May 16, 2024  
2021-2022 Academic Catalogue 
    
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2021-2022 Academic Catalogue [ARCHIVED CATALOGUE]

Courses of Instruction

  

Topics Courses  
 

Music
  

  • MUS 763 - Piano (1)

    Lesson Fees: Please note that students who are not music scholarship recipients ($3,000+) are responsible for paying a lesson fee. These fees are the same for lessons on secondary instruments.  Recipients of music scholarships will not be charged for lessons on their principal (scholarship audition) instrument. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 771 - String Instruments (1/4)

    Lesson Fees: Please note that students who are not music scholarship recipients ($3,000+) are responsible for paying a lesson fee. These fees are the same for lessons on secondary instruments.  Recipients of music scholarships will not be charged for lessons on their principal (scholarship audition) instrument. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 772 - String Instruments (1/2)

    Lesson Fees: Please note that students who are not music scholarship recipients ($3,000+) are responsible for paying a lesson fee. These fees are the same for lessons on secondary instruments.  Recipients of music scholarships will not be charged for lessons on their principal (scholarship audition) instrument. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 773 - String Instruments (1)

    No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 774 - Guitar (1/4)

    Lesson Fees: Please note that students who are not music scholarship recipients ($3,000+) are responsible for paying a lesson fee. These fees are the same for lessons on secondary instruments.  Recipients of music scholarships will not be charged for lessons on their principal (scholarship audition) instrument. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 775 - Guitar (1/2)

    Lesson Fees: Please note that students who are not music scholarship recipients ($3,000+) are responsible for paying a lesson fee. These fees are the same for lessons on secondary instruments.  Recipients of music scholarships will not be charged for lessons on their principal (scholarship audition) instrument. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 776 - Guitar (1)

    No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 777 - Harp (1/4)

    No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 778 - Harp (1/2)

    No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 779 - Harp (1)

    No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 781 - Voice (1/4)

    Lesson Fees: Please note that students who are not music scholarship recipients ($3,000+) are responsible for paying a lesson fee. These fees are the same for lessons on secondary instruments.  Recipients of music scholarships will not be charged for lessons on their principal (scholarship audition) instrument. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 782 - Voice (1/2)

    Lesson Fees: Please note that students who are not music scholarship recipients ($3,000+) are responsible for paying a lesson fee. These fees are the same for lessons on secondary instruments.  Recipients of music scholarships will not be charged for lessons on their principal (scholarship audition) instrument. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 783 - Voice (1)

    No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 791 - Woodwind Instruments (1/4)

    Lesson Fees: Please note that students who are not music scholarship recipients ($3,000+) are responsible for paying a lesson fee. These fees are the same for lessons on secondary instruments.  Recipients of music scholarships will not be charged for lessons on their principal (scholarship audition) instrument. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 792 - Woodwind Instruments (1/2)

    Lesson Fees: Please note that students who are not music scholarship recipients ($3,000+) are responsible for paying a lesson fee. These fees are the same for lessons on secondary instruments.  Recipients of music scholarships will not be charged for lessons on their principal (scholarship audition) instrument. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 793 - Woodwind Instruments (1)

    No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 796 - Piano Proficiency Exam

    The Piano Proficiency Requirement must be passed by all students completing the following degrees and majors: the BA Major in Music, the BMus Major in Music Education, the BMus Major in Music Performance, and the BFA Major in Musical Theatre.  Each of these different degrees/majors has different proficiency requirements.
  

  • MUS 797 - Aural Skills Proficiency Exam

    The Aural Skills Proficiency Requirement must be passed by all students completing the following degrees and majors: the BA Major in Music; the BMus Major in Music Education, and the BMus Major in Music Performance.  BA students must pass 3 stages; BMus students must pass 4 stages.
  

  • MUS 798 - Half Recital (1/2)

    25 minutes of music. Required of Music Performance majors. Available to any student with approval of the Department. A pre-recital hearing is required. This course is pre-approved for transcript notation in the Ingenuity in Action category, Civic Engagement. To participate and earn notation of completion on your transcript, please complete the Ingenuity in Action application. No alternate grade option.
  

