2021-2022 University Catalog 
    
    May 16, 2024  
HELP
2021-2022 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

 

Music

Course classifications:

History and Appreciation (H&A)
Performance (PF)
Theory (TH)
  

  • MUSI 311 - The Arts in Venice during the Golden Age (Venice Study Group) (H&A)

    The republic of Venice offers a special opportunity to study the interaction of the various fine arts that flowered simultaneously at the peak of one of Europe’s greatest cultural centers. The course examines artistic achievements of the Renaissance and early Baroque ages (ca. 1400-1700), chiefly in architecture and music. Students make frequent excursions to exemplary churches and palazzi, may attend local concerts, and learn to sing some Italian Renaissance music. Major credit requires permission of the department. (H&A)

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    When Offered: Venice Study Group

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • MUSI 317 - Chamber Music II (PF)

    The Colgate Chamber Players (strings, pianists, winds) explore and perform a diverse and rich chamber music repertoire in 4-5 yearly concerts, both on and off campus. A bi-yearly concert tour features series concerts, outreach activities and repertoire research. Unless separated by off-campus study, two consecutive terms are required for a student to receive a single credit. (PF)

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Audition required
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • MUSI 330 - University Orchestra II (PF)

    The 68-member student and professional orchestra offers four major concerts on the music department concert series every year. With the same wide-ranging repertoire of any major urban professional orchestra students learn about the works technically, stylistically, and historically. To earn credit, a student must take two consecutive terms. (PF)

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Audition required
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • MUSI 332 - Colgate Concert Jazz Ensemble II (PF)

    The ensemble introduces basic elements of jazz improvisation (blues) and includes interaction with nationally and internationally recognized guest artists. Students perform works by the top contemporary jazz writers as well as classic charts from the standard big band repertoire including Bob Mintzer, Thad Jones, Shelly Berg, Bill Holman, Sammy Nestico, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Participation in two consecutive terms is required in order to receive a single credit. (PF)

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Audition required
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • MUSI 334 - University Chorus II (PF)

    A performance course in choral music. The University Chorus rehearses and performs the choral masterworks, often with an accompanying guest orchestra. The Chamber Singers, an advanced 18-voice chamber choir, is selected from the University Chorus membership and focuses on the rehearsal and performance of a cappella repertoire. Unless separated by off-campus study, two consecutive terms are required in order to receive a single credit. (PF)

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Audition required
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • MUSI 336 - Private Instruction II (PF)

    Private study in voice or musical instruments is offered to advanced students. The course consists of one-hour lessons each week during the term and may include a public performance. (PF)

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: Student must have been studying at Colgate with their studio instructor for at least two semesters before applying to take lessons for credit. Proposal required. 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • MUSI 391 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • MUSI 470 - Senior Seminar

    Offered as an independent study, this course is required for honors or high honors in music. Taken in the senior year, study may be in whatever the student and faculty adviser regard as the student’s major musical strength.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • MUSI 491 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term

Native American Studies
  

  • NAST 243 - Native American History

    Typically, American history is told from the perspective of European colonizers, with the story beginning on the east coast and expanding west across the continent. How does American history look different when we reverse this perspective and put the continent’s original people at the center of the story? What has been the experience of America’s Indigenous people, both before and after European contact? And why is this history essential for understanding the world we live in today? With these questions in mind, students will examine the history of indigenous peoples in what is now the United States from 1492 to the present day. Particular focus will be placed on Native Americans’ history of adaptation and resilience in the face of European and American colonialism.

    Credits: 1
    Crosslisted: HIST 243
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 291 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 300 - Continuity in Pueblo Communities

    Focusing on the words from people within the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, this course introduces students to the Pueblo worldview. Students listen to a variety of voices–poets, storytellers, educators, artists–as they seek to understand interdependence, complementarity, and the vital interconnections across past and present that are held within specific places. As preparation for the Santa Fe study group, this course also enables students to prepare for their service learning work in the pueblos or at the Santa Fe Indian School.

    Credits: 0.25
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 301 - Native American Women

    Focuses on women’s leadership, historically as well as currently, in American Indian nations. Indigenous women have been at the forefront of language revitalization programs, elder care, environmental justice movements, and native health and wellness initiatives. Each time the course is taught, it may take up a different facet of women’s leadership. Through readings, guest lectures, and informal conversations with women from different Native communities, students engage the many-layered complexities at work in the long histories of colonialism.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 302 - Contemporary Issues in the Native American Southwest (Study Group)

    Focuses on various issues facing Native American communities of the Southwest today, in particular the Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache peoples. Areas explored in the course include cultural expression, sovereignty, land claims, environmental protection, education, healthcare systems, religious rights, and economic development, among others.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Santa Fe Study Group

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No First-year
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 302L - Contemporary Issues in the Native American Southwest: Community-Based Learning (Study Group)

    Taught in conjunction with NAST 302  on the Santa Fe Study Group, students participate in service learning programs in Cochiti or Tesuque Pueblo or at the Santa Fe Indian School. The Study Group Director arranges service placement in consideration of student interest and Pueblo needs and desires for assistance.  Service learning opportunities have included projects in sustainable farming, land and animal management, law, health and wellness, elder care, and education from preschool through high school. Students work two days per week in the selected program and meet as a bi-weekly seminar and individually with the instructor to discuss their work in the pueblos.

