Search Results
Your search for courses · during 26WI · meeting requirements for HI, Humanistic Inquiry · returned 50 results
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AFST 102 Sports and the Black Experience 6 credits
With an emphasis on critical reading and writing in an academic context, this course will examine the role of sports in American politics and social organizations. The course pays attention to the African American experience, noting especially the confluence of race and sports. What can sports tell us about freedom, equality, and the pursuit of happiness? How has the Black community contributed to our appreciation of these American virtues? We will read short texts and biographies, and we will watch movies such as King Richard and The Blind Side. Students will produce short writing exercises aimed at developing their critical thinking and clear writing.
Not available to students who took AFST 100 Fall 2024 and Fall 2023.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Not open to students who have taken AFST 100 Sports and the Black Experience and the American Dream.
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AFST 113 Introduction to Africana Studies 6 credits
This course is designed for first and second-year students who are interested in learning about the experiences, movements, and perspectives of various African-descendant peoples. In addition, we will cover the history of how Black Studies entered the contemporary university, and how the university responded to its arrival. We will explore topics in Black history; Black expressive cultures; Black religion & spirituality; Black social thought (like Black feminism and critical race theory); Black economic & labor history; Black political theory; and critical university studies. No prior knowledge is assumed nor required.
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AFST 113.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jorge Banuelos 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 402 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 402 12:00pm-1:00pm
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AMST 225 Beauty and Race in America 6 credits
In this class we consider the construction of American beauty historically, examining the way whiteness intersects with beauty to produce a dominant model that marginalizes women of color. We study how communities of color follow, refuse, or revise these beauty ideals through literature. We explore events like the beauty pageant, material culture such as cosmetics, places like the beauty salon, and body work like cosmetic surgery to understand how beauty is produced and negotiated.
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ARCN 101 The Human Story: Archaeology and the Anthropocene 6 credits
What are the origins of our species? How did our ancestors evolve in Africa and disperse to nearly every corner of the globe? How did people create tools and homes, transform landscapes, and build cities? What are the origins of art? Of agriculture? Of mass-transport and communication technologies? Writing is about 5000 years old, meaning over 99% of the human past (c. 4 million years) is documented only through the material record of fossils, artifacts, and environmental impacts. This course examines the material worlds of humanity, and how archaeology provides a unique, “big-picture” story of our shared past.
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ARCN 101.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Sarah Kennedy 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- T, THLanguage & Dining Center 104 1:15pm-3:00pm
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CCST 398 The Global Panorama: A Capstone Workshop for European Studies and Cross-Cultural Studies 2 credits
The work of Cross-Cultural Studies and European Studies traverses many disciplines, often engaging with experiences that are difficult to capture in traditional formats. In this course students will create an ePortfolio that reflects, deepens, and narrates the various forms of experiences they have had at Carleton related to their minor, drawing on coursework and off-campus study, as well as such extracurricular activities as talks, service learning, internships and fellowships. Guided by readings and prompts, students will write a reflective essay articulating the coherence of the parts, describing both the process and the results of their pathway through the minor. Considered a capstone for CCST and EUST, but for anyone looking to thread together their experiences across culture. Course is taught as a workshop.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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CCST 398.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Paul Petzschmann 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- T, THLeighton 303 1:15pm-3:00pm
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CLAS 230 Hellenistic Greek History 6 credits
Alexander the Great united the Greek states by force before waging a ten-year campaign that brought Greek influence all the way to India. In the aftermath of Alexander’s death, his generals divided the world into kingdoms that presided over an extraordinary flourishing of arts and science over the next 300 years. However, this period also saw these kingdoms continuously strive for domination over one another until they were in turn dominated by Rome. This class will explore one of the most exciting periods in ancient history, a time of great cultural achievements, larger than life characters, and devastating conflicts.
