2022-2023 University Catalog 
    
    Jun 02, 2024  
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2022-2023 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

 

Philosophy

Course classifications:

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

  • 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 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


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  • 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


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  • 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:   
    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


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  • 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


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 330 - Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art (VT)

    Discussion of the classical writings of philosophers on art and central ideas of aesthetics: form and content, expression, taste, and standards of criticism are included in this course. Readings include Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Nietzsche, etc., as well as contemporary essays.

    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 333 - Topics in Environmental Philosophy

    Involves a critical examination of selected fundamental issues and theories in environmental philosophy. Precise issues and themes vary from year to year, but may include sustainability and moral obligations to future generations; the nature of the good life for humans; the status of environmental values; recent work in environmental ethics theories including deep ecology, social ecology, and ecofeminism; the moral and metaphysical status of human modifications to the world, including environmental restoration and genetic engineering; and aesthetics of the natural world. An emphasis is placed on exploring the connections between philosophical theory and environmental policy and practice.

    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 335 - Contemporary Epistemology (M&E)

    Examines central questions about knowledge and justification, including whether and how knowledge is possible, whether we must always be able to access the foundations of our justified beliefs, and how a knower can be virtuous or vicious. In answering these questions, students explore various sources of knowledge and justification, including perception, testimony, memory, and introspection. Students may also explore challenges to the dominant epistemological paradigms of the last century from naturalistic, experimental, feminist, and Bayesian perspectives.

    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 340 - Metaphysics (M&E)

    A systematic study of central issues involved in theorizing about reality at the most general level. Is the world a world of substances or a world of events? What is the nature of causation? Do concepts and statements refer to the world as it is in itself, or is such a notion idle or incoherent? How are such things as possibility and necessity and laws of nature to be understood? The topics are handled in a way that stresses the historical persistence of the debates over these issues but focuses on recent and contemporary discussions of the topics.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: Two courses 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 341 - Philosophy of Mind (M&E)

    Examines the historical and contemporary debates about the nature of the mind. These questions are considered: What is the relation of the mind to the physical world? How do mental states manage to be about things? Are all minds conscious? How serious is the difference between first-person and third-person perspectives on mental activity? What beyond consciousness is required for self-hood? What grounds our concept of mental health? What kind of mind makes individuals responsible for their behavior?

    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 342 - Philosophy of Language (M&E)

    Examines major topics and insights in the philosophy of language from its modern inception in the late 19th century to the present. Core questions include: How does linguistic meaning relate to how people use language to communicate? What is meaning’s relationship to concepts like reference, truth, verification and use? Is there a systematic theory that can generate the meaning of every sentence in a language? In answering the above questions, students master the logical and conceptual tools necessary for analyzing particular parts of language, which may include names, definite descriptions, demonstratives, metaphors, slurs, and other interesting linguistic expressions. Among the thinkers discussed are Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Austin, Grice, Quine, Searle, Davidson, and Kripke.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: A prior course in logic is recommended.
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 343 - Topics in Moral Theory (VT)

    Addresses central questions in metaethics by examining the dialectic between moral realism and antirealism. Students consider questions like: Are there moral facts? Or do moral pronouncements express a noncognitive attitude? Can we reconcile the idea that morality is objective with the fact that there are scientific or sociological explanations of our moral beliefs? If there are moral facts, where do they come from?

    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 348 - Well-being, Meaning, and Death

    Focuses on questions concerning what makes a life a good one, and if death is bad for a person, what makes it bad. These questions include: What is it for a life to go well for the person living it? Can death harm the one who dies? In what sense, if any, can a life be meaningful? Is immortality  relevant to the possibility of well-being or meaningfulness?

