printer friendly pageSLE 92: Structured Liberal Education
Focusing on great works of philosophy, religion, literature, painting, and film drawn largely from the Western tradition, the SLE curriculum places particular emphasis on artists and intellectuals who brought new ways of thinking and new ways of creating into the world, often overthrowing prior traditions in the process. These are the works that redefined beauty, challenged the authority of conventional wisdom, raised questions of continuing importance to us today, and - for good or ill - created the world we still live in. Texts may include: Augustine, the Qur'an, Dante, Rumi, Machiavelli, Montaigne, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Las Casas, Descartes, Locke, Mill, Schleiermacher, and Flaubert.
Terms: Win
| Units: 8
| UG Reqs: College, GER:DB-Hum, GER:IHUM-2, THINK, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER, Writing SLE
Instructors:
Garcia, M. (PI)
;
Hulstyn, M. (PI)
;
Kretler, K. (PI)
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Instructors:
Garcia, M. (PI)
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Hulstyn, M. (PI)
;
Kretler, K. (PI)
;
Landy, J. (PI)
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Mann, P. (PI)
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Sabol, J. (PI)
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Shin, E. (PI)
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Watkins, G. (PI)
SOC 8: Sport, Competition, and Society
This course uses the tools of social science to help understand debates and puzzles from contemporary sports, and in doing so shows how sports and other contests provide many telling examples of enduring social dynamics and larger social trends. We also consider how sport serves as the entry point for many larger debates about the morality and ethics raised by ongoing social change.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Freese, J. (PI)
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Guluma, B. (PI)
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Hausen, S. (PI)
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Higuera, K. (PI)
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Peterson, C. (PI)
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Xu, A. (PI)
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van Loon, A. (PI)
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Boch, A. (TA)
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Johfre, S. (TA)
SOC 122D: Free speech and the university: As simple as fascists vs. snowflakes? (AMSTUD 122D)
This course uses readings from sociology, political science, and legal/ethical reasoning to elucidate the larger structures and ideals that are at stake in the debates over what kind of speech is tolerable ¿ or normatively speaking, desirable ¿ at colleges and universities. Students will achieve a greater understanding of: free speech¿s role in American society and democracy, how America¿s position on free speech compares to other countries, and how speech restriction and liberties can reveal larger patterns in structure and agency
Terms: Sum
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER, WAY-SI
TAPS 12N: To Die For: Antigone and Political Dissent (CLASSICS 17N)
(Formerly
CLASSGEN 6N.) Preference to freshmen. Tensions inherent in the democracy of ancient Athens; how the character of Antigone emerges in later drama, film, and political thought as a figure of resistance against illegitimate authority; and her relevance to contemporary struggles for women's and workers' rights and national liberation. Readings and screenings include versions of
Antigone by Sophocles, Anouilh, Brecht, Fugard/Kani/Ntshona, Paulin, Glowacki, Gurney, and von Trotta.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-Gender, WAY-EDP, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Rehm, R. (PI)
TAPS 180Q: Noam Chomsky: The Drama of Resistance
Preference to sophomores. Chomsky's ideas and work which challenge the political and economic paradigms governing the U.S. Topics include his model for linguistics; cold war U.S. involvements in S.E. Asia, the Middle East, Central and S. America, the Caribbean, and Indonesia and E. Timor; the media, terrorism, ideology, and culture; student and popular movements; and the role of resistance.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-SI, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Rehm, R. (PI)
THINK 2: The Art of Living
Where do our ideals for living come from, and how should they be structured? How do we justify them in the face of criticism? What role do great works of art play in this creative process?nnnOur lives are not simply given to us, but also something we make: as we examine the circumstances of our existence, recognizing certain facts as immutable and others as subject to our control, each of us faces the challenge of fashioning out of them a way of living that is both meaningful and justifiable. The Art of Living will explore different ways to think about the nature of that challenge ¿ how to accommodate conflicting demands and values, how to make our choices ¿artfully,¿ how we might use works of imaginative literature to inspire us. We will read important works of literature and philosophy, each of which implies a different value by which to live, whether reason, authenticity, community, art, or faith. In each case, you will be presented with different perspectives and asked to work out for yourself what you find most persuasive, thereby fine-tuning skills essential to your own lifelong project of self-construction.
Last offered: Autumn 2012
| UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
THINK 5: Justice and the Constitution
How does justice incorporate the ideals of liberty, equality, and security? How are these ideals balanced against each other? How are they made concrete in the US Constitution and law? What is the relationship between justice and the law? In this course we consider three core ideals that animate the idea of liberty: freedom, equality and security. We explore the relationship between these different ideals through an interdisciplinary inquiry that includes political philosophy, history and law. In your reading, writing and thinking, you will move between the realm of abstract ideas and actual legal cases. We begin with the philosophical roots of the ideals of liberty, equality and security and then focus on their articulation in the US Constitution and the overarching US legal framework and public policy. Students will learn to analyze the distinctive challenges posed to the ideals of liberty, equality and security by twenty-first century developments such as the emergence of the internet and the rise of non-state warfare.
Last offered: Autumn 2014
| UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-ER, WAY-SI
THINK 7: Journeys
Is death final or only the beginning of another journey? How do the mysteries of destination give rise to our most basic questions of purpose, meaning, and faith, and challenge us to consider our proper relation to others? Journeys will examine works written across a span of some 2,300 years, from Chinese philosophy to American short stories. Each of these forms and genres presents some essential aspect of the journey we all share, and of the various passages we make within that one great journey that relentlessly challenge and transform us even as we advance toward what the poet Thomas Gray called our "inevitable hour." By reading, discussing, and interpreting these works, we will ask you to consider how each text compels us, by the penetration of its vision and the power of its art, to make part of our own journey in its company.
Last offered: Autumn 2014
| UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
THINK 9: Technological Visions of Utopia
How do science and technology shape the frameworks for imagining utopian or dystopian societies? Sir Thomas More gave a name to the philosophical ideal of a good society - a word that is now a part of common language: utopia. In the almost 500 years since More's Utopia appeared, changes in society - including enormous advances in science and technology - have opened up new possibilities for the utopian society that More and his predecessors could not have envisioned. At the same time science and technology also entail risks that suggest more dystopian scenarios - in their most extreme form, threats to humanity's very survival. We will look at several works that consider how literary visions of society have evolved with the progress of science and technology. The readings begin with More and include examples of more technologically determined visions of the late 20th century, as imagined in works of fiction.
Last offered: Autumn 2014
| UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
THINK 19: Rules of War
When, if ever, is war justified? How are ethical norms translated into rules that govern armed conflict? Are these rules still relevant in light of the changing nature of warfare? We will examine seminal readings on just war theory, investigate the legal rules that govern the resort to and conduct of war, and study whether these rules affect the conduct of states and individuals. We will examine alternative ethical frameworks, competing disciplinary approaches to war, and tensions between the outcomes suggested by ethical norms, on the one hand, and legal rules, on the other. Students will engage actively with these questions by participating in an interactive role-playing simulation, in which they will be assigned roles as government officials, advisors, or other actors. The class will confront various ethical, legal, and strategic problems as they make decisions about military intervention and policies regarding the threat and use of force in an international crisis.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-ER, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Batinic, J. (PI)
;
Fruh, K. (PI)
;
Hirshberg, L. (PI)
...
more instructors for THINK 19 »
Instructors:
Batinic, J. (PI)
;
Fruh, K. (PI)
;
Hirshberg, L. (PI)
;
Sagan, S. (PI)
;
Weiner, A. (PI)
;
Zuckerman, I. (PI)
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