    Credits: 0.50
    When Offered: Santa Fe Study Group

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 303 - Service Learning in the Native American Southwest (Study Group)

    Taught on the Santa Fe Study Group as an alternative to 302/302L. Students participate in service projects in Cochiti or Tesuque Pueblo or at the Santa Fe Indian School according to their own interests and Pueblo needs and desires for assistance. Community learning opportunities have included projects in sustainable farming, land and animal management, law, health and wellness, elder care, and education from preschool through high school. Students work two days per week in the selected program and meet as a bi-weekly seminar and individually with the instructor to discuss their work in the pueblos.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Santa Fe Study Group

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 304 - Contemporary Issues in Native American Studies

    Focuses on various issues facing Native American communities today. Areas explored include cultural identity, sovereignty, land claims, environmental protection, education, healthcare systems, religious rights, commercialization of sacred imagery, and economic development, among others. Students may explore these issues with a particular regional focus, or consider how Native American artists or activists address them.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 313 - Southwest Native Arts and Culture

    This course is concerned with the ongoing, and longstanding, debates concerning native art in the American southwest. What “authenticates” “Indian art” and why does it “need” such authentication? How do the older divisions separating “craft” and “art” intersect with the current issues facing individuals whose life work is now linked to the marketing of the arts? Where do definitions of “traditional” and “contemporary” compete with each other, and where do they prove complementary? Over the semester, students consider a wide range of media: traditional pottery, contemporary clay sculpture, metalsmithing, drum making, weaving, dance, music, painting, and theater.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 320 - In the Courts of the Conqueror: Native American Religious Freedom

    Explores the role of native peoples in the creation and ongoing development of secular law in the United States and beyond. It begins with an investigation of the use of native peoples as a representation of human savagery within early modern European political thought — a representation that allowed political theorists to depict law as a solution to such savagery. More recently, and more positively, it explores the important role that indigenous peoples have played in the propagation of religious free exercise rights and international human rights law. Focusing particularly on the legal negotiation of native religions in the U.S., this course encourages students to think critically about some of the most basic tenets and mechanisms of modern secular law.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: RELG 320  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 356 - Global Indigenous History

    Indigenous communities exist throughout the world, but rarely is their history approached in global terms. What does “indigenous” mean, and how does world history look different when approached from the perspective of indigenous people? How does such an approach change the way we think about our national stories, and why does that matter? With these questions in mind, students explore the history of indigenous peoples from around the world, including communities in the United States, Latin America, Pacific island nations, Canada, and Australia. By examining these diverse people’s experiences with outside colonization from the 15th century to the present, students are offered new perspectives on ongoing histories of colonialism, resistance, adaptation, and cultural resilience.

    Credits: 1
    Crosslisted:   
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 360 - Borderlands of North America

    Instead of looking at history from the vantage of national centers, borderlands history focuses on the complicated places where empires, nations, and Indigenous peoples have collided, converged, and overlapped over time. Borderlands were—and continue to be—perplexing places, where national identities and boundaries often held little sway, and where marginalized peoples sought to forge new paths. A focus on borderlands has the power to change our perspective on the history of North America, and to lend insight into the complex politics that define the border up to the present day, including heated debates over migration and the building of border walls. With this in mind, students examine the history of Indigenous, U.S.-Mexican, U.S-Canadian, and imperial borderlands from the 16th through the 21st centuries, including their political, social, and environmental dimensions. (TR)

    Credits: 1
    Crosslisted: HIST 360
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 391 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NAST 491 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term

Natural Science
  

  • NASC 110 - Singapore, Science, and the Life Aquatic (Study Group)

    This fractional credit course serves as the foundational experience for the Singapore Study Group. The course introduces students to the rich culture and history of Singapore, provides discussions about the unique geographic setting, and examines the role of science, technology and engineering in the growth and future of Singapore. This course will be taught primarily in the three weeks leading up to the beginning of the term at the National University of Singapore (NUS) with reflection on the themes continuing throughout the study group, and concluding during reading week at NUS.

    Credits: 0.50
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NASC 150 - Math and Music

    Students take an analytical look at the music system we know. For example, how exactly is a middle-C note defined? Why does a C-note sound different on a piano and a guitar? Why are there 12 notes in an octave, and what is the spacing between the notes? What happens if we change this space? Students investigate and answer these and many more questions. They also explore some mathematical rubrics for creating music.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NASC 291 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NASC 391 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NASC 491 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term

Neuroscience
  

  • NEUR 170 - Introduction to Neuroscience

    In this introduction to the neuroscience major, relationships between brain and behavior are examined at a variety of levels, including neurochemical, neurophysiological, physiological, and cognitive functioning. This course does not normally count towards the psychological science major.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 275 .
    Recommended: AP Chemistry or Biology,  /CHEM 111 ,  , or   is strongly recommended. Prospective neuroscience majors should complete this course by the end of the sophomore year.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 201 - Strategies & Discoveries in Systems Neuroscience

    This intermediate-level course approaches the study of neuroscience through a critical analysis and interpretation of primary literature, experimental design and execution, general quantitative analysis, and effective communication of ideas (both written and oral formats). This course offers a unique opportunity for students to understand a variety of concepts and challenges within systems neuroscience through the lens of the scientific process.

    Credits: 1.00
    Prerequisites: NEUR 170   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 202 - Strategies & Discoveries in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

    This intermediate-level course approaches the study of neuroscience through a critical analysis and interpretation of primary literature, experimental design and execution, general quantitative analysis, and effective communication of ideas (both written and oral formats). This course offers a unique opportunity for students to understand a variety of concepts and challenges within cellular & molecular neuroscience through the lens of the scientific process.

    Credits: 1.00
    Prerequisites: NEUR 170  and    
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 291 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 300NE - Topics in Neuroscience

    An intermediate-level course in specific neuroscience topics offered by various staff members. Students should contact the department regarding the topics offered during any given term.

