*Freshman Seminar 21q. Biological Impostors: Mimicry and Camouflage in Nature
Catalog Number: 8762 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Michael R. Canfield
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Plants and animals imitate one another and their surroundings to escape notice and avoid predators. This seminar explores the evolution of mimicry and camouflage using case studies that reveal the range of visual, behavioral, acoustical, and chemical means by which this deception is accomplished.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 21s. Germs
Catalog Number: 2067 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Ralph Mitchell
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Germs are responsible for the disruption of whole civilizations and for the maintenance of the ecological balance on planet Earth. Explores the importance of germs as causative agents of disease in humans, animals, and plants and emerging diseases. Investigates why epidemics occur, the role of germs in the control of the ecological balance on Earth -- how microbes affect the cycling of elements, and climate control. Are there dangers to inserting microbial genes into crops?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 21x. Galaxies and the Universe
Catalog Number: 4075 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
John P. Huchra
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores the properties of galaxies and the basic observations that lend support to the current cosmological model, the hot Big Bang, and recent observations that indicate that the Universe might even be accelerating. Topics covered include the internal structure and dynamics of galaxies, cosmological models, the determination of the cosmic distance scale, observations of large-scale structure in the universe, quasars, galaxy formation, and the age, size, and fate of the universe. Seminar includes a class project.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 22e. Molecular Motors: Wizards of the Nanoworld
Catalog Number: 6565 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Dudley R. Herschbach
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Molecular motors function on principles very different from macroscopic machinery; recent research is beginning to elucidate these principles. Molecular motors achieve high efficiency, not by trying to overcome random noise, but by exploiting it. Focuses on prototypical experiments and basic theoretical ideas, stemming chiefly from thermodynamics and elementary probability theory. Devises games or computer simulations to illustrate key notions.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
Prerequisite: High school science and algebra.
*Freshman Seminar 22i. The Science of Sailing
Catalog Number: 7269 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Jeremy Bloxham
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores basic physical principles through sailing. Sailboats are driven by the flow of wind across their sails. How does this generate a driving force, how is that force balanced, and how does it scale with the size of the sailboat? Studies the environment in which a sailboat operates, including the origin and variability of the wind, and the interaction of wind with water. Addresses questions of strategy and tactics faced by sailors on race courses.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
Prerequisite: Participants in this seminar should have a good high school physics background and have some knowledge of sailing.
*Freshman Seminar 22j. Seeing by Spectroscopy
Catalog Number: 4039 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
William Klemperer
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores diverse topics and areas of science in which spectroscopy-the observation of energy emitted from a radiant source-plays a leading role. Concentrates on selected topics from chemistry, physics, astronomy, and atmospheric science. Emphasizes spectroscopy as the basis for remote sensing, choosing the grand topic of looking out-astronomical observations and seeing what is in the universe. Participants also will study (Nuclear) Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a model for looking in.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 22m. The Human Brain
Catalog Number: 6810 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
John E. Dowling
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Investigates human brain function through famous neurological cases and what we have learned from them: Broca’s patient "Tan" whose case led to the identification of one of the brain’s language areas; Phineas Gage, whose injury to a specific brain region changed his personality dramatically; and patient HM who, after brain surgery, no longer can remember things for more than a few minutes. Readings will be from my book Creating Mind. Designed for non-science concentrators.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
Prerequisite: High school science.
*Freshman Seminar 22o. Principles of Industrial Fermentation: Beer, Wine, Bioethanol, and Beyond
Catalog Number: 3683 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Kevin J. Verstrepen
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores how different scientific disciplines are integrated in complex commercial production processes. This seminar will investigate the elements involved in industrial fermentation as a vehicle to introduce concepts as varied as plant sciences, microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, engineering, history, and marketing. Beer fermentation will be used to gain background and define the query. Participants then develop topics for further investigation, with subjects ranging from flavor chemistry to saké or biofuel production. Visit to a regional brewery.
Note: Open to freshmen only.
Prerequisite: High school biology and/or chemistry and/or genetics. Suited for students planning to take more biology or biochemistry.
*Freshman Seminar 22s. Sex and Scandal in Early Modern England - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6456 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Scott A. Sowerby
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Investigates the history of gender and sexuality in early modern England by examining the social norms that shaped behavior. Themes include the policing of sexuality, the performance of gendered behavior, understandings of same-sex desire, and the relation between sexual reputation and political power. Readings include Behn’s The Rover, Shakespeare’s sonnets, the letters of King James I and the speeches of Queen Elizabeth.
Note: For Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 22v. Global Pop Music - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4083 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Sindhumathi Revuluri
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
New technologies allow us to hear music from around the world, from flamenco to hip-hop, bluegrass to bhangra. While popular music can have global appeal, its production can also be tied to local identity and regional musical styles. In this course, we consider what happens when local musical styles meet global trends in pop music to create new sounds. What do labels like "world" and "international" really tell us about what music sounds like?
Note: For Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 22x. Bioluminescence
Catalog Number: 9569 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
J. Woodland Hastings
Half course (fall term). M., 5–7:30 pm.
Explores bioluminescence through research, literature, specimens, cultures, and in nature; number of luminous species is relatively small and the mechanisms responsible for the light they emit are very different. Its functions may be classed as defense, offense, and communication. Bioluminescence is also a unique molecular marker for investigating and understanding different basic physiological processes, both cellular and organismic--to answer questions ranging from gene expression and its regulation to enzymology, bioenergetics, physiology, function, ecology, evolution.
Note: Open to Freshmen only. Participants are expected to have a standard high school background in biology, chemistry, and physics.
*Freshman Seminar 22z. Quantitative Methods in Public Policy Decisions
Catalog Number: 8839 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Richard Wilson
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The seminar will apply scientifically quantitative methods to understanding a number of problems of general public concern, and provide insight into the roles of a scientist in public affairs by understanding diverse problems of the environment, pollution, and public health. The topics will be selected in the first two weeks from those that are topical at the time.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 23f. Uncertainty, Probability, and Climate Change - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 2780 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Arthur P. Dempster
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The celebrated IPCC-UN report Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis has become an important component of the scientific consensus that human activities are hastening dangerous changes in global climate. Many uncertainties are referenced using terms like ’high confidence’ or ’more likely than not’, linked to numerical measures of ’chance’ or ’probability’. Understanding such terms is developed through weekly readings and discussion, and preparation of a final paper on a selected aspect of climate change.
Note: For Freshmen only.
Prerequisite: Familiarity with elementary probability theory at the level of high school mathematics.)
*Freshman Seminar 23i. Chinese Buddhism: Body, Time, and Cosmos in a Cave - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 2530 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Eugene Wang
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The seminar is an introduction to Buddhism and art history by focusing on a fifth-century Chinese cave. The images therein show episodes from the Buddha’s past and present lives (his bodily sacrifices and demon-subjugation, etc.), which involve key concepts of Buddhism, including body, time, and cosmos. Poor visibility in the cave calls for inquiries into modes of cognition and religious functions. The interdisciplinary study explores issues of art, religion, anthropology, and cognitive psychology.
Note: For Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 23k. Insights from Narratives of Illness
Catalog Number: 1904 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Jerome E. Groopman (Medical School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A physician occupies a unique perch, regularly witnessing life’s great mysteries; it is no wonder that narratives of illness have been of interest to both physician and non-physician writers. Examines and interrogates both literary and journalistic dimensions of medical writing from Tolstoy to Anne Fadiman as well as newspapers and periodicals. Studies not only mainstream medical journalists, but so called alternative medical writers such as Andrew Weil also. Work with different forms of medical writing.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 23l. Medicine, Law, and Ethics: An Introduction - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4235 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Shahram Khoshbin (Medical School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores medical, legal, and ethical aspects of medical care, with particular attention to medical decision-making at the beginning and end of life, participants in research on human subjects, human reproductive technologies, mental illness, and experimentation on animals. Historical background of present-day medical practices and relevant law to be discussed.
Note: For Freshmen only. All students are welcome, but this seminar is particularly geared to pre-medical and pre-law students. Note: Students are advised that this course is intended to be introductory.
