FYP-FYS

A Historical Approach to Peace Studies

Why does looking at the past so often lead people to believe that humans are inherently violent and wars are inevitable?  How have people used nonviolent means to respond to conflicts and social injustice?  What is necessary to create and maintain peace, beyond simply trying to minimize violence?  How are animals and the environment relevant to peace for humans?  To answer these and other questions, we'll study historical and recent examples of nonviolent activism, movements, and other efforts to promote peace.  We'll also examine approaches recommended b

Eco-pioneers: The Great Work of Their Lives

In our universal search for purpose and meaning, we can all draw inspiration from the stories of great lives lived. The Bhagavad Gita, one of the oldest and most widely read wisdom texts, tells us that we all have a “sacred duty”, born out of our unique qualities and particular circumstances. In this class, we will look at the “sacred duties” of eco-pioneers: practical visionaries whose life work helps us reframe our relationship with nature and develop solutions to our most pressing environmental problems.

Magic in Medieval Thought

This course explores the role of magic in medieval thought, society, history, and literature.  We will examine the relationship of magical beliefs to philosophy, religion, science, medicine, and politics in medieval Europe.  The course includes extensive primary source readings from medieval authors and research assignments on related topics. This course fulfills the FYS and HU general education requirements.

Growing Up Victorian

In this course, we will look at many kinds of texts that focus on children and the raising of children in Victorian Britain.  We will read some children’s poetry and picture books, two Victorian children’s novels (Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess), and two novels written for adults whose tales are centered on a child growing up in the midst of the Victorian world (Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations).  To understand the context of these stories, we will conduct and share research projects in various as

Your Inner Fish: Evolution of the Human Body

This class explores how the genetic and anatomical legacy of fish and other ancestral organisms can be seen today in the human body. The evolution of human arms, legs, necks, and lungs can be traced back to fish that started living on land some 375 million years ago. The genetic legacy of this evolutionary history can be seen in human DNA, including in the genes involved in the development of our hands and limbs. This course introduces students to fundamental aspects of modern genetics and evolutionary theory.

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