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May 19, 2024
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Undergraduate Bulletin 2013-2014 [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]
Course Descriptions
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HNSM 257 - Good Life: Morality, Conscience, and Virtue 3 hours
What is a good life? This deceptively simple question will guide us through this course as we explore what it means to be a human being and citizen and to live a good life from the perspective of ancient Greek philosophers (Plato and Aristotle), a 17th century British philosopher (Hobbes), an 18th century Anglican bishop and moral philosopher (Butler), a contemporary philosopher (Midgley), and a contemporary moral psychologist (Callahan). We will engage a number of questions related to our search for “the good life.” What is morality, and why do people behave morally? Are human beings inherently good, or is moral behavior contrary to our natural inclinations? Does the moral life consist of obligations and demands that we must meet, or is morality concerned with the qualities and characteristics that we embody? Can we make universal claims or judgments about what is good and just? What role do reason, emotion, religion, and conscience play in all of this? We will consider these questions in relation to the course readings and in light of our own experiences, current events, and challenges facing the world today.
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HNSM 261 - Gender Issues in Western Political Thought 3 hours
An exploration of gender issues in Western political thought through major texts and commentaries, as well as accounts of popular political discourse.
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HNSM 262 - Globalization and Civilization 3 hours
What does it mean to be a citizen in today’s world? How will the “next generation” preserve humane values in the world of tomorrow? From a close reading of Plato’s Republic, Jared Diamond’s Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Sigmund Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents, Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations, and Jonathan Sack’s The Dignity of Difference, students will explore the possibilities and problems of achieving peace, security, and prosperity in the midst of a rapidly changing social and physical environment.
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HNSM 263 - Plato’s World Society Tomorrow 3 hours
In The Republic, Plato asks the questions, What does it mean for a human being to be just? And is it worth it? To answer the questions he takes the scenic route, and examines the political community as a whole. In so doing, he sets the foundations of Western political philosophy - and raises some of its most challenging questions. What is the best government? How far can a state regulate the life of its citizens? How are rulers to be chosen? Can politicians serve the public, or are they bound to be corrupt? We will examine these foundational questions and their relevance in today’s world, while keeping in sight Plato’s original intention: an examination of human beings as moral beings.
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HNSM 264 - Individual, Community, Justice 3 hours
The answer to the question “What is Justice?” is at least in part dependent on one’s understanding of what it means to be human. In this course we will examine differing paradigms of what it means to be human and then ask how each understands the nature of justice. We will explore how an emphasis on either individualism or communalism affects one’s understanding of justice and thus one’s responsibility to her or his community. Finally, we will examine concrete examples of how these differing paradigms of human nature and justice respond to acts of injustice. Possible examples to be explored are The Nuremberg trials, cases brought before the International Criminal Court or South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing
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