May 06, 2024  
2013-2014 HillBook (Class of 2017) 
    
2013-2014 HillBook (Class of 2017) [ARCHIVED HILL BOOK]

Course Descriptions


 

Philosophy

  
  • PHL 253 - Asian Philosophies

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    What is the nature of the self? What is the divine like? How should we live? What happens when we die? In this course, we discuss answers to these and many other questions from the rich philosophical traditions outside the Western world.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
    Course may be applied to the Asian Studies minor.
     
  
  • PHL 254 - Nietzsche and the Critique of Religion

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    Nietzsche’s critique of traditional religion goes far beyond his famous pronouncement that God is dead. His attack on traditional religious thought provides insight into his rejection of traditional morality and his proposal for new ways of action. In this course the students will analyze his new ways of moral thought.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 262 - Philosophy of Film

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Film and video have become increasingly important and pervasive in our world. This course will examine what philosophical theories might teach us about film, and it will interrogate film in order to find out what it might teach us about philosophy as a way of questioning reality and discerning or creating meaning.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 264 - Philosophy of Architecture

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    An investigation, proceeding both historically and transculturally, into how “meaning” is embodied in architecture. Reflection is guided especially by Christian Norberg-Schulz, who has developed a phenomenological approach to the study of architecture based upon the central ideas of Martin Heidegger.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
    Cross-listed in the Art History program as VPH 211 .
  
  • PHL 265 - Readings in Contemporary Thought

    Three Credits
    Spring Semester

    An introduction to the philosophy of our time. Texts chosen to be readable. A focus on humanistic issues: how the unconscious controls behavior, where meaning and value come from, how one can be hoodwinked by political ideologies, whether the mind really exists, what to do about the loss of meta-narratives in our modern lives.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 266 - Topics in Philosophy

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    This course offers students and faculty an opportunity to investigate in some depth a specific area of the study of philosophy not normally otherwise addressed by the department.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
    May be repeated with permission of Department Chair.
  
  • PHL 283 - Aesthetics

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Philosophical principles of art and beauty. Review of major classical and modern theories. Discussion of specific works of art from different historical periods.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
    Cross-listed in the Art History program as VPH 212 .
  
  • PHL 285 - Philosophy of Science

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    A study of basic philosophical questions pertaining to the scientific endeavor and its methodology. Topics for discussion include: the foundations of science and the criteria for distinguishing science from non-science; conditions for the emergence and development of scientific theories; reductionism and the unity of science project; skepticism and limitations of the scientific method; implications of the scientific viewpoint for our understanding of the world in which we live and of the human condition (social and political implications of science).

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 286 - Genetics and Human Nature: Born that Way or Becoming Who We Are?

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This course explores the implications of modern biology, particularly genetics, for our understanding of human nature. How does the biological viewpoint change how we distinguish normal from abnormal, natural from artificial, health from disease? What is its impact on the debate concerning nature and nurture, as well as on questions about race, sexual orientation, altruism, and gender?

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
    Course may be applied to the Gender & Sexuality Studies program.
  
  • PHL 305 - Hermeneutics

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    What is involved when we “interpret” a book, a poem, a movie, a painting, or any “text”? A philosophical analysis of the activity of understanding and interpretation as discussed by several Continental philosophers of the twentieth century.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 306 - Philosophy and the Unconscious

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Descartes and other modern philosophers argued for the transparency of the self. Yet, this position was radically questioned and energetically rejected by a host of European and American philosophers, psychologists, authors, poets and artists from the late 19th century through the 20th century, and the protest continues into the present day. In particular, the course will examine how the notion of the “unconscious” has complexified our understanding of the self. Featured authors will include Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Freud, and C.G Jung.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 307 - Philosophy of Religion

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Religious experience; faith and reason; proofs for the existence of God and criticisms of them; the divine attributes.
     