  • MUS 799 - Full Recital (1)

    50 minutes of music; usually performed in the senior year. Required of Music Performance majors. Available to any student with approval of the Department. A pre-recital hearing is required. This course is pre-approved for transcript notation in the Ingenuity in Action category, Civic Engagement. To participate and earn notation of completion on your transcript, please complete the Ingenuity in Action application. No alternate grade option.

Philosophy
  

  • PHI 105 - The Morals of Our Stories (W) (1)

    This course will examine ethical theories and notions embedded in the discourse of storytelling. Moral lessons and norms are conveyed in the pages as the tale unfolds and the characters develop. Through the use of fable, fiction and film, the ethical principles of major philosophical systems, such as relativism, utilitarianism, egoism, deontological and virtue ethics, will be discerned, analyzed, and critically evaluated. This moral foundation will set the stage for the exploration of how such viewpoints are captured in various stories, and what the tales have to tell us about our selves, our human condition, and our obligations to each other morally, socially and politically. As a seminar in first- year writing, strong emphasis will be placed on the development of academic writing skills through formal and informal writing assignments, guided writing and revision processes, and an exploration of writing techniques and strategies to hone reflective and effective writing skills. Not open to students who have previously completed a First-Year Writing Course.
    (First Year Writing Seminar (FYW)) (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 111 - Introduction to Philosophy (1)

    Problems of philosophy as they are discussed in the writings of major philosophers, including such topics as the nature of reality, problems with knowledge, morality, and the rationality of religious belief. Designed for first year students and sophomores.
    (Humanities) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHI 200 - The Philosophy of Home/Homelessness (SYS) (1)

    This course will engage three core questions. What is home? What kind of “place” is it? How, exactly, does “home” construct and deconstruct identities such as “family,” “neighbor,” “host,” “guest,” “friend,” “stranger,” “foreigner,” and “homeless”? Exploring the relationship between these three questions will enable students to confront some of the most interesting tensions and juxtapositions built into meanings of “home” and “homelessness.” In collaboration with local homelessness outreach programs, students will acquire a multidisciplinary and “on the ground” perspective on the social problem and existential condition of homelessness in Iowa and other parts of the world, at this time, and historically Only open to sophomores.
    (Sophomore Year Seminar (SYS)) (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 202 - Ethics (1)

    This course engages students in the nature and dynamics of ethical reasoning and discourse to foster a set of skills that enables us to think critically and openly about our own and others’ moral values and frameworks. Course considers applications to contemporary moral questions such as sex, gender and race relations, environmental sustainability, human and animal rights and liberties. Readings from ancient, modern, and contemporary moral philosophers.
    (Humanities) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHI 203 - Logic and Critical Thinking (1)

    The use of logic and critical thinking ought to equip us to recognize, avoid, and correct errors in our reasoning. We’ll consider what we have learned about reasoning from philosophy and from recent research in the cognitive sciences in order to better understand our tendencies to reason badly and to learn to reason better. We’ll discuss deductive reasoning, but more emphasis will be placed on inductive arguments, on assessing the probability of beliefs relative to the reasons we have for them, and on how the presentation of new evidence ought to affect those beliefs. So, we’ll be thinking about why we believe what we do, whether the reasons we have for beliefs makes them probable, and how to revise our beliefs in light of new evidence. Logic addresses one of our most significant human qualities, our rationality, and so remains at the core of the liberal arts.
    (Quantitative Reasoning Encounter)
  

  • PHI 204 - Symbolic Logic (1)

    An introduction to formal argument analysis, including first order predicate logic and mathematical logic. Logical reasoning is fundamental to all human inquiry.  Symbolic logic focuses specifically on deductive (as opposed to inductive) reasoning, using abstract formal languages to consider the underlying basis of such reasoning.  Such logic is of both theoretical and practical interest. It has been important in the development of contemporary mathematics and computer science, linguistics and psychology.  The study of such logic should enhance skills in analysis and reasoning, contributing to greater success in other courses and in testing that utilizes such skills (the LSAT, for example).
  

