Previous Semesters' Courses
FALL 2012
Philosophy
PHIL 10100-01 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Frederik Kaufman, Park Hall 238, Ext. 41260, kaufmanf@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: Any.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: To introduce students to basic philosophical methods and problems.Topics to be covered include the existence/nonexistence of God, theory of knowledge, the mind/body problem, theories of moral obligation and social and political organization.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Four exams and several short papers.
PHIL 10100-02, -04 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jonathan Peeters, Park Hall 223, Ext. 4-1378
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section.
PREREQUISITE: None.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will focus on perennial philosophical problems including (among others): (1) Does God exist? (2) What is the extent and possibility of knowledge? (3) What ought we to do? We will read mostly contemporary philosophical works.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture with significant amounts of time devoted to discussion. The focus is on learning analytical philosophical skills.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Participation, reading/reading guides, papers, exams.
PHIL 10100-03 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Serge Grigoriev, Park Hall 242, Ext. 4-5713, sgrigoriev@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: Students from all disciplines are welcome. Expect willingness to engage in critical in-class discussion.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course introduces the students to the discipline by featuring a selection of classical readings and arguments pertaining to the problems of knowledge, morality, free will, individuality and authenticity.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Exams; quizzes; participation.
PHIL-20300-01 INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC 2B LA NS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Brendan Murday, Park Hall 235, Ext. 47029, bmurday@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities, sciences, or mathematics.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Study translation between English sentences and logical notation, the logic of truth functions, and proofs in sentential and predicate logic, with an ultimate aim of assessing the validity of arguments.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture with homework problems.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Five exams and class participation; A-F.
PHIL 20300-02,03 INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC 2B LA NS
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Robert Klee, Park Hall 243, Ext. 41276, klee@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities, sciences, or mathematics.
STUDENTS: Any.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: To introduce the students to the fundamentals of formal reasoning.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Four exams.
PHIL 21200-01 INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Frederik Kaufman, Park Hall 238, Ext. 41260, kaufmanf@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities or social sciences.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the problems and theories of normative and critical ethics. Readings are selected from both classical and contemporary sources. We will consider a wide range of contemporary moral issues, such as abortion, war, capital punishment, the treatment of animals, and aid to the needy.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture/discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: 2 exams, 2 quizzes, final exam, class participation expected. Traditional grading.
PHIL 23000-01 BIOETHICS 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jonathan Peeters, Park Hall 223, Ext. 4-1378
ENROLLMENT: 25.
PREREQUISITE: Sophomore standing or above.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will focus on a selection of applied ethical topics. Possible topics include: abortion, cloning, euthanasia, and resource allocation.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture with significant amounts of time devoted to discussion. The focus is on learning analytical philosophical skills.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Participation, reading/reading guides, term paper, exams.
PHIL-23000-02 BIOETHICS 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Tatiana Patrone, Park Hall 239, Ext. 47347, tpatrone@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or above.
STUDENTS: Interested students of all disciplines are welcome.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is an introductory course in biomedical ethics. The developments in biomedical science that occurred in the course of the XX century have opened the door to some important philosophical problems: When – if at all – is it morally appropriate to terminate a pregnancy? Are doctors morally justified in helping patients to end their lives? Is it morally permissible to change the genetic make-up of our children? Is cloning morally objectionable? To what extent should the state be allowed to legislate over issues such as these? The course in bioethics is meant to acquaint you with some key arguments, perspectives, ideas, and positions that philosophers have developed concerning these questions. While the course does not promise to give simple answers to these questions, it will aim at helping you to acquire the philosophical skills necessary to develop such answers. You will learn how to read and to understand philosophical texts dealing with issues in bioethics, how to parse and to assess philosophical arguments, and how to come up with both critical and constructive arguments of your own.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, group-work, debate.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Two exams (midterm and the final), research paper (10 pages long), weekly contributions to Sakai discussion board; grading based on the preceding requirements; attendance and participation will be taken into consideration.
PHIL 24000-01 PHILOSOPHY IN FILM 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Serge Grigoriev, Park Hall 242, Ext. 4-5713, sgrigoriev@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities or CNPH 10100; sophomore standing.
STUDENTS: Students from all disciplines are welcome. Expect willingness to engage in critical in-class discussion.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Problems in philosophy of film: realism, authorship, narration, evaluative criteria, and social significance of film
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and Discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Exams; quizzes; participation.
PHIL 33000-01 THE GOOD LIFE HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Frederik Kaufman, Park Hall 238, Ext. 41260, kaufmanf@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15.
