2009-2010 Courses
Quantitative Reasoning
Fall 2009 |
Spring 2010*
Natural Science I
Fall 2009 |
Spring 2010*Natural Science II
Fall 2009 |
Spring 2010*Conversations of the West
Fall 2009 |
Spring 2010*World Cultures
Fall 2009 |
Spring 2010*Societies and the Social Sciences
department coursesExpressive Culture
Fall 2009 |
Spring 2010**Spring 2010 course descriptions are currently tentative and subject to changeThink Green! Please consider the environment before printing this webpage.
Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning courses are intended for first-year and sophomore students. Approved
substitute courses are available for other students still needing to satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning component of the MAP.
Please contact the Mathematics Department for course information.
Natural Science I
The prerequisite for all Natural Science I courses is completion of or exemption from Quantitative Reasoning, or completion of an approved substitute course.
FALL 2009 V55.0203 Natural Science I: Energy and the Environment
Prof. Jordan (MAP) syllabus
This course explores the scientific foundations of current environmental issues and the impact of this knowledge on public policy. One goal of the course is to examine several topics of pressing importance and lively debate in our society – e.g., global warming, the quest for clean air and water, atmospheric ozone depletion, and the continuing search for viable sources of energy. A parallel goal is to develop the chemical, physical, and quantitative principles that are necessary for a deeper understanding of these environmental issues. The relevant topics include the structure of atoms and molecules, the interaction of light with matter, energy relationships in chemical reactions, and the properties of acids and bases. Throughout the course we also examine how scientific studies of the environment are connected to political, economic and policy concerns. The laboratory experiments are closely integrated with the lecture topics and provide hands-on explorations of central course themes. Overall, this course will provide you with the foundation to carefully evaluate environmental issues and make informed decisions about them.
FALL 2009 V55.0203 Natural Science I: Energy and the Environment
Prof. Brenner (Chemistry) syllabus
This course explores the scientific foundations of current environmental issues and the impact of this knowledge on public policy. One goal of the course is to examine several topics of pressing importance and lively debate in our society – e.g., global warming, the quest for clean air and water, atmospheric ozone depletion, and the continuing search for viable sources of energy. A parallel goal is to develop the chemical, physical, and quantitative principles that are necessary for a deeper understanding of these environmental issues. The relevant topics include the structure of atoms and molecules, the interaction of light with matter, energy relationships in chemical reactions, and the properties of acids and bases. Throughout the course we also examine how scientific studies of the environment are connected to political, economic and policy concerns. The laboratory experiments are closely integrated with the lecture topics and provide hands-on explorations of central course themes. Overall, this course will provide you with the foundation to carefully evaluate environmental issues and make informed decisions about them.
FALL 2009 V55.0204 Natural Science I: Einstein's Universe
Prof. Weiner (Physics) syllabus
Addresses the science and life of Einstein in the context of 20th-century physics, beginning with 19th-century ideas about light, space, and time in order to understand why Einstein's work was so innovative. Einstein's most influential ideas are contained in his theories of special relativity, which reformulated conceptions of space and time, and general relativity, which extended these ideas to gravitation. Both these theories are explored quantitatively, together with wide-ranging applications of these ideas, from the nuclear energy which powers the sun to black holes and the big bang theory of the birth of the universe.
FALL 2009 V55.0209 Natural Science I: Quarks to Cosmos
Prof. Cranmer (Physics) syllabus
FALL 2009 V55.0214 Natural Science I: How Things Work
Prof. Stein (Physics) syllabus
Do you know how electricity is generated? How instruments create music? What makes refrigerator magnets stick? For that matter, why is ice skating possible, how do wheels use friction and why can someone quickly remove a tablecloth without moving any dishes? All of the devices that define contemporary living are applications of basic scientific discoveries. The principles underlying these devices are fascinating as well as useful, and help to explain many of the features of the world around us. This course familiarizes you with some basic principles of physics by examining selected devices such as CD and DVD players, microwave ovens, the basic electronic components of computers, lasers and LEDs, magnetic resonance imaging as used in medicine, and even nuclear weapons. In learning the basic physics behind these modern inventions, you will develop a deeper understanding of how the physical world works and gain a new appreciation of everyday phenomena that are ordinarily taken for granted. The course is designed for non-science students with an interest in the natural world. The basic physical ideas needed to understand how things operate are presented using some mathematics, but none beyond elementary high school-level algebra.
FALL 2009 V55.0214 Natural Science I: How Things Work
Prof. Adler (Physics) syllabus
Do you know how electricity is generated? How instruments create music? What makes refrigerator magnets stick? For that matter, why is ice skating possible, how do wheels use friction and why can someone quickly remove a tablecloth without moving any dishes? All of the devices that define contemporary living are applications of basic scientific discoveries. The principles underlying these devices are fascinating as well as useful, and help to explain many of the features of the world around us. This course familiarizes you with some basic principles of physics by examining selected devices such as CD and DVD players, microwave ovens, the basic electronic components of computers, lasers and LEDs, magnetic resonance imaging as used in medicine, and even nuclear weapons. In learning the basic physics behind these modern inventions, you will develop a deeper understanding of how the physical world works and gain a new appreciation of everyday phenomena that are ordinarily taken for granted. The course is designed for non-science students with an interest in the natural world. The basic physical ideas needed to understand how things operate are presented using some mathematics, but none beyond elementary high school-level algebra.
SPRING 2010 V55.0203 Natural Science I: Energy and the Environment
Prof. Jordan (MAP)
Explores the scientific foundations of current environmental issues and the impact of this knowledge on public policy. One goal is to examine several topics of pressing importance and lively debate in our society—e.g., global warming, the quest for clean air and water, atmospheric ozone depletion, and the continuing search for viable sources of energy. A parallel goal is to develop the chemical, physical, and quantitative principles that are necessary for a deeper understanding of these environmental issues. Relevant topics include the structure of atoms and molecules, the interaction of light with matter, energy relationships in chemical reactions, and the properties of acids and bases. Throughout, we also examine how scientific studies of the environment are connected to political, economic, and policy concerns.
SPRING 2010 V55.0203 Natural Science I: Energy and the Environment
Prof. Miller (Chemistry)
Explores the scientific foundations of current environmental issues and the impact of this knowledge on public policy. One goal is to examine several topics of pressing importance and lively debate in our society—e.g., global warming, the quest for clean air and water, atmospheric ozone depletion, and the continuing search for viable sources of energy. A parallel goal is to develop the chemical, physical, and quantitative principles that are necessary for a deeper understanding of these environmental issues. Relevant topics include the structure of atoms and molecules, the interaction of light with matter, energy relationships in chemical reactions, and the properties of acids and bases. Throughout, we also examine how scientific studies of the environment are connected to political, economic, and policy concerns.
SPRING 2010 V55.0204 Natural Science I: Einstein's Universe
Prof. Schucking (Physics)
Addresses the science and life of Einstein in the context of 20th-century physics, beginning with 19th-century ideas about light, space, and time in order to understand why Einstein's work was so innovative. Einstein's most influential ideas are contained in his theories of special relativity, which reformulated conceptions of space and time, and general relativity, which extended these ideas to gravitation. Both these theories are explored quantitatively, together with wide-ranging applications of these ideas, from the nuclear energy which powers the sun to black holes and the big bang theory of the birth of the universe.