    Credits: 1.0
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Not open to students who have either received credit for or are currently enrolled in  / ​. 
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 353 - Visual Perception and Cognition

    Our everyday visual experiences typically yield a sense of certainty in that we believe we are operating directly from information in the world around us. Despite such a belief, many of our decisions and actions depend on perceptual inferences derived from our internalized representations of external information. Put another way, many of our decisions and subsequent actions are the direct result of our brains making guesses based on fabricated information. The purpose of this course is to explore how perceptual and cognitive processes act to formulate low- and high-level visual representations of the physical world, and how those representations inform (and are informed by) our knowledge of the world. The vast majority of the readings for this course employ behavioral paradigms that target the neurological (functional) underpinnings associated with visual representations and knowledge structures. Therefore, it contains a mix of both behavioral and neurophysiological components (with an emphasis on functional neuroscience).

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: PSYC 353  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (  or  ) and (  or   or  )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: PSYC 200  is recommended.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 355 - Language and Thought

    Language is a distinctive human ability that distances humans from the rest of the animal kingdom - including chimpanzees, with whom people share 98 percent of the same genetic inheritance. Although language is considered as primarily serving communication in its advanced form, it is also an important vehicle for thought, with the potential to extend, refine, and direct thinking. The interaction of language with other cognitive abilities is the central focus of the course. Students compare the communication systems of other species with human language, examine efforts to teach human language to apes, learn how psycholinguists conceptualize and investigate language-mind relationships, and inquire into the cognitive abilities of various types of language users, such as bilinguals and deaf and hearing signers. Attention also is given to evolutionary changes in the neural structures implicated in human language and to neural processes constraining the developmental course of language acquisition.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: PSYC 355  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and (  or   or  )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 373 - Brain, Physiology, and Behavior

    What is the relationship among brain, physiology, and behavior in humans and animals? What can we learn about the relationship of brain and behavior that can be useful for understanding and treating psychological and behavioral disorders in humans? This course examines a wide variety of research strategies used in the contemporary study of brain, physiology, and behavior.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: PSYC 373  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 374 - Computational Neuroscience

    Computational neuroscience is one of the fastest growing fields in neuroscience. By itself, it is a field that is largely concerned with using computational modeling and advanced data analysis techniques to evaluate and extend critical concepts in neuroscience. This course is therefore designed as an introduction to modeling methods and advanced data analysis in cellular and systems neuroscience. Through in-class instruction and computational programming exercises, students explore the use of numerical simulation for modeling the electrical properties of neuron membrane channels, single cells, and a variety of processes within micro­ and macro-scale neural networks.

    Credits: 1
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170 or PSYC 275) and BIOL 182
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 375 - Cognitive Neuroscience

    Cognitive neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field - drawing from chemistry, biology, medicine, neuroscience, psychology and philosophy - that explores the relationship between the mind and the brain. The scope of this course is broad, focusing on brain mechanisms for such diverse processes as sensation and perception, attention, memory, emotion, language, and consciousness. Students read primary journal articles on case studies from the clinical literature of patients with localized brain damage and reports from the experimental and neuroimaging literature on the effects of invasive and noninvasive manipulations in normal subjects. Mind-brain relationships are considered in the context of cognitive theories, evolutionary comparisons, and human development.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: PSYC 375  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: PSYC 200  is recommended.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 376 - Functional Neuroanatomy and Neural Development

    The first quarter of the course focuses on mechanisms of neural development including proliferation of stem cells, migration, differentiation, and synapse formation. The latter portion of the course examines the function of neuroanatomical regions and their relationship to the variety of symptoms associated with schizophrenia. As the more overt symptoms of schizophrenia do not appear until late adolescence, knowing how and when various regions of the brain develop is essential for understanding the emergence of various neurological deficits in this disease.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: PSYC 376  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and BIOL 182  and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 377 - Psychopharmacology

    Discussion of the effects of drugs upon psychological processes and behavior in humans. Readings in the textbook treat the mechanisms of action (physiological and neurochemical) of various classes of drugs used in therapy or “on the street.” Readings in professional journals illustrate the experimental study of drug effects in humans and in animals.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: PSYC 377  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275  ) and (  or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 ) 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 378 - Topics in Neuroscience

    Courses in specific neuroscience topics offered by various staff members. Inquiries about the topics offered any given term should be directed to the coordinator of the Neuroscience Program.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Not open to students who have either received credit for or are currently enrolled in PSYC 300NE / .
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 379 - Fundamentals of Neurochemistry/Neuropharmacology

    Focuses on two diseases: relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and idiopathic Alzheimer’s disease. The initial portion of the course examines the various methods neurochemists utilize to answer questions about these two diseases. The remainder of the course focuses on the epidemiological, neuroanatomical, cellular, biochemical, and molecular aspects of the two diseases. Multiple sclerosis is a more intercellular question examining the interaction of immune cells and the glia of the nervous system whereas Alzheimer’s disease tends to focus more on intracellular mechanisms leading to the synthesis of beta-amyloid and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, the two hallmarks of this disease.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: PSYC 379  
    Corequisite: NEUR 379L  
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or PSYC 275 ) and   and   and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 )
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 379L - Fundamentals of Neurochemistry/Neuropharmacology Lab

    Required corequisite to NEUR 379 .

