CEPC 06/07-1
At the October 5, 2006 Faculty Meeting, CEPC will move the adoption of the following new courses.
Psychology 338: Neurobiology of Psychopathology
Catalog Description:
With recent advances in neuroscience, we can now describe the biological correlates of many psychological disorders, including schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders. In this discussion-based course, students use published research findings to examine the connections between the symptoms of these pathologies and changes in brain neurobiology, biochemistry, and physiology. Prerequisites: Psychology 125, 231, and 238 or Neuroscience 234, and Psychology 264, or consent of instructor.
Rationale:
A large number of students are interested in the area of psychopathology (approximately 60 students enroll in Psychology 264: Psychopathology every year) – and many of these students plan careers helping those who suffer from these disorders. This course offers students the opportunity to further their understanding of the bio-psychological processes involved in psychopathology. The major goal of this course is to explore the causal connections between observed biological changes in the brain and symptoms of various psychopathologies. Much recent popular press has indicated that genetics and biological alterations are in large part responsible for psychological disorders including schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. The scientific evidence for and against such claims will be read and discussed.
This course has been taught during Interim and is now being proposed as a semester-long course, so there are no staffing implications. It is anticipated that this course will be taught every other year, alternating with Psychology 336: Neuroscience of Addiction which has been taught for the past three years.
Sociology/Anthropology 267: Medical Anthropology
Catalog Description:
How do people understand illness and healing? How does social inequality shape our health? These are among the questions explored by medical anthropology. This course examines the ways people in different societies experience their bodies by looking at such things as AIDS in Haiti, old age in India, and childbirth in the United States. Students investigate diverse understandings of health, different means of promoting healing, and the role of power in provisioning medical care.
Rationale:
This course is being proposed as an alternative way for students to examine global interdependence. Currently the only offering in anthropology that focuses on the development of the world as an interdependent entity, the relationship between the “developed” and “developing” world, and new international institutions is 262: Global Interdependence. While Global Interdependence uses the information revolution, population changes, the status of women, and migration to illustrate global interdependence, the proposed course would focus on issues of health and healing. The course will thus serve sociology/anthropology majors, pre-med students, and nursing majors. There are also a number of CIS majors whose projects focus on international health care and who would be interested in this course.
The proposed course covers some of the same ground as an earlier course (Health Care, Medicine, and Society) which was last taught in 1992. It is substantially different, however, in that it is being taught as an anthropology course rather than a sociology course and the social science literature on health care has grown dramatically in the past 15 years. The proposed course looks more rigorously at questions of power and inequality in health care and pays more attention to global flows of medical knowledge.
Because the audience for Medical Anthropology overlaps that for Global Interdependence, this course will replace some sections of Global Interdependence, with no impact on staffing.
Asian Studies 260: The Comparative Structure of English and Japanese (0.5)
Catalog Description:
This half-semester course compares English and Japanese on the basis of phonology, morphology, syntax and pragmatics. It is intended for students who plan to teach ESL (not necessarily just in Japan and Asia) and for those who want a deeper understanding of the Japanese language. Occasional references will be made to Korean and Chinese. Knowledge of Japanese, though helpful, is not necessary.
Rationale:
This course will be offered only once as part of a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence joint Carleton and St. Olaf appointment. The content of the course and the expertise of the instructor will add to the current Asian Studies offering. The course will also help those students who are interested in teaching English as a second language.
Physics 154: The Origins of Nuclear Weapons
In 1945, humanity’s relationship to science was forever changed by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This course examines the scientific developments that led to these first atomic weapons, from the discovery of the nucleus to the manipulation of fission processes for the explosive release of nuclear energy. It also considers present- day weapons and nuclear power plants and discusses scientific developments in the human contexts that influenced them. Prerequisite: High School algebra
Rationale:
This course looks at the relationship between science and society in the context of the development of nuclear weapons. It is intended primarily for non-science majors and will broaden the physics department’s offerings for this audience. It also provides an opportunity for physics majors to explore the specific topic of nuclear physics and explore the relationship of physics and society in more depth that a traditional course within the major.