*Freshman Seminar 23m. Nutrition and Public Health - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8823 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Clifford Lo
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduction to the critical reading of technical nutrition and medical literature; surveys current issues in public health and public policy relating to nutrition. Critical analysis of different types of medical literature: historical monographs, metabolic laboratory observations, clinical case reports, epidemiological surveys, prospective randomized controlled trials, metaanalyses, and literature reviews. Prepares science and non-science concentrators to examine critically current controversies for themselves; requires active participation and presentation by students.
Note: Clinical rounds with Nutrition Support Services at Children’s Hospital are optional. Open to Freshman only.
*Freshman Seminar 23o. Evolution of Aging - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3444 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Anne E. Pringle
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
How do we age? WHY do we age? If natural selection can effectively build "better" organisms, should organisms be immortal? This seminar explores both the mechanisms that cause aging, and the hypotheses used to explain its evolution, focusing on human data and the genetics of aging in human populations using examples from across the domains of life to illustrate that aging is a universal phenomenon.
Note: For Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 23q. Understanding the Biology of Cancer - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4721 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Cheryl Denise Vaughan
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The seminar begins by exploring the behavior and characteristics of healthy cells and tissues, followed by a general discussion of the progressive changes in cells that become cancerous. General cancer biology information informs discussions on four specific cancer types, including demographics, diagnosis, common treatments, and current research. Students research a fifth cancer type for final project. Readings include online resources, review articles from popular science journals, and a general textbook.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 23s. The Seven Sins of Memory
Catalog Number: 8910 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Daniel L. Schacter
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines fallibility of memory from both cognitive and neuropsychological perspectives. Seven basic "sins" of memory: transience, absent-mindedness, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias, and persistence. The first three reflect different types of forgetting. The next three involve distortion or inaccuracy. Persistence, the last, refers to pathological remembrances. Can "sins" be conceptualized as by-products of adaptive features of memory, rather than as flaws in the system or blunders made by Mother Nature during evolution?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 23z. A Short History of DNA
Catalog Number: 6423 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Roberto G. Kolter (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Discoveries surrounding the structure and function of DNA have revolutionized the life sciences in the 20th century. Reads and discusses key writings that present and analyze the developments that led from the first indications that DNA was the genetic material, to the elucidation of the structure of DNA, to the sequencing of complete genomes. Discusses not only the scientific advances but also the personalities involved and how they influenced the development of this new knowledge.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 24e. The Physics and Applied Physics Freshman Research Laboratory
Catalog Number: 3573 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Jene A. Golovchenko
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Exposes students considering careers in science or engineering to environment of a modern research laboratory. Research teams construct, perform, analyze, and report on cutting-edge experiments in physical, engineering, and biological sciences. Projects provide insight into the mathematical, mechanical, electronic, chemical, computational, and organizational tools and skills that characterize modern experimental science. Past projects focused on atomic, nuclear, and solid state physics, materials science, dynamical systems, and biophysical science. Projects highlight both team and individual effort.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 24i. Mathematical Problem Solving - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3711 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Noam D. Elkies
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores mathematical problem solving (and problem posing) in contexts ranging from classroom exercises to competitions to research mathematics, develops strategies and techniques for solving such problems. Participants will solve selected problems in various areas of mathematics and at a range of difficulty levels, and will present, compare and reflect on their and other participants’ solutions.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
Prerequisite: Intended for students with a strong interest in mathematics, particularly those who do not already have extensive training in mathematical problem solving.
[*Freshman Seminar 24j. Planets Around Other Stars]
Catalog Number: 2697 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Myron Lecar
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
More than 200 planets, mostly gas giants, have been discovered orbiting around other stars. Recently a 5 earth mass planet was detected around a red dwarf star, at a distance from the star where water would be liquid. In this decade, we expect to detect earth mass planets. This seminar explores the phsics of the formation of rocky planets, their detection, and current speculations on the origin of life.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Open to Freshmen only.
Prerequisite: AP high-school Physics and Calculus.
*Freshman Seminar 24n. Child Health in America
Catalog Number: 6367 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Judith Palfrey (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Reviews history of children’s health care in the United States; explores the impact of geography, environment, nutrition, clean water, as well as scientific discoveries of the late 19th and the early 20th centuries and the emergence of high technology care in middle and late 20th century. Does America provide children the best possible health care available? Compares United States epidemiology with that of other developed and developing nations. Explores how child health delivery is financed.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 24x. Global Mental Health
Catalog Number: 7270 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Alexander Cohen (Medical School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Global mental health has become a major concern in international public health. Explores how and why this has come about. Begins with a review of some basic definitions -- mental health, depression, anxiety, psychosis -- and our current knowledge of the incidence and prevalence of mental disorders cross-culturally. Examines major issues including stigma and discrimination, social determinants of mental health, and the association between immigration and psychosis.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 24z. The Hidden Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and Extra Dimensions
Catalog Number: 9264 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Christopher Stubbs
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores three areas: the nature and distribution of the "dark matter"; recent observation that the expansion rate of the cosmos seems to be increasing; finally, the physics community has recently engaged in serious speculation about the dimensionality of space, and many consider it likely there are "hidden dimensions." Investigates the more exotic (and in some cases, speculative) aspects of the Universe we inhabit.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 25g. The Impact of Infectious Diseases on History and Society
Catalog Number: 8075 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Donald A. Goldmann
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Mankind’s journey- farming, urbanization, exploration, trade, globalization -has been marked by devastating encounters with infectious diseases. Infections have affected wars, political dynasties, global balance of power, social structure, public health policy, economics, and the arts. This course explores these themes by studying infections such as plague, syphilis, smallpox, malaria, sleeping sickness, tuberculosis, cholera, yellow fever, polio, and influenza. It investigates how the epidemiology of these diseases, and society’s response, inform contemporary policy and future threats.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 25k. You Are What You Eat
Catalog Number: 3913 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Karin B. Michels (Public Health, Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
What does food do to our bodies? What does a healthy diet entail? What is known about the role of nutrition in preventing or curing disease? Explores and critically evaluates diet recommendations, current knowledge about the role of diet in maintaining health, and use of nutrition to treat disease. Discusses how studies are conducted to understand the impact of nutrition. Explores different diets and the obesity epidemic, its causes and its implications for the next decades.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 25n. Understanding Psychological Development, Disorder and Treatment: Learning through Literature and Research
Catalog Number: 9589 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Nancy Rappaport (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Deepens understanding of human development and how individuals cope with serious emotional or social difficulties (neglect, bipolar disorder, autism, depression). We will use multiple perspectives: medical observations and texts that provide practical knowledge, narrative readings to understand how patients experience the meaning of illness, and portrayals of development-related mental illness in the press. Explores need to understand fundamental needs for tenderness, holding, and making meaning. Examines the resourcefulness required for resiliency and explores the context of vulnerability.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 25p. Neurotoxicology: Biological Effects of Environmental Poisons
Catalog Number: 1838 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
S. Allen Counter (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores wide range of environmental neurotoxic substances and effects on human and animal populations. Attention to pediatric exposure to neurotoxic agents and associated neurodevelopmental disabilities, as well as neurobehavioral and immunological changes. Examines impact of lead, mercury poisoning, PCBs. Investigates neurophysiology and neurochemistry of a number of other neurotoxins, including nerve gas, tetrodotoxin, saxitoxin, botulinum, and curare. What dangers do we face at home and at work? What can or should be done about these?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 25t. AIDS in Africa
Catalog Number: 0024 Enrollment: Limited to 14.
Myron Essex (Public Health) and Tun-Hou Lee (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
HIV/AIDS has infected or killed more than sixty million people, and no vaccine is expected within five to ten years. About two-thirds of current infections are in ten percent of the world’s population in sub-Saharan Africa, where few patients receive life-saving treatment. Explores dimensions of AIDS in Africa including the evolution and epidemiology of HIV, the pathobiology of AIDS, prevention of infection, and treatment of disease. Encourages multidisciplinary approaches, using country-specific illustrations of successful interventions.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 25u. The Atomic Nucleus on the World Stage
Catalog Number: 0027 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Roy J. Glauber
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
In 1939 realization that atomic nuclei can undergo fission arrived as a surprise. Traces some of the history leading to discovery of the nucleus and determination of nuclear constituents. Studies wartime project that developed both nuclear power sources and weapons; readings supplemented by instructor’s own recollections of this project. Investigates formidable problems posed by control of nuclear weapons, development of nuclear reactors, and hope that thermonuclear reactions may provide an abundant source of clean energy.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 25v. Avian Influenza: Emerging Infectious Disease
Catalog Number: 4807 Enrollment: Limited to 14.