    Credits: 0.00
    Corequisite: NEUR 379 
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 381 - Behavioral Genetics

    An introduction which demonstrates that nature and nurture both play a fundamental role in the development of behavioral traits; and how genes interact with the environment to shape the development of various behavioral traits. The course uses an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the studies in genetics, neuroscience, and behavior; with a comparative approach to explore human and other animal models; and cover the traditional behavioral genetic methodologies as well as modern molecular genetic techniques.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: PSYC 381  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: (NEUR 170  or  ) and (NEUR 201   or NEUR 202   or PSYC 200 ) 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 384 - Fundamentals of Neurophysiology

    This seminar and laboratory course examines the physiology of the nervous system. Topics include ion channel structure and function, synaptic transmission, second messenger systems, neuromodulation, the neurophysiological basis of behavior in “simple” animals, the evolution of neural circuits, the cellular basis of learning and memory, and the cellular basis of selected human nervous system diseases.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   & PSYC 384  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: NEUR 170  or PSYC 275  or   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 385 - Neuroethology

    Neuroethology is a sub-field of neuroscience focused on the study of the neural basis of natural behavior. Many types of behavior and a wide array of animals are studied, and the approach is often comparative and evolutionary. Students delve into the neuroethological literature, examining the neural basis of animal communication, navigation, movement, sensory processing, feeding, aggression, and learning.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   & PSYC 385  
    Corequisite: NEUR 385L  
    Prerequisites: NEUR 170  or PSYC 275  or   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: PSYC 309  or   (formerly BIOL 220) is recommended.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 385L - Neuroethology Lab

    Required corequisite to NEUR 385 . Laboratory exercises teach methods of behavioral analysis and electrophysiological recording techniques.

    Credits: 0.25
    Corequisite: NEUR 385 
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 389 - Molecular Neurobiology

    Examines the cell biology behind the functioning of the nervous system. Students explore how cells make fate decisions during neural development, how neurons elaborate the complex structures they take on, how they form and refine specific connections, and how these together allow the precise transmissions of complex signals. Students also examine the molecular pathways by which sensory systems transduce physical stimuli into electrochemical signals and integrate that information into the nervous system.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 391 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 491 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 498 - Senior Thesis

    Neuroscience majors plan and carry out one-term experimental research projects under the guidance of faculty members in the neuroscience program; such students enroll in NEUR 498 in either the fall or spring. For students who wish to be considered for honors, two-term thesis projects are required; such students enroll in NEUR 498 in the fall and NEUR 499  in the spring. On occasion, students who are not pursuing honors or high honors may complete two semesters of senior research by taking NEUR 498 in the fall and NEUR 499  in the spring. With permission, PSYC 450, when appropriate, may be substituted for 498.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Neuroscience Majors and Minors
    Class Restriction: Only Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • NEUR 499 - Senior Thesis

    Neuroscience majors plan and carry out one-term experimental research projects under the guidance of faculty members in the neuroscience program; such students enroll in NEUR 498  in either the fall or spring. For students who wish to be considered for honors, two-term thesis projects are required; such students enroll in NEUR 498  in the fall and NEUR 499 in the spring. On occasion, students who are not pursuing honors or high honors may complete two semesters of senior research by taking NEUR 498  in the fall and NEUR 499 in the spring. With permission, PSYC 450, when appropriate, may be substituted for NEUR 498 .

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Neuroscience Majors
    Class Restriction: Only Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term

Peace and Conflict Studies
  

  • PCON 111 - Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies

    Provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of peace and conflict, as well as to the peace and conflict studies major. Focuses on attempts to study and explain the evolution of warfare and the dynamics of peace from the early Modern period to today’s most imminent and controversial security issues. Students explore the relationships between global and historical patterns of mass violence, the theoretical paradigms that attempt to account for these patterns, and the various disciplinary and methodological approaches used to explore war and peace at all levels of analysis.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 191 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations, Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 218 - Practices of Peace and Conflict: War in Lived Experience

    Introduces students to a range of approaches and problems in the descriptive analysis of peace and conflict. Students juxtapose core theoretical texts on war and violence from the social and human sciences with detailed ethnographic case studies. Practices of contemporary conflict are paired with the interpretive paradigms whose aim is to understand and resolve them. For example, case studies in terror are paired with the field of trauma studies; specific regional conflicts with theories of global networks; and contemporary mass violence with analysis of genocide perpetration. In the process, introduces students to important methodological paradigms from the social sciences, chiefly from anthropology, sociology, and geography, as well as humanities-based approaches from comparative religion, literature, and language studies.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 225 - Theories of Peace and Conflict: War, State, and Society

    Examines problems of institutional systems and the articulation of power. Students are introduced to critical evaluation of the major theoretical approaches to the study of power and politics. Students consider rationalist, functionalist, and interpretive approaches in the social sciences, as they relate to questions of peace and conflict. Students examine the specific operative theories that have emerged out of these intellectual traditions - theories of state formation, security, international norms, and transnational networks - as they have been incorporated into and further developed in the study of peace and conflict. Students test major theories on case studies linked to major world events. For example, deterrence theory is examined in light of the end of the Cold War.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 260 - Gender in Conflict and Peace

    Aims to make a feminist sense of contemporary wars and conflicts. Students trace the gendered processes of defining citizenship, national identity and security, and examine the role of the military in the construction of femininity and masculinity. One of the most prominent social constructions of gender is that of the male provider/warrior and the female caregiver/peacemaker. The making of war depends in large part on the maintenance of this simplistic conceptualization. In addition, the inequalities and power imbalances that lead to situations of conflict, at both macro- and micro-levels, reflect and reinforce the structural and discursive inequality between men and women. The class is interdisciplinary and gives equal weight to theory and practice while drawing on writings by local and global activists.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Senior
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 291 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 301 - International Human Rights and Advocacy

    The gap between the promise of international human rights law and its actual practice is vast. For many advocates and activists, the gap is a source of frustration as international human rights laws and norms rarely translate into basic protections at the level of the individual. This course is designed to make students aware of the contentious nature of human rights, both in theory and in practice. It is premised on the idea that human rights are constantly claimed and developed, if not made anew, by multiple actors–whether as rights-holders, advocates, or otherwise, and that this takes place in the context of intense struggle between state and non-state actors. Students examine both the international human rights regime and the struggle for human rights, and how they interact in practice. The course takes a purposeful right-based and victim-centered approach, with the goal of introducing students to the profession of human rights advocacy.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PCON 111  or PCON 218  or   or SOAN 218 or PCON 225  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 303 - The Camp: A Global History of Civilian Internment

