Course Schedule for Summer 2017

Found of American Constitution

Note: For students in the Madison program only.

The Economic System and Interest Group Politics

In the second decade of the 21st century the world economy still rumbles with the impact of the 2008 meltdown and its associated problems across the globe. Market system failures and governmental efforts to resolve economic challenges have reverberated across the developed and developing world. In the United States, interests within the system have used the constitutional right to petition their government to express their views about political intervention into the economic allocation of values, either recommending aid from the democratic political process or opposing aid as antithetical to basic capitalistic values inherent in our mixed system of democratic politics and capitalist economics. Within this contemporary context, this course provides an inter-disciplinary approach to the expression of values in the market place and in public policy.

Note: Attendance at first class meeting advised.

Found./Homeric Poetry

Since its colonial beginnings, America's idea of itself and its place in the world has been shaped by a belief in the importance of the individual, the value of progress, and the possibility of prosperity for every American. The great writers of America are all concerned with America's sense of itself, though all respond differently to the American idea. Focusing on specific historical issues, the course will explore the ways in which American literature reflects and judges the beliefs that form the American idea and shape America's sense of itself.

Note: Graduate Liberal Studies only. Attendance at first class session strongly advised.

Pilgrimage, Travel, and Tourism

“Only thoughts reached while walking have value,” wrote Nietzsche. Religions seem to have a similar view. Pilgrimage has been a wide-spread aspect of most religions, through most historical periods. This course will examine the relation of travel (in its many guises) to religion from pilgrimage to common tourism. Classic and contemporary theories of pilgrimage will provide the backdrop. The majority of the course, however, will focus on the present day and on contexts that are not explicitly religious by reading travel accounts by Henry Miller, Alphonso Lingis, and Jack Gilbert, as well as five films. The point of the course, then, is to examine why travel is so important religiously and how all travel, even tourism, is religiously significant.

Note: Attendance at first class session is advised.

Freedom and Slavery in American History

Note: Attendance at first class session is advised.

MALS Thesis Proposal (HT)

Effective Fall 2013, (a) this course will carry an automatic program fee of $500, (b) may only be taken once after receiving an "Incomplete" in Thesis Writing, and (c) has been re-numbered from 991/992. If students do not complete Thesis Writing, s/he must register in the next semester in "MALS Thesis Continuous Registration I" which carries a $500 fee charge, is 0-credits and is part-time status. Students may take "MALS Thesis Continuous Reg. I" only once. If the student decides to withdraw from Thesis Writing before the deadline, s/he can pursue the 36-cr./Coursework degree plan. No exceptions will be considered.

Note: Must have completed 7 courses (21 crs); must have 3.0 cum GPA. Must have confirmed thesis mentor and topic prior to enrollment and must attend all 4 workshop sessions: May 24, June 7, June 21, and July 5.

MALS Thesis Proposal Workshop

Effective with Fall 2013, this course will be re-numbered from LSHV-497 to LSHV-898. The Workshop is required of all Masters' candidates as well as all Bachelors' candidates who elect the thesis option. The Thesis Proposal Workshop consists of four two-hour sessions; students must attend all four sessions of the Workshop. There are no exceptions. Each student is guided through the creation of a thesis proposal, which over the course of the semester must be approved by the mentor chosen by the student, by the professor conducting the Workshop, and then the Associate Director of the Graduate Liberal Studies Degree Program. This is a zero-credit, zero-tuition course that you must register for in the semester before you register for the Thesis Writing course. The grade is a "Pass" or "Fail." The Workshop cannot be taken at the same time of the registration into the Thesis Writing course. Satisfactory completion of this workshop is necessary before registering for the Thesis Writing course. You may also be registered for another course in the semester in which you register for the Thesis Proposal Workshop. Also read further information on the thesis preparation process by going to the Graduate Liberal Studies Degree Program. Note: During the Fall and Spring terms the zero-credit Thesis Proposal Workshop, taken in conjunction with a three-credit course, constitutes half-time enrollment status.

