This course focuses on autobiographical and fictional narratives of immigration and exile. How do immigrants and children of immigrants develop a sense of identity out of an experience of fundamental cultural dislocation? What can be learned about identity, memory, and language from stories written by people split or suspended between two cultures? The goal of the course is to develop college-level writing skills in the context of studying literature.

 

This course examines Plato, Aristotle and Aquinas on our human nature within a world understood as Cosmos. Then, to appreciate the radical shift wrought by modern science, we examine Descartes’ initiation of the modern self as thrown against the world as Object and its significance for reconsidering the question of human being-in-the-world.

  

This course will consider the theories of human nature offered by modern philosophers (Descartes, Hobbes, and Rousseau), by contemporary biological science, and by St. Thomas Aquinas. As part of this course, we will consider and discuss how "human nature" is represented (or misrepresented) in popular culture.

Most people are aware of having experiences of the transcendent, of a reality beyond themselves. Such experiences are by nature ineffable and unspeakable: they cannot be fully contained or communicated by language. The subject of this seminar will be poetry and short fiction (in equal amounts) that deals with the transcendent. There will be short written assignments due for each meeting, and the third meeting each week will normally be a writing workshop.

 

From the writings of Austen to Zola, literature has a great deal to teach us about economic principles. This course uses poetry, short stories, songs, plays, literary essays, films, and chapters of novels to demonstrate core economic principles and concepts. Some examples of topics and titles include the ideology of capitalism (Forster’s Howard’s End); the anti-capitalist sentiment (Lewis’ Babbitt); the non-market economy (Erdrich’s “Francine’s Room”); poverty and income inequality (Wright’s Native Son); monetary policy (Baum’s The Wizard of Oz); urban industrial development (Sandburg’s “Chicago”); opportunity cost (Yeats’ “The Choice”), and social and economic (in)justice (Brooks’ “The Lovers of the Poor”).  

 

Can religious faiths hold up under the pressure of critical reason in the 21st century? Do theological concepts have any relevance for people living in the “real world”? By actively engaging in service to the Bronx community and investigating the work of Ignatius of Loyola and those who have followed him, this course will pursue these questions. We will trace the way Jesuit thinking offers a response through patterns of mission, theology, poetry and practice. Service hours required. 

 

This course explores three interrelated areas of inquiry in psychology: theories of human development, studies of the role of social environments in development, and the manner in which such research contributes to policymaking and program development for children and families. 

  

From colonial Indian conflicts through the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans have long lived in the shadow of war. This seminar will analyze the way that the experience of war has profoundly shaped American culture, identity, politics, and social life. It will also explore the way that Americans have confronted the political and moral dilemmas that war raises. 

 

In the contemporary world, we live surrounded by images on billboards, in ads, online. They exert a powerful influence on how we think about the world and our place in it. Although images may seem innocent, they are highly coded, with deep histories of their own. This course surveys the creation of works of images from ancient times (the Egyptians) to the present. Within this broad sweep of time, it emphasizes the ways that identities, both of individuals and of larger social groups, are projected and mediated through the image.

 

In this course, students will develop their language skills while exploring topics in Italian culture such as regional diversity, immigration, and the legacy of the artistic and political past. Extracurricular activities including visits to museums in New York City, and opera and film nights will give students the opportunity to improve their Italian in a less formal setting, and will engage them in a critical understanding of Italy’s culture and artistic tradition. Class conducted in Italian.