    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 360 - Feminist Philosophy

    Explores questions like: How have gendered assumptions influenced philosophical views about what knowledge is and how knowledge is best pursued? What roles, if any, should considerations of gender play in our theories of knowledge? How have gendered assumptions influenced political discourse?  What conceptual advances might be won if we take the woman to be the paradigm of personhood rather than the man? Students may address issues in feminist philosophy of science, specifically issues concerning the scientific study of sexual differences in behavior and brain structure; or issues in feminist political philosophy, including the role of justice in the family and the effects of power inequality on autonomous decision-making.

    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 365E - Freedom, Tyranny, and Philosophy in the Ancient Mediterranean (Extended Study)

    A three-week extended study course aiming acquaint students with the geography, topography, and material culture of ancient Greece, southern Italy, and Rome; with the concepts and vocabularies of ancient political thought (in particular binaries such as freedom and tyranny, democracy and empire, republic and monarchy, citizenship and authority); and with the deep continuity between Greco-Roman political theory and ancient (as well as much contemporary) philosophical thought about ethics and human psychology.

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


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 380 - Issues in Epistemology and Metaphysics (M&E)

    This is an umbrella course designed to allow students to delve into specific topics in epistemology or metaphysics. The study will situate each problem in its appropriate historical context thus allowing student access to the approaches to a given issue offered in Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and recent works. The course will bring students inside some problems and methods that lie at the heart of philosophy by inquiring into issues such as the structure of knowledge, our basis for making claims about other minds, possible worlds, skepticism, and the justification of belief.

    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 381 - Issues in Epistemology and Metaphysics (M&E)

    This is an umbrella course designed to allow students to delve into specific topics in epistemology or metaphysics. The study will situate each problem in its appropriate historical context thus allowing student access to the approaches to a given issue offered in Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and recent works. The course will bring students inside some problems and methods that lie at the heart of philosophy by inquiring into issues such as the structure of knowledge, our basis for making claims about other minds, possible worlds, skepticism, and the justification of belief.

    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 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
  

  • PHIL 411 - Wittgenstein and the Philosophy of Language

    This seminar is a detailed study of the thought of Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. This course first examines his early work in relation to problems about the nature of logic and language raised by Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell, and then it uses Wittgenstein’s later work to explore the nature of meaning and the concept of mind. Throughout, this course attempts to articulate the character and purpose of philosophical inquiry.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: Three courses in philosophy
    Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Philosophy & Religion, Philosophy Majors
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: A prior course in logic is recommended.
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 417 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy

    The choice of a central philosophical problem to study varies from year to year. The seminar is primarily for majors and minors in philosophy.

    Credits: 1.00
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Philosophy & Religion, Philosophy Majors and Minors
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • PHIL 490 - Honors

    Students pursuing honors in philosophy enroll in this course.

    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 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: Only Philosophy Majors
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term

Physics
  

  • PHYS 105 - Mechanical Physics I

    Covers fundamental principles of Newtonian mechanics and their applications into science, engineering, and in particular, architecture. Selected topics including waves, fluids, optics, electricity and magnetism, and thermal physics are aimed toward applications in the geosciences. Not suitable for students majoring in programs or concentrations requiring two or more semesters of physics.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only, but not necessarily every year

    Corequisite:   
    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
  

  • PHYS 105L - Mechanical Physics I Lab

    Required corequisite to  .

    Credits: 0.25
    When Offered: Fall semester only, but not necessarily every year

    Corequisite:   
    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
  

  • PHYS 111 - Fundamental Physics I

    This introductory course emphasizes concepts and principles of mechanics, heat, waves, and sound. The focus is on building concepts, grasping principles, and learning how consequences of principles and concepts can be quantitatively calculated and measured. Students may not take this course after having completed PHYS 431.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only

    Corequisite:   
    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
  

  • PHYS 111L - Fundamental Physics I Lab

    Required corequisite to  .

    Credits: 0.25
    When Offered: Fall semester only

    Corequisite:   
    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
  

  • PHYS 112 - Fundamental Physics II

    Develops concepts and principles of electricity, magnetism, light, and modern physics.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Spring semester only

    Corequisite:   
    Prerequisites:    with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 112L - Fundamental Physics II Lab

    Diverse exercises and tasks, starting with fundamental laws of electromagnetism, extending to optics, and finishing with the laboratories that underpin modern physics. Required corequisite to  .