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CLAS 230.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jake Morton 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLanguage & Dining Center 104 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLanguage & Dining Center 104 1:10pm-2:10pm
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DGAH 110 Hacking the Humanities 6 credits
The digital world is infiltrating the academy and profoundly disrupting the arts and humanities, posing fundamental challenges to traditional models of university education, scholarly research, academic publication and creative production. This core course for the Digital Arts & Humanities minor introduces the key concepts, debates and technologies that shape DGAH, including text encoding, digital mapping (GIS), network analysis, data visualization, 3D imaging and basic programming languages. Students will learn to hack the humanities by making a collaborative, publishable DH project, while acquiring the skills and confidence necessary to actively participate in the digital world, both in college and beyond.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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EUST 110 State of the Nation: the Politics of Citizenship 6 credits
This course explores the politics of citizenship in Modern Europe. Students will be introduced to the history of the European nation-state with a special focus on France, Germany and the UK. They will become familiar with basic concepts such as state, nation, ethnic and civic citizenship and how these are used by scholars and practitioners. This historical and conceptual backdrop will prepare them to understand post-war developments in West European politics, most importantly the politics of welfare and migration and their continued salience. Students will be challenged to think critically about larger questions about national and non-national identity and political membership.
EUST 110 is cross listed with POSC 110.
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EUST 110.02 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Paul Petzschmann 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WWeitz Center 230 9:50am-11:00am
- FWeitz Center 230 9:40am-10:40am
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EUST 398 The Global Panorama: A Capstone Workshop for European Studies and Cross-Cultural Studies 2 credits
The work of Cross-Cultural Studies and European Studies traverses many disciplines, often engaging with experiences that are difficult to capture in traditional formats. In this course students will create an ePortfolio that reflects, deepens, and narrates the various forms of experiences they have had at Carleton related to their minor, drawing on coursework and off-campus study, as well as such extracurricular activities as talks, service learning, internships and fellowships. Guided by readings and prompts, students will write a reflective essay articulating the coherence of the parts, describing both the process and the results of their pathway through the minor. Considered a capstone for CCST and EUST, but for anyone looking to thread together their experiences across culture. Course is taught as a workshop.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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EUST 398.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Paul Petzschmann 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- T, THLeighton 303 1:15pm-3:00pm
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FREN 210 Coffee and News 2 credits
Keep up your French while learning about current issues in France, as well as world issues from a French perspective. Requirements include reading specific sections of leading French newspapers, (Le Monde, Libération, etc.) on the internet, and then meeting once a week to exchange ideas over coffee with a small group of students.
Sophomore Priority
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): FREN 204 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the French Language and Culture AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the French: Language B IB exam or received a score of 205 on the Carleton French Placement exam. .
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FREN 210.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Éva Pósfay 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MLanguage & Dining Center 330 3:10pm-4:20pm
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GWSS 114 Love and Sex 6 credits
From Disney fairytales to blockbuster rom-coms; dating apps to hook-up culture; and ongoing debates in mainstream media concerning reproductive, trans, and LGBTQ rights— love and sex are ever-present concepts in our day-to-day lives. This course offers an opportunity to critically explore, discuss, and challenge our understanding of love and sex through an interdisciplinary lens. We will explore questions like: What is the difference between the way we love our friends, parents, and lovers? How do intersections of race, gender, class, and ability affect experiences of love and sex? How does technology affect the future of love and sex?
GWSS 114 is cross listed with PHIL 114.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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GWSS 114.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Cynthia Marrero-Ramos 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 426 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 426 1:10pm-2:10pm
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GWSS 212 Foundations of LGBTQ Studies 6 credits
This course introduces students to foundational interdisciplinary works in sexuality and gender studies, while focusing on the construction of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer identities in the United States. In exploring sexual and gender diversity throughout the term, this seminar highlights the complexity and variability of experiences of desire, identification, embodiment, self-definition, and community-building across different historical periods, and in relation to intersections of race, class, ethnicity, and other identities.
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GWSS 312 Queer and Trans Theory 6 credits
This seminar offers students familiar with the foundational terms and concepts in gender and sexuality studies the opportunity to engage in more advanced explorations of relevant topics and debates in contemporary queer and trans theory. Seeing queer theory and trans theory as theoretical traditions that are historically and philosophically entangled but which at times necessarily diverge, the course focuses on “state of the field” essays from Gay and Lesbian Quarterly and Transgender Studies Quarterly as well as works that put gender and sexuality studies into conversation with disability studies, critical race theory, indigenous studies, and critiques of neoliberalism and imperialism.
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HIST 111 Uncharted Waters: The History of Society and the Sea 6 credits
This course introduces students to maritime history, marine environmental history, the history of oceanography, and contemporary issues in marine policy. While traditional histories have framed the ocean as an empty space and obstacle to be traversed, we will examine how people have come to understand, utilize, and govern the world ocean. In doing so, we will explore how the “blue humanities” can inform contemporary issues in maritime law and marine environmental conservation.