The proposed course will replace one of two annual sections of the Introduction to Astronomy course. This will provide students with a broader range of options for their NST electives.
Philosophy 278: Moral Theory
Catalog Description:
An introduction to moral philosophy emphasizing normative theories, the foundations of morality (metaethics), and moral reasoning. Normative theories (e.g. virtue ethics, deontological ethics, theological ethics, and utilitarianism) explore the nature of the good and the difference between right and wrong. Metaethics concerns the origins and objectivity of moral judgments, studying moral relativism, moral subjectivism, divine command theory, and ideal observer theories. Students explore moral reasoning in theory and practice using contemporary moral issues as examples. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and completion of BTS-T, or permission of instructor.
Rationale:
Because existing 200-level EIN philosophy courses are intended primarily for non-majors, they do not provide the kind of theoretical introduction to ethics needed for philosophy majors. This new course, which introduces the basics of moral theory, is a 200-level EIN offering intended primarily for majors, though others who are interested in a more theoretical approach to ethics are also a great target audience. Moral Theory will fill a gap in the current offerings for philosophy majors. At present, the only philosophy EIN offering for majors is a 300-level course (373: Studies in Ethics and Theory of Value). Because there is no more basic course for majors that introduces them to the main philosophical ideas of ethical theory, it has been difficulty to teach this course as a genuinely 300-level course.
Although this course will not be required as a pre-requisite for 373, it will be strongly recommended. The main difference between this course and other 200-level EIN offerings in the philosophy department will be a difference in emphasis: more time will be spent on understanding the theoretical underpinnings of ethical questions before turning to the applications of these theories. There are no staffing implications because this course will replace one of the 12-14 EIN sections that the philosophy department regularly offers.
Political Science 245: Nationalism, Regionalism, Globalization in Asia
Catalog Description:
Currents of nationalism, regionalism and globalization organize political life around the world. What trends and policies promote regional integration? What forces frustrate integration? To answer these questions this course investigates security, economic, and cultural relations at the beginning of the 21 st century within Asia and between Asia and Russia and the U.S. This course looks at the historical interaction of national, regional and global forces for additional answers. Prerequisites: Previous course in Asian Studies or Political Science, or permission of instructor.
Rationale:
This course will count towards the major in both Asian Studies and Political Science, and towards the Asian Studies Concentration. Asian Studies students gain knowledge of contemporary regional dynamics through this course, which complements the single-country focus from their language studies, as well as other courses including film and literature. Political Science students are provided with a fresh case study for considering the interactions of nationalism, regionalism and globalization. Theoretical discussions about these political forces generally focus on American and European examples; for example, studies of the European Union unsurprisingly feature prominently. Re-examining what they have learned about these forces in a new regional setting adds to their comparative knowledge base and their skills at evaluating social science theory.
This course will have no impact on staffing. It will round out the regular course rotation of a faculty member, who has previously taught an earlier version of the course (Asian Studies 245) during Interim for the past three years.
Media Studies 270: Film Genres
Catalog Description:
A course that explores the development of selected film genres (such as horror, film noir, and documentary film) from the beginnings of film to the present, assessing the impact of each genre on the cinema of one or more nations. Students examine how genres have been re-imagined in different cultures or time periods and how cultural rituals and myths, icons and archetypes, and hybridization affect the development of genres. Prerequisite: Media Studies 160
Rationale:
This course strengthens the college’s offerings in film studies, improves students’ visual literacy, and helps them understand artistic forms within cultural contexts (ALS-A), particularly within the context of interactions between global communications and national cultures. As an intermediate course that addresses in depth the history, language, and theory of film, it will complement Media Studies’ intermediate course on film and television as forms of contemporary mass media.
This course adds flexibility to the Media Studies curriculum by allowing a new subject to be taught on an occasional basis in rotation with Media Studies 260: “Media and Contemporary Culture.”