    Credits: 0.25
    When Offered: Spring semester only

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


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  • PHYS 131 - Atoms and Waves

    An introduction to the process through which physics knowledge developed in the modern era. How did scientists determine whether the things they studied consisted of waves or particles; that is, what are the defining characteristics of each, and how can they be measured? To answer these questions, we introduce ideas from mechanics, electricity, and special relativity. Students are then confronted with one of physics’s great mysteries: how can the same object act as either a particle or a wave? While we may not completely resolve this mystery, we learn a little quantum mechanics that helps us predict the behavior of these systems. Some physics background is helpful, but none is assumed. Students must be very comfortable with algebra and trigonometry, but they will not need calculus until the next physics course. Two lectures, two problem-solving recitations, and one laboratory meeting per week.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only

    Corequisite:  , PHYS 131RE
    Prerequisites: Students who plan to continue into   should co-register for   
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: This course is required for students planning to major in physics, physics-astronomy, or physical science, and for students interested in pre-engineering.
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 131L - Atoms and Waves Lab

    Experiments inquire about the existence of atoms, photons, and their properties. Required corequisite to  .

    Credits: 0.25
    When Offered: Fall semester only

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


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  • PHYS 201 - Mathematical Methods for Physics

    This half-semester course is an introduction to computational physics, providing the mathematical foundation required for sophomore- through senior-level physics courses.

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


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  • PHYS 201L - Mathematical Methods for Physics Lab

    Required corequisite to  .

    Credits: 0.00
    Corequisite:   
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: None
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 205 - Mathematical Methods of Physics

    A one-semester introduction to the mathematical methods of physics, with an emphasis on applications and how these methods are used to approach various problems. The course will cover topics such as ordinary differential equations, complex numbers and Euler’s equation, linear systems, Fourier series, Fourier transforms, computational techniques, series expansions, cylindrical and spherical coordinate systems, vector differentiation, divergence and curl, integration methods and multi-dimensional integrals. These topics will be brought to bear on physical problems such as the damped and driven oscillator, coupled oscillators, electric dipoles, beat frequencies, electromagnetic waves and electrostatic boundary-value problems.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:   and   and  , all with a grade of C- or better 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None
    Formerly: PHYS 202, 203 & 204


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  • PHYS 232 - Introduction to Mechanics

    A study of classical mechanics using astronomical themes. The principles of kinematics, dynamics, conservation laws, and gravitation are developed and used to understand the properties of astronomical objects such as planetary systems, binary stars, and galaxies. Treatment is more thorough than in PHYS 111. Differential and integral calculus and vector manipulation are used throughout. Two lectures, two recitation meetings, and one laboratory session per week.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Spring semester only

    Corequisite:   and    
    Prerequisites:   and (  or   or  )   with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Students may not take this course after having completed  .
    Recommended: Required for students planning to major in physics, astronomy-physics, or physical science, and for students interested in pre-engineering. It is also recommended for chemistry majors. Students who plan to take physics courses beyond PHYS 232 should co-register in   and  .
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 232L - Introduction to Mechanics Lab

    An investigation of mechanical physical laws, including discovery-based labs. Required corequisite to  .

    Credits: 0.25
    When Offered: Spring semester only

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


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  • PHYS 233 - Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism

    The classical theory of electricity and magnetism is assembled from observations of nature and physical inference, using differential and integral calculus. Emphasis is on the fundamental roles played by the electric and magnetic fields, their geometrical properties, and their dynamics. The course covers the integral form of Maxwell’s equations. Principles of elementary circuits and optics are also included.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only

    Corequisite:   
    Prerequisites:   and MATH 163   both with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Restrictions: Students are not eligible to take this course after completing  .
    Recommended: This course is required for students planning to major in the physical sciences and pre-engineering. Students planning to take physics courses beyond PHYS 233 should co-register in  .
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 233L - Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism Lab

    Required corequisite to  .