SPRING 2010 V55.0209 Natural Science I: Quarks to Cosmos
Prof. Grier(Physics)
Modern science has provided us with some understanding of age-old fundamental questions, while at the same time opening up many new areas of investigation. How old is the Universe? How did galaxies, stars, and planets form? What are the fundamental constituents of matter and how do they combine to form the contents of the Universe? The course will cover measurements and chains of scientific reasoning that have allowed us to reconstruct the Big Bang by measuring little wisps of light reaching the Earth, to learn about sub-atomic particles by use of many-mile long machines, and to combine the two to understand the Universe as a whole from the sub-atomic particles of which it is composed.
SPRING 2010 V55.0209 Natural Science I: Quarks to Cosmos
Prof. Sleator(Physics)
Modern science has provided us with some understanding of age-old fundamental questions, while at the same time opening up many new areas of investigation. How old is the Universe? How did galaxies, stars, and planets form? What are the fundamental constituents of matter and how do they combine to form the contents of the Universe? The course will cover measurements and chains of scientific reasoning that have allowed us to reconstruct the Big Bang by measuring little wisps of light reaching the Earth, to learn about sub-atomic particles by use of many-mile long machines, and to combine the two to understand the Universe as a whole from the sub-atomic particles of which it is composed.
SPRING 2010 V55.0214 Natural Science I: How Things Work
Prof. Stroke (Physics)
Do you know how electricity is generated? How instruments create music? What makes refrigerator magnets stick? For that matter, why is ice skating possible, how do wheels use friction and why can someone quickly remove a tablecloth without moving any dishes? All of the devices that define contemporary living are applications of basic scientific discoveries. The principles underlying these devices are fascinating as well as useful, and help to explain many of the features of the world around us. We explore some basic principles of physics by examining selected devices such as CD and DVD players, microwave ovens, the basic electronic components of computers, lasers and LEDs, magnetic resonance imaging as used in medicine, and even nuclear weapons. In learning the basic physics behind these modern inventions, you will develop a deeper understanding of how the physical world works and gain a new appreciation of everyday phenomena that are ordinarily taken for granted. The course is designed for non-science students with an interest in the natural world. The basic physical ideas needed to understand how things operate are presented using some mathematics, but none beyond elementary high school-level algebra.
top of page
Natural Science II
The prerequisite for all Natural Science II courses is completion of or exemption from Quantitative Reasoning, or completion of an approved substitute course. The completion of Natural Science I is recommended prior to taking Natural Science II.
FALL 2009 V55.0303 Natural Science II: Human Genetics
Prof. Blau (Biology) syllabus
We are currently witnessing a revolution in human genetics, where the ability to scrutinize and manipulate DNA has allowed scientists to gain unprecedented insights into the role of heredity. Beginning with an overview of the principles of inheritance such as cell division and Mendelian genetics, we explore the foundations and frontiers of modern human genetics, with an emphasis on understanding and evaluating new discoveries. Descending to the molecular level, we investigate how genetic information is encoded in DNA and how mutations affect gene function. These molecular foundations are used to explore the science and social impact of genetic technology, including topics such as genetic testing, genetically modified foods, DNA fingerprinting, and the Human Genome Project. Laboratory projects emphasize the diverse methods that scientists employ to study heredity.
FALL 2009 V55.0306 Natural Science II: Brain and Behavior
Prof. Kiorpes (Neural Science) syllabus
The relationship of the brain to behavior, beginning with the basic elements that make up the nervous system and how electrical and chemical signals in the brain work to effect behavior. Using this foundation, we examine how the brain learns and how it creates new behaviors, together with the brain mechanisms that are involved in sensory experience, movement, hunger and thirst, sexual behaviors, the experience of emotions, perception and cognition, memory and the brain's plasticity. Other key topics include whether certain behavioral disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be accounted for by changes in the function of the brain, and how drugs can alter behavior and brain function.
Note: Handling of animals and animal brain tissue is required in some labs.
FALL 2009 V55.0309 Natural Science II: The Body - How It Works
Prof. Goldberg (Chemistry) syllabus
The human body is a complex system of mutually interdependent molecules, cells, tissues, organs and organ systems. We examine the human body with the goal of understanding how physiological systems operate at these varying levels. Examples include the circulation of blood, the function of our muscles, the utilization of oxygen in respiration, and how our immune system detects and fights foreign invaders. Disturbing the delicate balance of these systems can produce various human diseases, which will also be examined throughout the course. Laboratory work provides firsthand experience with studying molecular processes, cell structures, and physiological systems.
FALL 2009 V55.0310 Natural Science II: The Molecules of Life
Prof. Jordan (MAP) syllabus
Our lives are increasingly influenced by the availability of new pharmaceuticals, ranging from drugs that lower cholesterol to those that influence behavior. We examine the chemistry and biology of biomolecules that make up the molecular machinery of the cell. Critical to the function of such biomolecules is their three-dimensional structure that endows them with a specific function. This information provides the scientific basis for understanding drug action and how new drugs are designed. Beginning with the principles of chemical bonding, molecular structure, and acid-base properties that govern the structure and function of biomolecules, we apply these principles to study the varieties of protein architecture and how proteins serve as enzymes to facilitate biochemical reactions. We conclude with a study of molecular genetics and how recent information from the Human Genome Project is stimulating new approaches to diagnosing disease and designing drug treatments.
FALL 2009 V55.0313 Natural Science II: The Brain: A User's Guide
Prof. Azmitia (Biology)
The Human Brain is the most complex organ. Despite the central position it has in nearly every aspect of our daily lives, it remains to many a mystery. How does it work? How can we care for it? How long will it function? This MAP course is designed to provide answers to these questions, and many more at an academic level accessible to the non-scientist student, and of interest to the scientist with little exposure to neuroscience. The aims of the course are to provide the student with a firm foundation in what the brain looks like and what each of the parts do. To accomplish this, we will learn about the functions of the cortex in higher learning and memory, as well as discuss the basic work of the brainstem in regulating the internal environment of the body. The importance of nutrition on neurotransmitter synthesis, the function of sleep on memory and why we need so much of it, and the effects of alcohol and drugs on brain harmony and the meaning of addiction will be some of the points covered in this course. We will look at brain development and the special needs of children, as well as brain aging and illness and the difficulty of helping. The laboratories are designed to provide hands-on experience in exploring the structure of the brain as well as learning how to measure brain functioning. We will provide specially prepared slides so the student can recognize a neuron and differentiate a dendrite from an axon. The molecular shape of neurotransmitter will be covered, as well as learning how to measure alcohol and determining its levels in your body. It is expected that by the end of the course, the student will be familiar with the biological basis of brain structure and function, and not only be able to detect how a normal brain works, but also how to help keep it healthy.
SPRING 2010 V55.0305 Natural Science II: Human Origins
Prof. DiFiore (Anthropology)
An introduction to the approaches and methods scientists use to investigate the origins and evolutionary history of our own species. This interdisciplinary study synthesizes research from a number of different areas of science. Topics include reconstructing evolutionary relationships using molecular and morphological data, the mitochondrial Eve hypothesis, ancient DNA, human variation and natural selection, the use of stable isotopes to reconstruct dietary behavior in prehistoric humans, the Neandertal enigma, the importance of studies of chimpanzees for understanding human behavior, and the 6-million-year-old fossil evidence for human evolution.