    Reviews a history of civilian internment by analyzing the geographic proliferation of camps throughout the planet. In modern and contemporary history, authoritarian states and democracies alike have developed concentration camps, internment camps, refugee camps, detention camps, and displaced persons camps – in ever increasing numbers. Countries have done so in order to separate and define populations they would or could not assimilate within the political life of the nation state, thereby relegating those populations to an exceptional status instead. To study the geographic spread of camps as technologies for advancing a state of exception, then, is to learn how –and to what extent– human rights have been acknowledged or betrayed in contemporary history.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:    
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations, Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 304 - Criminal Underworld: Drugs, Guns, Bodies

    Examines the violent networks of the illicit global economy: from guns and drugs smuggling, to human trafficking and animal poaching among others. Drawing from multiple scholarly traditions, it compares the concrete geographical organization of these illicit networks - that is, where and how they become grounded - and asks the following questions: What are the relationships of these illegal activities to legal circuits of power and profit? In what ways are transnational criminal networks redefining the nature of contemporary violence and the meaning of peace?

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No First-year
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 310 - Geopolitics

    Broadly defined, Geopolitics is the study of “the relationship among politics and geography, demography, and economics, especially with respect to the foreign policy of a nation.” As the study of political geography on a global scale, geopolitics examines the relationship between territories, boundaries, and states in the “closed system” we call planet earth. But geopolitics is more than an academic field. Geopolitical thought has actually instructed states how to relate to one another in the contest for territory, security, and resources. For example, the history of geopolitical analysis is closely connected to – and has often justified – various imperial projects. As a result, this course examines the relation between the development of geopolitical thought on one hand, and geopolitical events on the other. Of particular importance to the relation between theories of geopolitics and the actual geostrategies of states has been the development of conflict on a planetary scale. And so, this course traces that relation through the study of geopolitical thought and practice in the course of imperial struggles in the 19th century, World Wars and the threat of nuclear wars in the 20th, and new global challenges such as resource wars and environmental security in our own time.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No First-year
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 314 - Media War: Peace and Conflict in the Digital Age

    The first purpose of the course is to demonstrate the central importance of media in defining the reality of war, peace, and violence in modern culture. The second goal is to introduce, in a selective manner, film, art, and written works that shaped these definitions. The primary framework is chronological, beginning with a survey of images of war and peace in art, covering in detail World War I and World War II, and ending with current images of war and of preparations for nuclear war. The secondary framework distinguishes types or degrees of war: World War I and World War II, civil wars (Spain) and genocide (the Armenians, the Jews in Europe); struggles of national liberation (Vietnam and Algeria); and prospects of global holocaust, this last creating new imagery - both positive and negative - in art, poetry, fiction, and film.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 322 - Weapons and War: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

    Mustard gas, airpower, submarines, A-bombs, Agent Orange, landmines, terror wars, “Star Wars”: weapons technology profoundly shaped the science, politics, and culture of the last century. This course explores the myriad effects of the production, deployment, and use of weapons. Specifically, the course considers how the horizons of science and technology have been shaped by the quest for ever-more-powerful or -sophisticated weaponry; how the creation of new weapons changes the nature of war and peace; how new weapons may impact lives and the planet; terror as a weapon, and scientific and social responses to it; the role of media images in the public consciousness of weaponry and war; and impacts of the global arms trade. While critically theorizing the social, environmental, and philosophical impacts of war over the past century, the course also examines the place of global ethics in discussions about weapons and war.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PCON 111  or PCON 218  or   or SOAN 218 or PCON 225  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No First-year
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 327 - Australia’s Stolen Generations: The Legacies of Carrolup (Extended Study)

    The intellectual goal of this extended study course is to address issues of both population vulnerabilities and cultural resilience by considering Aborigines in Australia, and specifically engaging the historical geography and the contemporary experience of the Noongar community in Western Australia. Three themes form the curricular program of the extended study. (1) Students will study the historical geography of Aborigines in Australia within the context of European colonization and settlement, federation and nation-building. These issues will be framed using concepts of population vulnerability, environmental impact, and cultural heritage and identity at the national, regional and local geographic scales. (2) Students study the impacts of national, regional and local policies directed toward indigenous peoples on Aboriginal families and children, given particular focus to programs concerning part-Aboriginal children, Australia’s Stolen Generations. (3) Students learn the ways in which Aboriginal culture and “care for country” has remained resilient across time, space, and generations.

    Credits: 0.50
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite:   
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 329 - Environmental Security

    The environment poses one of the most important security threats of the 21st century. Taught from an interdisciplinary perspective, this course introduces students to the different ways that climate change and environmental problems more generally are presenting new kinds of security threats. In many ways, greater environmental concern from governments and international organizations over the dramatic environmental changes afoot in the world is a welcome development. But will the “environmental security” framework reinforce global inequalities and maintain the status quo? Or might it mean rethinking the very foundations of what we mean by “security”?

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Sophomore, No First-Year
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 340 - Terror and Counter - Terror: Histories and Logics of Asymmetric Warfare

    For as long as empires and states have been going to war, people have been fighting them with the tactics and technologies now known as terrorism and guerrilla warfare. Asymmetric warfare, however, is no mere historical artifact. It dominates headlines as much as it confounds leaders around the world. Central to this course are several in depth case studies of counter-insurgency and terrorism, including France in Algeria and Indochina; the British in Malaya, East Africa and Northern Ireland; state terrorism in Latin America during the Cold War; and the United States in the Philippines, Vietnam, and, after September 11, 2001, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. The evolution of non-state terrorism — from the violent acts of Anarchists in the late 19th Century to the potentially apocalyptic terrorism of radical religious groups the early 21st Century — also comes under scrutiny. From Clausewitz to General Petraeus, from Mao Zedong to Ayman Al-Zawahiri, this class explores how asymmetric war is lived and understood by various observers and participants.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PCON 111  or PCON 218  or   or SOAN 218 or PCON 225  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 341 - War and the Shaping of American Politics