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HIST 111.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Antony Adler 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 402 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 402 9:40am-10:40am
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HIST 122 U.S. Women’s History to 1877 6 credits
Gender, race, and class shaped women’s participation in the arenas of work, family life, culture, and politics in the United States from the colonial period to the late nineteenth century. We will examine diverse women’s experiences of colonization, industrialization, slavery and Reconstruction, religion, sexuality and reproduction, and social reform. Readings will include both primary and secondary sources, as well as historiographic articles outlining major frameworks and debates in the field of women’s history.
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HIST 122.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Annette Igra 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 330 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 126 Black Freedom: Reconstruction to #BlackLivesMatter 6 credits
This course analyzes Black Freedom activism, its goals, and protagonists from Reconstruction until today. Topics include the evolution of racial segregation and its legal and de facto expressions in the South and across the nation, the Great Migration and Harlem Renaissance, Black activism in the New Deal era, the effects of World War II and the Cold War, mass activism in the 1950s and 1960s, white supremacist resistance against Black rights, Black Power activism and Black Internationalism, the “War on Drugs,” racialized welfare state reforms, and police brutality, the election of Barack Obama, and the path to #BlackLivesMatter today.
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HIST 126.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Rebecca Brueckmann 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 402 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 159 Age of Samurai 6 credits
Japan’s age of warriors is often compared to the Middle Ages. Sandwiched between the court society and the shogunate, the warrior population in Japan is often compared to the vassals in feudalism. This course examines the evolution of the samurai from the late twelfth to the seventeenth century, with the thematic focus on the evolving dynamics between violence and competing political regimes (monasteries, estate holders, opportunistic households, regencies, cloistered government). With analyses of many different types of primary sources (chronicles, poems, letters, diaries, travelogues, thanatologues, maps) students will develop critical skills to frame key historical questions against broader historiographical contexts.
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HIST 159.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Seungjoo Yoon 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 303 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 303 12:00pm-1:00pm
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HIST 165 A Cultural History of the Modern Middle East 6 credits
This course provides a basic introduction to the modern history of the Middle East from the late eighteenth century to the present. We will focus on the enormous transformations the region has witnessed in this period, as a world of empires gave way one of nation-states and new political and cultural ideas reshaped the lives of its inhabitants. We will discuss the cultural and religious diversity of the region and its varied interactions with modernity. We will find that the history of Middle East is inextricably linked to that of its neighbors and broader currents of modern history. We will read both the works of historians and literary and political texts from the region itself.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 165.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Adeeb Khalid 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 304 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 203 American Indian Education 1600-Present 6 credits
This course introduces students to the history of settler education for Indigenous students. In the course, we will engage themes of resistance, assimilation, and educational violence through an investigation of nation-to-nation treaties, federal education legislation, court cases, student memoirs, film, fiction, and artwork. Case studies will illustrate student experiences in mission schools, boarding schools, and public schools between the 1600s and the present, asking how Native people have navigated the educational systems created for their assimilation and how schooling might function as a tool for Indigenous resurgence in the future.
Extra time
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HIST 203.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Meredith McCoy 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 304 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 212 The American Revolution at 250 6 credits
This course explores the causes, experiences, and consequences of the American Revolution, from the radical ideas and the alarming deeds that created the United States to the diverse array of individuals who shaped and who were shaped by its creation. In connection with the 250th anniversary of the Revolution, this course will take a fresh look at how historians, museum curators, and filmmakers explain this pivotal story and its meaning. Ken Burns’s new PBS documentary, American Revolution, will anchor this course.
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HIST 212.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Serena Zabin 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 236 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 236 12:00pm-1:00pm
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HIST 216 History Beyond the Walls 6 credits
This course will examine the world of history outside the walls of academia. Looking at secondary-school education, museums, and public policy, we will explore the ways in which both general and specialized publics learn and think about history. A central component of the course will be a civic engagement project.
Extra Time Required.