SPRING 2010 V55.0306 Natural Science II: Brain and Behavior
Prof. Hawken (Neural Science)
The relationship of the brain to behavior, beginning with the basic elements that make up the nervous system and how electrical and chemical signals in the brain work to effect behavior. Using this foundation, we examine how the brain learns and how it creates new behaviors, together with the brain mechanisms that are involved in sensory experience, movement, hunger and thirst, sexual behaviors, the experience of emotions, perception and cognition, memory and the brain's plasticity. Other key topics include whether certain behavioral disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be accounted for by changes in the function of the brain, and how drugs can alter behavior and brain function.
Note: Handling of animals and animal brain tissue is required in some labs.
SPRING 2010 V55.0309 Natural Science II: The Body - How It Works
Prof. Goldberg (Chemistry)
The human body is a complex system of mutually interdependent molecules, cells, tissues, organs and organ systems. We examine the human body with the goal of understanding how physiological systems operate at these varying levels. Examples include the circulation of blood, the function of our muscles, the utilization of oxygen in respiration, and how our immune system detects and fights foreign invaders. Disturbing the delicate balance of these systems can produce various human diseases, which will also be examined throughout the course.
SPRING 2010 V55.0311 Natural Science II: Lessons from the Biosphere
Prof. Volk (Biology)
Provides a foundation of knowledge about how Earth's biosphere works. This includes the biggest ideas and findings about biology on the global scale-the scale in which we live. Such knowledge is especially crucial today because we humans are perturbing so many systems within the biosphere. We explore four main topics: (1) Evolution of Life: How did life come to be what it is today? (2) Life's Diversity: What is life today on the global scale? (3) Cycles of Matter: How do life and the non-living environment interact? (4) The Human Guild: How are humans changing the biosphere and how might we consider our future within the biosphere? Laboratory experiments are complemented by an exploration at the American Museum of Natural History.
SPRING 2010 V55.0314 Natural Science II: Genomes and Diversity
Prof. Siegel (Biology)
Millions of species of animals, plants and microbes inhabit our planet. Genomics, the study of all the genes in an organism, is providing new insights into this amazing diversity of life on Earth. We begin with the fundamentals of DNA, genes and genomes. We then explore microbial diversity, with an emphasis on how genomics can reveal many aspects of organisms, from their ancient history to their physiological and ecological habits. We follow with examinations of animal and plant diversity, focusing on domesticated species, such as dogs and tomatoes, as examples of how genomic methods can be used to identify genes that underlie new or otherwise interesting traits. Genomics has also transformed the study of human diversity and human disease. We examine the use of DNA to trace human ancestry, as well as the use of genomics as a diagnostic tool in medicine. With the powerful new technologies to study genomes has come an increased power to manipulate them. We conclude by considering the societal implications of this ability to alter the genomes of crop plants, livestock and potentially humans.
top of page
Conversations of the West
FALL 2009 V55.0400 Conversations of the West: Topics - Political Theology
Prof. Geroulanos (History) syllabus
Is religion ever apolitical? Is politics ever irreligious? How have philosophers, theologians, and political theorists conceived the civic and its relation to the divine? In what way have they linked monotheism and religious experience to sovereignty and violence? What does it mean to claim that the past two centuries brought forth a process of secularization? Do we live in a post-secular time? In what way can we call religion modern? How has secular modernity re-thought its religious past? Following recent discussions of religion's role in the public sphere, we explore links between politics, literature, and theology since Classical Greece through major texts that address the politics of religion and the religious ground of political questions, as well as some classic accounts of the role of religion in systems of political authority and sovereignty. Themes include: the reconfiguration and modern experience of the religious past, questions of violence and sovereignty, the goals and limitations of humanism, the force and role of ethics amid religious ambivalence. Readings include: Aeschylus, Paul, Augustine, Ignatius of Loyola, Shakespeare, Pascal, Kant, Marx, Kierkegaard, Weber, Levinas.
Fall 2009 V55.0400 Conversations of the West: Topics - Animal Humans
Prof. Lezra (Comparative Literature) syllabus
"One might go so far as to define man as a creature that has failed in its effort to keep its animalness…" So writes the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk. What sort of animal were we? Where, how, and by whom has the line between the human and the animal been drawn? With what consequences for our "human" understanding of the world? Of concepts like the "soul," "society," politics, the family? Is the line between the human and the animal drawn differently in different genres--in literary works, theological treatises, natural histories, paintings, films? We come at these questions from different angles, following them from antiquity to early modern responses to these questions, and in essays by contemporary philosophers and advocates. Readings: Genesis, Numbers, Euripides' Bacchae, Plato's Phaedrus, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Apuleius' Golden Ass, Marie de France' Bisclavret, Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Montaigne's "Apology in Defense of Raymond Sebond, Machiavelli's Prince, H. G. Wells's Island of Dr. Moreau and Island of Lost Souls, Derrida's "The Animal that therefore I am," selections from Boccaccio, Peter Singer, Giorgio Agamben, Donna Haraway.
FALL 2009 V55.0402 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the Renaissance
Prof. Gilman (English) syllabus
The "Renaissance" understands itself as an age bearing witness to the "rebirth" of classical antiquity. In art, philosophy, and literature it also assumes the task of reconciling the cultural inheritance of Greece and Rome with the Christian tradition (itself entering into a moment of crisis as allegiances split between the Catholic church and the "reformed" church of Luther and Calvin). Our first task is to look at antiquity; our second, to explore the ways in which European culture between 1400 and 1700 invents the modern by making itself conversant with the past. Readings: Homer's Odyssey; Sophocles' Antigone; Plato's Phaedo and Symposium; Vergil's Aeneid; Genesis, Exodus, Job, Luke, Acts, John; Augustine's Confessions; Castiglione's Book of the Courtier; Machiavelli's Prince; Erasmus's Praise of Folly; Montaigne's Essays; More's Utopia; Shakespeare's Tempest.
FALL 2009 V55.0403 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the Enlightenment
Prof. Chazan (Hebrew & Judaic Studies) syllabus
Focuses on the understanding of knowledge and truth in antiquity and the Enlightenment. Divergent perspectives on knowledge and truth have important implications for society and the individual. They lead to alternative notions of how society should be ordered, who should exercise power in society, the goals of individual endeavor, and the nature of individual fulfillment. Key texts from antiquity and the Enlightenment will be read and analyzed with these issues uppermost in mind. Readings: Genesis, Exodus, Luke, Acts, Galatians; Sophocles' Antigone; Euripides' Bacchae; Plato's Apology and Symposium; Augustine's Confessions; Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus; Locke's Letter Concerning Toleration; Lessing's Nathan the Wise; Montesquieu's Persian Letters; Voltaire's Letters Concerning the English Nation; Paine's Age of Reason.