    Examines the impact of warfare, expansion, and national security policy on the development of domestic American institutions and politics since the Revolution. War’s impact has been multifaceted and contradictory, fueling a politics of reaction and repression in many contexts while serving as a catalyst for advances in political, racial, and economic equality and inclusion in others. Students will explore those contradictions by connecting war mobilization and security politics to the trajectory of American political development and state/society relations over time. Topics include: the role of the putatively weak American state in shaping 19th century territorial expansion; the effect of wartime mobilization and participation on racial politics; the interplay of warfare and the welfare state in American history; the postwar politics of the “military-industrial complex;” and the impact of foreign policy and national security on the American party system. Readings will engage such topics from the perspective of political scientists, sociologists, and historians working on a broad empirical terrain ranging over several centuries.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 345 - Transitional and Historical Justice

    In what ways and under what conditions do states pursue justice for past wrongs? Is democracy credible without confronting the abuses of previous regimes? Do programs for transitional and historical justice unwittingly mask or even perpetuate injustice by recognizing certain types and forms of violence, while ignoring others? Students examine the theories and practices of transitional and historical justice since 1945. A global line-up of case studies are presented, which students evaluate in a comparative framework. Specific topics may include Post-WWII Germany, Latin America, South Africa, Rwanda, Eastern Europe after 1989, Cambodia, Australia, and the United States.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 351 - The Israel/Palestine Conflict

    Focuses on the longstanding struggle between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as on the history of the way the conflict has been defined (e.g., an Arab-Israeli conflict, a religious war between Jews and Muslims, etc.). The course profiles episodes in the history of the conflict–and of the efforts to resolve it–in light of contemporary developments across the globe. The war of 1948 is analyzed in light of decolonization struggles following WWII, just as the “Six-Day War” of 1967 is studied in light of Cold War politics. In addition to focusing on flashpoints in the history of the conflict, the course also examines international agendas for ending it. Repeated US efforts to broker a peace are analyzed in light of geopolitical developments elsewhere. Students will become well-versed in the historical and social developments of the conflict and study the various treaties, armistice agreements, and memoranda that have guided efforts to bring it to a conclusion. They also study outstanding issues in the contest between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as well as current peace and armistice proposals.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: MIST 351 
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No First-year
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 358 - Transnational Politics

    Examines the segment of world politics that includes interactions and transactions between actors who are not representatives of governments or intergovernmental institutions. Non-state actors as diverse as global social movements, multinational corporations, religious communities, and even terrorist networks are now recognized as playing crucial roles on the world’s political stage. This course focuses on a variety of these transnational actors, as we seek to stretch the limits of state-based approaches, and emphasize the rich variety of relationships and interactions that characterizes contemporary world politics.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: POSC 358  
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 368 - After Genocide: Memory and Representation

    An investigation of the impact of genocide on the self and the imagination’s representations in literature, film, and art. Primary texts include poetry, memoir, video testimony, film, and visual art. Scholarly methodology involves readings of literary criticism and theoretical work in the study of trauma, literary theory, and testimony. Among the questions the course asks are: How does trauma shape imagination and open up access to the site of disaster that is now carried in fragments which inform memory? How do representations of violence shape and inflect aesthetic orientations and literary and artistic forms? The course concerns itself with the aftermath of two 20th-century genocides–that of the Armenians in Turkey during World War I and of the Jews in Europe during World War II–both seminal events of the 20th century that, in various ways, became models for ensuing genocides.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 391 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 479 - Research Seminar: Peace and Conflict, Themes and Analysis

    This is a theme-based seminar that examines the literature of peace and conflict studies and other relevant theoretical and analytical work relating to violence and conflict resolution at all levels of society. The seminar also focuses on the range of responses to war and violence, by both the state and the peace movement. Significant independent and group research is required. This course is required of all peace and conflict studies majors and minors in the senior year, but is open to others who meet the prerequisites.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PCON 111  and (PCON 218  or SOAN 218 or  ) and PCON 225   plus a minimum of three courses completed from cluster 2, and two courses completed from cluster 3.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Peace & Conflict Studies Majors
    Class Restriction: Only Senior
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 491 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PCON 499 - Honors Seminar in Peace and Conflict Studies

    Students qualified to pursue honors or high honors take this seminar in the spring of the senior year to complete or extend the thesis they have already begun in PCON 479. Enrollment is limited to seniors with a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher and a major GPA of 3.50 or higher, who have had their honors/high honors research proposal approved by the Peace and Conflict Studies faculty. To qualify for honors students must have achieved an A- or higher in PCON 479, or receive permission from the program director. Students who are not pursuing honors may also take this seminar to conduct independent research, by permission of the program director.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Spring semester only

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PCON 479  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Peace & Conflict Studies Majors
    Class Restriction: Only Senior
    Restrictions: Permission of the program director is required
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term

Philosophy

Course classifications:

Major Figures (MF)
Metaphysics and Epistemology (M&E)
Value Theory (VT)
  

  • PHIL 101 - Introduction to Philosophical Problems

    Acquaints students with the nature of philosophical problems and the means by which one might try to solve them. Readings and discussions are organized around perennial questions regarding the nature of morality and justice, free will, the existence of God, the meaning of life, the nature of knowledge, and the relation between mind and body.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 111 - Ethics

    Explores central questions of morality. What makes a good life good? What makes some actions right and others wrong? Are there human rights that everyone has? What are our obligations to others? Are there good answers to these questions, or is it all relative? Among the philosophers explored are Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Bentham, Mill, and various significant contemporary thinkers.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 121 - Political Philosophy

    Explores central questions in political philosophy, with an emphasis on the great figures in the tradition (including Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, and Marx). Among those questions are, what justifies the state? Is democracy the only legitimate form of government? How much freedom should be secured for individuals? How should we understand the ideal of equality?