PREREQUISITES: One course in philosophy; two additional courses in humanities; sophomore standing or above.
STUDENTS: Those willing to work hard.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: To examine one of the basic questions of the human condition: What is a good life? Readings from classical and contemporary thinkers.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture/discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Traditional.
PHIL 35500-01 METAPHYSICS 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jonathan Peeters, Park Hall 223, Ext. 4-1378
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: One level-2 course in philosophy; two additional courses in the humanities.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course we will investigate some cetnral issues in metaphysics; possible topics include: the nature of space and time (is time travel possible?), free will and personal identity (do we act freely? what makes us the same individual from moment to moment?), and issues in mereology (are there perfect simples or does everything have parts?).
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture with significant amounts of time devoted to discussion. The focus is on learning analytical philosophical skills.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Participation, reading/reading guides, term paper, exams.
PHIL 36000-01 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Robert Klee, Park Hall 243, Ext. 41276, klee@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: One course in philosophy; one course in psychology (excluding PSYC-10000); one additional course in the humanities or social sciences.
STUDENTS: Those interested in the issues described above.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course we shall investigate the nature of the human mind. Topics include such questions as: Is the mind physical or nonphysical? What is the relation between mental states and bodily behavior? What is a mental state? What kinds of beings can possess minds? What is psychological explanation?
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture/discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Three exams and one paper.
PHIL 37502-01 SELECTED TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY: 20th CENTURY CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Serge Grigoriev, Park Hall 242, Ext. 4-5713, sgrigoriev@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: One course in philosophy; two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences.
STUDENTS: Students from all disciplines are welcome. Advanced standing in humanities recommended.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey of major themes in the 20th Century European Philosophy, with emphasis on structuralism, post-structuralism, and critical theory
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Exams, participation in discussions, written responses, final paper.
PHIL-37503-01 SELECTED TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Brendan Murday, Park Hall 235, Ext. 47029, bmurday@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: One course in philosophy; two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences.
STUDENTS: One course in logic (PHIL 20300, PHIL 32100, or equivalent) is strongly recommended as a prerequisite or co-requisite.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Examination of some of the prominent topics in contemporary philosophy of language. Here are a few topics one might discuss in a philosophy of language course (though not all of these will be addressed in this particular class): How does words refer – does the name ‘Obama’ refer to a certain individual because that individual has certain properties, or because I intend to be talking about that individual, or because that is whom other people refer to when they use the name, or is there another explanation? What is meaning, and where does it come from? Do thunderclouds mean rain? Does a sentence have a certain meaning because of social conventions, because of my intentions, because of how the sentence is used, or is there another explanation? Do the names ‘Superman’ and ‘Clark Kent’ have the same meaning? If so, can we say that Lois Lane believes Clark Kent can fly? What is the meaning of ‘Santa Claus’ when I say ‘There is no Santa Claus’? What does the English word ‘if’ mean? What is the relationship between literal meaning and metaphorical meaning, or connotative meaning? Note: although there is interesting work in postmodernist traditions concerning language, that literature lies beyond the purview of this course.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture with heavy emphasis on class discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Four papers and one exam or term paper, and class participation.
PHIL 38100-01 NINETEENTH-CENTURY PHILOSOPHY HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Tatiana Patrone, Park Hall 239, Ext. 47347, tpatrone@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: One course in philosophy; two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences.
STUDENTS: For anyone who meets the enrollment prerequisites, who is interested in the subject, and who is willing to do a substantial amount of reading every week.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: PHIL 38100 is a survey course in the 19th century philosophy. We will begin with a brief overview of Kant’s theoretical and practical philosophy since Kant was a precursor to German Idealism in general and to Hegel in particular. We then will read and discuss six primary texts written by 19th century thinkers (Hegel, Kierkegaard, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, and Bergson). The course is meant to acquaint the students with some of the important works, arguments, and concepts from the 19th century thought. It is also meant to help them cultivate the skills essential for doing philosophy and, especially, for doing history of philosophy. Our focus will be on reading primary texts (from Hegel to Freud), on reconstructing the arguments in them within the context of their philosophical tradition, on assessing these arguments critically, and on writing short and longer essays in philosophy and in history of philosophy. We will also work with some secondary sources in order to acquire the skill of writing papers in history of philosophy.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Three papers (3-page summary paper, 10-page research paper, and a 500-word essay), weekly contributions to Sakai discussion board; grading is based on the requirements and on the attendance/participation.