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 331 - Metaphysics

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Speculative study of being in light of its causes and principles. Major themes: science of being as being, truth, goodness, substance, analogy, act and potency.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 332 - Philosophy of Knowledge

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Nature and conditions of the act of human knowledge as such; the origin of human understanding and the possibility of knowing truth within diverse human sciences.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 341 - Plato

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Selected dialogues of Plato. Problems and topics include: Plato’s criticisms of Greek philosophy; the roles of love, poetry, and rhetoric in human knowledge and morality; the concept of forms.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 342 - Aristotle

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Aristotle’s psychology, ethics, and metaphysics, and its importance to subsequent philosophers.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 343 - Socrates

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    A course on the philosophy of Socrates. Students will study Plato’s early Socratic dialogues as well as texts by Xenophon and Aristophanes.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 353 - Medieval Philosophy

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Encounter of Greek philosophical theories with Christianity as seen through the works of representative medieval thinkers, especially Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus and William of Ockham.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 354 - Thomas Aquinas and His Contemporaries

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    In the 13th century when Aristotle’s ideas were presented in Latin to the Christian theologians, a revolution in Western philosophical thought resulted. At the center of the intellectual controversies is the figure of Thomas Aquinas. Thomas, the most rational of theologians or the most religious of philosophers provided profound and innovative solutions to metaphysical, epistemological and moral problems. This course will examine his sources, his solutions and the responses of his contemporaries.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 361 - Descartes to Hume

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Renaissance skepticism and the birth of Cartesianism. Descartes’ mathematicism and the methodic doubt. The Meditations. The thinking self, proofs for God’s existence, Cartesian dualism, and the problem of mind-body interaction. Locke’s critique of innate ideas. Berkeley’s immaterialism. Hume’s empiricism as a prelude to Kantianism.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 363 - Kant

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Issues from The Critique of Pure Reason will be addressed first, such as the difference between the thing in itself and appearance. Then Kant’s moral philosophy will be discussed in detail. Slow and careful reading required.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 364 - Hegel and Marx

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Roots of Marxism in Hegel and Feuerbach. Humanism of young Marx. Praxis and alienation. History as dialectical. Nature of communism. Collaborative works of Marx and Engels.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 371 - Existentialism

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    The Existentialist thinkers of the 20th Century vigorously protested the abstraction and sterility of certain kinds of philosophical and theological discourse and demanded that we confront the life and death, flesh and blood issues of our existence. The course will examine the sources of their existential protest in the thought of the 19th Century thinkers Nietzsche and Kierkegaard and progress through a discussion of the major figures and works in the Existentialist movement of the 20th Century.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 372 - Heidegger and His Influence

    Three Credits
    Spring Semesters

    An introduction to the thought of the most seminal philosopher of the 20th century. Topics discussed include the critique of metaphysics, theology, science, and technology; the structure of being-in-the-world; time and history; anxiety, death, radical finitude and authentic existence. Consideration of Heidegger’s influence on contemporary thinking in philosophy and in all the major disciplines.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 374 - Recent British and American Analytic Philosophy

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    A general introduction to recent 20th Century philosophy in Britain and America. Themes include: the attack on metaphysics; the nature of values; the way language works; the foundations of logic, science and mathematics; the attempt to reconcile science and human values.

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
  
  • PHL 375 - Foucault: Power, Truth, Subjectivity

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Michel Foucault, an influential French thinker of the 20th century, is best known for his analyses of the positive and productive relations between power and knowledge and his exploration of an ethics understood in terms of the care of the self and others. This course is intended to be an in-depth study of his thought, and the primary means of study will be a careful reading and evaluation of a selection of his key writings.
     

    Prerequisite(s): One 100-Level Philosophy course.
    Course may be applied to the Gender & Sexuality Studies program.
  
  • PHL 421 - Senior Philosophy Colloquium

    Three Credits
    Spring Semesters

    A senior philosophy major completes a capstone essay (plus an oral presentation and defense) on a philosopher or philosophical topic under the supervision of a department faculty member. Generally, this course is taken in the spring semester of the senior year.

    Prerequisite(s): Senior standing.
  