Tun-Hou Lee (Public Health) and Myron Essex (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Although the number of people infected by avian flu is small, the high mortality rate suggests that millions may die if it becomes a global pandemic. Explores the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the swine flu scare of 1976, and current developments and research on the H5N1 influenza virus, with emphasis on examining how avian influenza viruses gain the ability to infect different hosts. Source materials include original scientific literature, government documents, journalistic writings and films.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 25w. Responsibility, the Brain, and Behavior
Catalog Number: 0049 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Ronald Schouten (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores philosophical and legal bases of the concept of individual responsibility as applied in the criminal justice system. Examines how forensic mental health professionals assess an individual’s mental state at time of an alleged criminal act, the legal standards applied, and the social and political forces that help shape the legal decision. Considers the insanity defense; examines modern concepts of the biological basis of behavioral disorders and their relationship to existing standards of criminal responsibility.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 25z. Stress and Disease (Biobehavioral Aspects of Health and Disease)
Catalog Number: 1691 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Donald B. Giddon (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar on the biobehavioral bases of health and disease focuses on the interaction of host, potentially injurious or infectious agents, and the physical and social environment. What factors are stressful for given individuals? What are the pathophysiological or behavioral pathways to disease? Why is a particular body organ or system the target of stress? What psychological, social, and economic factors influence cognitive, affective/physiological, and behavioral responses to disease?
Note: Open to Freshmen only. Most class meetings will be at the Medical School.
*Freshman Seminar 26j. The Universe’s Hidden Dimensions
Catalog Number: 7529 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Lisa Randall
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Based loosely on book, Warped Passages, considers revolutionary developments in Physics in early 20th century: quantum mechanics and general relativity; investigates key concepts which separated these developments from the physical theories which previously existed. Topics: particle physics, supersymmetry, string theory, and theories of extra dimensions of space. We will consider the motivations underlying these theories, their current status, and how we might hope to test some of the underlying ideas in the near future.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 26m. Developmental Origins of Physical and Mental Health and Disease
Catalog Number: 7084 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Charles A. Nelson (Medical School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores the role of developmental programming and early experience as a major causative mechanism in altering thes in the course of human development, with a particularparticular focus emphasis on physical, neurological and psychological health. Introduces general topic and develops a list of possible areas of investigation. Participants then will be responsible for preparing and leading discussion on a particular question or issue, primarily by reading in a given area and perhaps even interviewing relevant experts on campus and then summarizing this area in a written report.. Reviews current knowledge; discusses desirable research.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
Prerequisite: Background in introductory psychology, neuroscience, or biology desired.
*Freshman Seminar 26s. Mathematical Structures and Gödel’s Completeness Theorem
Catalog Number: 0012 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Gerald E. Sacks
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Mathematics is about structures. Some examples of structures are: the integers, the real numbers, and Euclidian plane geometry. Model theory, a branch of mathematical logic, provides a useful definition of structure. Gödel’s completeness theorem shows how logically consistent definitions imply the existence of arbitrary mathematical structures. Model theory is applicable to problems that arise in algebra. An example is: the elementary theory of the real numbers is decidable.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
Prerequisite: High school algebra and a strong interest in fundamental mathematical problems.
*Freshman Seminar 26u. What is Mental Illness?
Catalog Number: 9123 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Michael William Kahn (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduces students to the nature of mental illness based on taped interviews of people suffering from a variety of psychiatric conditions. Investigates what illness and treatment are like from patient’s perspective; explores history of psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. Interviews supplemented by readings drawn from the history of psychiatry and from a variety of patient narratives. Provides background on categories of mental illness, the varieties of treatment available, and the nature of the illness experience itself.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 26v. Blood: From Gory to Glory - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9017 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
David T. Scadden (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Humans have long understood that the blood flowing in their veins was imperative to their health and well-being. This course will examine the history, attitudes and beliefs surrounding blood. We will study human beliefs about blood and its uses in cultural beliefs and ceremonies. We will examine the science associated with blood: the production and the function of blood in the body, ideas of blood regarding medicine, healing, blood-related illnesses, biotechnology, nanotechnology and stem cell research.
Note: For Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 30l. George Balanchine: Russian-American Master
Catalog Number: 7650 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
John E. Malmstad
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Addresses the life and major works of the Russian-American ballet master George Balanchine. Focus on his view of dance and on analysis of the ballets that he made in a career than spanned some sixty years in Russia, Europe, and the United States. Considers the relationship of his works to the intellectual and cultural climate in which they were made Over 20 ballets to be examined.
Note: No knowledge of ballet and its vocabulary is required or assumed. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 30o. What is College and What is It For?
Catalog Number: 1897 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Paul J. Barreira (Medical School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Asks students to think and write critically about American higher education--its history, purpose and ongoing challenges. Considers "the uses of the university" from a variety of perspectives: historical, sociological, economic, and developmental. Addresses questions: What constitutes a liberal arts education? What are its goals? How should students be assessed? What role do extracurricular activities play in a college education? Does bachelor’s degree certify a vocational education, a cultural one, or a moral one?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 31g. The Pleasures of Japanese Poetry: Reading, Writing, and Translation
Catalog Number: 1645 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Edwin A. Cranston
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Reads classical waka, its modern descendant the tanka, examples of linked verse (renga) and modern poems in free and prose-poem forms. (And haiku too!) Focuses on themes such as desire, renunciation, time, memory, war, death, sorrow, and receptivity. Students keep a diary of their encounters with the new poetry, practice the art of sequencing, and make their own translations based on literal renderings and explanations of Japanese originals. All readings will be in English.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 31i. Meet Me at the Fair: The Phenomenon of the World Exposition - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 2546 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Suzanne P. Blier
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar addresses the larger question of cultural display as seen through the art and architecture of colonial and world fairs from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. Class readings and discussion explore the history of the fairs as a social and art phenomenon and the ways in which these hugely popular public events shaped popular perspectives on issues such as national identity, ethnicity, social class, race, imperialism, colonialism, and gender.
Note: For Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 31j. Skepticism and Knowledge
Catalog Number: 9760 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Catherine Z. Elgin (School of Education)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
What can we know; how can we know it? Can I know that I am not a brain in a vat being manipulated into thinking that I have a body? Can I know that the Louisiana Purchase occurred in 1803, that E=MC2, that Hamlet is better than Harry Potter, or that the sun will rise tomorrow? This seminar will study skeptical arguments and responses to skepticism to explore the nature and scope of knowledge.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 31s. Heist: The Culture and Politics of Art Theft, Grave Robbery, and Looting
Catalog Number: 2258 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Nenita Ponce de Leon Elphick
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Considers art theft from several angles, looking first at the popular appeal and glamorization of art heists in fiction and film and then focuses on different types of art theft (heists, grave robbery, and looting) to critically examine and debate the ethical issues and thorny legalities of provenance that concern public and private collectors, museums, institutions, and the international art market. Topics include the Elgin Marbles, Nazi looting, and the national treasures of Iraq.
Note: There will be additional meeting times for film screenings. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 31t. The Modern Image: Intersections of Photography, Cinema, and Italian Culture
Catalog Number: 1467 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Giuliana Minghelli
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
How are literary, photographic, and cinematographic visions connected ? Investigates these issues through the study of major 20th-century Italian novels and films. Contrasts early literary dreams to appropriate the objectivity of the photograph with mythic fear of being appropriated by the machine. Studies how visual language and movie storytelling became the new training ground for the literary imagination; examines texts that openly mix narrative and photography. Investigates the boundaries of visual and written texts.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 31v. The Beasts of Antiquity and Their Natural History - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8649 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Kathleen Coleman and Farish A. Jenkins, Jr.
