Honors Colloquia: Spring 2012
Course Descriptions
Introduction to Cognitive Science
Professor Martin Chodrow (Psychology)
In this course, we will examine four areas of current debate in Cognitive Science:
- (1) Mental Architecture: What is the structure of the mind? Is it a unitary cognitive system, or does it consist of separate, independent modules?
- (2) Language Acquisition: How much of human language is innate, and how much is acquired through experience?
- (3) Philosophy of Mind: What is a mental state? Must it be identical to a physiological state? Could a machine ever have a mind?
- (4) Reasoning and Decision Making: How rational are human beings?
Course requirements:
The format of the course will be lecture and discussion. Grades will be based on three short written assignments (5-7 pages each) and a term paper (15 pages). Readings will be drawn from primary and secondary sources.
Evolution of Scientific Thought: The Problem of Reality
Professor Spiro Alexandratos (Chemistry)
Many issues blend science with culture, often in subtle ways. Questions regarding reality itself open an entirely new perspective on the issues. What is reality? Is what we observe real? The answers to these questions are not as transparent as one might think.
Reality is a concept that has been the focus of philosophers and scientists. Does every object have an essence that defines it? Or is every object defined only by its constituent atoms and molecules? Reality is also at the heart of the modern / postmodern debate: modernists hold that there is one ultimate reality - Truth - that can be known by applying scientific principles while postmodernists disdain the concept of Truth, accepting only the less ambitious concept of truth [sic].
This course explores philosophical and scientific views of reality in the Western tradition from antiquity to the modern and postmodern era. It is self-contained and, as such, has no prerequisites in either science or philosophy. The lectures provide the necessary background. The end result is to inform the decisions we make as we work to make sense of the issues that confront us.
Requirements: a series of essays, one eight-page paper, one oral assignment, one mid-term exam, one final exam
Shakespeare: From the Globe to Global
Professor Sylvia Tomasch (English)
Latin American Thought
Professor Linda Alcoff (Philosophy)
Professor Rolando Perez (Romance Languages, Spanish)
Latin America's rich tradition of essay writing, philosophical debate, and cultural criticism spanning several hundred years has received too little attention in North America. Collectively, this tradition is sometimes referred to as pensamiento, or 'thought,' to mark it as a broader domain of public discourse than that which occurs only within academic institutions. The Cuban José Martí, for example, one of the greatest thinkers of Latin America, wrote much of his writings for journals and newspapers. The Argentinian Faustino Sarmiento wrote his most influential work in a form that is part memoir, part travel writing. The founding conceptualization of human rights that emerged from the discussion between Spanish priests Las Casas and Sepúlveda was developed in the form of theological debate in church courts. The Inca Garcilaso de la Vega's critical commentary on the Conquest takes the form of a historical account. The world-renowned Chilean Pablo Neruda used the poetic form to convey the values of the Conquest, and the historical uniqueness of the peoples and cultures it helped to produce. And Peruvian theorist José Carlos Mariátegui developed his ideas through a sociological analysis of how to make radical social change in Peru. Each one of these thinkers, whether through literature or philosophical analysis, has contributed to a body of knowledge that constitutes a philosophical outlook on the history and culture of Latin American that is crucial for an understanding of present day Latin America. The object of this course, then, is to explore the way in which questions of colonialism, politics, economics, human rights, etc., have been dealt with across disciplines and genres. And as such, many of the texts we will read operate simultaneously as philosophy, as essays, and as literature. Our team-teaching approach, based on our diverse academic specializations and teaching experience, will help students learn to read the texts through multiple frames of analysis. Thus, the course will draw out the lessons of methodology that can be found in these diverse modes of argumentation.
Course Requirements:
There will be two short paper assignments (2-3 pages each), one mid-term, and one final paper. The final paper will be turned in as a draft for revision based on comments from the instructors.
South Africa & Southern Africa After Apartheid
Professor Larry Shore (Film and Media Studies)
Professor Carolyn Sommerville (Political Science)
This course will examine the events and forces that have shaped the history of South Africa and Southern Africa and America's special relationship with South Africa.
We will compare and contrast the history of white supremacy - and the anti-racist struggles- in the United States and South Africa. Black-white relations have been central to the historical narratives of both countries. A vehicle for doing this will be the documentary film RFK in the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope which was recently shown on PBS.
The course will consider the history of the expansion of Dutch and British colonialism and eventual Afrikaner rule in South Africa culminating in the system of Apartheid and the opposition that it spawned. This will lead to an analysis of the dramatic transformation that took place in South Africa from February 1990 to April 1994- the negotiated end of Apartheid and the first democratic elections. We will also analyze the 17 years of South African democracy and possible future scenarios in South Africa and the region.
In general, South Africa and its recent history provide a useful comparative case study for other countries that have made the transition from authoritarian rule to democracy. The course will also study developments in other countries in Southern Africa and past and present United States policy towards South Africa and the region. We will also consider South Africa's new role as a regional and continental power.
The course will culminate in The Southern Africa Simulation Game. This exciting simulation game has been run every time this course has been taught since the early 1980s. With faculty guidance, students select and research team and individual roles based on the important players in the South African and regional situation. The simulation game is conducted on a weekend at the end of the semester. It has very carefully constructed rules and controls and begins with an interesting scenario projected some time into the near future. More details will be provided in class.
Grading for the class is based primarily on a research paper and preparation for and the participation in the simulation game.
This course satisfies Pluralism and Diversity Requirement, Group A.