The Islamic religious tradition from its beginnings in 7th century Arabia through the present day, with particular emphasis on the formative period (A.D. 600-1000) and on modern efforts at reinterpretation. Topics include Muhammad and the Qur'an, prophetic tradition, sacred Law, ritual, sectarianism, mysticism, dogmatic theology, and popular practices. Emphasis on the ways Muslims in different times and places have constructed and reconstructed the tradition for themselves.

Topics course. This survey of principal themes in the thought of selected major figures of the Reformations of the sixteenth century will include readings from primary texts representative of late-medieval precursors of reform as well as key texts from the writings of Desiderius Erasmus, Martin Luther, Huldreich Zwingli, Heinrich Bullinger, Martin Bucer, John Calvin, Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Peter Martyr Vermigli, and Richard Hooker, among others. Enrollment limited to 20. (E)

A thematic survey of Jewish history and thought from the 16th century to the present, examining Jews as a minority in modern Europe and in global diaspora. We will examine changing dynamics of integration and exclusion of Jews in various societies as well as diverse forms of Jewish religion, culture, and identity among Sefardic, Ashkenazic, and Mizrahi Jews. Readings include major philosophic, mystical, and political works in addition to primary sources on the lives of Jewish women and men, families and communities, and messianic and popular movements.

Topics course. This course explores the material culture of the peoples who lived in ancient Palestine from the Middle Bronze Age through the Israelite period and down to the Roman-Byzantine eras (c.1400 B.C.E. to 640 C.E.). We will consider the latest archaeological finds from Israel and the Mediterranean basin, including the ruins of great cities, temples, ancient churches and synagogues, and colorful mosaic artwork. Special attention will be given to a critical evaluation of the ways that archaeology can ? and cannot ?

Explanation of current policy issues regarding race. Topics include voting rights, compensation, public and private education, bilingual education, and affirmative action in employment. Recommended background: PPL 220 or a course in American government.

Topics course. Students can take both fall and spring for credit; they count as separate courses. An examination of the conceptual and moral underpinnings of sustainability. Questions to be discussed include: What exactly is sustainability? What conceptions of the world (as resource, as machine, as something with functional integrity, etc.) does sustainability rely on, and are these conceptions justifiable? How is sustainability related to future people? What values are affirmed by sustainability, and how can we argue those are values that should be endorsed?

The Indian Renaissance in the mid-19th century represented a resurgence of interest in and development of classical Indian culture and learning. It also involved an explosion of new art, political and social movements and philosophy arising from the confluence of indigenous Indian ideas and imports brought by British colonialists and foreign-returned Indians who traveled in the context of the colonial situation. The ferment generated by the renaissance fueled the Indian independence movement and is the context against which contemporary Indian society is constituted.

This course is an introduction to central topics in the philosophy of language. What is the relation between thought, language and reality? What kinds of things do we do with words? Is there anything significant about the definite article ?the?? How does meaning accrue to proper names? Is speaker meaning the same as the public, conventional (semantic) meaning of words? Is there a distinction between metaphorical and literal language?

Topics course. What is Ignorance? Is it simply lack of knowledge? What is its relation to illusion, deception, self-deception? What is the difference between being ignorant of something and ignoring it? Is ignorance something for which one can be held responsible? Something for which one can be punished? Something for which one can be rewarded? To what social and political ends has ignorance been put, and how?

Introduction to the issues and methods of modern linguistics, including morphology, syntax, semantics, phonology and pragmatics. The focus will be on the revolution in linguistics introduced by Noam Chomsky, and the profound questions it raises for human nature, linguistic universals, and language acquisition.