FALL 2009 V55.0403 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the Enlightenment
Prof. Mitsis (Classics) syllabus
We examine, not worship at the shrine of, a wide-ranging selection of writings from ancient Greek, Roman, and Hebrew thinkers together with some important Enlightenment texts. All of these works have framed in memorable, though contradictory, ways some basic questions about the nature of religion, the successes and failures of rational argument, the justification of social and political obligations, the benefits and dangers of technology and scientific knowledge, the value of emotions and our attachments to others, and the nature and value of artistic expression. Throughout the semester, students have the opportunity to become more practiced in the canons of moral and political argument, in the pleasures and pains of aesthetic experience, and in what used to be characterized as the proper use of one's solitude, that is, examining what it means to be a human being faced with death--or perhaps what is worse, faced with eternal life. Readings from Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, Thucydides, Plato, Epicureans, Stoics, Vergil, Hebrew and Christian scripture, Augustine, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Diderot, Rousseau, Locke, Goldoni, Beccaria, Lessing, Graffigny, Smith, Vico, Jefferson, Madison.
FALL 2009 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. Patell (English) syllabus
Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is widely thought to be one of the greatest masterpieces of American, and indeed Western, literature. This genre-defying book mixes comic, tragic, and epic modes as it wrestles with questions about the relationship between free will and fate that have tantalized humankind from antiquity to the present. By studying Melville's engagement with his classical and biblical inheritances, we seek to understand the sources of the cosmopolitan vision from which his novel springs. If Moby-Dick is "the Great American Novel," then what does that tell us about the nature of "America"? From what kind of "America" does Moby-Dick arise, and how different is that "America" from the one that the novel seeks to promote? In addition to Moby-Dick, readings include Kriwaczek's In Search of Zarathustra, selections from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, Sophocles' Oedipus, Vergil's Aeneid, Shakespeare's Hamlet and King Lear, selections from Emerson and Nietzsche, George Lakoff's Moral Politics.
FALL 2009 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. Ulfers (German) syllabus
A conversation between two paradigms informing Western culture: the dominant, optimistic one, revolving around notions of historical progress toward absolute knowledge and utopian visions of the world and society; and the subterranean, pessimistic one, which looks on the former as a human construct or fiction that must come to naught. Readings: works from the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, Plato, and Sophocles; Augustine's Confessions; selections from Darwin; Marx and Engels' Communist Manifesto; Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy; Freud's Interpretation of Dreams; Kafka's Metamorphosis; Mann's Death in Venice.
FALL 2009 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. Renzi (MAP) syllabus
Some problems about justice, suggested by an extended reading of Plato's Republic: What is justice? Where does it come from? What does it mean to lead a just life? In examining these questions Plato reminds us that if we knew the answers they would not be problems, and also that it seems impossible to search for what one does not know. It looks, therefore, as if we are necessarily bound to start with the wrong or with ill-formed questions. With this Platonic paradox in mind, our constant supplement is Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality--an approach which leads us to consider whether it isn't rather something other than justice that we were seeking all along. Readings: Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, Galatians; Rosenberg and Bloom's Book of J; Aristophanes' Clouds; Plato's Apology and Republic; Euripides' Medea; Sophocles' Oedipus; Augustine's Confessions; Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling; Marx' and Engels' Communist Manifesto and selections of Marx' 1844 manuscripts; Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality; Freud's case of Lucy R. and Civilization and Its Discontents.
FALL 2009 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. Corradi (Sociology) syllabus
A guide to the intellectual heritage distinctive to the West, with special attention to the nature of the person, freedom, rationality, democracy, and the social order. The works we study continue to shape the way people understand themselves and the world. They are 'classic' in the sense that they have not finished saying what they have to say. We situate them in historical context, looking for ways in which later authors responded to themes introduced by earlier ones. From the particularity of the West, these themes show a vocation for universality. Readings include: Genesis, Exodus, Luke, Corinthians; Sophocles' Oedipus and Antigone; Plato's Apology and Republic; Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics; Pericles' Funeral Oration; Epictetus' Discourses; Augustine's Confessions; Tocqueville's Democracy in America; Mill's On Liberty; Darwin's Origins of the Species; Marx and Engels' Communist Manifesto; Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling; Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality; Weber's Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism; Lincoln's Gettysburg Address; Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents.
FALL 2009 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. Baker (English) syllabus
Examines Western conceptions of the relation between humans and the natural world. Considers how 19th-century thinkers embraced, revised, and overturned ancient ideas about creation, natural order, the distinction between humans and animals, and the risks and rewards of probing nature's mysteries. Readings: Homer's Odyssey, Hebrew and Christian scripture, Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, Shelley's Frankenstein, Darwin's Origin of Species, and works by Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Emerson, Goethe, and Nietzsche.
FALL 2009 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. Levene (Classics) syllabus
Every society places demands on individuals: it could not do otherwise and still remain a society. But what happens when those demands are inconsistent? Can--or should--an individual determine the right course of action by reason alone? Or should one simply obey--but then, whom should one obey? What happens when people's moral judgments differ from the expectations of those around them? How can one maintain a society in the face of such conflicts? From the first moments of Western literature those questions are explored; they became all the more insistent in the unprecedented political, social, intellectual, and economic upheavals of the 19th century. One effect was the increasingly central role given to art itself, seen as the dynamic force able to create a cohesive society. Our study will include Richard Wagner's remarkable music-drama The Ring of the Nibelung, perhaps the most significant and influential art-work of the era (studied primarily as a text, though there will be opportunities to hear the music as well). Other readings will include selections from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures; Homer's Iliad; Sophocles' Antigone; Plato's Gorgias; Vergil's Aeneid; poetry by (among others) Shelley, Tennyson, and Matthew Arnold; Arnold's Culture and Anarchy; Wagner's Art and Revolution; and Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality.
FALL 2009 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. Calhoun (Sociology) syllabus
A guide to the intellectual heritage distinctive to the West, with special attention to the nature of the person, faith, ethics, and the social order. The works we study continue to shape the way people understand themselves and the world. We situate them in historical context, looking for ways in which later authors responded to themes introduced by earlier ones. Readings include: Genesis, Exodus, Luke, 1 Corinthians; Sophocles' Oedipus; Plato's Apology and Crito; Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics; Epictetus' Discourses; Augustine's Confessions; Shelley's Frankenstein; Tocqueville's Democracy in America; Mill's On Liberty; Marx and Engels' The Communist Manifesto; Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling; Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality; Weber's Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism; and Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.
FALL 2009 V55.0412 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the Renaissance - Writing Intensive
Prof. Gerety (Collegiate Professor) syllabus
What is the soul? Is it the conscious self or something more? Does our identity persist beyond death? What is the relation between the soul and good and evil? Some say that Socrates 'discovered' the human soul, but the idea that we have souls that outlast our bodies is as old as humanity. Our understanding of the nature of our souls often dictates the way we feel we should live. We will explore ideas from Homer and Heraclitus through Socrates himself and then on to Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament (including the Gnostics), Augustine, and Vergil. We look for the elements that make up personal identity and value in the ancient world, both religious and secular, and see how much these change from Homer's world to that of Augustine and the Roman Empire. We then turn to Dante, who provides a bridge to some of the great thinkers and artists of the Renaissance--most notably Shakespeare and DaVinci but also Montaigne and Villon. In all of these, the permanence and even presence of our souls seem more uncertain, more threatened by death and obliteration, than in Plato or Paul, and this threat reaches our morality and values as well. In this way, the Renaissance marks the beginning of the world in which all of us must now find our way.