    Credits: 0.25
    When Offered: Fall semester only

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


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  • PHYS 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


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  • PHYS 301 - Fluid Mechanics

    Examines fluid properties and movement. Using principles of conservation of momentum, dimensionless numbers, and energy conservation, students learn and analyze fluid motion, force, turbulence, and flow in conduits and pipes.

    Credits: 1
    Prerequisites: PHYS 232 None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 304 - Physical Optics

    A study of physical optics and properties of light, such as dispersion, polarization, interference, and diffraction. Advanced topics include optical instrumentation, Fourier optics, laser physics, and holography. The course prepares students for knowledgeable use of optical instruments in fields such as photonics, engineering, and astronomy. It teaches modern laser techniques for use in basic and applied research. Four lecture meetings and one laboratory meeting each week.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only, in alternate years

    Corequisite:   
    Prerequisites:   and    all with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 304L - Physical Optics Lab

    An experience in optical methods of manipulating laser beams and their use in imaging and physical measurements. Required corequisite to  .

    Credits: 0.25
    When Offered: Fall semester only, in alternate years

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


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  • PHYS 310 - Advanced Topics and Experiments

    This is an optional junior-year research experience open to qualified students. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, each student works on an experimental or theoretical project that ideally produces original results. A final thesis and a formal oral presentation are essential components of the course.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only

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


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  • PHYS 334 - Introduction to Quantum Mechanics and Special Relativity

    Provides the mathematical and conceptual foundation to understand two important developments in modern physics: special relativity and quantum theory, concentrating on wave mechanics.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Spring semester only

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:   and    both with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 336 - Electronics

    A comprehensive treatment of basic electronics, both digital and analog. The digital section includes combinational and sequential logic, integrated circuits, and interfacing. The analog section includes DC and AC circuits, filters, diodes, transistors, and operational amplifiers.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Spring semester only

    Corequisite:   
    Prerequisites:    with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 336L - Electronics Lab

    A hands-on experience in designing and wiring electronic circuits and their interfacing to electronic boards such as Arduino and Teensy. Includes mid-semester and final free-design group projects. Required corequisite to PHYS 336 .

    Credits: 0.25
    When Offered: Spring semester only

    Corequisite: PHYS 336  
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 350 - Biophysics

    An introduction to biological physics including a survey of topics such as diffusion, Brownian motion, non-Newtonian fluids, self-assembly, cooperativity, bioenergetics, and nerve impulses, as well as experimental techniques and analytical approaches. Students first develop the interdisciplinary knowledge needed to address biophysical questions. The course then focuses on the reading, presentation, and critique of current biophysics research literature. Although challenging in its breadth, this course is intended to be accessible to juniors and seniors majoring in physics, chemistry, or biology.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    When Offered: Spring semester only, in alternate years

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:   and (  or   or   or   or  )  with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No First-year, Sophomore
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 391 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a faculty member, and following a course-like format. The content and syllabus must be approved in advance by the department chair. 

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


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  • PHYS 392 - Independent Study - Research

    Opportunity for research-based individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. This course does not count towards the upper-level course requirement for the physics or Astronomy-physics majors or for honors.

