HN 300 - Tibet: History, Culture and Politics ~
View Section
Statements
Xiaorong Han
This course explores Tibet as a cultural, geographical, and
political unit, covering the major periods of Tibetan history from
the seventh century to the present and such topics as the
historical significance of some geographic factors (in this case,
altitude in particular), the evolution of Tibetan culture,
particularly Tibetan Buddhism, Tibet's traditional political and
cultural relationships with India and China, the expansion of
Western (particularly British, Russian, and later American)
influence in Tibet in the modern era, and Tibet in the socialist
state of China. Students taking this course will have opportunities
to read Tibetan classics in English translation, works on Tibet
written by Western scholars, as well as texts representing the
opposing perspectives of the Chinese government and Tibetan
nationalists. Documentary and feature films will be used to
facilitate comprehension of the course themes. This course fulfills
some of the goals of liberal arts education by providing glimpses
of the historical experience, cultural achievements, and social and
political perspectives of a very unique human group.
HN 300 - Honors Colloquium: Spinning Straw into Gold:
The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales ~ View
Section Statements
Norman Minnick
Who am I? How ought I to deal with life's problems? What must I
become? As with all great art, the fairy tale's deepest meaning
will be different for each person, and at various moments in his or
her life. In this course we will take various tales from around the
world and approach them through a variety of lenses: spiritual,
psychological, social, personal, ecological, masculine, feminine,
and so on.
This course will be demanding yet very rewarding. You will be
expected to think in ways you've never thought before, feel in ways
you've never felt before, express yourself in ways you've never
expressed yourself before, and to apply these thoughts, feelings,
modes of expression in ways you've never done before. Aspects about
your Self might surface that may be more beautiful or more ugly
than you ever imagined. You must be ready to face them, many of
which will compel you to reevaluate and question the way you live
your life.
Our approach to the stories in this course will go against the
grain of academia, society, religion, and maybe even the family. We
will be entering the woods at the darkest part where there is no
trail, so we must be willing to leave the clock and calendar world
and enter a world that exists before time, after time, under time
and inside each of us. We will be confronted with questions
fundamental to our development and growth as human beings as well
as to a more complete liberal arts education.
HN 300 - Another History of Time ~ View Section Statements
Tiberiu Popa
This course will guide you through the adventurous history of
the idea of time. None of us can ignore the constraints of time.
Even if you are a pragmatic person, with little inclination for
metaphysics, it's virtually impossible to avoid thinking about some
of the metaphysical aspects of time, at least occasionally. Since
people have tried to define this common but rather elusive notion
from various angles, we'll consider it from the perspective of
several key fields of the liberal arts, including philosophy,
literature and science. The structure of our course is both
chronological and thematic. Our readings will include passages from
Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, some of the Stoics, Plotinus, St.
Augustine, Montaigne, Proust, Eliade, Stephen Hawking etc. The
focus will be on western civilization, but this course will cover
some readings on Indian and other non-European traditions as well.
We'll study the influence of religious beliefs and of philosophical
views on the ways in which time was perceived at various points in
history - as a cosmic clock, as a string of atomic durations, as
being inscribed in eternity, as a cyclic / self-repeating
trajectory etc., and the diverse ways of conveying such views and
attitudes. We will also investigate the difference between
'physical' time and the reflection of time in our consciousness
HN 300 - The Ghost Rising from the Tomb: Gothic
Literature from the Continent to the New World ~ View Section Statements
Eloise Sureau and Fred Yaniga
Investigating Gothic literature between Britain, France, Germany
and the U.S.A. from the late 18th century to the present, we will
read and analyze works of literature and select literary criticism
(national, narrative, psychological, postmodern etc.) from these
differing yet similar schools of thought. We will read and prepare
for classroom discussions and use short analytic papers on
individual works as well as individual and group oral presentations
to both summarize and experiment within course objectives. A final
research project will offer students a capstone experience in which
broader themes will be explored utilizing the tools and ideas
gained throughout the semester. Of course, homework and
participation will also be incorporated into the final grade.
Course material will include not only traditional texts but also
interdisciplinary activities such field trips outside of the
classroom, various media sources including the visual arts,
theater, music, film. Students are encouraged to explore their
interests, debate and develop their ideas, apply new skills and
give constructive direction to their intellectual curiosities in
the spirit of liberal arts education.
HN 300 - Literary Work and Films by German Nobel
Laureates ~ View Section Statements
Willi Schwoebel
In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, the hero claims that he has three
virtues, he claims "I can think, I can wait and I can fast." In a
conversation a merchant maintained that our hero learned everything
from him. Siddhartha's answer is very instructive. "Would you
please not kid me with such jokes! What I have learned from you is
how much a basket of fish costs and how much interests may be
charged on loaned money. These are your area of expertise. I
haven't learned to think from you, my dear Kamaswami, you ought to
be the one seeking to learn from me." This statement expresses the
Liberal Arts philosophy in a nutshell. Looking at the works of the
giants of German literature teaches us to think. To think about
humanity and human values.