Syllabi

The development of Western political, economic and social thought from the Reformation to the present day: the origins, logic and evolution of liberalism, Marxism, and organic conservatism as the principal systems of thought of the modern age. Through a careful reading of canonical texts, the elementary symbols and concepts of Western thought will be discussed. From these readings, student will learn how these symbols and concepts can be brought to bear on contemporary problems and how they can inform questions concerning our own political and social order.

Requisites - None

Breadth - Humanities or Social Science

Level - Elementary

Counts as L&S Credit

The objective of this course is two-fold. First, this course introduces students to the basics of Western political, economic, and social thought. Through a careful reading of canonical texts, the elementary symbols and concepts of Western thought will be discussed. Our second objective is to learn how these symbols and concepts can be brought to bear on contemporary problems and how they can inform questions concerning our own political and social order. What part, for instance, does reason play in our world? What does a good citizen look like? What is the good human life? What is the place of violence? What does justice look like? Thinkers such as Homer, Thucydides, Plato, Aristophanes, Aristotle, and Augustine may be considered.

Requisites - None

Breadth - Humanities or Social Science

Level - Elementary

Counts as L&S Credit

The development of literature and the arts from the Renaissance to the modern period: such figures as Shakespeare and Michelangelo through T.S. Eliot and Picasso. Literature and art in the context of society and ideas. Overall, the focus of the course will not be on “art appreciation” but on how cultural contexts – the ideas and values regarding religion, philosophy, political thought, social practices, aesthetics, and related fields – shape and make possible the various expressions of Western art and literature during this period.

Requisites - None

Breadth - Literature

Level- Elementary

Counts as L&S Credit

ILS 203 is a survey of Western literature and art from classical antiquity to the medieval period, with a substantial emphasis on the textual and material remains from ancient Greece and Rome. It will provide a foundational knowledge of some of the works of art and literature that have shaped the Western intellectual tradition, as well as challenge students to contextualize their own attitudes and beliefs.

Requisites - None

Breadth - Literature

Level - Elementary

Counts as L&S Credit

ILS 202 offers an introduction to the history of the sciences between the late seventeenth century and the early twentieth century, with the aim of understanding the varied ways of knowing that have come to be known as “science.” We will ask: What does it mean to know something about nature? How can we be sure this knowledge is secure? And what is this “scientific” knowledge of nature good for, according to people in particular times and places? In pursuing these questions, we will treat such pivotal intellectual developments as Newtonianism, the conservation of energy, and Darwin’s theory of evolution. At the same time, we will seek to understand the relationship between these ideas and the broader cultural context in which they took place, paying particular attention to the ways it was possible to “do science” in different times and places.

Requisites: Not open to students with credit for HIST SCI 202 or 404

Breadth - Natural Science

Level - Elementary

Counts as L&S Credit