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A study of the animals of the ancient Mediterranean basin, offering parallel introductions to the classics and to organismal and evolutionary biology. Animals played a central role in Greco-Roman culture. Their appearance and behavior, as recorded in ancient literature and art, are tested against 21st-century knowledge of their anatomy, physiology, sociobiology and habits. Includes first-hand study of specimens in the Museum of Comparative Zoology and coins and artifacts from Harvard’s collection of antiquities.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 31w. A Question of Taste - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8061 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
James S. Murphy
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explore the investigations of and debates over taste conducted by artists, scientists, philosophers, and sociologists over the past three centuries. Considers the sources, uses, and ways aesthetic judgments are entangled in issues of class, democracy, education, consumption, rebellion, and ethics. Authors to be read include Pope, Ramachandran, Hume, Kant, and Bourdieu. Subjects to be considered include food, advertisements, modernist art and literature, heavy metal, and Celine Dion.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 31x. Epic Warfare From Homer to Milton - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3139 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Daniel Shore
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
For the cultures that produced them, epics were the principle literary means of representing and understanding war. Over nearly three millennia, however, warfare changed drastically. How do epic poems respond to these changes? The seminar begins with Homer’s Iliad, which established the epic as a martial genre, and then traces the way secondary epics by Virgil, Spenser, and Milton take up and transform Homeric themes and conventions.
Note: Open to freshman only.
*Freshman Seminar 32j. Who Is a Jew? Jewish Identity and Identifiability in the Modern World
Catalog Number: 6991 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Shaye J.D. Cohen
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Studies diverse modes of Jewishness, their historical origins and their contemporary manifestations, in an attempt to answer above question. Focus on Jews and Jewishness in United States; considers relevant issues in Israel. Investigates ethnic Jews, cultural Jews, offspring of intermarriage, apostates, converts, Black Jews of Ethiopia, and other categories that challenge standard definitions of Jewishness. Notes problem of Jewish identity in the American context closely parallels the identity problems of other hyphenated American groups.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 32o. The Folklore of Ireland
Catalog Number: 5673 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Barbara L. Hillers
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores Irish oral literature and its place in the community. In spite of the material hardship of their existence, the men and women farming the west of Ireland could tell wondertales of great beauty and magic, sing scores of songs, and had a proverb, anecdote, or repartee for every occasion. Introduces students to the most important genres of Irish folklore, and to the critical tools and interpretive methods available to discuss and understand oral literature.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 32v. The Art of the Storytelling
Catalog Number: 7011 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Deborah D. Foster
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Men and women tell stories to express the values found in experiences of everyday life. Based on storytelling traditions, each narrator shapes the story to reflect his or her own intentions, making it personally expressive as well as publicly meaningful to a particular audience. Examines the nature of storytelling, its enduring appeal, and its ability to adapt to multiple new technologies (print, film, internet). Participants will engage in the storytelling process itself.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 32w. African Musical Traditions
Catalog Number: 2465 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Kay Kaufman Shelemay
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The seminar will explore selected African musical traditions and the manner in which musical expression is linked to other aspects of African life through a comparative reading of recent musical ethnographies (with accompanying audio and visual materials). Topics will include African music histories, performance styles, and systems of meaning. The class will attend an African music concert and have at least one ’hand’s on’ session exploring African musical instruments.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 32x. Topics in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism
Catalog Number: 2937 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 33m. Literatures of Historical Guilt - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4899 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Peter Becker
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course examines emerging narratives on historical atrocity committed by one’s ancestors. Focusing on fiction and non-fiction from the United States, Germany, and South Africa, the course explores how these texts deal with the past of slavery, the Holocaust, and apartheid. How do they confront historical responsibility, indictment, guilt, shame, evasion, and instances of moral ambiguity? What form does justice take for ancestral crimes? Authors include Faulkner, Styron, Morrison, Levi, Sebald, Grass, and Coetzee.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 33n. Literary Afterlives of the Body - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6022 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
----------
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This class examines a corpus of literary works that portrays the afterlife of the body. Students decipher what the body reveals in death, what desires it embodies, what losses and sacrifices it signifies, and what ethical demands it places on the living. Readings and discussions focus on the aesthetic and political manifestations of the dead, disappeared, embalmed, copied, errant, tortured, dismembered, buried and re-membered body in some of the major works of twentieth-century Western literature.
Note: For Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 33t. Symbols in the Novel - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 5563 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Jacob M. Emery
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
When we first open up a book we start asking questions about what kind of world the words in the book construct for us and how we can make sense of it. This seminar examines a set of modern novels from Europe and North America that showcase extreme forms of symbolic thought and language. At the same time we will consider a few of the most influential philosophical writings on symbolization and figure.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 33x. Complexity in Works of Art: Ulysses and Hamlet
Catalog Number: 6673 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Philip J. Fisher
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Do inherited forms found in literature permit only certain variations within experience to reach lucidity? Investigates literature’s limits in giving account of mind, everyday experience, thought, memory, full character, and situation in time. Studies Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Joyce’s Ulysses, a modern work of unusual complexity and resistance to both interpretation and to simple comfortable reading. Reading these two works suggests potential meanings for terms like complexity, resistance, openness of meaning, and experimentation within form.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 34e. Fear Itself
Catalog Number: 0668 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Stephanie Sandler
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Studies the psychological origins and effects of fear, comparing anxiety, obsession, dread, trauma, and phobia. Readings in theory (Freud, Taussig, Phillips), fiction (Oe, Morrison, Chukovskaia), memoir (Kincaid), poetry (Dove, Gunn, Shvarts, Macklin, Graham), and weekly film screenings (Hitchcock, Tarkovsky, Polanski, Haynes). We ask what cultural and psychological work fear performs, whether we can contain the fears of childhood and, fundamentally, what aesthetic responses are adequate to the experience of fear, in any form.
Note: There will be extra meeting times for regular film screenings. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 34k. Italian-American Literature, History, and Identity
Catalog Number: 4098 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Elvira G. DiFabio
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
During the last one hundred and fifty years, twelve million Italians left their homes in search of a better life, and a great many of them came to the United States. The seminar will study literary texts of identity and belonging produced by these emigrants, including memoirs of integration into a new culture, of discoveries and reconnections by subsequent generations, and of voyages across oceans and within one’s own consciousness.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 34l. Cultural Outsiders in the Ancient World - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9723 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Hallie Malcolm Franks
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores the appearance of foreign peoples in visual arts and literature of the ancient Greece and Rome, from mythic Ethiopians of Homer to foreign captives of Roman emperors. Discusses issues such as: political and social context in which other cultures are described or represented, influence of actual contact with other cultures, fictionalized peoples, role of other cultures in classical self-definition and understanding of the world. Concentrates on objects in Sackler and Boston MFA collections.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 34t. Girl Talk: Reflections on Gender and Youth in America - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4743 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Laura K. Johnson
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar explores what women have to say about growing up female in contemporary America. Sources analyzed include memoirs, documentary films, photographs, diaries, and an autobiographical novel. These sources both depict individual experiences and reflect more broadly on the role gender plays in American society. Topics considered include the various ways gender impacts the experience of athletics, academic achievement, illness and disability, self-esteem, body image, family dynamics, violence, immigration, and national identification.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 34x. Language and Prehistory
Catalog Number: 9905 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Jay Jasanoff
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores use and misuse of linguistic evidence. The 19th-century identification of the Indo-European language family misled some intellectuals to posit the now rejected idea of a genetically and culturally superior Aryan "race." Linguistic evidence still plays an important role in prehistoric studies. What does the relationship between two languages reveal about their speakers? How can genuine cases of linguistic borrowing or "influence" be distinguished from resemblances that come about through pure chance?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 35l. War, Violence and Memory in 20th Century Europe - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3854 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Sandra Naddaff
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar explores the relationship of history and memory in the context of war and genocide in 20th century Europe. It charts the shifting "politics of memory" from the First and Second World Wars, to wars of decolonization in the 1950s and 60s, to post-Cold War ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia. Assignments include short response papers, a 15-page research paper, and an oral presentation.