    Credits: variable
    Prerequisites:   (waived for astrogeophysics majors)
    Major/Minor Restrictions: PHYS, ASTR, ASGE, NASC only
    Class Restriction: Only Junior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 410 - Advanced Topics and Experiments

    This is a required senior research experience. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, each student works on an experimental or theoretical project that ideally produces original results. A final thesis and a formal oral presentation are essential components of the course.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only

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


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  • PHYS 431 - Classical Mechanics

    A detailed study, using vector calculus, of important problems in the mechanics of particles and extended bodies including a derivation of Lagrange’s and Hamilton’s equations, and other advanced topics.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:    with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 432 - Electromagnetism

    A study of Maxwell’s equations and their applications to topics in electrostatics and electrodynamics, including electromagnetic waves.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Spring semester only

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:    and    with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 433 - Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

    An introduction to the physical concepts underlying the formalism of thermal physics. Emphasis is on the role and meaning of entropy in physical systems and processes. Topics include black body radiation, liquid helium, superconductivity, negative temperature, and the efficient use of energy.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:    with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 434 - Quantum Mechanics

    An introduction to the theory and formalism of quantum mechanics. This course addresses the philosophical and mathematical foundations of the theory. It develops the linear algebraic formulation using spins, photon and atoms; and cover topics that include time evolution, angular momentum, the harmonic oscillator, the Schrodinger equation, entanglement, and quantum information. A series of laboratories gives students vivid examples of quantum mechanical principles.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Spring semester only

    Corequisite:   
    Prerequisites:    with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 434L - Quantum Mechanics

    A laboratory experience on the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and state manipulation using a correlated-photon laboratory platform. Experiments include quantum eraser, delayed choice, and quantum entanglement. Required corequisite to  .

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


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  • PHYS 448 - Nonlinear Dynamics & Chaos

    An introduction to the techniques and concepts used to analyze real-time dynamic models that involve nonlinear terms. Applications are emphasized and demonstrate the universality of chaotic solution behavior. This course is team-taught by members of the physics and mathematics departments.

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted:   
    When Offered: Spring semester only, in alternate years

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:   or (  with a grade of C- or better) (One with a grade of C- or higher.)
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Recommended: Students should enroll through the department for which they intend to use the credit
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None
    Formerly: PHYS 458


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  • PHYS 451 - Computational Mechanics

    Investigates general algorithms and their implementation for the exploration of problems in classical and quantum mechanics. Applications range widely from solar system dynamics and chaotic systems to particles in general quantum potentials. Fourier analysis, including the fast Fourier transform, and its application to the understanding of physical systems and data analysis, are also studied. Each student undertakes a major numerical project of his or her choice.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only, in alternate years

    Corequisite:   
    Prerequisites:    with a grade of C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 451L - Computational Mechanics Lab

    Required corequisite to  .

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


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  • PHYS 453 - Solid State Physics

    Several important properties of matter in its solid form are examined. The ordered, crystalline nature of most solids is used as a starting point for understanding condensed material and as a basis for introducing the band theory of solids. The course investigates thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties of metals, semiconductors, and insulators.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Fall semester only, in alternate years

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:   and (  and PHYS 202 and PHYS 203 and PHYS 204) or (  and  ) all with a C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 456 - Relativity and Cosmology

    At the beginning of the 20th century, Einstein’s discovery of the Special and General Theories of Relativity revolutionized understanding of space and time. This course studies both theories; the emphasis is on General Relativity, including cosmology and the study of black holes.

    Credits: 1.00
    When Offered: Spring semester only, in alternate years

    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites:    with a C- or higher.
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • PHYS 491 - Independent Study

    Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a faculty member, and following a course-like format. The content and syllabus must be approved in advance by the department chair. 

    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
  

  • PHYS 492 - Independent Study - Research

    Opportunity for research-based individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. This course does not count towards the upper-level course requirement for the physics or Astronomy-physics majors or for honors.

