Complex Problems & Enduring Questions Courses spring 2018
The Core The centerpiece of Jesuit education has always been a common curriculum that emphasizes the study of defining works in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The Boston College Core is designed to provide a broad understanding of the forces that have shaped world history and culture, challenging students to think across the disciplines, to make good decisions, and to communicate effectively in an increasingly complex world. To fulfill Core requirements, each student must complete: 1 course in Arts: Art, Art History, Film, Music, Theatre 1 course in Cultural Diversity
Complex Problems Courses
2 courses in History 1 course in Literature:
Classics, English, German Studies, Romance Languages and Literatures, Slavic & Eastern Languages and Literatures
two Core requirements. Complex Problems courses consist of three 50-minute lectures and one 75-minute lab session each week, along with
1 course in Mathematics 2 courses in Natural Science:
Each of these six-credit courses, team-taught by professors from different disciplines, satisfies
a weekly meeting during the evening for reflection Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Physics
and integration.
Enduring Questions Courses
2 courses in Philosophy 2 courses in Social Science:
Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology
These linked pairs of courses are taught by professors from different disciplines, who collaborate in choosing common readings and
2 courses in Theology 1 course in Writing Courses that satisfy Core requirements, by department:
www.bc.edu/core/courses.html
questions for consideration. The same group of 19 students takes each class, which meets for 150 minutes per week. Four evening reflection sections will be scheduled over the course of the semester. Taken together, the courses are worth six credits and fulfill two Core requirements.
spring 201 8
as a member of the class of 2021, you are invited to enroll in one of Boston College’s innovative, team-taught Core courses. Open only to first-year students, there are two types of interdisciplinary offerings: Complex Problems, which probe compelling contemporary issues such as climate change and race- and gender-based violence; and Enduring Questions, which explore subjects crucial to the human experience including health and illness, migration and culture, and the relationship between humans and nature. Complex Problems and Enduring Questions courses extend inquiry beyond the classroom to labs, reflection sessions, conversations with outside speakers, and off-campus field visits, creating an intensive shared learning experience for both teachers and students. They exemplify Boston College’s innovative approach to Core education by establishing a foundation for students’ intellectual development and preparing them to become engaged, effective world citizens. You will have the opportunity to enroll for the Complex Problems and Enduring Questions courses described in this catalog in November when you register for Spring 2018. There is no limit to the number of Complex Problems and Enduring Questions courses you may take during your first year at BC.
To read course descriptions and for more information, visit www.bc.edu/pilotcore
spring 201 8 | complex problems courses
Complex Problems | SOCY150901 + HIST150501
Planet in Peril: The History and Future of Human Impacts on the Planet Juliet Schor, Sociology, and Prasannan Parthasarathi, History 1 Social Science + History II MWF 2–2:50 (lecture) + Thurs. 6–7:50 (reflection) + 1 lab section The 21st century opened with multiple crises—of climate, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. This class addresses these ecological crises from the perspectives of sociology and history, paying particular attention to the roles of inequality, the state, and power. We combine contemporary analyses with consideration of the long historical record of human impact, considering both the familiar and the novel. We devote substantial attention not only to causes but to solutions. Topics to be covered include the Columbian exchange, forests, agriculture, water, climate change, toxics, and population. Solutions to crises may include public policy, social movements, individual action, and social innovation. To register for this course: (1) Register for both SOCY150901 and HIST150501 (2) Register for any one section of SOCY1510 or HIST1506 Complex Problems | HIST150901 + POLI104301
The History and Politics of Terrorism Julian Bourg, History, and Peter Krause, Political Science History II + 1 Social Science MWF 1–1:50 (lecture) + Thurs. 6–7:50 (reflection) + 1 lab section Terrorism dominates the headlines today. But how much do we really know about this form of political violence? Is terrorism a new or an old phenomenon? What are its causes? Is it effective? How do states and societies respond to it? Combining the approaches of
history and political science, this course will provide students with the tools to confront complex questions in a sophisticated manner. As citizens and future leaders, students will be challenged to consider the problem of justifying and legitimizing violence as well as the struggle of balancing liberty, security, and community. To register for this course: (1) Register for both HIST150901 and POLI104301 (2) Register for any one section of HIST1510 or POLI1044 Complex Problems | ECON150101 + ENGL150301