Note: For Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 35m. The Story of the Stone
Catalog Number: 3479 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Wai-yee Li
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduction to Chinese civilization through reading the masterpiece of Chinese fiction, The Story of the Stone. Story has achieved cult status: it both sums up Chinese culture and asks difficult questions of it. Topics include foundational myths, philosophical and religious systems, the status of fiction, conceptions of art and the artist, ideas about love, desire, and sexuality, gender roles, garden aesthetics, family and clan structure, and definitions of socio-political order. It is the greatest Chinese novel.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 35q. Dilemmas of the Public Intellectual in the Twentieth Century - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 1813 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Joshua Humphreys
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar explores the role of public intellectuals during the twentieth century. We give special attention to intellectuals’ responses to the First and Second World Wars, fascism and communism, and colonialism and decolonization. The seminar also asks whether public intellectuals continue to have a viable role to play today or, rather, have been displaced by new forces in public life. Authors include Arendt, Bourdieu, Camus, Gide, Gramsci, Habermas, Said, Sartre, Walzer, and Zola, among others.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 36m. Noisy Art
Catalog Number: 2611 Enrollment: Limited to 14.
Damon Krukowski
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar examines the history and poetics of the noisy artwork, and -- as a collective studio project -- explores making art from noise. Beginning with John Cage’s influential composition class taught in the late 1950s, we consider the poetics of sound introduced by Cage to the generation of artists who would develop Fluxus, Pop, and Conceptual art. The final project is a group performance in the Carpenter Center. No formal musical background required.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 37i. Love, Medieval Style - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 5514 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Sally Livingston
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
In this course we will examine the medieval obsession with love in all its diverse forms, reading (in translation) from the Latin, French, and English medieval literatures. Some of the broad themes we will examine are the interplay between the secular and sacred idea of love, medieval sexualities, the rise of lovesickness as a both a literary theme and medical malady, and the growing connection of love and marriage.
Note: For Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 37m. American Dissent - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4897 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Sacvan Bercovitch
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Dissent is a central to our culture, but it rests on a striking paradox. "America" has served as a summons to both radicalism and to chauvinism, individualism and conformity. Can there be a nation of rebels? What does it mean to protest in the name of the American promise? We will examine such questions from a literary-cultural perspective, in works (essays, memoirs, films, novels) ranging from the Revolution to the current rhetoric of change.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 37p. Reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace
Catalog Number: 3826 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Justin Weir
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A close reading of Tolstoy’s novel, illuminated by the broader pan-European cultural legacy of the Napoleonic wars, including literature, art, and architecture, changing interpretative approaches to War and Peace from the 1860s to the present, author studies, cultural "invasion" in Russia, historiography, and literary canon formation. War and Peace is considered as world classic, Russian literature, family novel, Bildungsroman, historical romance, war story, experimental fiction, national epic, and serialized sudser.
Note: All reading will be in English. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 37u. Bob Dylan
Catalog Number: 7520 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Richard F. Thomas
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines Dylan as a musical, literary, and general cultural phenomenon, in the context of popular and higher literary culture of the last 45 years, but also in the context of those long-lived literary and musical cultures with which he works. Traces the evolution of his songs and lyrics from their early folk, blues, rock, gospel, and protest roots, through the transition from acoustic to electric, in studio and performative contexts, also through the many evolutions and reinventions that have characterized and continue to characterize his career in music, literature, and film.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 37y. Muslim Voices in Contemporary World Literatures
Catalog Number: 8901 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Ali S. Asani
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Investigates contemporary experiences of being Muslim in different societies as reflected in literature. Explores range of issues facing Muslim communities in various parts of the world through short stories, novels, and poems. Examines impact of colonialism, nationalism, and globalization; politicization of Islam; status of women and gender relations; attitudes towards the West and Western culture; interaction between religion, race, and ethnicity; search for an "authentic" modern Islamic identity. Readings of Muslim authors from five continents.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 38g. Back to Life: Lost Languages and Decipherment
Catalog Number: 2671 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
John Huehnergard
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Hieroglyphs. Cuneiform. The Phoenician alphabet. Examines several decipherments: how scripts have been deciphered, languages decoded, ancient texts and literatures read once again, and cultures brought back to life. Why must so many scripts be deciphered-why have so many scripts and languages died out so completely that they have been forgotten? Why have some scripts such as Etruscan, the Indus Valley script, and the Rongorongo script of Easter Island not yet been deciphered?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
[*Freshman Seminar 38i. Morality: That Peculiar Institution]
Catalog Number: 0745 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Selim Berker
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
What, if anything, is the ultimate basis for morality? This seminar will explore a cluster of philosophical arguments and ideas that raise worries for almost all attempts at finding a basis for morality, whether it be in the will of God, the dictates of science, the authority of self-evident truths, or the whimsies of subjective desires. Authors to be read include Plato, Hume, Moore, Mackie, Camus, Nagel, and Korsgaard.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 38l. Literary Theory - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4870 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Joanna Nizynska
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
What is literary theory? What is literary and what is theoretical in literary theory? How can literary theory help us to read and discuss literature? How can literature help us to read and discuss theory? What are the benefits and dangers of engaging with literary theory? This course is designed to map out the field of literary theory for students interested in all fields of the humanities.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 38m. Meeting the Byzantines
Catalog Number: 0852 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
John Duffy
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Byzantium remains for many an alien place, in some respects an imaginary world from a very distant past. The seminar focuses on bringing participants closer to the people of Byzantium, through representative groups and individuals, from emperors to monks, from soldiers to scholars. Who were the architects of St. Sophia? Who fought in the Byzantine armies? How did pagan Greek literature survive in a conservative Christian culture? Who took care of the recording of history?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 38t. Beethoven’s String Quartets
Catalog Number: 1651 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Anne C. Shreffler
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Beethoven’s sixteen quartets span almost his entire creative output, ranging from the classical Six Quartets, Op. 18 of 1800, to the transcendent, pioneering late quartets, the last completed in the year of his death in 1827. These works contain the full range of Beethoven’s musical expression. The seminar will work from scores, selected recordings, and live performances connected to the Chiara Quartet’s Harvard residency in the fall. Seminar members may play in class; individual projects and some readings.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
Prerequisite: Participants should be able to read music (at least treble and bass clef).
*Freshman Seminar 39g. The Book of Hours: Picturing Prayer in the Middle Ages
Catalog Number: 4824 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Jeffrey F. Hamburger
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The proverbial "bestsellers" of the later Middle Ages, Book of Hours served both as prayer and picture books. Using originals in Harvard’s Houghton Rare Book Library as well as facsimiles of famous examples, the seminar will consider the history and development of both the Book of Hours-the most common type of illustrated manuscript in the later Middle Ages-and, more generally, other forms of prayer books from the period (1100-1500).
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 39i. Mephisto Goes to Hollywood--Thomas Mann’s Doktor Faustus and Its Context
Catalog Number: 0754 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Bo-Mi T. Choi
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines Thomas Mann’s Doktor Faustus and the politically catastrophic yet culturally exciting context in which it was conceived. A modern remake of the classic Faust story, the novel was interpreted as a literary allegory on Germany’s demonic pact with National Socialism. Explores this interpretation in light of the roots of fascism in 19th-century aesthetic culture. Intersecting topics: German fascism, European emigré culture in Hollywood, the rise of the Cold War and McCarthyism in the US.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 39k. Literature Humanities: The Foundation Texts of the West
Catalog Number: 0796 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
James R. Russell
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Considers the epics, plays, dialogues, and treatises of Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, Virgil, and Apuleius, as well as the Bhagavad Gita, the Gathas of Zarathustra, and the Bible. An intensive encounter with the mainstay of our civilization and the primary great reflections on all aspects of the human condition.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 40e. Rewriting America: Race, Feminism, and Classic Narratives - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4919 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Lori B. Harrison-Kahan
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar focuses primarily on African American women writers such as Toni Morrison, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Alice Randall, who have written back to American classics, in conjunction with the iconic narratives these contemporary writers have sought to revise. It explores the encoding of American myths in nineteenth- and twentieth-century culture as well as inter-textual strategies employed by African American women to create both a dialogue with canonical works and a distinct black feminist literary tradition.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 40i. The Supreme Court in U.S. History
Catalog Number: 7142 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Richard H. Fallon (Harvard Law School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Often described as the world’s most powerful court, the U.S. Supreme Court has not always enjoyed high prestige or unquestioned authority. The Court’s significance has waxed and occasionally waned, with the variations typically depending on surrounding currents in the nation’s social and political history. Examines the history of the Court from the nation’s founding to the present. Highlights relation between constitutional law and ordinary politics, and the ways in which they influence one another.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 40q. The Evolution of Cooperation
Catalog Number: 9310 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Robert H. Neugeboren
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
"Under what conditions will cooperation emerge in a world of egoists without central authority?" In 1979, Robert Axelrod employed model from mathematical theory of games, known as the prisoner’s dilemma, to study evolution of cooperation, establishing paradigm now shared by social scientists, biologists, computer scientists, and others. This seminar introduces basic game theory, focusing on prisoner’s dilemma and evolutionary games, and students will design strategies to play repeated prisoner’s dilemma tournament.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 40y. Histories of the US-Mexico Border
Catalog Number: 0047 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Rachel St. John
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores how questions about national sovereignty, power, and identity have been balanced with bi-national exchange and movement along the U.S.-Mexico border. Uses history of the border as a lens to explore how people use and make sense of the past. Ranging from histories and memoirs to songs and films, course material will introduce a variety of perspectives on the border-past and present, local and national, Mexican and American.