    Credits: variable
    Prerequisites:   (waived for astrogeophysics majors) 
    Major/Minor Restrictions: PHYS, ASTR, ASGE, NASC only
    Class Restriction: Only Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


    Click here for Course Offerings by term

Political Science

Course classifications:

American politics (AM)
Comparative politics (CO)
International relations (IR)
Political theory (TH)
  

  • POSC 150 - America as a Democracy (AM)

    While most Americans take it for granted that our political system is a democracy and that it serves as an ideal by which other systems might be measured, the United States is only one of many stable democratic polities in existence today. In our analysis of American democracy, this course places an emphasis on how the U.S. government fits within the multicultural and global world of the 21st century. To this end, students compare America’s democracy with other forms of democratic government across the globe.  Students also consider how the growing racial-ethnic, class, sexuality, and gender diversity of the American population may impact the future of American politics. In our analysis of American democracy, this course places an emphasis on how the U.S. government fits within the multicultural and global world of the 21st century. To this end, we will compare America’s democracy with other forms of democratic government across the globe.  We will also consider how the growing racial-ethnic, class, sexuality, and gender diversity of the American population may impact the future of American politics. (AM)

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


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 151 - Politics and Moral Vision (TH)

    This introduction to political theory addresses the ways in which personal morality and ideas of human flourishing determine one’s perceptions and responses to political institutions that shape the life and culture of one’s nation. Using a wide variety of texts, the moral underpinnings of different political systems are discussed in terms of fundamental normative concepts such as right, duty, virtue, liberty, and equality. Other essential terms, basic to building a foundational political vocabulary, such as liberalism, conservatism, individualism, communalism, and modernity are also explored. This introduction to normative political theory gives special emphasis to the genesis and development of liberal democracy and the tensions between its component parts, particularly as they relate to visions of a well-lived, moral life. This course is designed to enrich one’s perceptions of the evening news and the political discourse of our times. (TH)

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


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 152 - Global Peace and War (IR)

    Designed to provide students with an understanding of how international politics - politics between governments - differs from politics within a state. Students consider how the international system has evolved and currently operates, and examines some of the enduring questions of international relations: Why is there war? How can war be avoided? Is international equality a prerequisite for order? Can order, justice, and cooperation be achieved in a non-institutionalized and non-hierarchical system? (IR)

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


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 153 - Introduction to Comparative Politics (CO)

    Nearly 200 independent states coexist in the world today. Although they are all unique, political scientists study them in systematic ways, comparing them to discover fundamental political patterns that can help produce broadly applicable generalizations across different cultures and geographies. Themes such as democratic or authoritarian regime type, models of economic development, state institutions, civil society, and issues of national and ethnic identity all form important realms of inquiry for researchers engaged in the practice of comparative politics. This course introduces students to the principle themes and basic theories of comparative politics using examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, including both authoritarian and unstable democratic countries. (CO)

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


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  • POSC 208 - Comparative Democracies (CO)

    Offers a comparative examination of the social bases of democracy and of different forms of constitutional government and competitive politics in both advanced industrial and developing countries in regions including Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Students explore questions about the causes of democratic stability and instability across countries and the effectiveness of their democratic government in delivering goods to their citizens. Students examine key conditions that appeared conducive to producing democratic transitions across the three “waves” of democratization. Finally, students consider the process of democratic consolidations, considering topics such as civil society, civil-military relations, institutional design, and international influences. (CO)

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


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  • POSC 210 - Congress (AM)

    Analyzes the legislative process with a special emphasis on the relationship between Congress and the presidency. Students examine the historical development and structural attributes of Congress that determine its role in the executive-legislative relationship. Since the decision-making process varies enormously by issue area, students focus on several distinct policy areas. Course materials include classics of congressional scholarship as well as results from some of the latest research in the field. (AM)

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


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  • POSC 211 - The Presidency and Executive Leadership (AM)

    An examination of the complex and controversial role the presidency plays in the American political system. The course begins with the founders and with the creation of the presidency at the Constitutional Convention. This is followed by an examination of the powers vested in the office and the ways in which they check and are checked by Congress. Discussion then turns to what has come to be called the “managerial presidency.” Descriptive and analytical treatment of the ways in which the country elects presidents is a major topic. At many points the American presidency is compared to executive power in other democracies. (AM)

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


    Click here for Course Offerings by term
  

  • POSC 212 - The Politics of Race and Ethnicity (AM)