  • PHI 220 - Philosophy of Identity: Self, Gender and Race (1)

    This course is an examination of the philosophical notions of identity related to the notions of self, gender and race. After offering a background and framework of philosophical thought on self-identity, one will discern how this is played out in modern notions of gender and race. This philosophical endeavor will lead to an investigation of the personal, social and political implications of considering oneself to be of a certain gender and of a given race. It is where philosophical speculations land themselves firmly into the significant issues of today. This course also counts towards the GSS major/minor.
    (Humanities) (Intercultural Literacy Encounter)
  

  • PHI 223 - Business Ethics (1)

    Through readings and cases, moral issues, encountered in economic life are studied. Topics include the profit motive, justice, business-consumer relations, employer-employee relations, corporate responsibility private ownership and public interest, advertising, and resolutions of disagreements.
    (Humanities) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHI 224 - Environmental Ethics (1)

    Moral dilemmas associated with human populations, industrial productivity, a deteriorating environment, and generally, our treatment of the natural world. We will examine the role our conception of ourselves and our relation to the non-human world plays in our exploitation of the environment and its degradation.  We will consider alternatives to traditional “anthropocentric” ethics and discuss the possibility of living in ways consistent with both the protection of the environment and the well-being of all things of moral worth. Alternate years.
    (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 225 - Utopia (1)

    Philosophical study of selected works in Utopian literature such as: Plato’s Republic, More’s Utopia, Perkins-Gilman’s Herland, Hilton’s Lost Horizon, Rand’s Anthem, Clarke’s Childhood’s End, and Lowry’s The Giver.
    (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 261 - Topics: Truth, Lies, and Bullshit (1)

    It is claimed that we live in a post-truth, post-fact world, a world awash in lies and bullshit. Experts are dismissed. Information and misinformation are manipulated to influence beliefs and behaviors. Conspiracy theories proliferate. Newspapers and TV are accused of spreading fake news. Disagreements seem intractable, as if participants live in different worlds. Our question is how we can think and act rationally in such a world. Can we differentiate truth from the bullshit? How can we combat ubiquitous attempts at irrational persuasion? How should we decide what to believe now? We will consider philosophical accounts of rationality and knowledge, as well as research from the social sciences. Our goal is to consider our obligations as rational, morally responsible agents and citizens in a world in which such agency is being actively subverted.
    (Humanities)
  
  
  
  

  • PHI 301 - Asian Philosophy (1)

    Study of Eastern philosophies such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism through their classic texts. Examination of the nature of reality and the self, and how humans ought to live to reveal that doing philosophy here is a way of thinking and living attuned with nature. How one views the world and oneself reveals how one should live and be. Analysis of these Eastern ways of thinking and living in a broader philosophical context to see both difference and similarity. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities) (Intercultural Literacy Encounter)
  

  • PHI 302 - Ancient Philosophy (1)

    Advanced study of the development and legacy of Western philosophical thought on topics such as the foundation of natural and scientific inquiry, the basis of reality, the nature of the human being and how humans ought to live socially, politically and ethically. Exploration into evolving human concepts and our desire to gain knowledge about the world, about society, and about ourselves. Examination involves reflections on the good life and finding meaning in living. In-depth analysis of the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHI 303 - Modern Philosophy: Descartes to Kant (1)

    Critical and historical examination of the modern period of philosophy of the 17th and 18th centuries and its dualist, idealist, skeptical and transcendental movements. Modern philosophers set the stage for contemporary views on science, psychology, morals, law, politics and human nature. Starting with the background to the Scientific Revolution and moving through advanced theories on the nature of reality and the limits of human knowledge, we will explore such philosophers as Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant. Investigations into the intriguing contribution of women philosophers of this period such as Princess Elisabeth and Cavendish will be part of our exploration into this highly influential time in philosophy’s history of ideas. Prerequisite(s): sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 306 - 19th Century Philosophy: From Hegel to Nietzche (1)

    This course explores important European thinkers of the 19th century, an extremely exciting and dynamic period in which great thinkers responded to each other’s work. We will eavesdrop on their conversations with and criticisms of each other, and actively participate. Specifically, this course analyzes the profound philosophical implications of Imannuel Kant’s (1724-1804) work, and provides students with an in-depth consideration of some of the major figures in 19th century European (post-Kantian) philosophy, including, but not limited to: G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831), Karl Marx (1818-1883), Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). The dominant question of this period is how to give our lives meaning, especially in relation to autonomy, history, and religion. We will focus on understanding history as an articulation of reason, critiques of religion and morality, and on notions of human individuality and “life” that became the basis for 20th century philosophical movements including existentialism and phenomenology. This course also counts toward the RUS major/minor. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHI 308 - 20th Century Continental Philosophy: From Phenomenology to Post-Modernism (1)