Note: In addition to the regularly scheduled class time, a number of film screenings will be arranged over the course of the semester. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 41g. The Faces of Human Rights in Latin America: Anthropological Perspectives
Catalog Number: 0088 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Theodore Macdonald
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Analyses human rights and the popular movements linked to them in Latin America. Examines how human rights language and legislation have influenced local people and, conversely, how local claims and needs have shaped the interpretation of rights. Case studies from early movements to the present day. Introduces the theoretical, legal, and institutional tools of human rights practice. Emphasizes the understanding of local perspectives in many of the region’s widely known human rights cases.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 41l. Race and Psychoanalysis
Catalog Number: 0500 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Rani Neutill
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
If race is no longer determined biologically, how do we comprehend its persistence in structuring identity? How do we translate the racial into the psychic? How do racial and ethnic differences facilitate social and psychic dynamics? Considers a cross-cultural selection of literary texts and films in combination with short readings from psychoanalytic theory in order to uncover some of the meanings of race and its roles in the construction of identity.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 41p. American Presidential Campaigns and Elections 1960-2008
Catalog Number: 2004 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Maxine Isaacs
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
What lessons of modern presidential campaigns since 1960 help us understand the unusual and exciting 2008 presidential election? Perspectives studied: change in presidential campaigns over time; demographic changes over 48 years and their impact; nature and structure of American public opinion about presidential politics and presidency; ways American news media transmit information about issues, candidates and campaigns; impact of news upon political behavior and what people actually do with information received through the news media.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 41s. The Confederacy, 1860–1865
Catalog Number: 2015 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Elisabeth L. Laskin
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examine the social and political history of the Confederate States of America (1860-1865), particularly secession, self-governance, war, and defeat. Focus on the stresses war placed on Southern society, and how these ultimately led to Confederacy’s defeat. Consider the ways in which this war and its participants have been remembered, and the impact of this memory on American society today. The military experience will be addressed, but this is NOT a course in military history.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 42k. Comparative Law and Religion
Catalog Number: 9992 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Ofrit Liviatan
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Investigates how modern democracies use their legal systems to address religion-based conflicts, and evaluates the effects of the legal process on the resolution of these conflicts. Examines different philosophical approaches to the role of religion in public life and discusses their legal manifestations drawing on legal cases from the US, Turkey, India, Israel, Spain, Canada, and England. Studies contemporary debates about the funding of religious institutions, the wearing of Islamic headscarves.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 42q. Cosmopolitanism and Globalization: A Latin American Perspective - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4079 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Mariano Siskind
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar attempts to approach a variety of discourses of cosmopolitanism from the perspective of the current hegemony of imaginaries of globalization that tend legitimize different forms of cultural and economic exclusion of subaltern subjectivities, whether in Latin America or in other margins of the modern world. A close analysis of the ways in which literature, film and critical theory shape up a cosmopolitan discourse will hopefully render visible the uneven global spatialization of modern desires.
Note: Open to Freshmen only. The course will be taught in English. Most readings will be available in English, and only a minority will be available only in Spanish.
*Freshman Seminar 42t. The Age of Reason - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3620 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Stefan Bird-Pollan
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The Enlightenment was a time of great intellectual and political change, encompassing the French Revolution as well as the American Revolution. We move from the rejection of religion and the emerging new physical as well as economic sciences to the question of political and social emancipation through the rights of man. In doing so, we examine contributions by thinkers like Hume, Kant, Bacon, Voltaire, Locke, Wollstonecraft, Paine, Smith and Rousseau.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 42u. The Laws of War and the War on Terrorism - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9694 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Gregg Andrew Peeples
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
How do the "laws of war" regulate the conduct of the United States in the "Global War on Terrorism?" This seminar examines the historical development of two legal concepts: jus ad bellum, which determines the legitimacy of the use of armed force; and jus in bello, which defines the duties of belligerent states. Drawing on this background, the seminar explores how these laws have influenced the way the US has conducted military operations since 9/11.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 42v. Human Rights Between Rhetoric and Reality
Catalog Number: 1757 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Stephen P. Marks (Public Health)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines radically different perspectives on the question of whether human rights discourse is merely rhetorical or captures a significant dimension of reality for peoples in diverse cultures. Topics include compatibility of human rights with contending philosophical systems and religions, feminism, and critical theory; challenges to human rights from various scientific perspectives, including evolutionary biology, genetic engineering, and brain research; and the relative significance of human rights in law and government, economics, and foreign policy.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 42w. The Book: From Gutenberg to the Internet
Catalog Number: 6004 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Robert Darnton
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the impact of books on Western culture from the time of Gutenberg. Hands-on experience in studying the book as a physical object and theoretical reflection on the nature of printing as a means of communication. Students will consider the publishing history of great books such as Shakespeare’s First Folio and will address the problem of books as elements in the electronic media.
Note: Open to Freshmen only. Students should schedule additional time after the seminar meeting for hands-on workshops.
*Freshman Seminar 42x. Leisure, Play, and Idleness in Russian Literature - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8776 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Laura Schlosberg
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Can leisure be used to study literature? This seminar examines how Russian writers depicted leisure activities, and used leisure to develop characters and plots. Using this lens onto Russian literature, the seminar considers: the tensions between work and leisure; respectability; leisure as a venue for more "serious" activity; and leisure’s dangerous aspects. In addition, the seminar looks at the playful depiction of everyday Russian life through humor and satire.
Note: All readings are in English. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 43g. Human Nature and the Past, Present and Future of War - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3776 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Richard W. Wrangham
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the relationship between human evolutionary biology and warfare in the human species as a whole, from hunter-gatherers to modern industrial society. Three texts provide functional explanations for primitive war, evolutionary analyses of international relations, and ideas for the avoidance of war. Students will write short response papers and a final paper.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 43i. Secularism: Religion’s Rival or Democracy’s Religion? - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0610 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Katherine Healan Gaston
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course examines the emergence of two competing understandings of secularism in contemporary public discourse. One portrays secularism as an inauthentic religion, threatening the traditional faiths that sustain democracy. The other portrays secularism as the authentic religion of democracy, unique in its ability to foster tolerance and respect for freedom of conscience. Students use historical readings to grapple with these paradigms, exploring what each implies about America’s religious pluralism and the nature of American democracy.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 43q. Historian and the Genes–From Mendel to Human Clones
Catalog Number: 6220 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Everett I. Mendelsohn
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines several sides of the history of genetics -- scientific, cultural, social, and political -- through the reading of original texts, through the study of their reception, rejection, or modification, through the analysis of their incorporation into fiction as well as social theory and practice, and through the exploration of their interaction with other sciences and with agricultural and medical practices.
Note: Open to Freshmen only. There will be one or two additional evening sessions to view films.
*Freshman Seminar 43w. History, Nationalism, and the World: the Case of Korea
Catalog Number: 4281 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Sun Joo Kim
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The colonialism and postcolonial division of Korea into North and South thrust the memory of past events into current political discussions as well as scholarly debates. This seminar investigates selected events in Korean history to map the interaction between historical writing and politics and to address questions such as why historians have emphasized certain periods and aspects of Korean history while ignoring others.
Note: Open to Freshmen only. All reading will be in English.
*Freshman Seminar 43y. What are the origins of morality, rights, and law?