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HIST 216.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Serena Zabin 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 236 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 236 2:20pm-3:20pm
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HIST 235 Making and Breaking Institutions: Structure, Culture, Corruption, and Reform in the Middle Ages 6 credits
From churches and monasteries to universities, guilds, governmental administrations, the medieval world was full of institutions. They emerged, by accident or design, to do particular kinds of work and to benefit particular persons or groups. These institutions faced hard questions like those we ask of our institutions today: How best to structure, distribute, and control power and authority? What is the place of the institution in the wider world? How is a collective identity and ethos achieved, maintained, or transformed? Where does corruption come from and how can institutions be reformed? This course will explore these questions through discussion of case studies and primary sources from the medieval world as well as theoretical studies of these topics.
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HIST 235.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:William North 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WWillis 204 8:30am-9:40am
- FWillis 204 8:30am-9:30am
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HIST 239 Plague, Pox, Poverty: Public Health in Britain 6 credits
From plague protocols and smallpox vaccinations to community care provisions for vulnerable populations, England and its neighbors have been at the forefront in addressing health challenges through public policy. This course moves from the 16th through the 19th century, tracing ways in which scientific and political developments in history shaped changing attitudes and actions towards health and welfare challenges throughout the lifecourse.
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HIST 241 Russia through Wars and Revolutions 6 credits
The lands of the Russian empire underwent massive transformations in the tumultuous decades that separated the accession of Nicholas II (1894) from the death of Stalin (1953). This course will explore many of these changes, with special attention paid to the social and political impact of wars (the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, the Civil War, and the Great Patriotic War) and revolutions (of 1905 and 1917), the ideological conflicts they engendered, and the comparative historical context in which they transpired.
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HIST 241.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Adeeb Khalid 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 304 3:10pm-4:55pm
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HIST 253 Social Movements in Modern Korea 6 credits
This course examines rich traditions of social movements in Korea from its preindustrial times to the present. It will analyze how the movement organizers came to claim the space between households and the state by organizing themselves around various groupings (religious societies, labor unions, and SMOs). Thematically, it will scrutinize the intersections of multiple value orientations (e.g., feminist consciousness and fight for democracy and social justice) and unintended consequences (state violence and traumatic memory). Engaging with different sources (e.g., films, testimonies, memoirs, autobiographies, journals, and government reports), students will develop skills to frame key historical questions against broader historiographical contexts.
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HIST 253.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Seungjoo Yoon 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 426 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 426 2:20pm-3:20pm
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HIST 278 The Aztecs and Their World 6 credits
Come explore the world of feathered serpents, smoking mirrors, flower songs, and water mountains! This course examines from multiple disciplinary perspectives the Nahuatl-speaking people of central Mexico under both Aztec and early Spanish rule (spanning approximately the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries). Students will gain experience working with a range of sources produced by Nahua authors, scribes, and artists, including ritual calendars, imperial tribute records, dynastic annals, and translated documents. The College’s rich collection of Mesoamerican codex facsimiles will play a prominent role in our investigation. No prior knowledge is required or expected.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 298 Junior Colloquium 6 credits
In the junior year, majors must take this six-credit reading and discussion course taught each year by different members of the department faculty. The course is also required for the History minor. The general purpose of History 298 is to help students reach a more sophisticated understanding of the nature of history as a discipline and of the approaches and methods of historians. A major who is considering off-campus study in the junior year should consult with their adviser on when to take History 298.
Required for History majors and minors
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): Two 6 credit History courses excluding HIST 100, Independent Study and Comps with a grade of C- or better.
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HIST 298.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Andrew Fisher 🏫 👤
- Size:18
- M, WLeighton 202 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 202 9:40am-10:40am
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HIST 307 Arctic Environmental History 6 credits
The Arctic world faces enormous interconnected environmental challenges. Climate change, wildlife threats, toxic pollution, human livelihoods and cultural practices – all of these and many more are colliding at a time when the region is also responding to shifting economic, geopolitical, and technological forces. This course will consider the deeper historical nature of these intertwined eco-cultural developments over the past two centuries, giving particular attention to animals and marine life, energy and mining, Indigenous resource strategies and well-being (including exploring Carleton’s Inuit art prints), storytelling and meanings, and ideas and policies focused on conservation, sustainability, and environmental justice.
