Course Listings

CSC 121-01 -PROGRAMMING IN C++ : This is a half-credit introduction to the C++ language for students who already have some programming experience. Students will build on their previous knowledge of a programming language to learn an additional language. C++ is a general-purpose programming language similar in some respects to Java, but different in others.

EDU-370-01 = HIS-240-01 : 1st Half Semester. Social Studies Education for Democratic Citizenship. This course examines the ways in which history educationin the U.S. must grapple with complex historic contentif it is to prepare citizens for active democratic engagement. Topics and events we will consider include those that may be omitted entirely or glossed over as to messy or difficult. Topics will be drawn from among the following in response to students' interests: U.S. immigration and exclusion policies acrosstime; racial oppression of minoritizedpeoples including race riots, lynchings, and mass killings; the extension of the franchiseto members of minority groups and to women; treaty negotiations and sovereignty issues for Native peoples; the elaboration of individual rights and freedoms; and the complex history of Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford, and the U.S. fascist movement.

EDU-370-01 = HIS-240-01 : 1st Half Semester. Social Studies Education for Democratic Citizenship. This course examines the ways in which history educationin the U.S. must grapple with complex historic contentif it is to prepare citizens for active democratic engagement. Topics and events we will consider include those that may be omitted entirely or glossed over as to messy or difficult. Topics will be drawn from among the following in response to students' interests: U.S. immigration and exclusion policies acrosstime; racial oppression of minoritized peoples including race riots, lynchings, and mass killings; the extension of the franchiseto members of minority groups and to women; treaty negotiations and sovereignty issues for Native peoples; the elaboration of individual rights and freedoms; and the complex history of Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford, and the U.S. fascist movement.

1st Half Semester. Perspectives on Philosophy: Friendship. What are friends for? Who do we count among our friends? What are the ethical benefits and ethical dilemmas that occur in friendship? How do friendships contribute to our character and identity? What is the role of friendship in a good life? We will explore some of the ways philosophers have tried to answer these questions beginning with Aristotle and moving historically through such thinkers as Cicero, Seneca, Montaigne, and C.S. Lewis as well as several contemporary philosophers who are taking a renewed interest in friendship. We will also use film, case studies, and our own experiences to test philosophical analyses and deepen our understanding of friendship. This is a half-credit introductory course in philosophy; no prerequisite.

Gods and Brains: Religion and Cognitive Science. Can religious beliefs by adequately analyzed or explained by cognitive science? If so, how and to what extent? If not, why not? These are the questions that this course will address. The relatively new field of cognitive science is the scientific study of the human mind, drawing on fields like psychology, anthropology, archeology, linguistics, and neuroscience. The course has 3 parts. First, we'll read what some cognitive scientists have to say about religion, e.g. Pascal Boyer, Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought. Second, we'll read some philosophical and theological critiques of these ideas. Third, in light of these critiques, we'll consider their adequacy to the task of analyzing or explaining religious beliefs. 0.5 credits, First half semester course. For second half semester at 9:45 TTH, see REL-196.