This is an introduction to philosophy that explores a range of issues pertaining to religious conviction, knowledge, mind, freedom, ethics, and value. This exploration will take place through critical engagement, via reflection, writing, and conversation, with written work – some classical, some contemporary – in the philosophical tradition.

Each section limited to 25 students.  Fall semester: Professor Shah and Visiting Professors Boxer and Koltonski.  Spring semester: Professor George and Professor Emeritus Kearns.

Research in an area relevant to neuroscience, under the direction of a faculty member, and preparation of a thesis based upon the research. Full course.

Fall and spring semesters. The Committee.

The general topic for this proseminar may change from year to year. In 2012-13 the course will emphasize research and writing skills on topics related to behavioral neurobiological systems. Students will explore recent research findings in areas pertaining to the role of hormones and/or neural circuits in several behavioral processes including but not limited to echolocation, mating, prey location, flight control, spatial navigation, song development in birds, mineral appetites, social functions, aggression, and learning in memory mechanisms in several species.

(Offered as BIOL 351 and NEUR 351.)  This course will provide a deeper understanding of the physiological properties of the nervous system. We will address the mechanisms underlying electrical activity in neurons, as well as examine the physiology of synapses; the transduction and integration of sensory information; the function of nerve circuits; the trophic and plastic properties of neurons; and the relationship between neuronal activity and behavior.

This course examines the music and cultural impact of the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. We will explore the aesthetic, cultural, religious, and media-related aspects of his music within a set of global cultural formations and social transformations. Our focus on Pärt's music and persona will include representations of Pärt in media and scholarship, the use of his music in the films of Tom Tykwer, Werner Herzog, Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Moore, and others, and the impact of record labels like ECM, for instance.

A continuation of MUSI 242. In this course we will study music by a wide variety of nineteenth-century composers, including Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Musorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Works will be considered from a number of different analytical perspectives including methods current in the nineteenth century and those developed more recently. Comparing analytical methods of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries will enable students to gain a critical perspective on each and to learn about the limits of analysis and interpretation in general.

Independent Reading Course. A full course.

Fall and spring semesters.