Recommended Preparation: HIST 205
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 307.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:George Vrtis 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- T, THLibrary 344 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 398 Advanced Historical Writing 6 credits
This course is designed to support majors in developing advanced skills in historical research and writing. Through a combination of class discussion, small group work, and one-on-one interactions with the professor, majors learn the process of constructing sophisticated, well-documented, and well-written historical arguments within the context of an extended project of their own design. They also learn and practice strategies for engaging critically with contemporary scholarship and effective techniques of peer review and the oral presentation of research. By permission of the instructor only.
Concurrent enrollment in HIST 400 is required.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
- HIST 400: Integrative Exercise
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HIST 398.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:David Tompkins 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- T, THLeighton 301 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 398.02 Winter 2026
- Faculty:George Vrtis 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- T, THLeighton 301 3:10pm-4:55pm
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IDSC 251 Windows on the Good Life 2 credits
Human beings are always and everywhere challenged by the question: What should I do to spend my mortal time well? One way to approach this ultimate challenge is to explore some of the great cultural products of our civilization–works that are a delight to read for their wisdom and artfulness. This series of two-credit courses will explore a philosophical dialogue of Plato in the fall, a work from the Bible in the winter, and a pair of plays by Shakespeare in the spring. The course can be repeated for credit throughout the year and in subsequent years.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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IDSC 251.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper 🏫 👤
- Size:18
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MHasenstab 105 3:10pm-4:55pm
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IDSC 251.02 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper 🏫 👤
- Size:18
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MHasenstab 105 8:00pm-9:45pm
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PHIL 112 Intelligence, Agency and Autonomous Machines 6 credits
What exactly is artificial intelligence (AI)? We will engage this question by reading foundational texts in the philosophy of AI to clarify what things in the world are, or should be, classified as “AI”. This foundation will help us think about what it might mean to be autonomous, intelligent, or agential. We will consider some of the conditions that might lead us to believe certain technologies are (or could be) moral agents or moral patients, and whether (or to what extent) these conditions bear on the AI systems of the present and those of the future.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 112.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jessie Hall 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- T, THWeitz Center 230 10:10am-11:55am
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PHIL 114 Love and Sex 6 credits
From Disney fairytales to blockbuster rom-coms; dating apps to hook-up culture; and ongoing debates in mainstream media concerning reproductive, trans, and LGBTQ rights— love and sex are ever-present concepts in our day-to-day lives. This course offers an opportunity to critically explore, discuss, and challenge our understanding of love and sex through an interdisciplinary lens. We will explore questions like: What is the difference between the way we love our friends, parents, and lovers? How do intersections of race, gender, class, and ability affect experiences of love and sex? How does technology affect the future of love and sex?
GWSS 114 is cross listed with PHIL 114.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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PHIL 114.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Cynthia Marrero-Ramos 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 426 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 426 1:10pm-2:10pm
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PHIL 124 Friendship 6 credits
What is friendship? Are there different types of friendships? What makes a friendship good? While this course will familiarize you with a variety of scholarly views on friendship from both historically canonical and contemporary sources, our main goal is to become more reflective about our lived experience of friendship here and now.
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PHIL 124.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Allison Murphy 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 304 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 304 1:10pm-2:10pm
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PHIL 203 Bias, Belief, Community, Emotion 6 credits
What is important to individuals, how they see themselves and others, and the kind of projects they pursue are shaped by traditional and moral frameworks they didn’t choose. Individual selves are encumbered by their social environments and, in this sense, always ‘biased’, but some forms of bias are pernicious because they produce patterns of inter and intra-group domination and oppression. We will explore various forms of intersubjectivity and its asymmetries through readings in social ontology and social epistemology that theorize the construction of group and individual beliefs and identities in the context of the social world they engender.
Extra time
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PHIL 203.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Anna Moltchanova 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 426 3:10pm-4:55pm
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PHIL 213 Ethics 6 credits
How should we live? This is the fundamental question for the study of ethics. This course looks at classic and contemporary answers to the fundamental question from Socrates to Kant to modern day thinkers. Along the way, we consider slightly (but only slightly) more tractable questions such as: What reason is there to be moral? Is there such a thing as moral knowledge (and if so, how do we get it)? What are the fundamental principles of right and wrong (if there are any at all)? Is morality objective?