    Now that it has drawn to a close, we can begin to make sense of philosophy in the 20th Century. What makes it distinctive? Which topics and figures dominated it and why? How does it carry forth ideas from the 19th Century, and what might it be pointing towards in the future? In this course, we will focus on Continental thought which arises primarily in continental Europe, rather than Analytic philosophy which is more common in Anglo-American departments. We will read about major philosophical movements from the 20th century, including phenomenology, existentialism and black existentialism, feminist phenomenology, and postmodernism as represented by thinkers such as Martin Heidegger, Simone de Beauvoir, Franz Fanon, Hannah Arendt, and Jacques Derrida. Among other key topics to be covered, we will focus on existence, anxiety, death, and meaning. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Offered every second or third year.
    (Humanities) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHI 309 - Existentialism (1)

    The course provides students with an in-depth understanding of the work of some of the greatest thinkers in the Existentialist tradition, including, but not limited to: Friedrich Nietzsche, Søren Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegger, Jean Paul Sartre, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Each of these thinkers has tried to understand what life can and should amount to in our modern world. In the light of what these philosophers say, we shall explore such questions as: the loss of faith in a secularized world, the possibility of commitment, the question of what we can know, the ultimate nature of reality, the limits of science, the place of the individual in society, the possibility of authentic existence, the nature of love, the human capacity for free will, and the limitations of morality in determining how we should act. This course also counts toward the RUS major/minor. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHI 352 - Philosophy of Feminism (1)

    Exploration of philosophical theories on the nature of women, feminist critiques of Western philosophy, and current issues in feminist ethics, global and multicultural feminism, and feminist epistemology with application to social debates such as sex-based work, body image, power relations and gender equity. Starting with the history of ideas on women, critical investigation into how differences in sex, gender, and position developed, shifted and were constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed. Real world examples of social, political, economic, and personal issues will offer the framework for our philosophical discourse. This course also counts towards the GSS major. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities) (Intercultural Literacy Encounter)
  

  • PHI 353 - Philosophy of Law (1)

    Inquiry into the foundation and nature of law, and its relation to morality and society through both classical and contemporary legal theories. Specific issues covered include the notions of the scope and limits of individual liberty, the concept  and workings of legal justice, the role of legal responsibility, and the purpose of punishment through the analysis of legal cases and judicial interpretation. In discussing these topics, issues regarding how gender and race play a role in legal practice will also be addressed. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHI 354 - Political Philosophy & Social Justice (1)

    Intensive study of the work of a major political philosopher, such as A Theory of Justice by John Rawls or Plato’s The Laws. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Offered every third year.
    (Humanities) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHI 355 - Philosophy of Religion: Rationality and Religions Beliefs (1)

    Religion is a pervasive feature of human cultures.  Philosophy of religion is concerned with examining the rational basis of religious beliefs.  Questions to be addressed include: Are there good reasons for belief or faith about gods? Are there reasons for regarding religions claims as false? Do religious beliefs even require reasons or evidence? Is faith a kind of knowledge?  How are such beliefs related to scientific claims or claims about more ordinary concerns? How are the claims of different religions related to each other? What does it mean to be “spiritual but not religious”? Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 356 - Philosophy of Science: Science and Knowledge of Reality (1)

    Science is often regarded as our most successful effort at explaining reality, providing knowledge of the history of the universe and of Earth, of the nature of living things and their features, of the physical-chemical nature of matter.  We will consider how is such knowledge is possible, how scientific theorizing is supported, whether science provides objective truths or theories biased by the perspectives of its practitioners, whether the history of past discarded scientific theories gives us reason to be skeptical of current science, how different sciences are related to each other and to other possible sources of knowledge  (history or literature, religion or extrasensory perception), how the authority of science as a source of knowledge about the world be maintained against the onslaught of skepticism from creationists, anti-vaxxers, climate change deniers and so on. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 357 - Philosophy in Film and Literature (1)

