerequisites. Permission of the instructor required. The two courses are co-requisites of each other. This six credit course will develop students' fundamental understanding of certain physical, chemical, biological, and geological concepts and utilize that vocabulary and knowledge to discuss 17th century Dutch Art. The emphasis will be on key aspects of optics, light, and chemical bonding needed to understand how a painting "works" and how art conservators analyze paintings in terms of conservation and authenticity using techniques such as X-ray radiography, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, infrared microscopy, infrared reflectography, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, UV-vis spectroscopy, UV photography, and laser ablation methods. When possible, the course will develop modern notions of science with those of the 17th century in order to see how 17th century science influenced 17th century art. The choice of 17th century Holland is logical from a scientific/conservation standpoint, but also poses interesting artistic questions from the standpoint of politics, religion, and economics. Consequently, the second half of the course involves a survey of 17th century Dutch history, art history, etc., which links the scientific analysis to the art and culture of the time. The first three weeks of the course involving the scientific and technical background will occur at W&L. The second three weeks of the course involving the art history, politics, religion, economics, etc., will occur at the Center for European Studies (CES) Universiteit Maastricht. Trips to Amserdam, The Hague, Delft, Haarlem, and Rotterdam will be part of the course. Major museums such as the Rijksmuseum, Rembrandthuis, the Mauritshuis, the Frans Hals Museum, the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, and the Bonnefanten Museum will be visited, along with major cathedrals. The course will run MTWThF two hours per day at W&L, but will run MTWR at Maastricht in order to provide long weekend opportunities for students to visit other major European cities of their choosing. In The Netherlands, students will also receive guest lectures from faculty at Universiteit Maastricht, as well as the opportunity to see the conservation laboratories at some of the major Dutch art museums. The technical part of the course will be graded by student performance on three or four tests; the non-technical part of the course will be graded by student performance on two research projects involving one paper and two Powerpoint presentations. The working language at CES Maastricht is English, and random Dutch people are typically fluent in at least Dutch, English, German, and French, so students will not have to learn a foreign language to participate in the program. However, students will be expected to learn key phrases in Dutch as a matter of courtesy to citizens of the host country, and students will be expected to be sensitive and polite regarding the manners and customs of The Netherlands. The cost to students will be about $2,700-$3,000. [Art 380 (3 credits, GE 4); Univ 202 (3 credits, GE 5c)] Spring Institute for Global Studies 2007: India – T. Lubin, S. Desjardins (Spring 2007) One of the world’s most ancient cultures, India measures the course of its civilization in millennia rather than centuries. At the same time, it is a country rushing headlong into the e21st century, with a rapidly evolving economy, quickly changing social conditions, and a wholesale incorporation of customs and customers from all over the world. Founded on a relatively recent non-violent political revolution fed by the visionary teachings of one of the 20th century’s most dynamic leaders, Mahatma Gandhi, India is a now a nuclear power, the world’s largest democracy, and a growing center of trade and finance. It is also a country with a remarkably rich and complex history. This year’s Spring Institute for Global Studies will explore Indian culture and society from a variety of perspectives. The program will be based in the city of Mysore in the southern part of the subcontinent. It will offer a general overview of Indian history and civilization but will focus especially on an examination of the many basic issues crucial to development in this part of the world, from education to the economy to the environment. The topics of public health and medical care will share the stage with traditional Indian notions of healing and well-being in this culture which has been so adept at connecting science and religion. Class work will include lectures by both W&L faculty and guest speakers. Visits will take students both into ancient temples and modern clinics, rural villages and urban business centers. Land in Lakota Sioux Religion, Culture, and History – H. Markowitz Combining classroom studies and field research, this 6-credit seminar will focus on the religious, cultural, and historical dimensions of the Lakotas’ (Western Sioux’s) ties to their lands. The material covered will be of value to students in a wide variety of fields, including Religion, Anthropology, Environmental Studies, History, and the Shepherd Poverty Program. During the seminar’s initial two weeks, the class will first explore various ways in which relationships among land, culture, and religion found expression in pre-reservation Lakota communities. We will next examine how the Lakota’s confinement on reservations in present-day South Dakota beginning in the last third of the 19th century fundamentally challenged and altered these relationships. We will finally consider selected ways in which present-day Lakotas are drawing upon traditional spirituality, ecological knowledge, and social institutions to revitalize their communities. The seminar’s second two weeks will comprise a fieldtrip in which the class will visit and work at sites that are of major spiritual, cultural, and historical significance to Lakotas. We will also have the opportunity to hear representatives from tribal social service organizations describe on-going economic and social programs and initiatives. The fieldtrip will be stationed at Wingsprings, the location of the new Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS). This site overlooks a series of spring-fed ponds that flow into Bear-In-The-Lodge creek, a tributary waterway of the Cheyenne River that defines the northern boundary of the Pine Ridge (Oglala Lakota) Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. Wingsprings is a unique facility that incorporates Lakota symbolism which is situated harmoniously into its surrounding landscape. The main building, which is equipped with high-speed wireless internet, functions as a multi-use research, study, meeting, and dining space; curved bathhouse provides four private bathrooms and showers; tipis serve as participant accommodations.
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