Note: Offered in conjunction with selected sections of V40.0100, Writing the Essay.
FALL 2009 V55.0414 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century - Writing Intensive
Prof. Renzi (MAP) syllabus
Some problems about justice, suggested by an extended reading of Plato's Republic: What is justice? Where does it come from? What does it mean to lead a just life? In examining these questions Plato reminds us that if we knew the answers they would not be problems, and also that it seems impossible to search for what one does not know. It looks, therefore, as if we are necessarily bound to start with the wrong or with ill-formed questions. With this Platonic paradox in mind, our constant supplement is Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality--an approach which leads us to consider whether it isn't rather something other than justice that we were seeking all along. Readings: Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, Galatians; Rosenberg and Bloom's Book of J; Aristophanes' Clouds; Plato's Apology and Republic; Euripides' Medea; Sophocles' Oedipus; Augustine's Confessions; Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling; Marx' and Engels' Communist Manifesto and selections of Marx' 1844 manuscripts; Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality; Freud's case of Lucy R. and Civilization and Its Discontents.
Note: Offered in conjunction with selected sections of V40.0100, Writing the Essay.
SPRING 2010 V55.0400 Conversations of the West: Topics Justice and Injustice in Biblical Narrative and Western Thought
Prof. Weiler (Law)
Issue of justice and injustice and other normative concerns. Each week pairs a core reading from the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament with another work in the Western tradition to explore a broad range of complex normative issues. Often God will be “on trial:” Was the Deluge genocide? Is Abraham guilty of attempted murder and child abuse? Was Jesus guilty as charged? Was Socrates? The themes are all of relevance to contemporary issues: communal responsibility vs. individual autonomy, ecological crisis, ethics vs. religion, freedom of speech and thought, genocide, rule of law and civil disobedience, the Other, punishment and retribution, religious intolerance, sanctity of human life, sex and gender. The course will be taught at the Law School in Law School style—rigourous but academically and intellectually rewarding. Primary readings include: Aristophanes’ Clouds; Plato’s Apology; Xenophon’s Apology; Sophocles’ Antigone; selections from Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Aristotle, Maimonides, Aquinas, Luther, Kant, Kierkegaard, Mill, Thoreau, Kafka, Camus.
SPRING 2010 V55.0402 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the Renaissance
Prof. Gilman (English)
The "Renaissance" understands itself as an age bearing witness to the "rebirth" of classical antiquity. In art, philosophy, and literature it also assumes the task of reconciling the cultural inheritance of Greece and Rome with the Christian tradition (itself entering into a moment of crisis as allegiances split between the Catholic church and the "reformed" church of Luther and Calvin). Our first task is to look at antiquity; our second, to explore the ways in which European culture between 1400 and 1700 invents the modern by making itself conversant with the past. Readings: Homer's Odyssey; Sophocles' Antigone; Plato's Phaedo and Symposium; Vergil's Aeneid; Genesis, Exodus, Job, Luke, Acts, John; Augustine's Confessions; Castiglione's Book of the Courtier; Machiavelli's Prince; Erasmus's Praise of Folly; Montaigne's Essays; More's Utopia; Shakespeare's Tempest.
SPRING 2010 V55.0403 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the Enlightenment
Prof. Rubenstein (Hebrew & Judaic Studies)
Beginning with the collision of the "Judeo-Christian" and Hellenistic traditions and their encounter in the Christian Scriptures and Augustine, we see Enlightenment thinkers grapple with the fusion of these traditions they had inherited, subjecting both to serious criticism and revising them as a new tradition—science and technology—rises to prominence. Reading from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, Sophocles, Plato, Augustine, Montesquieu, Pope, Voltaire, and Rousseau.
SPRING 2010 V55.0403 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the Enlightenment
Prof. Goldwyn (French)
Focuses on voyage, discovery, errantry, and exile in key ancient and Enlightenment texts and how these stories transformed and shaped understanding of the world, the "other," and the self. We examine the way the Enlightenment thinkers revisited, reinterpreted, redefined, and, at times, rejected their intellectual and cultural legacy. Readings: Euripides' Medea; Genesis, Exodus, Job, Luke, and Acts; Plato's Symposium; Vergil's Aeneid; Augustine's Confessions; Voltaire's Candide; Diderot's Supplement to the Voyage of Bougainville; and Graffigny's Letters from a Peruvian Woman.
SPRING 2010 V55.0403 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the Enlightenment
Prof. Starr (English)
Important and dynamic moments in the history of the Western engagement with concepts of the imagination. What roles does the imagination play in religion, philosophy, and literature? What does it mean to "imagine" for the writers of Hebrew scripture, for Plato, or for Descartes, Hume, or Jane Austen? What are the limits of imagination, and what do those limits tell us? How does imagining relate to thinking, desiring, and knowing? Readings: Genesis, Job, Revelation; Homer's Odyssey; Plato's Symposium and Phaedrus; Vergil's Aeneid; Augustine's Confessions; Descartes' Meditations; Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding; Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Austen's Northanger Abbey.
SPRING 2010 V55.0403 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the Enlightenment
Prof. Connolly (Classics)
Gnothi sauton, "know yourself," was the phrase inscribed over the entrance to the great temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece. Roman thinkers called the search for the good life cura sui, the "cultivation of the self." Our concerns are how Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and the Enlightenment thinkers inspired by antiquity contemplate the well-lived life in the context of the political community (polis, res publica, empire, civitas Dei, cosmopolis). Who belongs to the community, who does not, and why? Is it best organized on the basis of reason, common tradition, language, or faith? Is the community perfectible? Our texts explore the challenge of living well in various civic contexts (and in retreat from them), the extent of citizens' duties and responsibilities to one another, and the role of education in shaping community. Our concern is not for political theory, but rather how these texts work as as literary texts. We ask how different genres—drama, historical prose, philosophical dialogue, epic poetry, treatise, opera, and memoir--present ideas and arguments; and we consider the role of literature and art in society and politics.
SPRING 2010 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. Ertman (Sociology)
Explores the ancient foundations of traditional Western culture by examining the political and social institutions, religious beliefs, and value systems of the Israelites, Greeks, Romans, and early Christians; then turns to the radical challenges to this traditional culture, in the areas of the economy, politics, religion, and morality, that arose over the course of the 19th century, challenges that continue to reverberate to this day. Readings: Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Luke, Acts, Romans; Thucydides' Peloponnesian War; Plato's Apology and Symposium; Vergil's Aeneid; Augustine's Confessions; Smith's Wealth of Nations; Marx and Engels' Communist Manifesto; Mill's On Liberty; Darwin's Origin of Species; Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality; Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents.