Beyond Price: Markets, Cultures, Values Can Erbil, Economics, and Kalpana Seshadri, English 1 Social Science + Literature MWF 1–1:50 (lecture) + Tues. 6–7:50 (reflection) + 1 lab section This course is about wealth and values—what it means to “know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” In an era where the super-rich seem to have so much glamor and power, we examine how the economy, values, and the dominance of the market hold sway in our environment and personal lives. We look at markets, incentives, ecology, and ethics through the lenses of literature and economics, and use case studies to explore the relationship between business decisions and market interests and their impact on ordinary lives. To register for this course: 1) Register for both ECON150101 and ENGL150301 2) Register for any one section of ECON1502 and ENGL1504
“ It made me realize that college is more than just studying something to get a job. It really opened my mind and made me explore things that I didn’t even know I wanted to explore. Honestly, I can’t imagine my freshman year without meeting those professors and the awesome students in my class. They opened my mind to new perspectives.” —Diana Dinkel ’19 Lynch School of Education
spring 201 8 | enduring questions courses
Enduring Questions | BIOL170201 + ECON170101
Human Disease: Plagues, Pathogens, and Chronic Disorders Kathy Dunn, Biology
Human Disease: Health, the Economy, and Society Samuel Richardson, Economics 1 Natural Science + 1 Social Science MWF 10–10:50 + MWF 11–11:50
and institutions? How do the clergy, religious institutions, and individuals perceive the state? Can the Western principle of “separation of church and state” be prescribed as a template for the Islamic world? Unpacking the historical relationship between state and religion across the globe will reveal the complexities associated with these questions. To register for these courses: Register for both POLI104501 and HIST170301 Enduring Questions | ENGL171401 + HIST170401
T 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester)
Reading Man, God, and the Whale in Melville’s Moby-Dick
These courses explore the causes and consequences of human epidemics and disease. Students will examine the cellular and physiological parameters associated with health (including genetic predisposition and environmental influence), and apply economic reasoning both to understand why health care resources are deployed the way they are and to ask how the system might be improved.
Michael Martin, Honors
To register for these courses: Register for both BIOL170201 and ECON170101
T 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester)
Enduring Questions | POLI104501 + HIST170301
Religion in a Secular World: Separating Church, Mosque, and State Jonathan Laurence, Political Science
Religious Diversity in a Muslim World Dana Sajdi, History 1 Social Science + History I MW 1–2:15 + TTh 9–10:15 T 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) These courses explore the relationship between religion and the state in Europe and the Middle East from 1500 through the present. How and in what ways do states—whether they are empires or nationstates—affect the formation of religious identities
Worlds of Moby-Dick: What Historical Forces Shape a Book’s Greatness? David Quigley, History Literature + History II MWF 12–12:50 + TTh 12–1:15
These courses, rooted in the legacy of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick (1851) and its historical context, explore its literary structure, philosophical meaning, and its reflection of the cultural, political, and economic fault lines of nineteenth-century America as it hurtled toward civil war. Together these courses consider three questions: What are the ideals and politics of slavery and freedom or fate and free will? How are belief and knowledge, hope, and despair related in modernity? And how do we read in this work the story of a whaling voyage, the face of a whale, the mind of God, and the historical forces that transformed the nineteenth-century United States and the world? To register for these courses: Register for both ENGL171401 and HIST170401
enduring questions courses | spring 201 8
Enduring Questions | HIST170501 + ENGL171501
Enduring Questions | ENGL170901 + CHEM170101
Revolutionary Media: How Books Changed History
Living in the Material World
Virginia Reinburg, History
Living in the Material World
Revolutionary Media: How Reading Changes Us
Dunwei Wang, Chemistry
Mary Crane, English History I + Literature TTh 10:30–11:45 + MWF 10–10:50 T 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) The printed book has been the most powerful and disruptive medium of communication the world has seen. Today, as new technologies and media also compete for our attention, it is especially important to understand the role books have played in Western culture, and how various modes of reading have shaped our minds. One of these courses traces the revolutionary history of the book in Europe from 1450 to 1800. The other focuses on the ways in which different media have, from 1450 up to the present, demanded different strategies for reading. To register for these courses: Register for both HIST170501 and ENGL171501.
“ The professors created an interactive experience. It made the material seem more relevant and exciting. You approach topics holistically from different perspectives. This is the way students need to prepare for the real world.” — Kate Mignosa ’19 Connell School of Nursing
Elizabeth Kowaleski Wallace, English
Literature + 1 Natural Science TTh 9–10:15 + TTh 3–4:15 T 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) These courses respond to the moral, spiritual, and ethical challenges presented by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si, exploring the complex place of the human within the material world. While one class employs a scientific approach to questions that pertain to actual energy consumption, the other explores the definition and history of materiality from literary and humanistic perspectives. To register for these courses: Register for both ENGL170901 and CHEM170101.
