The goal of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason is to give an account of human knowledge and its limits. This requires a careful analysis of the structure of human experience, the foundations of scientific knowledge, and the ways in which we try (and often fail) to extend our knowledge beyond what experience can teach us. This course will involve a close reading of the entirety of the Critique of Pure Reason. Along the way, we will discuss topics including the nature of matter and mind, free will, and the existence of God. Prerequisite: One prior philosophy course Fulfillment: Humanities Advanced Course.
For centuries, food production practices such as permaculture fostered ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient, while producing nutrient-dense food. Modern farming has introduced harmful monoculture practices proven to cause collateral destruction of biodiversity and seasonal harvesting, distancing us from our food ecosystems. The future of food can be regenerative or continue to contribute to massive health and environmental issues. How can we challenge ourselves to regain connection to our food system? How might we use innovation, personal prowess, design, and biotechnology to reimagine healthier ecosystems? This course examines the historical context of the food ecosystems and encourages students to identify with these systems that we (in urban settings) are disconnected with. Students will build a project around exploring innovative approaches to the future of food and our relationships with it. These projects will incorporate design, technology, science, and research elements.
According to anthropologists Filip de Boeck and René Devisch, divination “constitutes a space in which cognitive structures are transformed and new relations are generated in and between the human body, the social body and the cosmos.” In this class, students will learn the history of divination, engage in the practice of divination, and speculate on what forms divination might take in a world where the human body, the social body, and even the cosmos(!) are digitally mediated. Starting with an understanding of ritual and folk culture, we will track the history of fortune-telling from the casting of lots to computer-generated randomness to the contemporary revival of Tarot; from reading entrails to astrology to data science; from glossolalia to surrealist writing practices to the “ghost in the machine” of artificial intelligence. Weekly readings and assignments culminate in a final project.
Personal, social, and environmental factors related to people?s attitudes and performance in industry and other organizations. Topics include personnel selection and evaluation, training and development, attitudes and motivation, leadership, group dynamics, organizational structure and climate, and job design and working conditions.
Offered every other year. 4 points. Examines legal, political, and economic issues in government regulation. Covers such classic debates and issues as the historical origins of regulation, the legal philosophy of administrative regulation, the relationship between courts and agencies, the political and social conflicts surrounding regulatory politics, and the role of law in state formation.
Provides an understanding of election processes in the United States through different theoretical approaches to the study of campaigns and elections and the testing of empirical hypotheses. Analyzes campaign strategies of political candidates, the use of polls and media in campaigns, and the effects of issues and personalities on election outcomes. Evaluates the role of presidential primaries and elections in the functioning of a democracy.
Study of some of Immanuel Kant’s major works, including the Critique of Pure Reason, the Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, and the Critique of Practical Reason.
We will investigate different approaches to understanding space and time, and how the account of space-time structure has evolved in physics. One of the main objectives is to have a clear and accurate understanding of the Special Theory of Relativity, detailed enough to allow the student to solve some physics problems. This will require a bit of mathematics, but not more than algebra. We will discuss the General Theory of Relativity in a more qualitative way, including an account of the structure of black holes. Philosophy students do not need any further background in physics or mathematics, and physics students will not benefit from greater mathematical sophistication. We will also study the relevant history of physics and philosophy, particularly the debate between Newton and Leibniz about the nature of space and time. There will be two lectures each week and a recitation section.
Prerequisite: A grade of C or higher in Calculus I (MATH-UA 121) or Math for Economics II (MATH-UA 212) (for economics majors), and General Physics (PHYS-UA 11). Simulations of such phenomena as orbits (Kepler problem and N-body problem), epidemic and endemic disease (including evolution in response to the selective pressure of malaria), musical stringed instruments (piano, guitar, and violin), and traffic flow in a city (with lights, breakdowns, and gridlock). Simulations are based on mathematical models, numerical methods, and Matlab programming techniques taught in class. Emphasizes use of animation (and sound where appropriate) to present the results of simulations.
Introductory-level literature course that, through a close reading of authors such as Alfieri, Foscolo, Leopardi, Manzoni, Verga, D?Annunzio, Moravia, and Calvino, focuses on how to understand a literary text in Italian. Covers Italian literature from the 17th century to the contemporary period.
This course provides students with a comprehensive framework and tools to understand the advertising process and to appreciate managerial and theoretical perspectives in advertising. It tackles the stages in developing an advertising plan- from analyzing the situation and defining clear advertising objectives to execution. Students learn tools related to various skill areas in advertising, including account planning, media planning and buying, and copywriting/art direction, while developing a broader appreciation of how each skill area fits into the overall structure of the advertising process. Coursework involves a comprehensive group project that utilizes learning in all functional areas of advertising, while simulating the development of an advertising campaign.
Study of the theatrical genre in France including the Golden Age playwrights (Corneille, Racine, and Moli?re); 18th-century irony and sentiment; and the 19th-century theatrical revolution. Topics: theories of comedy and tragedy, development of stagecraft, romanticism and realism, the theatre as a public genre, its relationship to taste and fashion, and its sociopolitical function.
Considers contemporary science fiction as literature, social commentary, prophecy, and a reflection of recent and possible future trends in technology and society. Writers considered include such authors as Isaac Asimov, J. G. Ballard, Octavia Butler, Arthur C. Clark, Samuel Delany, Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Ursula K. Le Guin, Neal Stephenson, and Bruce Sterling.
An intense hands-on study of practical techniques and methods of software engineering. Topics include advanced object-oriented design, design patterns, refactoring, code optimization, universal modeling language, threading, user interface design, enterprise application development, and development tools. All topics are integrated and applied during the semester-long group project. The aim of the project is to prepare students for dynamics in a real workplace. Members of the group meet on a regular basis to discuss the project and to assign individual tasks. Students are judged primarily on the final project presentations.
Object-oriented programming has emerged as a significant software development methodology. This course introduces the important concepts of object-oriented design and languages, including code reuse, data abstraction, inheritance, and dynamic overloading. It covers in depth those features of Java and C that support object-oriented programming and gives an overview of other object-oriented languages of interest. Significant programming assignments, stressing object-oriented design.