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 213.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Daniel Groll 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 426 8:15am-10:00am
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PHIL 215 Objectivity in Science 6 credits
It is often thought that science is aimed at ‘objective’ knowledge. Philosophers of science have tried to pin down exactly what ‘objectivity’ means– is it a feature of scientific methods, or theories? Is it one property or many different properties? Supposing we can pin down a satisfactory account of objectivity, do our theories, current or past practices obtain that property? Is it even possible in principle to have objective knowledge? We will explore these and related questions from both a historical and contemporary philosophical lens, from the logical positivism of the Vienna Circle to contemporary feminist epistemology of science. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 215.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jessie Hall 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- T, THWeitz Center 136 1:15pm-3:00pm
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PHIL 260 Critical Philosophy of Race 6 credits
What is race? Is “race” real? Is it a biological fact, a social category, or a cultural production? How do we define racism? This course introduces students to the major issues and debates from the emergent subfield referred to as the “Critical Philosophy of Race.” Throughout the course, we will examine the ways in which philosophers first defined the concept of race, how the definition of this concept has evolved since its introduction, and the philosophical/societal implications of these shifts. In doing so, we will investigate how race relates to issues of identity, culture, knowledge, and social difference.
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PHIL 260.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Cynthia Marrero-Ramos 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 303 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 303 2:20pm-3:20pm
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PHIL 261 The Individual and the Political Community 6 credits
Are human beings by nature atomic units or oriented towards community? What does the difference amount to, and why does it matter for our understanding of the ways in which political communities come into existence and are maintained? In this course we will explore these and related questions while reading two foundational works in political theory, Plato’s Republic and Hobbes’s Leviathan, as well as several related contemporary pieces.
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PHIL 261.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Allison Murphy 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 303 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 303 9:40am-10:40am
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PHIL 317 Objectivity in Science 6 credits
It is often thought that science is aimed at ‘objective’ knowledge. Philosophers of science have tried to pin down exactly what ‘objectivity’ means– is it a feature of scientific methods, or theories? Is it one property or many different properties? Supposing we can pin down a satisfactory account of objectivity, do our theories, current or past practices obtain that property? Is it even possible in principle to have objective knowledge? We will explore these and related questions from both a historical and contemporary philosophical lens, from the logical positivism of the Vienna Circle to contemporary feminist epistemology of science.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One Philosophy course excluding Independent Studies or Directed Research courses with a grade of C- or better.
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PHIL 317.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jessie Hall 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- T, THWeitz Center 136 1:15pm-3:00pm
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POSC 110 State of the Nation: the Politics of Citizenship 6 credits
This course explores the politics of citizenship in Modern Europe. Students will be introduced to the history of the European nation-state with a special focus on France, Germany and the UK. They will become familiar with basic concepts such as state, nation, ethnic and civic citizenship and how these are used by scholars and practitioners. This historical and conceptual backdrop will prepare them to understand post-war developments in West European politics, most importantly the politics of welfare and migration and their continued salience. Students will be challenged to think critically about larger questions about national and non-national identity and political membership.
EUST 110 is cross listed with POSC 110.
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POSC 110.02 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Paul Petzschmann 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WWeitz Center 230 9:50am-11:00am
- FWeitz Center 230 9:40am-10:40am
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POSC 160 Political Philosophy 6 credits
Introduction to ancient and modern political philosophy. We will investigate several fundamentally different approaches to the basic questions of politics–questions concerning the character of political life, the possibilities and limits of politics, justice, and the good society–and the philosophic presuppositions (concerning human nature and human flourishing) that underlie these, and all, political questions.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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POSC 160.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper 🏫 👤
- Size:30
- T, THHasenstab 002 3:10pm-4:55pm
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POSC 256 Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil 6 credits
Nietzsche understood himself to be living at a moment of great endings: the exhaustion of modernity, the self-undermining of rationalism, the self-overcoming of morality–in short, stunningly, the “death of God.” He regarded these endings as an unprecedented disaster for humanity but also as an unprecedented opportunity, and he pointed the way to a new ideal and a new culture that would be life-affirming and life-enhancing. This course will center on close study of Beyond Good and Evil, perhaps Nietzsche’s most beautiful book and probably his most political one. Selections from some of his other books will also be assigned.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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POSC 256.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- T, THHasenstab 105 1:15pm-3:00pm
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RELG 110 Understanding Religion 6 credits
How can we best understand the role of religion in the world today, and how should we interpret the meaning of religious traditions–their texts and practices–in history and culture? This class takes an exciting tour through selected themes and puzzles related to the fascinating and diverse expressions of religion throughout the world. From politics and pop culture, to religious philosophies and spiritual practices, to rituals, scriptures, gender, religious authority, and more, students will explore how these issues emerge in a variety of religions, places, and historical moments in the U.S. and across the globe.
