Courses

PHRE-300, Asian Religions: an Introduction
Four class periods. Not open to Juniors. An introduction to religious studies through examining some of the traditions that originated and flourished in Asia and are practiced by people throughout the world today. Using an approach that is both critical and empathetic, students will explore the fundamental structures of belief, meaning, and practice that constitute the traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese religion, the diversity within each of these traditions, and their multiple manifestations throughout the world. In doing so, students also will explore their own essential questions of meaning in dialogue with these traditions. Texts may include The Bhagavad-Gita, The Dhammapada, and the Tao Te Ching.

PHRE-310, Religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Four class periods. Not open to Juniors. This course introduces students to the religious traditions that originated in the Middle East, flourished in and formed the West, and are practiced by people throughout the world today. Using an approach that is both critical and empathetic, students will be introduced to the origins and history of each tradition. They will become acquainted with the fundamental structures of belief and meaning that shaped adherents' lives, the rituals that formed and renewed them, and the social teachings that moved them to action. In doing so, they will learn something about the character of each religious path and about the questions to which we all seek answers.

PHRE-320, Perspectives on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)
(Old Testament) Four class periods. Not open to Juniors. The Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, is the one scripture shared by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It begins the story of monotheism in the West and introduces persons and principles who figure significantly in all three traditions. Students will consider the text's literary qualities, religious significance, and historical setting. Class discussions and written exercises stress close reading and critical analysis of this core narrative of a people under God.

PHRE-330, The New Testament Perspective
Four class periods. Not open to Juniors. The course will consider, in their cultural and historical context, the person and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, the development of the early Christian community, and the religious claims of that community concerning the Christ.

PHRE-340, Introduction to Ethics
Four class periods. Not open to Juniors. Students in this discussion course will be introduced to a variety of approaches to ethical reflection. Through the use of classical texts and personal and literary stories, students will develop a common vocabulary with which to understand and critically evaluate their moral experience.

PHRE-360, Proof and Persuasion
Four class periods. Not open to Juniors. A practical introduction to informal logic and to the philosophical study of language. Some of the questions raised are: What is the difference between a good argument and a poor one? What are the common fallacies of thought? What are the limitations of logic? What are the meaning of meaning and the truth about truth? The course stresses the development of individual skill in argument and includes a critical examination of the patterns of thought one encounters every day in magazines, in newspapers, and on television.

PHRE-370, Views of Human Nature
Four class periods. Not open to Juniors. A critical examination of selected traditional and contemporary views of human nature with the following questions in mind: Do we have a characteristic nature? What are our basic needs, purposes, rights, obligations, and values? To what extent are our actions determined by heredity and instinct? Are we free? Are we responsible for our actions? Do the answers to any of these questions differ for males and females? Given an understanding of human nature, how should we structure society to satisfy our needs and take advantage of our potential? Class discussions and written exercises are designed to encourage participants to develop views of their own against a background of a basic understanding of the readings.

PHRE-410, Religion in America: One Nation, Under God(s)?
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors. In contemporary American public life, religion is everywhere, and the United States is considered one of the most religious countries in the world. This course wille xamine the role of religion in American history and politics, from colonial times to the present day. Questions to be addressed include: Is America a Christian country? What role did religion play in the founding of America? Did the founding documents seek to create a separation of church and state? How were religious arguments used to justify or challenge slavery? What are the causes of the rise of fundamentalism in the 20th century? What, looking forward, is America's religious identity in an increasingly diverse and pluralistic society? Texts will include Eck, A New Religious America; Lambert, Religion in American Politics; and a variety of primary source documents and other readings.

PHRE-420, Responses to the Holocaust
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors, and to Lowers with permission of the instructor. An exploration of the Holocaust through diaries, memoirs, films, works of fiction, and later non-fiction reflections on the phenomenon. Questions to be engaged will include: What was it like for the victims? What was it like for the perpetrators? Who were the bystanders? How could it have happened? What elements from Jewish, Christian, and secular tradition contributed to its possibility? What inspired and motivated resistance, and how were resistance efforts sustained? How have various Jewish, Christian, and secular thinkers responded to the challenge of this event? What have been some of its effects on our own feelings about life and human beings? Texts may include Night, Between Dignity and Despair, The Sunflower, Tales of the Master Race, Ordinary Men, and The White Rose. Films may include Night and Fog, One Survivor Remembers, Weapons of the Spirit, and America and the Holocaust.