    This course explores different ways of understanding the self and its relation to the world as these appear in a wide range of literary works and films. The presentation will be roughly historical, tracing outlooks and conceptions of reality as they evolve from traditional and theocentric views through modern, secularized Enlightenment, romantic and naturalist views to postmodern and post-postmodern outlooks. Philosophical themes include: conceptions of the good life, different conceptions of cosmic order, our relation to nature, the limits of science, the question of free will, the distinctive characteristics of life, time, space, and issues concerning commitment, personal identity, community, faith, gender, authenticity, the significance of death, and the loss of meaning in the modern world. The ideas of major philosophers will be discussed as background for understanding the works.  Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 358 - Philosophy of Mind (1)

    Science increasingly provides us with an understanding of the universe in purely material or physical terms.  How does that “physicalist” account of reality relate to our understanding of ourselves? We often talk as if minds and brains were identical, but understanding how that could be possible generates a number of difficult philosophical questions: How could a physical system possess beliefs or be conscious-i.e., how could a complex collection of non-conscious, unthinking neurons be a conscious, thinking thing, be me? Is such a physicalist understanding of ourselves compatible with free will and morality, with the possibility of an afterlife? Are minds uniquely human phenomena or are they also possessed by some or all other living (or non-living) things? We will examine various accounts of physicalism and the answers they provide to these questions.  We will also consider the intuitive attraction of dualism, the idea that we are not merely complex physical machines, but also composed of some non-material soul-like stuff. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 360 - Evolution and Philosophy (1)

    An examination of the theory of evolution–what it says, what support it has, what it can (and cannot) explain-in order to see what (if any) implications it has for religion, morality, philosophy, and the understanding we have of ourselves and our world. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Alternate years.
    (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 362 - Advanced Topics: Philosophy & Slavery (1)

    Slavery not only persists as a practical problem, but also calls for philosophical reflection on many questions. What is enslavement? What is slavishness? What is mastery? What is freedom? What is liberation? Is slavery always unjust? Does the fulfillment of some require the oppression of others? Is everyone capable of true freedom? How are the identities and aspirations of participants in profoundly unequal power relations affected by those relations? How do systems of enslavement intersect with questions of race, ethnicity, gender, age, and physical and mental ability? These are among the problems raised by the ancient and modern texts we will read, including two written by former slaves and one by a slave owner. In this course you will learn to discuss such questions from various philosophical perspectives, using concepts from our readings, and bring these perspectives into dialogue with each other. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
    (Humanities)
  

  • PHI 363 - Topics: Latin American Philosophy (1)

    This course will explore philosophy through the lens of Latin American thought, including essential writings on these topics from Latin America but also from U.S. Latino theorists. It will look closely at some of the most fundamental questions in the history of Latin American thought and culture, including how Latinos have reflected upon issues of race, values, and their own ethnic and cultural identity. The main goal will be to engage in thematic discussions where the views of Latin American thinkers on such questions will be examined and evaluated according to their own philosophical merits. Students will learn that reflecting upon the seminal ideas and arguments of Latin American thinkers is a worthwhile project with its own value in theoretical terms as a contribution to human understanding. For although some of the questions that have puzzled these thinkers do appear familiar within the Western philosophical tradition, Latin Americans have sought to answer them in new ways by introducing novel perspectives that are of interest to any person curious about great ideas. This course also counts toward the LAS minor. Prerequisite(s): Recommended that students have completed one course in philosophy; sophomore standing.
    (Humanities) (Intercultural Literacy Encounter)
  
  
  
  

  • PHI 485 - Advanced Seminar in Philosophy (1)

    Capstone Seminar in Philosophy: Advanced focus on an issue or movement or problem in philosophy, or on a particular philosopher. Prerequisites: at least three 300-level course in Philosophy, a major or minor in Philosophy, and senior standing or permission of the department.
    (Writing Intensive)
  
  

Physics
  

  • PHY 118 - Topics: Measuring Our Universe (1)

    How do we know how big the Earth is and how far it is from the sun? Or the distance to the stars? How do we know the size of an atom? When did we first understand these distances? This course will focus on methods that scientists have used to determine the structure and size of our universe, from atom-sized objects to the largest structures in our universe. We will explore the history of attempts at determining these distances, as well as modern methods of determining sizes. Students will learn the geometric and algebraic methods that are used to find the answers to these questions. Intended for non-science majors.
    (Science) (Quantitative Reasoning Encounter)
  

  • PHY 121 - Astronomy (1)