Catalog Number: 9380 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Alan Dershowitz (Law School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
What are the sources of morality, law and rights? This seminar explores these sources through a variety of readings: The Brothers Karamazov, excerpts from the Old and New Testaments and the Koran as well as from my book, The Genesis of Justice), psychology (Steven Pinker, Marc Hauser), philosophy (Robert Nozick, Socrates, Cicero), jurisprudence (my book, Rights From Wrongs, Ronald Dworkin) and positive law (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and foundational documents from other countries).
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 43z. Cyberspace in Court: Law of the Internet
Catalog Number: 2880 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Phillip Robert Malone
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
How collisions of interests in online space play out in lawsuits or in proposals before legislatures -- controversies involving Google, YouTube, Apple, Microsoft, MySpace. Examines broad questions of social and technology policy through the lens of law and specific lawsuits. Topics: copyright and fair use, peer-to-peer file sharing, digital rights management, and the DMCA; online speech, anonymity, and privacy; citizen journalism and new media; competition and antitrust; pornography, child protection, and online gambling; security, phishing, and spyware.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 44g. Public Policy Approaches to Global Climate Change
Catalog Number: 1032 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Richard N. Cooper
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Reviews what is known about greenhouse gas emissions’ possible impact on climate. Explores possible impact of climate change on social and economic conditions over the next century. Investigates possible public policy responses to these developments, including actions both to adapt to and to mitigate climate change. What would be the costs of adaptation? Would an investment in mitigating the changes be worthwhile? Are there possibilities for international cooperation in dealing with the problem?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
[*Freshman Seminar 44l. Religion and Human Rights: Intersections and Tensions] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 2575 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Melanie Adrian
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course considers the legal, theoretical and theological interconnections between religion and human rights. Students are familiarized with key concepts including definitions of human rights, their origins and limitations, and cultural relativism. These concepts are brought into dialogue with four major world traditions and three case studies (female genital mutilation and the debates around the headscarf in France and Turkey).
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 44p. Contemporary India: Fact and Fiction
Catalog Number: 0019 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Rena Fonseca
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores rich post-colonial literature, by Indians in English, interpreting India’s variety and contradictions. Explores several themes at the heart of Indian society: the idea of India, legacy of colonialism, caste struggles, religious identities, changing role of women, and influence of the diaspora. What does it mean to be an Indian today? Readings from history, political science, and sociology provide basic concepts; fiction readings embed social science concepts and ground them in lived experience.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 44q. Evolution and Human Behavior - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 7809 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Judith F. Chapman
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar explores human behavior from an evolutionary perspective. Topics will include basic evolutionary and life history theory as well as various adaptive problems humans have faced over time: survival (predator/prey interaction, immune function, nourishment...), mating (mate selection, attraction & retention, sexual coercion, sperm competition, physical attractiveness, ...), parenting and kinship (parental investment, parent offspring conflict, and hormonal adaptations to parenting), and group living (social exchange, aggression, dominance, morality).
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 44v. Urban Environmental Health - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3210 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Jonathan Ian Levy (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
In a world where half of the population now lives in urban areas, this course examines the complex environmental and health implications of urbanization, considering both beneficial and detrimental effects in developing and developed countries. Case studies include health and safety risks from traffic around the world, environmental implications of energy usage and generation patterns in the United States and China, and health risks related to substandard drinking water in mega-cities in developing countries.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 44x. Tackling the Toughest Challenges for Modern American Higher Education - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0768 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Richard J. Light (Education)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This Seminar explores controversies that will shape the future of American higher education. We emphasize careful study of empirical evidence. Topics include: (1) Diversity: With increasing "diversity" among students at most colleges, what can colleges do to help each student succeed? (2) What constructive role can standardized testing play in colleges? (3) What are ways to assess how well a college is serving its students? (4) What is the future of America’s private liberal arts colleges?
Note: Each student’s obligation is to write two five page papers on assigned topics, and a longer, 25 page final paper on a topic of their own choice. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 45f. American Splendor: Alternative American Comics
Catalog Number: 5597 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Katherine Stanton
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar examines the alternative comics inspired by underground comix. Reading comics by Harvey Pekar, Jaime Hernandez, and Alison Bechdel, among others, we focus on their formal and political qualities. How do alternative comics represent and revise gender norms, the notion of racial and ethnic origins, and the narrative of upward mobility? What do these comics reveal about what it means to be properly female or male, authentically working class, or truly American? Why comics, now?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 45k. The Female Body in Modern America
Catalog Number: 5464 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Karen P. Flood
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This seminar examines the female body as a site of political, social, and cultural struggle in the United States from 1900 to the present, focusing on three main areas: reproduction and reproductive rights; sexuality; and ideals of appearance. The seminar pays particular attention to the diversity of women’s experiences and gender ideals according to race, class, and sexuality. Students will work through the stages of an historical research paper on a topic of their choice.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 46e. The Germans and Their History
Catalog Number: 7802 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Steven Ozment
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Can earlier centuries shed light on the present ones? The seminar will reach back to the first century C.E. and forward to the twenty-first century in search of continuities and discontinuities in the political and cultural life of Germans. The goal will be to discover defining experiences in German history and memory and to ask what they promise, or portend, for a united and democratic Germany facing new demographic, economic, and geo-political crises.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 46p. Human Rights in Peace and War
Catalog Number: 8408 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Jennifer Leaning (Public Health) and Jacqueline Bhabha (FAS, Law School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Studies how human rights perspective illuminates relations between state authority and individuals and defines standards of behavior that societies agree to aspire to reach. Topics include the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, rights in political and economic spheres, the rights of women, children, and refugees, international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and the state, regional, and international processes and structures that establish and monitor the regime of international human rights law.
Note: Meets at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 46s. The Idea of Crime
Catalog Number: 5122 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Robert J. Sampson
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores fundamental debates on crime’s definition, nature, explanation, and control. Begins with controversies over the very definition of crime and deviance. Explores the assumptions that different theories make about human nature, and then turns to competing explanations and paradigms. Asks why the integration of knowledge has been so difficult in the study of crime, and assesses how competing theories square with relevant data. Implications of sociological theory for understanding approaches to control of crime.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
[*Freshman Seminar 47m. Nationalism and the Modern World]
Catalog Number: 7343 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Nikolas Prevelakis
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Investigates process through which nationalism emerged, first in Europe, then in the rest of the world. Impact on the economy, religion, and literature. Emphasis on differences between types of nationalism as well as on importance of national intellectuals, the circulation of ideas and of their means of transmission. Empirical evidence mostly from the history of Europe, but also the United States, Japan, the Balkans, and Latin America. Requires one class presentation and short research paper.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 47u. Declarations of Independence: The Political Philosophy of the American Revolution
Catalog Number: 4718 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
David R. Armitage
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the Declaration of Independence in some unfamiliar contexts. Introduces the development of modern ideas of rights, nationality, and statehood. Connects Declaration to two centuries of arguments justifying rebellion, secession, and rights. Examines the political philosophy of the American Revolution, replies to the Declaration, other American declarations of independence on behalf of women, African-Americans, workers, and other groups during the 19th and 20th centuries, and analogues produced by later nationalist, secessionist, and anti-colonial movements.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 47v. Understanding Capitalism Through 20th Century History
Catalog Number: 3909 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Max A. Likin
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines questions raised by capitalism in the course of the century. The varieties of capitalism, the central role of accelerated technological transformation, and the ever-changing array of coordination mechanisms -- involving the market, multinational corporations, civilian society, and the state -- introduce the study of inherited problems and opportunities. Strives to formulate a definition of capitalism as something that comprises a doctrine, legal system, economic formation, a simple desire to own, and infectious greed.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 47x. Electing Thomas Jefferson
Catalog Number: 4071 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Jill M. Lepore
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
In 1800, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr ran against the incumbent, John Adams, in arguably the most important presidential election in American history. Jefferson claimed that the vote would "fix our national character" and "determine whether republicanism or aristocracy would prevail." Whether or not the nation’s destiny was at stake, the election was the first marked by mudslinging. 2008 promises to be a good year to revisit it.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 48i. State, Tribes, and Cities: Varieties of Political Organization
Catalog Number: 8869 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Noah I. Dauber
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Political organization in the West has varied a great deal over the ages, including kinship groups, city-states, lordships, church communities, and nation states. This seminar will explore both the theory and practice of these forms from Antiquity to the present. Questions to be considered include: What is a political community? How is it different from a private community? How do urban and rural forms differ? How is membership defined in the different forms?