    Examines the political dynamics of race in American society, focusing primarily on the experience of blacks as a socio-political group and to a lesser degree on that of other racial and ethnic minorities. The overriding theme is how race has influenced American politics and, conversely, how certain political phenomena have shaped the development of race. The specific topics around which the course is organized include the following: the most enduring and predominant racial issue - racial inequality; competing explanations for the origins and continuance of racial inequality; leadership approaches and ideologies for redressing the race problem; mass political strategies for dealing with the problem; majority attitudes and opinions regarding racial issues (including racial inequality); and the comparative experience of non-black minorities. These topics, individually and collectively, represent the essence of racial politics. (AM)

    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
  

  • POSC 214 - Comparative Politics: East and Southeast Asia (CO)

    This course introduces students to the politics of countries in East and Southeast Asia. It examines similarities and differences in the evolution of their political societies from the end of World War II to the present time. Students will learn about the historical development of the state, regimes, and political parties and the interactions across these institutions that informed political and economic development in these countries. The course will cover the experiences of the East Asian early developers (Japan, Korea, and Taiwan), Southeast Asian countries (Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) and the emergence of China as an economic and political power. (CO)

    Credits: 1.00
    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
  

  • POSC 215 - Comparative Politics: Middle East (CO)

    An introduction to Middle Eastern politics, including historical foundations of the modern Middle East, competing strategies of state building, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Gulf War, the rise of political Islam, and American policy toward the region. (CO)

    Credits: 1.00
    Crosslisted: MIST 215 
    Corequisite: None
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: No Senior
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 216 - Comparative Politics: Latin America (CO)

    Today Latin America is one of the most democratic regions of the developing world, although it faces problems of inequality, gridlock, and economic growth. Latin America’s 20th-century experiences of coups, revolutions, and instability also present important lessons for comparative politics. This course introduces students to the countries of Latin America and the important patterns of similarity and difference that can help them understand political development and elucidate comparative trends. Regime type is one prism through which students examine the region’s countries, including democracy, semi-democracy, and various authoritarian regimes, especially bureaucratic authoritarianism. Another important topic is the United States’ relationship with the region’s polities, on issues like the Cold War, drug wars, and economic policies. In addition to big countries like Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, the course also focuses on countries of particular student interest. (CO)

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


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  • POSC 232 - Fundamentals of International Relations (IR)

    An introduction to the basic approaches to international relations, such as realism, idealism, and the interdependence school. Students also consider fundamental problems of national security, the uses of power, the causes of war, the nature of international institutions, the relationships among security, deterrence, conflict escalation, and nuclear proliferation. (IR)

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


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  • POSC 260 - Foundations of Political Thought (TH)

    This introduction to political thought explores the questions: What is a just society? What is the best way of life? The course examines major alternatives from Plato to Nietzsche, as well as recent critics and defenders of American liberal democracy. (TH)

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


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  • POSC 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: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None


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  • POSC 300 - Geneva Colloquium

    Intended for students accepted to the Geneva Study Group the following spring. It has three purposes: to prepare students for life in Geneva through readings on the history and culture of Switzerland and discussion of the practical aspects of living in the city; to introduce students to the international organizations that the group will visit in Brussels at the beginning of the spring program; and to prepare students for their internships at international organizations and NGOs in Geneva.

    Credits: 0.50
    When Offered: Fall semester only

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


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  • POSC 303 - A View from the Mayor’s Desk: Current Dynamics of American Governance

    Provides an insider’s perspective on the myriad and complex managerial, policy-making, and political challenges faced by Mayors in the contemporary US political system.