SPRING 2010 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. Renzi (MAP)
Are we free to fulfill our desires? To be ourselves? To be more than ourselves? Is morality a constraint on our freedom or a means to it? Why, of all the animals, are humans both the only ones who are moral, yet also the only ones who terrorize one another? Why does morality fail to contain the desire to act cruelly toward others? Could it be that this failure suggests-what is seemingly paradoxical-that morality is not opposed to cruelty? Could it be there is a freedom that lies in surrendering to terror? Readings: Rosenberg and Bloom's Book of J; Genesis, Exodus, Job; Matthew, Galatians; Gospel of Mary; Euripides' Medea and Bacchae; Sophocles' Oedipus and Antigone; Aristophanes' Clouds; Plato's Apology, Gorgias, Symposium; Xenophon's Apology; Augustine's Confessions; Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling; Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality, Freud's "Case of Miss Lucy R." and Civilization and Its Discontents, excerpts from Isaiah, Daniel, Aristotle.
SPRING 2010 V55.0404 Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century
Prof. P. Fleming (German)
A dialogue between Antiquity and the nineteenth century created by juxtaposing crucial texts from each epoch around such topics as origins, divine abandonment, the definition of the human, morality, and politics. In other words, the material will not be read chronologically but according to shared themes, problems, and conflicts. Of central concern is the paradigm shift that occurs between the foundations of Western society and the nineteenth century, in particular the move from metaphysics to history, in which essences give way to contingencies. Readings include Genesis, Job, selections from Christian Scriptures; Darwin's Origin of Species; Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling; Dostoevsky's "The Grand Inquisitor"; Plato's Republic; Nietzsche's "On Truth and Lie"; Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics; Kant's "On the Supposed Right to Lie"; Goethe's Sufferings of Young Werther; Tocqueville's Democracy in America; Marx and Engels' Communist Manifesto.
top of page
World Cultures
FALL 2009 V55.0500 World Cultures: Topics - Empires and Political Imagination
Prof. Burbank (History) & Prof. Cooper (History) syllabus
Comparative study of empires, from the Romans to the present, and the ways that empires have inspired and constrained their subjects' ideas of rights, belonging, and power. Throughout history, few people lived for very long in a state that consisted entirely or even mainly of people with whom they shared a language and culture. Empires--polities that maintained social and cultural distinction even as they incorporated different people--have been one of the most common and durable forms of political organization. An examination of the variety of human cultures must take account of how people lived in empires--sometimes seeking higher degrees of autonomy, sometimes accommodating to rulers' authority, sometimes trying to extend their own power over others. The study of empire expands our ideas of citizenship and challenges the notion that the nation-state is natural and necessary. We investigate how empires were held together--and where they were weak--from perspectives that focus on political and economic connections over long distances and long time periods. We also explore how scholars have approached the topic of empires, examining their methods and their interpretations. Readings include historical scholarship on the Roman, Chinese, Mongol, Spanish, Russian, French, British, and American empires, as well as primary sources produced by people living in these and other imperial polities.
FALL 2009 V55.0501 World Cultures: The Ancient Near East and Egypt
Prof. Goelet (Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies) syllabus
Egypt and Mesopotamia, the two great non-Western civilizations of the Ancient Near East, examined through ancient texts illustrating their historical development and culture. These are the civilizations where writing began; and each had a significant impact on Israel, Greece, Rome, and, eventually, the West. Egypt and Mesopotamia are compared and contrasted for developments such as urbanism and state formation, imperialism, religion, warfare, family life, trade and economy, kingship, the role of men and women, literature, cosmology, and art. We explore literature in the broadest sense, including documents that might otherwise simply be classed as historical.
FALL 2009 V55.0502 World Cultures: Islamic Societies
Prof. el-Leithy (Middle Eastern & Islamic Societies) syllabus
Major social, cultural, and political transformation of the Middle East from late antiquity through the mid-thirteenth century, considered in the context of the formation and evolution of Islamic culture and polity. Examines the emergence of key concepts, practices, and cultural motifs of the medieval Islamic tradition. Also examines the emergence of the idea/concept of the "Middle East", the history and background of European interest in the region, as well as the crucial role of cultural encounter and dialogue (e.g., through trade, colonization, polemics) in the formation and development of identity.
FALL 2009 V55.0505 World Cultures: Africa
Prof. Beidelman (Anthropology)
Key concepts for understanding sub-Saharan African cultures and societies, and ways of thinking critically and consulting sources sensibly when studying non-Western cultures. Topics include: problems in the interpretation of African literature and history, gender issues, the question of whether African thought and values constitute a unique system of thinking, the impact of the slave trade and colonialism on African societies and culture, and the difficulties of and means for translating and interpreting the system of thought and behavior in an African traditional society into terms meaningful to Westerners. Among the readings are novels, current philosophical theory, and feminist interpretations of black and white accounts of African societies.
FALL 2009 V55.0506 World Cultures: The Chinese and Japanese Traditions
Prof. Roberts (East Asian Studies) syllabus
Essential aspects of Asian culture—Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Shintoism—studied through careful reading of major works of philosophy and literature. A roughly equal division between Chinese and Japanese works is meant to give a basic understanding of the broad similarities and the less obvious, but all-important, differences among the cultures of Confucian Asia. One reading is a Vietnamese adaptation of a Chinese legend. The last two readings, modern novellas from Japan and China, show the reaction of the traditional cultures to the Western invasions.
FALL 2009 V55.0514 World Cultures: Ancient Israel
Prof. Fleming (Hebrew & Judaic Studies) syllabus
The people of the Hebrew Bible understood themselves to be united as an ancient tribe called Israel, a name that lay behind even the eventual state. Working backward from the fullest early definition of Israel, when the Hebrew Bible was taking final form, toward the time of older origins, we push back in time, using the Bible as the primary point of reference, while examining various independent evidence. Writing projects focus mainly on interpretation of biblical texts.
Fall 2009 V55.0516 World Cultures: India
Prof. Goswami (History) syllabus
Introduces students to the society, culture, and economy of modern India, from the foundation of British colonial rule in the late 18th century to the nationalist struggle in the early 20th century, through the lens of broader issues in historical and cultural inquiry. Examines shifts in society and culture during the modern period from different perspectives: British colonial agents, religious groups, the middle and educated classes, women and peasants, and the many-faceted struggle for independence before and during the period of Gandhi. Secondary sources are read in conjunction with primary sources (political treatises, novels, and film) that speak to the more general issues at hand: colonial domination, the relationship between cultural and economic shifts, political identities and nationalism, and collective memory and violence.
FALL 2009 V55.0532 World Cultures: The African Diaspora
Prof. Morgan (Social and Cultural Analysis) syllabus
The dispersal of Africans to various parts of the world and over time, examining their experiences and those of their descendants. Regions of special interest include the Americas and the Islamic world, centering on questions of slavery and freedom while emphasizing the emergence of cultural forms and their relationship to both African and to non-African influences.
FALL 2009 V55.0532 World Cultures: The African Diaspora
Prof. Gomez (History) syllabus
The dispersal of Africans to various parts of the world and over time, examining their experiences and those of their descendants. Regions of special interest include the Americas and the Islamic world, centering on questions of slavery and freedom while emphasizing the emergence of cultural forms and their relationship to both African and to non-African influences.