Religious Studies
RLST 10300-01 HEBREW SCRIPTURES 3A H HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Rebecca Lesses, Muller 307, Ext. 43556, rlesses@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: All students interested in learning more about the Bible.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The Hebrew Bible (referred to by Christians as the Old Testament) is one of the foundational books of both western and world culture, and serves as the basis for Judaism and Christianity. In this course, we will read the books of the Bible critically as literature, as religious and moral text, and as a source of sociological knowledge. This course surveys the biblical literature, acquaints the students with critical methods for the study of the Bible, situates the Bible within the literature and culture of the ancient Near East, and discusses the religion of ancient Israel. We will deal with questions of history and archaeology, and with questions of meaning—what the biblical text meant to its ancient readers, and what meaning it has today. RLST-10300 is cross-listed with JWST-10300. A student may not earn credit for both RLST-10300 and JWST-10300.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Readings, lectures, discussions (both in the class and in student study groups), and student presentations.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Readings will include: the Bible, Ancient Israelite Religion, by Susan Niditch, and A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its Context, by Michael Coogan. Grading: A-F.
RLST 10500-01 through 03 INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS: INDIGENOUS AND EASTERN 1 G H HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Brian Karafin, Park Hall 241, Ext. 41585, karafin@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: Recommended for religion minors, this course is open to all students interested in the subject matter.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course will discuss perennial religious themes such as the questions of ultimate orientation and meaning as they have been addressed by indigenous members of shamanic cultures and eastern (Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist,) religious cultures. The contemporary interest in the visionary, shamanic, and meditative aspects of these cultures will be analyzed in terms of the academic study of religion.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures, class discussion, and films.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Reading and class discussion emphasized; two exams, reading-journals. Reading list may include:
Huston Smith, The World's Religions;
Jeremy Narby, Shamans Through Time;
Pankaj Mishra, An End to Suffering;
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching;
Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace.
Letter grade based on exams and class discussions.
RLST 20100-01,02 RELIGION AND CULTURE 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Staff, Park Hall 223, Ext. 41378
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or above, or one course in religious studies.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Study of the mutual relations between religion and culture. The course explores the religious dimension of art, music, and literature, and considers the way religious symbols influence cultural movements, contrasting religious symbols as the basis for cultural values with religious symbols as a countercultural critique of majority norms. Students study both Western and non-Western examples, such as African American spirituals, Handel's "Messiah," European cathedrals, and Buddhist meditation practices. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or above, or one course in religious studies.
RLST 20500-01 ISLAM 1 HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Nancy Menning, Park Hall 234, Ext. 45802, nmenning@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITE: Sophomore standing or above.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduces the origins, historical development, major institutions, and central beliefs and practices of Islamic tradition, including the mystical dimension of Sufism. Particular attention is given to contemporary debates in Islamic Studies that shape our understanding of Islam and to Islamic responses to modern challenges of pluralism, democracy, feminism, and violence.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion-oriented, with short lectures.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Exams (40%), reading responses (15%), analytical paper on historical development (20%), and research paper on contemporary issues (25%).
RLST 37502-01 SELECTED TOPICS IN RELIGION: RELIGION AND THE 1960s HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Brian Karafin, Park Hall 241, Ext. 41585, karafin@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: One course in religion; two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences.
STUDENTS: Recommended for Religion minors; any others interested.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will study the religious aspects of the decade of the 1960s. The cultural and intellectual crosscurrents of the sixties profoundly affected global religions both at the time and for the ensuing period. We will study the period both for its own sake in terms of historical interest and for its continuing influences on our culture up to the present.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar style discussions.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Journals and class discussion.
Readings may include:
Robert Ellwood, The Sixties Spiritual Awakening;
Martin Luther King Jr., Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?;
Daniel Berrigan, The Geography of Faith;
Mary Daly, Beyond God the Father;
Vine Deloria, God is Red;
Chogyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism;
Ram Dass, Be Here Now.
RLST 37503-01 SELECTED TOPICS IN RELIGION: INDIGENOUS RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS HU LA
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Nancy Menning, Park Hall 234, Ext. 45802, nmenning@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: One course in religion; two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Explore Native American and other indigenous religious traditions (beliefs, practices, and historical transformations), with an emphasis on the current state of scholarship, ethical challenges in teaching and learning about indigenous traditions, and the role of religion in modern indigenous life. Students will be expected to develop in-depth knowledge of a particular indigenous group (student-selected, instructor-approved).
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar-style discussion, with short lectures.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Exams (30%); analytical paper on pedagogical questions (20%); and annotated bibliography, state-of-scholarship white paper, and presentation on a specific indigenous group (50%).