    Credits: 1
    Prerequisites: None
    Major/Minor Restrictions: None
    Class Restriction: None
    Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
    Liberal Arts CORE: None
    Formerly: POSC 403


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  • POSC 305 - From Coconuts to iPhones: the Politics of Economic Development in East and Southeast Asia

    Studies the role of political institutions in shaping economic development in countries across East and Southeast Asia such as Japan, Korea, the Philippines, China, and Thailand. Students engage with a variety of topics such as the varied challenges of industrialization that different countries across the region faced; the role of the state in fostering markets; the relationship between economic growth and regime types; the impact of global financial markets upon political stability; and the political effects of developmental outcomes such as demographic change and rapid urbanization. The course is intended to give students a deeper understanding of the factors that led to the region’s trajectory of rapid economic growth and the different ways in which these countries are integrated with other economies of the world.

    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


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  • POSC 307 - China’s Foreign Relations

    Examines China’s complex relations with the world mainly since the 1990s. It begins with a brief consideration of traditional Chinese understandings of international relations, historical legacies, geopolitical predicaments, and China’s foreign policymaking process. Students examine the recent reorientation of Chinese foreign policy as a result of China’s post-Mao economic reforms. Students assess China’s grand strategy of “Peaceful Development,” Chinese integration into “international institutions,” and China’s partial participation in an emergent Asian regionalism. Geographically, students examine China’s relations with its Pacific neighbors, other developing countries (especially in Africa), and with advanced countries (Europe and the USA). Students also evaluate the prospects for military conflicts over Taiwan, the Senkaku/Diaoyu, and the South China Seas. The problem of nationalism in foreign policy is assessed through an analysis of the “interactive nationalisms” driving the triangular US-China-Japan relationship. Students investigate China’s foreign policies on major international issues in an age of globalization. Specifically, with regard to the global economy, climate change and international human rights are examined. Concludes by assessing the prospects for Chinese foreign policy in the 21st Century.

    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


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  • POSC 314 - American Political Development

    An introduction the political science subfield of American Political Development, which traces the historical development of political institutions and the evolution of state/society relations in this country. How “exceptional” is the trajectory of state-building in the United States compared with other long-term democracies? What is the role of culture in shaping American politics and explaining change over time? How has race figured historically in the articulation of state power? Course readings tackle these and other questions from the perspective of political scientists, sociologists, and historians working on a broad empirical terrain spanning several centuries.

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


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  • POSC 316 - Public Opinion

    Public opinion provides students with information about the nature and origins of Americans’ political belief systems. Students will center their investigations around the following concepts and their importance for understanding variation in public opinion: (1) ideology, (2) partisanship, (3) race and racial attitudes, (4) political knowledge and information and (5) various approaches and challenges to studying public opinion. In addition to relying on analyses that use the public opinion survey as a tool for investigating the political attitudes and beliefs of the American population, students will also consider and try to wrestle with the limits of the public opinion survey.

    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


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  • POSC 317 - Identity Politics

    Examines the politics of identity in comparative perspectives. Introduces students to a variety of theoretical approaches concerning the origin, transformation, and mobilization of national, ethnic, and other forms of collective identity. Students consider empirical applications of these theories: students identify processes through which identity becomes politicized, explore why some identity conflicts manifest as violence, and analyze the various ways - ranging from electoral solutions to genocide - in which states manage difference. Case studies are drawn from Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, the Asian sub-continent, 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


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  • POSC 320 - States, Markets, and Global Change

    Do states intervene in the economy too much as conservatives and libertarians claim, or should they intervene more as many liberals and progressives argue? Does business have too much power or have the critics of “big business” and multinationals been too alarmist? Is the role of the government diminishing as the world becomes more global? This course discusses contemporary controversies regarding the relationship between government and the economy. It evaluates and examines the extent and kinds of state intervention into markets and the private sector, the influence and impact of corporations and business leaders on government institutions and policy from the United States to Latin America.

    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


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  • POSC 321 - Political Parties and Electoral Process

    Political parties are some of the most influential entities in politics, and this course examines them as they pursue pork, policy, and power in the arenas of elections and elected institutions. After providing a strong background in party theory and the American party system, the remainder of the course highlights important commonalities by comparing party activity and party system development in other countries that straddle the developed and developing world.

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


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