FALL 2009 V55.0536 World Cultures: Indigenous Australia
Prof. Myers (Anthropology) syllabus
The indigenous people of Australia have long been the subject of interest and imagination by outsiders for their cultural formulations of kinship, ritual, art, gender, and politics, and they have entered into representations as distinctively "Other"—whether in negative or positive formulations of the "Primitive." These representations—in feature films about them such as Walkabout and Rabbit Proof Fence, in New Age Literature, or museum exhibitions—are now also in dialogue with their own forms of cultural production. At the same time, Aboriginal people have struggled to reproduce themselves and their traditions in their own terms, asserting their right to forms of cultural autonomy and self-determination. We explore the historical and geographical range of Aboriginal Australian forms of social being through ethnographic texts, art, novels, autobiographies, film and other media, and consider the ways in which identity is being challenged and constructed.
FALL 2009 V55.0537 World Cultures: Modern Israel
Prof. Zweig (Hebrew & Judaic Studies) syllabus
Modern Israel—Society and Culture: Despite its small size and population, Israel is a diverse, dynamic, and complex society. To understand its ethnic, religious, and political divisions, the different ethnic origins of the Jewish population over the last 150 years will be examined, and the growing role of the Arab population (approaching 20%) in Israeli society will be discussed. The special role of religion in the secular state, the development of Hebrew speaking culture, the political system, the settlement movement and the peace movement, gender issues, and the role of the army in everyday life are all addressed, concluding with a survey of the debate on whether Israel is a Jewish state or a state of all its citizens. Although the controversial issues that keep Israel in the headlines are touched on, the focus is the character of Israeli society and the impact on everyday life of living in the international limelight.
FALL 2009 V55.0539 World Cultures: Asian/Pacific/American Cultures
Prof. Tu (Social and Cultural Analysis) syllabus
Major issues in the historical and contemporary experiences of Asian Pacific Americans, including migration, modernization, racial formation, community-building, and political mobilization, among others. Asian Pacific America encompasses a complex, diverse, and rapidly changing population of people. As an expression/reflection of their cultural identities, historical conditions, and political efforts, we pay particular attention to Asian Americans' use of cultural productions-films, literature, art, media, and popular culture.
FALL 2009 V55.0541 World Cultures: New World Encounters
Prof. Lane (Spanish & Portuguese)
What was America before it was called America? How did indigenous cultures understand and document their first encounters with Europeans? We focus on peoples, events, and cultural expressions associated with the conquest and colonization of the Americas, concentrating on three key areas: central Mexico, home to a several pre-Columbian societies, most notably the Aztec Empire, and later the seat of Spanish power in northern Latin America (the Viceroyalty of New Spain); the central Andes, home of the Incas and later the site of Spanish power in southern Latin America (the Viceroyalty of Peru); and finally, early plantation societies of the Caribbean, where the violent history of enslaved Africans in the new world unfolded. On one hand, we explore how those subjugated by conquest and colonialism interpreted, resisted, and recorded their experience. On the other, we ask what new cultural forms emerged from these violent encounters, and consider their role in the foundation of "Latin American" cultures. Readings balance a range of primary documents and art created during the "age of encounter," including maps, letters, paintings, and testimonials, along with historical and theoretical texts.
FALL 2009 V55.0543 World Cultures: Korea
Prof. Em (East Asian)
SPRING 2010 V55.0500 World Cultures: Topics–Nations and Nationalism: Islam, Jews and the West
Prof. Berenson (History)
Considers problems of nationalism and national identity in the modern world: what a nation is, how nations came to be, what historical experiences particular nations have undergone, and what forms of nationalism their peoples have displayed. In pursuing these objectives, we examine different theories of nationalism and then look in detail at four case studies, each representing a different form of nationalism: 1) The rise of Arab nations and nationalism amid the collapse empire—Ottoman, British, and French (1914-58); the extreme racist nationalism epitomized by Nazi Germany (1918-45); the nationalism of the movement for national liberation in Algeria (1954-62); and the rival religion-tinged nationalisms of Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians, since 1917. We conclude with some reflections on the persistence of nationalism in our globalized world.
SPRING 2010 V55.0505 World Cultures: Africa
Prof. Hull (History)
Vital issues facing contemporary African cultures through an exploration of their genesis. Our human origins are explored through the findings of archaeologists, paleontologists, and molecular biologists. The problems of governance in modern Africa are viewed through the prism of political science. Conflicts between traditional and modern society are reflected in the writings of African novelists and art historians. Africa's rich musical heritage resonates through the voices of ethnomusicologists. Slavery and the slave trade are viewed through the experiences of its victims and perpetrators. Students come to appreciate the richness and diversity of African societies and develop skills at exploring issues widely, deeply, and critically.
SPRING 2010 V55.0507 World Cultures: Japan
Prof. Yoshimoto (East Asian Studies)
Japanese national identity is the product of a diversity of cultures and communities. Starting with a broad historical overview of this diversity, critical focus is given to those categories commonly used to describe a single coherent "Japanese" culture. These include the categories of nation (e.g., Japan as an economic state, Japan as a nation defined by beauty and aesthetics), modernity (e.g., gender, family, ethnicity, new religions), and popular culture (e.g., mass culture, subcultures).
SPRING 2010 V55.0511 World Cultures: Middle Eastern Societies
Prof. Fahmy (Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies)
The histories, societies, and cultures of "the Middle East"—a relatively recent name for a very diverse region of western Asia and northern Africa. Focusing on the period from the heyday of Ottoman power in Europe and the Middle East in the sixteenth century until the present, we use a range of materials, including translated texts, novels and short stories, films and videos, and photographs, to explore changing forms of individual and collective identity, patterns of social life, and modes of government. We pay special attention to how people in the region experienced and grappled with the profound transformations their societies underwent from the eighteenth century onward, especially the expansion of European economic, political, and cultural power; colonial rule; and the rise of new nation-states. We conclude by discussing the Middle East today and some of the issues its peoples face.
SPRING 2010 V55.0514 World Cultures: Ancient Israel
Prof. M. Smith (Hebrew & Judaic Studies)
The culture of the ancient Israelite societies of biblical times, covering the period from about 1200 b.c.e. to the conquests of Alexander the Great, in the fourth century b.c.e. Topics include the achievements of these societies in the areas of law and social organization, prophetic movements, Israelite religion, and ancient Hebrew literature. The Hebrew Bible preserves much of the creativity of the ancient Israelites, but archaeological excavations in Israel and neighboring lands, as well as the discovery of ancient writings in Hebrew and related languages, have added greatly to our knowledge of life as it was lived in biblical times. The civilizations of Egypt and Syria-Mesopotamia also shed light on Israelite culture. Of particular interest is the early development of Israelite monotheism, which, in time, emerged as ancient Judaism, the mother religion of Christianity and Islam.
SPRING 2010 V55.0515 World Cultures: Latin America
Prof. Dávila (Anthropology)
SPRING 2010 V55.0515 World Cultures: Latin America
Prof. Giorgi (Spanish & Portuguese)
Interrupted Narratives—Fictions of "Latin America": It has been argued that the place of Latin America in the Western imagination is that of a target of education, salvation, and redemption by the European colonizers and, later on, by the successive "civilizing" and "modernizing" projects that so decisively defined the fate of Latin American cultures and societies, and that systematically fail to deliver the expected results. To a great extent, the very notion of "Latin America" seems to revolve around the tension between different normative ideals of what is "properly human" ("Christian," "civilized," "modern," "democratic," and so on), and the failure of Latin American societies to achieve those ideals. We explore how cultural fictions from/about Latin America reflect and, in some cases, counteract these narratives of failure, together with the cultural, economic, racial, and bodily rhetorics they produce. Analyzing literary writings about the "savage," the "barbarian," the "abnormal," and the "superfluous population," we discuss how these figures involve modern fantasies of transformation—even reinvention—of peoples and cultures, at the same time that they open the space for deviation and resistance. We also interrogate the extent to which literary fiction (and culture at large) provides tools to conceive alternative, non-normative imaginaries of the social. Readings include literary fiction by, among others, Clarice Lispector, Fernando Vallejo, and Manuel Puig, as well as films by Walter Salles and Lucrecia Martel.
