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Divisional and Interdivisional Courses
The Divisions of Humanities and Social Studies, separately and in cooperation, offer courses that are of fundamental importance to inquiry in the disciplines represented in the two divisions as well as to education in the liberal arts generally. These courses acquaint students with what people have thought and done individually and socially in the past, and with the means by which they have expressed their ideas and emotions. Such study enriches one's understanding of human nature by exploring the channels through which individuals have interpreted human experience-literature, art, music, religious and philosophical systems, political and social orders, and historical works.
While these courses in humanities and social studies do not in themselves constitute a major program of study, students planning to major in a
department in either of these divisions should consult the department about acceptance of these courses as cognate credits for their proposed major or for inclusion in an independent major.
Courses in the Division of Humanities
101 Humanities I: The Ancient Greek World (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
A foundation for further study in the liberal arts, developing skills of critical reading, writing, and imaginative thinking through the study of selected works from ancient Greece.
Readings include Homeric epic, tragic drama, Platonic dialogues, Thucydides' History and Aristotle's Poetics. Prerequisite: none. STAFF.
102 Humanities II: Roman and Early Christian Culture (Spring) 4 credits
Major works of Roman and early Christian culture, exploring private and public paths to happiness from Cicero's ideal commonwealth to the City of God. Readings include Virgil's
Aeneid, Stoic and Epicurean philosophy, satire and drama, Christian scripture, St. Augustine, and Boethius. Emphasis on close reading, discussion, and short essay assignments. Prerequisite: none. STAFF.
Courses in the Divisions of Humanities and Social Studies
Studies in East Asian Culture
131 China's Ancient World* 4 credits
An introduction to China's classic texts of philosophy, religion, history, and literature, from the Yin-Zhou period (ca. 18th c. B.C. to ca. 5th c. B.C.) through the Tang Dynasty (618–907 A.D.). Traditional Chinese cosmology, morals, ethics, and institutions examined; also the various means (philosophical, historical, literary, and musical) of expressing these aspects of traditional Chinese culture. Prerequisite: none. COOK.
Studies in Western Culture
140 Medieval and Renaissance Culture: 1100–1650 (Spring) 4 credits
This interdisciplinary course explores European culture and the social and political forces that shaped it between 1100 and 1650,
paying special attention to feudalism and the Crusades, the intellectual efflorescence of the 12th and 13th centuries, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the advent of the Scientific Revolution.
In our exploration of medieval and Renaissance culture we will draw on art, science, literature,
political theory, philosophy and theology, music, the writings of mystics, and advice manuals for heads of households and would-be courtiers. Prerequisite: none. STAFF.
Courses in the Division of Social Studies
115 Introduction to Statistics (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
See Mathematics 115.
201 From Herron to Hopkins: The Social Gospel 4 credits
at Grinnell College*
Grinnell College was a struggling frontier college until President George Gates brought the Social Gospel to the school in 1887. This course traces the College's history from its founding through the early 20th century with a careful consideration of how the College's ethos of social justice and public service was formed through the influence of the Social Gospel. Prerequisite: none. STAFF.
Course in the Division of Humanities, Science, and Social Studies
350 Freedom and Authority: The Control of Reproduction (Fall) 1 credit
How do social, biological, and cultural constraints affect decisions about reproduction? How do social institutions set and enforce the boundaries of what is possible and permissible? How do practices of reproduction generate meaning for human existence? This seminar examines conflicts between the freedom of the individual to make decisions about reproduction and the internal and external authorities of biology, evolution, the family, the state, health care systems, criminal justice systems, and religious hierarchies. Prerequisite: third-year or senior standing and completion of a four-credit course at the 200 level or above creditable to a major in the division of registration; or permission of instructors. STAFF.
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