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 202 - Environmental Ethics

    An introduction to the field of environmental ethics. Some of the major figures and philosophies in the environmental movement are studied and critically analyzed with a particular emphasis on the ethical reasoning and its influences on environmental policies and practices. Topics include the historical development of the environmental movement, central debates between preservationist and conservationist ethics, intrinsic and instrumental evaluations of the natural environment and its inhabitants, animal rights and the ethical treatment of animals, shallow and deep ecological distinctions, and anthropocentric versus biocentric and ecocentric evaluations of nature.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 214 - Medical Ethics

    Addresses urgent moral questions that arise in the field of medicine. Some of these are long standing. Is health strictly a biological concept, or do cultural and social norms in part determine what is good health? Should doctors act solely for the goal of improving their patients’ health, or is their central obligation to respect patient autonomy? Other questions are more recent. When exactly is a person dead, such that withdrawing life-saving equipment is appropriate? Should parents and doctors take steps to see that their children are born with more desirable traits and characteristics? Students learn how philosophic argument can help illuminate these and related issues.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 216 - Existentialism

    Designed to introduce students to existentialist thought via an examination of its 19th-century origins and 20th-century manifestations. Among the authors to be discussed are Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Beauvoir, Camus, and Flannery O’Connor. Among the topics to be considered are existence, freedom, subjectivity, and absurdity.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 225 - Logic I

    Logic is the science of correct reasoning. It provides rigorous methods for evaluating the validity of arguments. This introductory course covers the basic concepts and techniques of propositional logic and first-order predicate logic with identity, including truth tables, proofs, and elementary model theory.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: This course is suitable for students in all areas and is highly recommended for philosophy majors.
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 226 - Philosophy of Religion

    Can the existence of God be proven? Can it be disproven? What is the relationship between faith and reason? Does evil provide strong evidence against the existence of God? How should we think about the relationship between creation and evolution – and about the relationship between science and religion generally? Does the Christian notion of the Trinity make any sense? What about the idea of Original Sin or the Atonement? Students seek reasoned answers to many of these questions by evaluating the work of philosophers who address them. Students encounter both classical and contemporary authors, though the class focuses more on perspicacious presentations of these issues rather than on their historical development.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 228 - Philosophy of Science

    An introduction to the philosophy of science that explores issues of general philosophical interest to the sciences, rather than those germane to any particular discipline. Focus is on the issues of scientific laws, induction, theory confirmation and choice, falsificationism, reductionism, realism, explanation, prediction, and problems relevant to the special sciences.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 291 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.

    Credits: variable
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 301 - Ancient Philosophy (MF)

    Surveys some of the central figures and ideas of classical Greek and Roman philosophy, with particular emphasis on Plato, Aristotle and the main Hellenistic schools. Topics to be considered include the aim and method of Socratic inquiry; Plato’s epistemology, theory of forms and defense of justice; Aristotle’s logic, ontology and ethical theory; Stoic and Epicurean cosmology and ethics.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 302 - Modern Philosophy (MF)

    The rise of modern science together with the Reformation’s challenge to the authority of the Catholic Church created an era of intense intellectual and cultural ferment in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The philosophy of this period is called ‘modern’ because it made a distinct break with older traditions and because the questions it asked remain the central issues for philosophers today. Studying modern philosophy will help students think creatively about what there is, what we are, and what we can know. Readings will be selected from classic works by Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hume, Locke, Berkeley, and Kant.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 303 - Medieval Philosophy (MF)

    Medieval philosophy involved the absorption and transformation of Greek and Hellenistic thought by Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thinkers, often in relations of mutual influence. The period is crucial not only for its project of reconciling reason and faith but also for philosophical insights, arguments, and formulations that have remained influential in several of the main areas of philosophy. The course focuses on questions concerning freedom of the will, the nature of moral requirements and obligation, the role of rational considerations in morality, the virtues, and ideals of human excellence. Students read figures from the three faith traditions and explore their interactions and mutual influences, as well as their differences. Coverage of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thinkers is roughly equal, and students look at the Platonic, Neoplatonic, and Aristotelian background to their thought as well as the new directions in which they took philosophy.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 304 - Kant and German Idealism (MF)

    German Idealism continues to be one of the most influential movements in philosophy, leaving its mark on many different fields of thought and experience, including epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, politics, and religion. Designed as an overview of the thought of the major representatives of German Idealism: Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel. Students will examine the problems that motivated the emergence and development of this philosophical tradition, and the new forms of philosophical argument that each of these thinkers employed in order to address these problems. In doing so, students will see that there is a sense in which Kant can be considered the father of Existentialism. The topics discussed include the doctrine of transcendental idealism, the nature and possibility of knowledge, the ground of moral obligation, human freedom, and religious belief. No prior familiarity with these issues or thinkers will be assumed.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: One course in philosophy
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 306 - Recent Continental Philosophy

    A study of some of the major movements in recent continental philosophy. Among the movements to be considered are phenomenology, existentialism, philosophical hermeneutics, poststructuralism, and postmodernism. Among the thinkers to be considered are Husserl, Heidegger, Gadamer, Sartre, Foucault, and Derrida. Movements and thinkers may vary from year to year.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: One course in philosophy
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 310 - Philosophy and the Social Sciences