    This class focuses on what astronomers have learned about our universe and how they learned it.  We will discuss what the universe is made of, how it is structured, and how it has evolved. We will study scientific principles from chemistry, physics, and mathematics that are needed to understand our universe, and we will use those principles to calculate important quantities, such as the distances and masses of planets and stars.  
    (Science)
  

  • PHY 123 - Acoustics, Music, Audio Systems (1)

    Application of elementary physics principles to sound waves and vibrations, including the physics of musical instruments, room acoustics, hearing, harmonic analysis, and electronic production of sound. Intended for non-science majors. Alternate years.
    (Laboratory Science)
  

  • PHY 141 - Introductory Physics I (1)

    Non-calculus treatment of elementary physics covering the topics of forces, energy, momentum, fluids, and waves. Emphasis on conceptual understanding and problem solving.  Includes lecture and labs. Prerequisite: two years of high school algebra including trigonometry.
    (Laboratory Science)
  

  • PHY 142 - Introductory Physics II (1)

    Continuation of PHY 141  covering electricity, magnetism, light, and nuclear physics. Emphasis on conceptual understanding and problem solving. Includes lecture and labs. Prerequisite: PHY 141 .
    (Laboratory Science)
  

  • PHY 155 - Topics: Electronics for Everyone (1)

    Students will explore the creative side of science through experimentation with, and creation of, simple electronic devices such as radios and electronic musical instruments. Students will also read relevant papers and discuss both physical principles and the impact of technology on society. Students will conduct a major design project and present their findings to the class. Although prior experience with physics and math is useful, it is not a requirement for this course.
    (Science) (Quantitative Reasoning Encounter)
  

  • PHY 161 - General Physics I (1)

    Introduction to physics intended for physical science majors. Topics include Newton’s laws of motion, concepts of work and energy, rotational motion, and conservation laws. Prerequisite: MAT 120  or MAT 121 .
    (Science)
  

  • PHY 162 - General Physics II (1)

    Continuation of PHY 161 . Topics include electricity, magnetism and waves. Prerequisite: PHY 161 .
    (Science)
  

  • PHY 263 - Laboratory Physics (1)

    A laboratory experience designed to complement the general physics sequence (PHY 161  and PHY 162 ). Techniques of experimental measurement and analysis, with experiments drawn from all areas of introductory physics.  Prerequisite: PHY 162 .
    (Laboratory Science) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • PHY 265 - Modern Physics (1)

    Experimental and theoretical foundations of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. Topics include particle and wave behavior of light and electrons, electron spin, the Schrödinger equation, atomic and nuclear physics, and sub-atomic particles, concepts of temperature, entropy, and work. Prerequisites: MAT 122 , PHY 162 , and PHY 263 .
  
  
  
  

  • PHY 305 - Waves (1)

    Study of physical wave phenomena, especially optical and mechanical waves. Topics include superposition, reflection, refraction, dispersion, interference, diffraction, polarization phenomena, and the wave equation. Prerequisites: MAT 122  and PHY 162 .  Alternate years.
  

  • PHY 312 - Advanced Experimental Physics (1)

     

    An in-depth investigation of a physics experiment chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor. Includes design, construction, collection of data, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of the experiment. Prerequisite: EGR 270 , PHY 265 , one other 300-level Physics course and permission of instructor.

  

  • PHY 315 - Astrophysics (1)

    The astrophysics of stars and stellar systems with an emphasis on the physical principles underlying the observed phenomena. Topics include the techniques of astronomy, structure and evolution of stars, binary stars, star clusters, and end states of stars such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Prerequisite: PHY 265  or PHY 303. Alternate years.
  

  • PHY 321 - Mechanics (1)

    Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian mechanics covering the motion of single particles, rigid bodies, systems of particles, fluid mechanics, and complex analysis. Prerequisites: MAT 221  and PHY 162 . Alternate years.
  

  • PHY 322 - Electricity and Magnetism (1)

    Electric and magnetic fields and their sources, magnetic and dielectric materials, and Maxwell’s equations. Prerequisites: MAT 122 , PHY 162 , and either MAT 221  or PHY 305 . Alternate years.
  

