145, 146 Antiquity and Modernity (The Core)

A two-semester exploration of the formation and transformation of some western world views (ways of understanding nature, society, the self, and the transcendent). The course will focus on the World of Antiquity and the Modern World. Attention will be given not only to the continuity in the transition of dominant world views, but also to competing and alternative visions. The course will examine some of the important individuals and events which have significantly shaped, reshaped, and challenged these world views. In this process, revolutions in thought and society, encounters between peoples and cultures, and perspectives on "us" and "them" will constitute major objects of study. The study of primary sources, discussion, and writing will be emphasized. The two semesters will be taught as a single year-long course, with the first semester a prerequisite for the second. The P-D-F grade option may not be elected for this course. Three class meetings per week.

245 Critical and Alternative Voices

This one-semester extension of the First-Year Core will call into question the "dominance" of traditional western world views by critically examining the historical and ideological roles played by "others." The aim is to learn to listen to these alternative voices in their own contexts. Such voices will include those geographically "non-western," as well as those excluded or subordinated by way of race, gender, or class within Europe and America. Prerequisites: General Studies 145 and 146.