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 48l. Extremism: Causes, Consequences, Cures - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6020 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Samantha J. Power
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Extremism helps fuel political polarization, excessive risk-taking, ethnic and sectarian conflict, terrorism, and genocide. Seminar examines the causes and consequences of extremism, as exhibited individually, collectively, interpersonally, domestically, and internationally. The seminar starts by asking the question: When do individuals or groups gravitate toward the extremes? It draws upon a wide range of evidence, such as laboratory experiments, reviews of judicial behavior, and profiles of terrorists and the perpetrators of mass atrocity. It then asks: Once extremism has been unleashed, can it be reigned back in? By whom? Here, too, the seminar explores clinical and real world efforts to reduce polarization, curb extremism (or reduce the sway of extremists), and prevent serious harm.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 48o. The History and Practice of Ancient Greek Astronomy
Catalog Number: 8926 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Mark Schiefsky
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The seminar has two goals: (1) to gain an understanding of the historical development of ancient Greek astronomy, by examining both theories and concrete details of ancient astronomical practice; and (2) to address general questions about the nature of science raised by this development, including especially the relationship of theory to observation and the role of models. Class presentation, weekly exercises, and one paper.
Note: Open to freshman only.
Prerequisite: No mathematics beyond high-school trigonometry is required.
*Freshman Seminar 48v. North Korea as History and Crisis
Catalog Number: 5209 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Carter J. Eckert
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores the historical context of the present crisis on the Korean peninsula and engages students in current debates about the crises from a variety of different official, institutional, and popular perspectives, including those of North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and other concerned parties, such as the United Nations. Students encouraged to develop own perspectives on resolving the crisis. Examines role of historical forces in shaping the crisis and its possible resolution.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 49g. The Holocaust, History and Reaction
Catalog Number: 1208 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Kevin J. Madigan (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Approaches Nazi persecution of European Jewry from several disciplinary perspectives. Presents backgroundand narrative of the Holocaust, introduces the use of primary historical sources, and studies some of the major historiographical debates. Evaluates religious and theological reactions to the Holocaust -- uses literary, cinematic, and theological sources. Considers the role played by the Protestant and Catholic churches and theologies in the Holocaust. Assesses role played by the Holocaust in today’s world, specifically in the United States.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 49l. Punishing Cruelly: The Jurisprudence of Crime, Punishment, Cruelty and Mercy
Catalog Number: 3720 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Paulo S. Daflon Barrozo
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
How and when does cruelty matter? Interrogates the nature of our ideas and feelings about cruelty, vulnerability, brutality, exploitation, and suffering and the way these ideas are reflected in modern law. Rejection of cruelty pervades modern moral sensibility and thought, legal institutions, discursive formulas, and social practices. What is at stake in this rejection? Pairs films, novels, memoirs, legal documents, social data, historiographical work, and students’ narratives with seminal legal and philosophical works.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 49n. Measurements of the Mind: The Creation and Critique of the Psychological Test
Catalog Number: 9965 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Marla D. Eby (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduces the history of psychological tests, from the perspective of the psychologists using them, the people tested, and the general public. Examines the creativity within psychology in the making of such tests, as well as the drawbacks and dangers of the (mis)uses of these instruments. Explores tests in current use, as well as tests contained in various Harvard archives. Final project for this seminar involves the design of an original psychological test.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 49y. Amateur Athletics
Catalog Number: 4686 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Harry R. Lewis
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Where did the amateur ideal come from? Is athletic amateurism still a useful or even meaningful concept today? The history of athletics in ancient Greece in Victorian England, and in New England. College, Olympic, and professional athletics. Athletic competition as a social, spiritual, educational, and commercial institution. The relation of recent trends, including the democratization and internationalization of higher education, to the amateur ideal, its history, and its future.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 49z. The Art of the Impossible: Political Leadership in the 20th Century
Catalog Number: 7628 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Roderick MacFarquhar
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Academic interest in political leaders has declined as historians and political scientists have focused on political, economic, and social forces. But certain individual leaders stand out for having bestowed great benefit or having wreaked great havoc upon their nations. Considers political leadership not as the art of the possible but the art of the impossible: mobilizing a nation for Herculean efforts or leading it into uncharted waters.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
*Freshman Seminar 471. Violence in 20th-Century Europe - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 5893 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
John David bryce Ondrovcik
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines forms of European violence from crime, the world wars, genocide, terrorism, to post-colonial conflicts; addresses the problems of the next century. Explores the issues involved in studying violence from historical and theoretical perspectives. Can violence be understood by those who have not experienced it? What are the relationships between forms of conflict and changes in social, cultural, and material life? Course materials include historical monographs, theoretical texts, personal narratives, literature, and film.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
[Humanities 11. Self, Serenity, and Vulnerability: East and West]
Catalog Number: 2401
Michael J. Puett and Roberto Mangabeira Unger (Law School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A comparative inquiry into forms of moral consciousness and their metaphysical assumptions in the high cultures of the East and West. Background concern: divergent ways in which philosophy, religion, and art in the East and West have dealt with the fear that our lives and the world itself may be meaningless. Foreground theme: contrast between two existential attitudes—staying out of trouble and looking for trouble. Texts include Chinese, Indian, ancient Greek, and modern European philosophy.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Humanities 12. “Strange Mutations”: Classical and Renaissance Representations of the Human Condition]
Catalog Number: 9725
Christopher D. Johnson
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The course examines how foundational Western literary and philosophic texts represent the nature, meaning, and limits of human existence. Focuses on diverse ways becoming and being human are represented in antiquity and then considers how these representations are transformed and combined in the Renaissance. Authors include Sappho, Homer, Plato, Ovid, Montaigne, Shakespeare, Cervantes, and Descartes. Close attention given to the literary and rhetorical aspects of the course readings.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Literature and Arts A.
[Humanities 16. Existential Fictions: From Saint Augustine to Jean-Paul Sartre and Beyond]
Catalog Number: 3016
Verena A. Conley
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
This course examines problems of existence in relation to self and other in the world from the early Christian era to our days. It shows how existence preoccupies major writers who have approached its implications (and the dilemmas it inspires) in different ways. At stake are the redemptive powers of religion, thoughts about the death of God, the limits of atheism, and philosophies of becoming.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Literature and Arts A.
[Humanities 21 (formerly Spanish 155). The Making of Cultural and Political Myths in Latin America]
Catalog Number: 7904
Diana Sorensen
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
How have certain historical figures been transformed into mythical forces? How have they been made to articulate culture and politics? We study the ways in which Eva Perón, Che Guevara, Simón Bolívar, and La Malinche have been turned into veritable systems of communication in varied historical moments, according to debates located in their political and ideological contexts.
Our approach is interdisciplinary: we study literary texts, politics, history, gender theory, films, photography, and journalism.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Humanities 22. Global Pathways]
Catalog Number: 2938
Homi K. Bhabha
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A critical interpretation of literature combining an interdisciplinary approach with a global (or transnational) perspective in an effort to better understand the relationship between them. Examines such terms as internationalism, cosmopolitanism, colonialism, imperialism, and globalization in a literary context and looks at geographically diverse literary genres in the context of identity, landscape and the depiction of nature, civil states and colonial societies, cities and citizens, religion and morality, and the quest for security and prosperity.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
*Extra-Departmental Courses 187. The Quality of Health Care in America
Catalog Number: 4832 Enrollment: Limited to 35.
Donald M. Berwick (Public Health, Medical School), David Blumenthal (Medical School), Howard H. Hiatt (Medical School, Public Health), and Warner V. Slack (Medical School)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 4:30–6, and a weekly section to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 18
Offers information and experiences regarding most important issues and challenges in health care quality. Overview of the dimensions of quality of care, including outcomes, overuse, underuse, variation in practice patterns, errors and threats to patient safety, service flaws, and forms of waste. Each session focuses on one specific issue, exploring patterns of performance, data sources, costs, causes, and remedies. Explores desirable properties of health care systems that perform at high levels in many dimensions of quality.
Note: This course may not be taken for credit in addition to General Education 187.