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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.
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. Prerequisites: 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. Prerequisites:
none. STAFF.
Studies in East Asian Culture
131 China's Ancient World* 4 credits in either Humanities or Social Studies
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. Prerequisites: none. COOK.
140 Medieval and Renaissance Culture: 1100-1650 (Spring)
4 credits in either Humanities or Social Studies
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. Prerequisites: none. STAFF.
115 Introduction to Statistics (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
See Mathematics 115.
201 From Herron to Hopkins: The Social Gospel at Grinnell College* 4 credits
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. Prerequisites: none. BATEMAN.
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