  • PHY 334 - Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (1)

    Development of the Schrödinger wave equation and its solution for the harmonic oscillator and Coulomb potentials. Orbital and spin angular momenta, and applications to simple atomic and molecular systems. Prerequisites: MAT 221 , PHY 265 , and either PHY 305  or PHY 321 . Alternate years.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • PHY 501 - Advanced Laboratory (1/4)

    Experiments of an advanced character, permitting the student to work relatively independently. Must be taken over four consecutive terms. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
    (CR)
  

  • PHY 511 - Extended Research in Physics (1/4)

    Reading in depth on a topic of current interest and the pursuit of an experimental or theoretical problem related to the topic. Must be taken over four consecutive terms. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
    (CR)
  

Politics
  

  • POL 103 - Comparative Perspectives on Politics and Power (W) (1)

    What is power? Who has power? What is the relationship between politics and power? These are some of the fundamental questions in political science. In this class, we will explore these questions and the complex relationship between politics and power through a comparative lens. We will examine the nature of political institutions and various actors primarily since the cold war. Among the topics covered are the changing role of the state, political institutions, growth of economic inequality, future of democracy, and the rise of authoritarianism in the world. Our writing assignments will include informal journals, tests, and in-class assignments, a staged research project involving the use of primary and secondary literature, and peer review workshops. Not open to students who have previously completed a First-Year Writing Course.
    (First Year Writing Seminar (FYW)) (Social Science)
  

  • POL 105 - The War to End War (W) (International Politics) (1)

    HG Wells called the First World War “the war to end war,” but it turned out to be a war that started nearly a century of bloody conflict, tearing apart Europe at the height of its imperial power, redrawing the map of Europe and the Middle East, introducing savage new weapons such as poison gas and mechanized tanks, disrupting social life for a generation, and sowing the seeds of Germany’s renewed aggression under Hitler two decades later. We will explore the First World War through political science, history, film, memoir, poetry, and a day trip visit to the National World War I Museum (there will be no extra fee for the trip, but class will extend beyond normal class hours on that day). Writing assignments will include informal journals and in-class assignments, short writing assignments in various genres, a staged research project involving the use of primary and secondary literature, and peer review workshops. Not open to students who have previously completed a First-Year Writing course.
    (First Year Writing Seminar (FYW)) (Social Science)
  

  • POL 111 - Introduction to Politics (1)

    Although you may not realize it, every one of us is involved in politics on a daily basis. We each have experienced parents and children haggling over the rules governing curfew or use of the car, employees and bosses negotiating behaviors at work, and organized crime families disputing turf wars (ok, maybe not that last one). Yet, in one way or another, politics is a part of our lives regardless of whether we are interested in Congress, political parties, or international negotiations. Politics is the process by which individuals and groups reach agreements on a course of joint action–even if they disagree on the intended goals of that action. This class discusses the problems that groups need to overcome to reach agreements on a joint course of action, and looks at the political institutions and other political processes and incentives that enable groups to overcome those barriers here in the United States and internationally.
    (Social Science)
  

  • POL 122 - Foundations of the First Amendment (Political Thought) (1)

    Political thought from political practice to political philosophy. Recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the freedom of expression, the Constitutional background for the Court’s ruling, and the arguments for freedom of expression. Readings include Mill’s On Liberty, Supreme Course cases, works on current legal controversies, and John Milton.
    (Social Science)
  

  • POL 125 - Ethics and Public Policy (Political Thought) (1)

    Contemporary studies in the standards that apply to political leaders and how they are explained, interpreted, and enforced. When taught off campus, registration entails additional expense.
    (Social Science)
  

  • POL 142 - International Politics (International Relations & Comparative Government) (1)

    How and why states compete and cooperate internationally. Addresses concepts such as the balance of power between states, collective security through treaties and international organizations, nuclear deterrence, and the growing influence of non-Western states. Typically includes historical and current case studies.
    (Social Science) (Writing Encounter)
  

  • POL 143 - Comparative Politics (International Relations & Comparative Government) (1)

    Various types of political systems, including liberal democracies, current and former communist systems, and mixed systems of the developing world.
    (Social Science)
  

  • POL 172 - American Politics (American Politics & Public Policy) (1)

    Survey of process and institutions of politics in the United States. Addresses topics in political behavior such as individual political attitudes, political participation in the U.S. context as well as discussing American political institutions such as the presidency, Congress, the judicial system, the bureaucracy, political parties, and interested groups.
    (Social Science) (Quantitative Reasoning Encounter)
  