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RELG 110.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Sonja Anderson 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 330 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 330 12:00pm-1:00pm
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RELG 152 Religions in Japanese Culture 6 credits
An introduction to the major religious traditions of Japan, from earliest times to the present. Combining thematic and historical approaches, this course will scrutinize both defining characteristics of, and interactions among, various religious traditions, including worship of the kami (local deities), Buddhism, shamanistic practices, Christianity, and new religious movements. We also will discuss issues crucial in the study of religion, such as the relation between religion and violence, gender, modernity, nationalism and war.
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RELG 152.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Asuka Sango 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 236 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 236 1:10pm-2:10pm
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RELG 162 Jesus, the Bible, and Christian Beginnings 6 credits
Who was Jesus? What’s in the Bible? How did Christianity begin? This course is an introduction to the ancient Jewish texts that became the Christian New Testament, as well as other texts that did not make it into the Bible. We will take a historical approach, situating this literature within the Roman Empire of the first century, and we will also learn about how modern readers have interpreted it. Along the way, we will pay special attention to two topics of enduring political debate: (1) Whether the Bible supports oppression or liberation and (2) What the Bible says about gender and sexuality.
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RELG 162.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Sonja Anderson 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 330 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 330 2:20pm-3:20pm
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RELG 219 Religious Law, Il/legal Religions 6 credits
The concept of law plays a central role in religion, and the concept of religion plays a central role in law. We often use the word ‘law’ to describe obligatory religious practices. But is that ‘law,’ as compared with state law? Legal systems in the U.S. and Europe make laws that protect religious people, and that protect governments from religion. But what does ‘religion’ mean in a legal context? And how do implicit notions of religious law affect how judges deal with religion? We will explore these questions using sources drawn from contemporary religions and recent legal disputes.
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RELG 219.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Chumie Juni 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 330 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 330 1:10pm-2:10pm
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RELG 224 Religion, Science, and the Moral Imagination 6 credits
How do we imagine the relationship between religion and science? Are they at odds, in harmony, or different ways of imagining ourselves, our world, and our futures? This course explores historical understandings of religious and scientific thought, asking how the two came to be separated in the modern era. We use the imagination to explore power dynamics and moral judgments embedded in assumptions about matter, nature, mind, bodies, persons, and progress. We draw on literature, philosophy, and theology to consider questions about ethics, focusing on climate change, ecofeminism, technology and personhood, AI, and the possibility of alternative futures.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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RELG 224.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Lori Pearson 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 305 1:15pm-3:00pm
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RELG 286 Judaism in America 6 credits
With Jews and Jewishness front and center in American political contestations, it is increasingly urgent to understand formations of Judaism, past and present, in relation to normative concepts of the "American." This course will consider the ways that Judaism interacts with, is shaped by, and in turn shapes, America and Americanness. We will apply historical, anthropological, and theoretical lenses to explore the many aspects of what Jewishness means and has meant in this country.
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RELG 286.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Chumie Juni 🏫 👤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 330 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 330 9:40am-10:40am
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RELG 300 Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion 6 credits
What, exactly, is religion and what conditions of modernity have made it urgent to articulate such a question in the first place? Why does religion exert such force in human society and history? Is it an opiate of the masses or an illusion laden with human wish-fulfillment? Is it a social glue? A subjective experience of the sacred? Is it simply a universalized Protestant Christianity in disguise, useful in understanding, and colonizing, the non-Christian world? This seminar, for junior majors and advanced majors from related fields, explores generative theories from anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary studies, and the history of religions.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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RELG 300.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Kambiz GhaneaBassiri 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 303 10:10am-11:55am
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RELG 399 Senior Research Seminar 6 credits
This seminar will acquaint students with research tools in various fields of religious studies, provide an opportunity to present and discuss research work in progress, hone writing skills, and improve oral presentation techniques.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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RELG 399.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Lori Pearson 🏫 👤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 301 10:10am-11:55am
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15 seats held for Religion majors with Senior Priority until the day after senior priority registration.