PHRE-430, Law and Morality
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors, and to Lowers with permission of the instructor. A critical examination of issues that arise out of the relationship between law and morality. Questions of concern include: For what reasons, if any, should an individual obey or disobey the laws of society? Which kinds of governments (monarchy, aristocracy, democracy, etc.), if any, are legitimate? To what degree should society restrict the freedom of individuals through laws on matters like abortion, pornography, race, and sexual relations? Class discussions and written exercises are designed to encourage participants to develop views of their own against a background of basic understanding of the readings.

PHRE-440, Nonviolence and Moral Leadership
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors. This course will examine major figures within nonviolent movements for social change, with a focus on the capacities of moral leadership possessed by these individuals. What characterizes an effective moral leader? How do these leaders motivate others in the face of injustice and oppression? Must moral leadership necessarily be nonviolent? Through a study of autobiography, letters, speeches, and case studies, students will come to a more complete understanding of nonviolent movements and the decisions made by individuals who led them. In addition to Gandhi and King, individuals studied may include Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, Thich Nhat Hanh, Paul Farmer, Greg Mortenson, and Bill Drayton, PA '61. Critics of nonviolence will also be studied. The course will culminate in a substantial independent research project.

PHRE-460, Bioethics: Medicine
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors, and to Lowers with permission of the instructor. Modern medical research and practice present society with new opportunities and huge challenges, and doctors are guided by both ethics and science in the search for new remedies, the treatment of patients, and the struggle for just social and healthcare policies on a national and global scale. This course provides a brief introduction to ethics, its application to issues in medicine and medical research, and its role in setting public policy. Topics may include the physician/patient relationship, professional codes, international standards in drug development, stem cell therapies, and the provision of healthcare to those in need.

PHRE-470, Bioethics: the Environment
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors, and to Lowers with permission of the instructor. We are facing unprecedented environmental challenges to climate, life forms, human health and population, and essential resources. We tend to treat such issues simply as scientific or political problems. In reality, ecological controversies raise fundamental questions about what we human beings value, the kind of beings we are, the kinds of lives we should lead, and our place in nature. Sustainability is not possible without a deep change of values and commitment. In short, environmental problems raise fundamental questions of ethics and philosophy. This course seeks to provide a systematic introduction to those questions.

PHRE-500, Existentialism
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors. The term existentialism covers a broad range of attitudes and values joined together by an emphasis on human existence. The authors brought together in its name share a characteristic concern for the problems of meaning, identity, and choice that confront men and women in everyday life. The lectures, discussions, and readings are designed to help us locate and express these problems as they confront each of us in our own lives, and to assist in understanding and resolving them by drawing on the experiences and insights of the major existentialist thinkers. Readings include: Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek; Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra; Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit and Being and Nothingness; and Soren Kierkegaard, The Sickness unto Death. This course may require more than the standard four to five hours per week of homework.

PHRE-510, Justice and Globalization
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors. What is justice? What is the meaning and worth of calls to fight injustice and to strive to make the world more just? What does the search to understand and promote justice entail in our increasingly interconnected world? What principles, practices, and institutions hold the most promise for securing a desirable future? Through reading, writing, research, presentations, and discussion, participants will work together to develop a deeper understanding of a variety of ways these questions can be thoughtfully and effectively addressed. This class may require more than the standard four to five hours per week of homework.

PHRE-520, Great Philosophers
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors. Participants in this upper level course in philosophy will explore a single idea and the questions that arise in its elucidation and application. Topics will change from year to year and may include love, leadership, knowledge, and athletic competition. Important thinkers from a variety of points of view will be consulted. The topic for 2009-2010 will be the nature, worth, and future of sports. This course may require more than the standard four to five hours per week of homework.

PHRE-535, Philosophy As a Way of Life: Buddhism and Stoicism
Four class periods. Open to Uppers and Seniors. In the ancient world, philosophy was taught not as an academic discipline but as a matter of daily?and even moment-to-moment attention and investigation. This seminar will examine two such philosophies, one from the Eastern world and one from the Western one. We will study Buddhism and Stoicism with special focus on a set of questions: What is the connection between philosophy and a good life? What is the relationship between reason and the emotions in a good life? What methods of selfcultivation are available to students of philosophy? Special attention will be paid to methods of personal transformation and meditation in these two philosophical schools. By studying these traditions comparatively, this course hopes to shed light on fundamental questions about what it means to be a human being. This course may require more than the standard four to five hours per week of homework.