  • POL 182 - Public Policy (American Politics & Public Policy) (1)

    Introduction to the policy-making process, to the basics of public policy analysis, and to the substance of selected policy debates.
    (Social Science)
  

  • POL 216 - Education Policy and Practice (American Politics & Public Policy) (1)

    This course will explore education policies and their relationship to sociological patterns of school resegregation, the rise of credentialism, the end of educational expansion, and inequality of educational opportunity. Students in the course will be introduced to the history of policymaking in education beginning with the education reform policies of Horace Mann. Students will also examine demographic data on educational attainment, analyze the policies that alleviate or reinforce educational inequality, and describe what assumptions lie behind current reform ideas. We will evaluate the dynamics of current debates by referencing the long-standing tensions among the different purposes of schooling we have in our nation. Same course as EDU 216  
    (Social Science) This course is pre-approved for transcript notation in the Ingenuity in Action category, Civic Engagement. To participate and earn notation of completion on your transcript, please complete the Ingenuity in Action application.
  

  • POL 230 - Research Methods in Politics (1)

    Methods and research design in political science to address the causal processes that produce outcomes in politics. Course covers quantitative, experimental, qualitative, and field research methods, research design, and inference.  Prerequisite: STA 201
    Social Science
  

  • POL 244 - Holocaust and Human Rights in Europe (1)

    Addresses the history, politics, sociology, and lived experience of the Holocaust and other significant human rights abuse in Europe, from the points of view of victims, perpetrators, and bystanders. We will work to understand why and how human rights come to be abused, how abuse affects the victims, and when and how post-conflict communities work to resolve differences and learn from periods of abuse. Visits Holocaust and other human rights sites - museums, memorials, and sites of violence - in and near European cities such as Berlin, Prague, Krakow, and Sarajevo.
    (Social Science)
  

  • POL 245 - Global Health (International Relations & Comparative Government) (1)

    The course will introduce students to key global health issues. Students will gain an understanding of contemporary global health problems, their determinants, distribution, and prevention/response strategies. Particular attention will be paid to the links between global health and social and economic development. This course focuses on developing countries and on the health of the poor. 
    (International Relations & Comparative Politics) (Social Science)
  

  • POL 250 - Principles of Advocacy (American Politics & Public Policy) (1)

    An overview of the United States legal system with an emphasis on the adversarial approach to resolution of conflicts and controversies in federal, state, and local tribunals as well as in alternate forums and venues. Students will gain a general understanding of the roles of the various participants with primary focus on the role of the lawyer as advocate. The course will incorporate aspirational and ethical considerations, practical issues faced by trial attorneys, and the potential for fulfillment and disillusionment fighting the battles of others.
    (Social Science)
  

  • POL 252 - Religion & Politics (1)

    How, why, and to what extent does religion influence American politics? And has politics shaped American expressions of religion? This course will examine the intersection of religion and politics in American society, from the founding of this nation to modern day. Although the number of people who regularly participate in religious communities decreased in past decades, religious beliefs and values have and continue to inform social activism,  political rhetoric, and policy-making in diverse, complex, and sometimes surprising ways. We will read engaging historical surveys, provocative primary sources, and cutting-edge analysis of modern poll data and statistics to gain a greater grasp on how and why religion and politics mutually influence one another. Same course as REL 267.
    (Social Science)
  

  • POL 255 - Topics: Politics of the Middle East (1)

    Addresses important features of the region’s political development including the formation of the modern Middle East from the Ottoman Empire, the geopolitics of oil, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Arab Spring. Draws on international relations and comparative politics approaches to the region’s politics. This course will be taught by the college’s distinguished Fulbright Scholar guest, Amjad Abu El Ezz of An-Najah National University in the West Bank.
    (Social Science)
  

  • POL 256 - Nature, Functions, and Limits of the Law (Political Thought) (1)

    How the law mediates between individual interests as well as attempts at furthering the common good, often at the expense of individual interests. Addresses how the law resolves disputes, how it maximizes welfare and wealth, how it is structured, who decides what we mean by law and how it functions, who decides what the societal interest is and whether it trumps what an individual wishes to do.
    (Social Science)
 

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