SPRING 2010 V55.0515 World Cultures: Latin America
Prof. Navia (Liberal Studies)
Dependency and Development in Latin America: Explores social, economic, and political development in Latin America since independence in the early 19th century. Combines politics, sociology, economics, history of ideas and culture to consider how Latin American intellectuals have seen and understood the evolution of their countries, focusing specifically on the development of dependency theory. Also examines how their views are shaped and influenced by the evolution and development of their northern neighbor, the United States. In analyzing the idea of “dependency”, we look at colonial and post-colonial discourse, study the underlying causes of economic development, and ask how political developments in Latin America (such as the Mexican revolution, the Cuban revolution, and guerrilla movements) have shaped the evolution of intellectual thought in the region. We discuss how world events (such as World War II, the Cold War, and the rapid globalization in recent decades) have influenced Latin American understanding of development and their own history of underdevelopment. Finally, we see how immigration and outmigration have shaped development and the way Latin Americans view it.
SPRING 2010 V55.0516 World Cultures: India
Prof. Ganti (Anthropology)
Utilizing a variety of sources—novels, films, and academic scholarship—students are introduced to the history, culture, society, and politics of modern India. Home to one billion people, eight major religions, twenty official languages (with hundreds of dialects), histories spanning several millenia, and a tremendous variety of customs, traditions, and ways of life, India is almost iconic for its diversity. We examine the challenges posed by such diversity as well as how this diversity has been understood, represented, and managed, both historically and contemporarily.
SPRING 2010 V55.0528 World Cultures: Russia since 1917
Prof. S. Cohen (Russian & Slavic Studies)
Major periods, developments, and interpretative issues in Russian politics, history, and society, from the 1917 revolution to the present. The emphasis is on the Soviet experience, though the Tsarist past and post-Soviet developments are also considered. Special attention is given to the role of historical traditions, leadership, ideology, ramifying events, and socioeconomic factors.
SPRING 2010 V55.0529 World Cultures: Contemporary Latino Cultures
Prof. Flores and Prof. Gonzalez (Social and Cultural Analysis)
top of page
Expressive Culture
FALL 2009 V55.0720 Expressive Culture: Images
Prof. Rice (Art History)
What is the place of art in an image-saturated world? We begin by considering the power and taboo of images and the ways in which individuals and institutions that constitute "the art world" classify some of these images as works of art, turn to explore the visual and conceptual challenges presented by major works of sculpture, architecture, and painting, and conclude with a selection of problems raised by art today. Students develop the vocabulary to both appreciate and question the artistic "gestures" of society in various places and times.
FALL 2009 V55.0722 Expressive Culture: Images - Architecture in New York Field Study
Prof. Broderick (Art History) syllabus
New York's rich architectural heritage offers a unique opportunity for firsthand consideration of the concepts and styles of modern urban architecture, as well as its social, financial, and cultural contexts. Meets once a week for an extended period combining on-campus lectures with group excursions to prominent buildings. Attention is given both to individual buildings as examples of 19th- and 20th-century architecture and to phenomena such as the development of the skyscraper and the adaptation of older buildings to new uses.
FALL 2009 V55.0730 Expressive Culture: Sounds
Prof. Samuels (Music)
Our lives pulsate with patterns of sounds that we call music. We encounter these sounds in our homes, cars, stores, and exercise salons; they accompany us to the grocery store, the dentist's office, and the movies; yet we rarely think consciously about what they mean. Through a series of specific case studies we investigate the function and significance of music and the musician in human life. We raise basic questions about how music has been created, produced, perceived, and evaluated at diverse historical moments, in a variety of geographical locations, and among different cultural groups. Through aural explorations and discussion of how these vivid worlds "sound" in time and space, we assess the value of music in human experience.
FALL 2009 V55.0730 Expressive Culture: Sounds
Prof. Hoffman (Music)
Our lives pulsate with patterns of sounds that we call music. We encounter these sounds in our homes, cars, stores, and exercise salons; they accompany us to the grocery store, the dentist's office, and the movies; yet we rarely think consciously about what they mean. Through a series of specific case studies we investigate the function and significance of music and the musician in human life. We raise basic questions about how music has been created, produced, perceived, and evaluated at diverse historical moments, in a variety of geographical locations, and among different cultural groups. Through aural explorations and discussion of how these vivid worlds "sound" in time and space, we assess the value of music in human experience.
FALL 2009 V55.0750 Expressive Culture: Film
Prof. Guerrero (Cinema Studies) syllabus
SPRING 2010 V55.0721 Expressive Culture: Images - Painting and Sculpture in New York Field Study
Prof. Broderick (Art History)
New York's public art collections contain important examples of painting and sculpture from almost every phase of the past, as well as some of the world's foremost works of contemporary art. Meets once a week for an extended period combining on-campus lectures with group excursions to the museums or other locations where these works are exhibited.
SPRING 2010 V55.0730 Expressive Culture: Sounds
Prof. Daughtry (Music)
The human voice: As something that we all have, our voices are easily taken for granted. The voice is more than sound, more even than the necessary sonic residue of communication. The character of your voice helps you and those around you understand something profound about your position as a unique individual, as a participant in various collectives, and as a member of the human species. By concentrating on the voice we gain a new appreciation for its complexity, for its power in our lives, and for the factors that condition and delimit that power. We give primary emphasis to a number of musical voices, ranging from Tuvan throat singers to Brooklyn beatbox artists. We also interrogate a number of the ways in which voice is presented to us: as the result of a complex physiological process; as a quasi-mystical aesthetic object; as a vehicle for communication; as a gendered, racialized and in other ways essentialized text; as a technologically-mediated commodity; and as a master trope for identity, human agency, immediacy, and truth. We attend to voices that silence others and voices that have been silenced themselves, and in so doing learn something about the voice’s articulation with politics, ethics, and violence. Finally, we use our own voices, both to generate our own critical discourse and to experience the visceral and intellectual pleasures of composing and making a chorus of sounds together.
SPRING 2010 V55.0750 Expressive Culture: Film
Prof. Simon (Cinema Studies)
American narrative films, produced primarily during the period 1965-75, considered as an innovative cycle of filmmaking in dialogue with significant historical, political, and cultural transformations in American society. Examines developments in film genre during this period especially in relation to political and cultural change. Narrative innovations are emphasized, with special attention to the specificity of film form and style (e.g., editing, mise-en-scène, sound). Provides an introduction to the methods and principles of film analysis as well as dealing with this period of filmmaking in depth. Includes films by Kubrick, Coppola, Altman, and Scorsese.
top of page