spring 201 8 | enduring questions courses
Enduring Questions | POLI104601 + SOCY170601
Politics of Human Rights Jennie Purnell, Political Science
Human Rights and Social Welfare Margaret Lombe, Social Work 1 Social Science + History II TTh 1:30–2:45 + TTh 4:30–5:45 Th 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) In this pair of courses, we will focus on a set of questions about human rights—privileges we are thought to possess simply by virtue of being human. These questions include: Which rights, if any, are human rights, and why? Are human rights truly universal, or do they vary in different cultures and political systems in which we live? Why are human rights violated or respected in certain times and places? What should be done about egregious violations of human rights, and who should determine that? What is the relationship between human rights, well-being, and social welfare? To register for these courses: Register for both POLI104601 and SOCY170601. Enduring Questions | BIOL170401 + ENGL171601
Metamorphosis: Evolution and the Genetics of Change Welkin Johnson, Biology
Metamorphosis: Storytelling as an Attempt to Manage Change Dayton Haskin, English
theme of one of the most enduring works of literature from classical antiquity, Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It is also the central premise of one of the most profoundly influential works of modern science, Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. These linked courses probe a diverse series of readings in order to explore the theme of change in literature and biology. They will challenge students to discover connections between literary and scientific approaches to the acquisition and use of knowledge. To register for these courses: Register for both BIOL170401 and ENGL171601. Enduring Questions | SOCY170701 + ENGL171701
Passion, Power, and Purpose: Adolescence in a Digital Age Belle Liang, Lynch School of Education
Fictions of Development: Adolescence in Historical Context Maia McAleavey, English 1 Social Science + Literature
1 Natural Science + Literature
MWF 2–2:50 + MWF 3–3:50
MWF 11–11:50 + MWF 1–1:50
Th 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester)
Th 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) Taken together, these courses examine change, one of the great certainties of existence. Change is the central
What is adolescence—a biological phenomenon, a psychological construct, or a social invention? How does the media shape adolescence? One course in this pair of offerings examines contemporary youth
“ It’s something I’ve never experienced
enduring questions courses | spring 201 8
before. Other courses deal with information—learning one thing and then applying it to a test or a lab. But with these courses, it’s using what you learn and applying it to life.” — Bruk Adane ’20 Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
the world on campus and in the international arena. Questions include: What is the relationship between language and power? How do historical works speak to present social issues? How might reading about injustice and inequality compel us to write and to act? How might lived encounters with injustice—through family histories, personal experiences, and service— inspire us to write and to deepen our knowledge through reading? To register for these courses: Register for both ENGL171801 and ENGL171901.
culture; the other probes fictional and historical renderings of adolescence. The pairing explores historic topics, asking questions about the emergence of adolescence as a concept and of literature marketed directly to adolescents. It also covers contemporary topics, challenging stereotypes of this developmental period and scrutinizing the powers and influences on youth culture in the digital age. Both courses will address the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality and pervasive views of adolescence. To register for these courses: Register for both SOCY170701 and ENGL171701.
Enduring Questions | POLI104701 + ENGL172001
Creating the Modern State: Power, Politics, and Propaganda from the Renaissance to the 21st Century Hiroshi Nakazato, International Studies
Creating the Modern Identity: Power, Politics, and Propaganda from the Renaissance to the 21st Century Susan Michalczyk, Honors 1 Social Science + Literature TTh 3–4:15 + TTh 4:30–5:45
Enduring Questions | ENGL171801 + ENGL171901
Reading In/Justice: Literature as Activism from Abolition to #BlackLivesMatter Lori Harrison-Kahan, English
Writing In/Justice: The Power of Response Eileen Donovan-Kranz, English Literature + Writing TTh 12–1:15 + TTh 1:30–2:45 Th 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) In these courses, students will read and write about justice and injustice from the time of the abolitionist movement through current crises of human rights. Students will explore poetry and fiction, journalism, and social media; the personal and the political; and
Th 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) How does the contemporary nation-state work? Who and what influences modern identity? The Renaissance, an era notorious for its power, politics, and propaganda, significantly shaped our presentday understanding of our individual and collective identities. In the explosion of genius that took place in this era, individuals and nations developed new ways of thinking about the everyday moments and extraordinary circumstances that influenced family life, societal norms, and political practices. In both courses, students will analyze adaptations of identity rooted in humanist ideals from the past, and reflect upon the consequences for our modern global society. To register for these courses: Register for both POLI104701 and ENGL172001.
spring 201 8 | enduring questions courses
MWF 1–1:50 + MWF 2–2:50
What prerogatives and privileges qualify as “human rights,” and who determines what those are? What are the challenges of establishing a human rights framework in a global society? How have different peoples interpreted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? We will use insights and methodologies of sociology and history to explore these questions and others, and draw on case studies in health and U.S. foreign relations. This course pairing will challenge students to think critically about how human rights function as both a language of advocacy and a language of power.
Th 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester)
To register for these courses: Register for both SOCY170901 and HIST170701.