    Considers philosophical questions about the nature of the social sciences as well as philosophical questions prompted by the results and methods of the social sciences. These questions include: Do the natural sciences offer an appropriate model for the social sciences, or is there something distinctive about human phenomena that requires a fundamentally different mode of inquiry and style of explanation? Are the reasons for which we act also the causes of our actions, or are reason-based and cause-based explanations of human behavior fundamentally distinct? Are economists correct in their assumptions about the rationality of economic agents? Is it possible, or desirable, to conduct social scientific research in a value-neutral fashion? If not, what are the consequences for the objectivity of the social sciences? Are our values and moral attitudes themselves merely the effects of natural selection, as evolutionary psychologists maintain? Readings are drawn not only from philosophy, but also from sociology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociobiology.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: One course in philosophy
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 312 - Contemporary Political Philosophy (VT)

    Offers a critical engagement with the rich work in political philosophy that has appeared since the landmark publication of John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice. After a close examination of Rawls’ egalitarian liberalism, students take up the range of alternative positions that dominate contemporary political theory: conservatism, libertarianism, communitarianism, feminism, Marxism, and multi-culturalism.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No First-year
    Recommended: At least one course in ethics or political theory is recommended.
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 313 - International Ethics (VT)

    Nations increasingly come into contact with one another in a common international arena, and these encounters raise a host of important moral questions: Are there moral standards that apply across all human communities, and if so, how specific are they? Do all human beings have rights, and if they do, what are they? What duties do wealthy countries have to aid poor ones? Are there moral constraints on how war must be conducted, and if so, what are they? In this course students engage with the work of contemporary theorists exploring these and related questions.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: At least one course in ethics or political theory is recommended.
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 320 - 20th-Century Analytic Philosophy (M&E)

    Employs the tools of analytic philosophy to address the large topic of the mind, the world, and the relation between them; students also explore the closely related topics of how our concepts get their content and how our language gets its meaning. By analyzing both our concepts and our experience, students will try to answer questions like: What is the relation between experience and the world beyond the mind? Do beliefs about the world amount to knowledge? Is the content of experience conceptual – and so fully expressible in language – or does experience have a richness that always surpasses the expressive power of language? Where do concepts come from? What fixes their content, and what fixes the meaning of the words that express them? If the content of language is based in part on experience, can one understand the language of someone whose experience is different? Course readings will include works by Russell, Carnap, Quine, Sellars, Davidson, and McDowell.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: One course in philosophy
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 321 - Philosophy of Literature

    The philosophy of literature concerns both philosophical questions about the nature of literature, and philosophical questions that arise within particular literary works. Questions of the first kind might include: In what sense do fictional characters and stories exist? In what sense, if any, is it true that Sherlock Holmes is a detective? Are there correct or better interpretations of a literary work, and do the intentions of the author matter? Why do people choose to read works that can be frightening or sad? Questions of the second kind might include questions concerning the nature of knowledge, epistemic bubbles, and the reliability of testimony in Orwell’s 1984, or questions concerning the nature of virtue in the works of Jane Austen. Readings and themes, both philosophical and literary, will vary from semester to semester.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 322 - Philosophy of Physics

    Modem physics overturned many assumptions about the fundamental nature of reality that had been widely accepted since Greek antiquity. Students trace the transition from Aristotelian mechanics to modern theories of motion, and then survey the main philosophical problems raised by three of our most successful physical theories: Newtonian mechanics, thermodynamics, and quantum theory. Topics discussed include the problem of action at a distance, thermodynamics and the arrow of time, theories of probability, non-locality, and the measurement problem in quantum mechanics.

    Credits: 1.0
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: One course in philosophy or one course in physics
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 325 - Logic II

    Covers a selection of advanced topics in logic: computability, Turing machines, soundness and completeness theorems, undecidability of predicate logic, Skolem-Löwenheim theorems, nonstandard models, and Gödel’s incompleteness theorems.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: PHIL 225  
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 326 - Philosophical Theology

    Philosophical theology is the systematic articulation of divine revelation. Its origin as a discipline trace to antiquity, as early Christians sought to compose a coherent alternative to “pagan” philosophies (Platonic, Stoic, etc.), using the tools of those very philosophies (e.g., conceptual analysis and the determination of logical consistency as a means to metaphysical system-building). Philosophical theology flourished in the Middle Ages, as Jews, Christians, and Muslims grappled with the rediscovered Aristotelian corpus; it is in the midst of a renaissance begun in the second half of the 20th century. After examining the epistemological framework in which philosophical theology takes place, the course discusses particular issues, which may include: revelation and scripture, the concept of prayer, the oneness of God, mitzvoth (commandments), halakhah (law), the Trinity, the Incarnation, sin and original sin, the Atonement, and the eternal destiny of the soul.

    Credits: 1
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 329 - Philosophy of Law (VT)

    Examines some central ideas of jurisprudence and the philosophy of law. Readings concentrate on general theories of law, justice, legal rights, liability, and legal responsibility, and on the nature of judicial reasoning and legal principles. Some broader methodological questions pertaining to causation and the law and the relation of law and morality are discussed and related to the readings.

    Credits: 1
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None
    Formerly: PHIL 229


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
 

Page: 1 <- Back 10 … 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18

Catalog Navigation
  Catalog Home
  Majors and Minors
  Departments and Programs
  Division of Arts and Humanities
  Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  Division of Social Sciences
  Division of University Studies
  Liberal Arts Common Core
  Division of Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics
  Course Descriptions
  Course Information
  Academic Regulations
  Undergraduate Program
  Graduate Program
  Academic Calendar
  Admission
  Expenses
  Financial Aid
  Student Life
  Other Academic Information
  About the University
  University Organization
  Affirmative Action and Title IX Compliance
  Colgate Directory
  Faculty Awards and Endowed Professorships
  Colgate Bookstore
  PDF of the 2018-2019 Colgate University Catalogue
  PDF of the 2019-2020 Colgate University Catalog
  PDF of the 2020-2021 Colgate University Catalog
  PDF of the 2021-2022 Colgate University Catalog