Note: Must have completed 7 courses (21 crs); must have 3.0 cum GPA. Must have confirmed thesis mentor and topic prior to enrollment and must attend all 4 workshop sessions.

Western Culture & the Rise of Neo-Darwinian Materialism after World War I

is only valueless matter following physical and natural laws without meaning or purpose, and that the idea of God or any transcendent power is intellectually indefensible self-delusion. This course examines the historical and intellectual bases of this theory of knowledge and its scientific cosmology, often called, respectively, scientific materialism or Neo-Darwinian materialism. Using Alfred North Whitehead’s Science and the Modern World as our guide, we will trace the historical development of scientism and materialism from the birth of modern science during the Enlightenment through the catastrophe of World War I. Next, we will examine the war’s impact on Western culture and the rise of materialism to its dominant position within the modern academic and secular intellectual establishment. This examination will involve a close interdisciplinary look at postwar theology, philosophy, literature, art, and music and at recent selected writings of some prominent materialists like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Jacques Monod, and Stephen Hawking as well as their critics.

Note: Attendance at first class session is advised. Course meets May 31-August 2. Additional distance learning component included.

Pol,Soc,Eth Iss;Curr Thought

Note: Graduate Liberal Studies only. Attendance at first class session strongly advised.

The Problem of Evil

If God is all-good and all-powerful, why does evil exist? This question is known as the “problem of evil,” and it poses a substantial challenge to all monotheistic faith traditions, as well as a serious obstacle to the reconciliation of religion and reason. Not surprisingly, therefore, the problem of evil has been fervently studied and debated for millennia, including by many of the greatest theologians and philosophers in human history. The problem will not be resolved any time soon. Even in the absence of an “answer,” however, studying the problem of evil provides an opportunity to examine fundamental questions of how the moral universe is structured and what our role in that universe should be. In other words, because the problem of evil deals with what it means to be a human being who interacts with — and therefore suffers from the actions of — other human beings, the natural world, and possibly a deity, the problem resides at the core of human self-contemplation, inextricably intertwined with the ultimate dilemmas of our creation, existence, and death. This course will examine the problem of evil and some of the most prominent theories that have been advanced in response to it. We will discuss the Old Testament (particularly the books of Genesis and Job), the theology of St. Augustine, and attempts by modern academics and clergy to respond to the problem. We will analyze the extent to which each response is effective, logically sound, and otherwise desirable. We will also take a higher-level view of the question, discussing what the problem of evil means for theologians and philosophers today, and what areas of future inquiry might prove most fruitful.

Note: Attendance at first session advised.

Who are We? US Origin Stories

“What then is the American, this new man?” asked J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur in his seminal portrait of America published in 1782. Over 220 years later the late Samuel Huntington asked a similar question: “Who Are We?” The enduring questions associated with American identity continue to vex generation after generation of American and non-American alike. Where and why do myths about our history emerge? When and how do certain American ideals become “sacred”? Are there contradictions and tensions inherent within these sacred ideals? Are these ideals fixed and static and/or are they continually evolving to adapt to new American frontiers? As scholars of Liberal Studies, how do we move from a simplistic analysis of American identity to a more informed and nuanced appreciation of American identities? This course will focus on various aspects of the American mind and culture in the 17th and 18th centuries. This course is not a history course. Rather, it is an interdisciplinary course designed to introduce students to a variety of lenses through which to view the American experience. Through select primary accounts and secondary analyses from various moments in history, the class will seek to understand how the colonists’ identities, values, and choices shaped their relationships with the native people, with their labor force, with their land, and with their God. Out of these discussions, students have an opportunity to critically evaluate American origin stories, the role of Englishness, and the complexities of interpreting the dynamics and ideals leading up to the American Revolution.

Note: Attendance at first class session is advised.