Summer 2008 Course Descriptions
Philosophy Department Enhances Summer Course Offerings
Summer classes in philosophy are given by dedicated instructors who enjoy teaching, and this year students can choose from a wider variety of interesting topics. Four specialized courses are being offered this summer in addition to important standards.
José Medina will teach “Culture, Gender, and Sexuality” in May. In this course students will critically examine the standards and values that are applied to gender and sexuality in different cultures and in global contexts. They will study deviations from gender expectations and sexual norms, exploring general ethical issues concerning gender and sexual orientation as well as more specific ones about concrete sexual practices and expressions of masculinity and femininity.
In June “Medical Ethics” (108W) will be offered by Dr. Michael Caruso, MD. Students in this course will examine basic ethical dilemmas and problems that have arisen in the practice of medicine and medical research. Key topics include justice and healthcare access, end-of-life issues, research on humans and other animals, the human genome project, stem cell and genetic research, and the physician-patient relationship.
James Grady will teach “Introduction to Ethics.” This course will provide an historical survey of the major theoretical schools of moral philosophy and will give students the opportunity to consider, through the lenses of ethical theories, some of the difficulties facing modern society. Philosophy 100W will be offered by Johanna Matocha with a special emphasis on philosophical theories of self.
July features “General Logic” given by Michael Harbour. In this course students will learn how to evaluate arguments, analyze premises and conclusions, identify logical fallacies, and develop a basic grasp of informal, propositional, and categorical reasoning. “Introduction to Asian Philosophy” (103W) is also being offered in July. Instructor Joshua Hall will focus on central texts in the Hindu, Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist traditions and their implications for “Western” philosophy, culture, and everyday life. Students will discover a broader approach to philosophical writing including poems, dialogues, essays, fiction, aphorisms, and koans.
A third course, “The Meaning of Life” (120W), will be offered by Michael Brodrick. Instructor and students will concentrate on the ideas of freedom from distraction and union with the Good as presented in a selection of religious and philosophical writings in the Eastern, Greco-Roman, and Judeo-Christian traditions.
Students taking summer courses in philosophy will enjoy the benefits of learning in small classes from caring instructors. For them studying philosophy is bound to be fun as well as intellectually rewarding.
Detailed Descriptions
Maymester
Culture, Gender and SexualityJosé Medina
MTWRF 9:10-12:00
In this course we will engage in a critical examination of the standards and values that are applied to gender and sexuality in different cultures and in global contexts. We will study deviations from gender expectations and sexual norms, exploring general ethical issues concerning gender and sexual orientation as well as more specific ones about concrete sexual practices and concrete expressions of masculinity and femininity. We will also investigate how globalization has shaped ethical and political issues concerning gender and sexuality in colonial and post-colonial times. We will read authors in Sexuality Studies, Gender Theory, and Global Feminism: Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Maria Lugones, and Uma Narayan, among others. We will also analyze and discuss movies (such as Paris is Burning and Crash) which put issues of gender and sexuality in a multicultural perspective.
1st Summer Session
PHIL 100W
Introduction to Philosophy (W)
Johanna Matocha
MTWRF 1:10-3:00
This class is an introduction to philosophy as a way of critically engaging with the world around us. One of the central aims of philosophy is to identify and examine the prejudices and assumptions we make every day. Over the month of June, we will read texts, watch films, engage in discussion and explore our own writing in an attempt to get at the prejudices, habits and assumptions that shape who we are and how we interact with one another. In addition to some classic texts of Western philosophy, we will be reading texts in critical race theory, post-colonialism, and existentialism as well as looking at films, art, and fiction. We will also deal closely with one of the most important aspects of developing a critical eye towards one's own assumptions: writing. Through the lens of improving our own writing, we will work on cultivating the skills of self-expression and the critical engagement with our thoughts and those of others that are the mark of responsible philosophical thought.