Enduring Questions | SOCY170501 + SOCY170801
Growing Up Gendered: Contemporary Media Representations Lisa Cuklanz, Communications
Growing Up Gendered: Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Gender in Contemporary Society Sharlene Hesse-Biber, Sociology Literature + 1 Social Science
In these linked classes, we will explore how different eras and cultures have pressured people to grow up as either male or female, and to behave in masculine or feminine ways. We will ask: How is our gendered identity constructed? How do families, schools, the mass media, and our social relationships online and off reinforce or challenge gender identities? Why do conversations about gender get bound up in discussions of sexual behaviors and preferences? How do gender and sexuality intersect with other dimensions of personal identity, such as race and religion? To register for these courses: Register for both SOCY170501 and SOCY170801. Enduring Questions | SOCY170901 + HIST170701
In Search of Human Rights: Health and Healthcare Lauren Diamond-Brown, Sociology
In Search of Human Rights: U.S. Foreign Relations Amanda Demmer, History 1 Social Science + History II MWF 3–3:50 + MWF 4–4:50 Th 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester)
Enduring Questions | HIST170801 + EESC170301
Nature on Exhibit: From Sea Monsters to Sea World Jenna Tonn, History
Through the Looking Glass: Business and the Natural Environment Lucy McAllister, Environmental Studies History II + 1 Natural Science MWF 3–3:50 + MWF 4–4:50 Th 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) These paired courses consider the relationship between business and the natural environment and ask: How have moral and ethical values shaped the consumption of the natural world? What role should businesses play in social and environmental issues? And what does it mean to use nature as mass entertainment, putting animals on display in museums, zoos, and on the silver screen? Notions of corporate social responsibility are now commonplace, but this was not always the case. While people in the past viewed nature as evidence of wondrous creation, today we fret about saving the earth through “sustainable consumption.” To register for these courses: Register for both HIST170801 and EESC170301.
quick guide: core renewal courses listed by core requirement history i
natural science
“ Religious Diversity in a Muslim World” (HIST1703) paired with Social Science (POLI1045)
“ Human Disease” (BIOL1702) paired with Social Science (ECON1701)
“ Revolutionary Media” (HIST1705) paired with Literature (ENGL1715)
“ Living in the Material World” (CHEM1701) paired with Literature (ENGL1709)
history ii
“ Metamorphosis” (BIOL1704) paired with Literature (ENGL1716)
“ Planet in Peril” (HIST1505) paired with Social Science (SOCY1509) “ Terrorism” (HIST1509) paired with Social Science (POLI1043)
social science “ Planet in Peril” (SOCY1509) paired with History II (HIST1505)
“ Human Rights and Social Welfare” (SOCY1706) paired with Social Science (POLI1046)
“ Terrorism” (POLI1043) paired with History II (HIST1509)
“ In Search of Human Rights” (HIST1707) paired with Social Science (SOCY1709)
“ Beyond Price” (ECON1501) paired with Literature (ENGL1503)
“ Nature on Exhibit” (HIST1708) paired with Natural Science (EESC1703)
“ Human Disease” (ECON1701) paired with Natural Science (BIOL1702)
literature
“ Religion in a Secular World” (POLI1045) paired with History I (HIST1703)
“ Reading Moby-Dick” (ENGL1714) paired with History II (HIST1704) “ Revolutionary Media” (ENGL1715) paired with History I (HIST1705) “ Living in the Material World” (ENGL1709) paired with Natural Science (CHEM1701) “ Metamorphosis” (ENGL1716) paired with Natural Science (BIOL1704) “ Fictions of Development” (ENGL1717) paired with Social Science (SOCY1707) “ Reading In/Justice” (ENGL1718) paired with Writing (ENGL1719) “ Creating the Modern Identity” (ENGL1720) paired with Social Science (POLI1047) “ Growing Up Gendered” (SOCY1705) paired with Social Science (SOCY1708)
spring 201 8
“ Business and the Natural Environment” (EESC1703) paired with History II (HIST1708)
“ Worlds of Moby-Dick” (HIST1704) paired with Literature (ENGL1714)
“ Beyond Price” (ENGL1503) paired with Social Science (ECON1501)
|
“ Politics of Human Rights” (POLI1046) paired with History II (SOCY1706) “ Adolescence in a Digital Age” (SOCY1707) paired with Literature (ENGL1717) “ Creating the Modern State” (POLI1047) paired with Literature (ENGL1720) “ Growing Up Gendered” (SOCY1708) paired with Literature (SOCY1705) “ In Search of Human Rights: Healthcare” (SOCY1709) paired with History II (HIST1707)
writing “ Writing In/Justice” (ENGL1719) paired with Literature (ENGL1718)
gasson hall 103 140 commonwealth avenue chestnut hill, ma 02467