  • PHL 475 - Internship in Philosophy

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    Prerequisite(s): Junior standing and permission of Internship Coordinator and Department Chairperson required.
  
  • PHL 490 - Directed Study

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    Supervised reading and research on selected topics.

    Prerequisite(s): Approval of faculty member directing the project and Department Chairperson required.

Physics and Astronomy

  
  • PHY 101 - Basic Physics I

    Four Credits
    Fall Semester

    Fundamentals of physics for students of biology. Topics in classical mechanics, heat and molecular view of gases; electricity and magnetism, optics and modern physics. Three periods of lecture and two hours of laboratory a week for two semesters.
     

  
  • PHY 102 - Basic Physics II

    Four Credits
    Spring Semester

    Fundamentals of physics for students of biology. Topics in classical mechanics, heat and molecular view of gases; electricity and magnetism, optics and modern physics. Three periods of lecture and two hours of laboratory a week for two semesters.
     

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 101  .
  
  • PHY 105 - Physics Problem Solving I

    One Credit
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This series of one-credit courses is meant to help students integrate the knowledge acquired in several physics topics from freshman to senior year. The topics covered range from engineering applications of physics concepts to advanced topics in physics and astrophysics. Students are given complex and multifaceted problems that they can study individually and in groups with the help of the Physics faculty.

    Prerequisite(s):

      Corequisite(s):  
    Each spring semester there will be four separate sections of the course for, respectively, PHY 105 for freshmen,   for sophomores,   for juniors and   for seniors. Seniors will read research papers and present them to the rest of the class.

    Completion of the four courses will satisfy the Capstone requirement for Physics and Astronomy majors.

  
  • PHY 121 - Physics I

    Four Credits
    Fall Semester

    Brief introduction to vectors and basic concepts of calculus; kinematics; Newton’s laws, force, work and power; conservative forces, potential energy; momentum, collisions; rotational motion, angular momentum, torque; oscillations, simple harmonic motion; gravitation and planetary motion; fluid dynamics; kinetic theory of gases, thermodynamics; heat capacity and transport. Three periods of lecture and two hours of laboratory a week.

    Corequisite(s): MTH 125 .
  
  • PHY 122 - Physics II

    Four Credits
    Spring Semester

    Brief introduction to the basic concepts of vector calculus, such as line and surface integrals, integral version of Gauss’ theorem and Stokes’ theorem; Coulomb’s law, insulators and metals; electrostatic induction, potential energy; capacitance; currents, resistance, basic circuits, batteries; magnetism and currents; Ampere’s law; motion of free charges in magnetic fields, mass spectroscopy; magnetic induction, Faraday’s law; Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic waves; geometric and wave optics; light as photons, photoelectric effect. Three periods of lecture and two hours of laboratory a week.

    Prerequisite(s): MTH 125  Corequisite(s): MTH 126 .
  
  • PHY 192 - Astronomy in the Scientific Revolution

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    The development and establishment of heliocentric theory. Topics include celestial observations, the geocentric universe, Copernicus’ rejection of geocentrism, Kepler’s and Galileo’s contributions to heliocentrism, 17th-centuryobservations, and the gradual acceptance of heliocentrism. The course stresses exercises, observation, establishment of data, preparation of tables, and construction of mathematical models.

    Fulfills the Natural Scientific Inquiry requirement.
  
  • PHY 193 - Science and Belief

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    Exploration of the relation between science and religion looking at selected historical episodes from St. Augustine to Richard Dawkins. Possible topics include: reactions to Copernican cosmology; the Galileo affair; rationalism and empiricism in the scientific revolution; Aristotelianism and mechanical philosophies; Puritanism and science; Enlightenment critique of religion; responses to Darwin; Big Bang cosmology and the fine-tuning argument; evolutionary psychology; the growth of anti-scientific sentiment within American fundamentalism.

    Fulfills the Natural Scientific Inquiry requirement.
  
  • PHY 194 - Physics in the Scientific Revolution

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semester

    The development of classical mechanics. Topics include medieval Aristotelian principles of motion; the development of statics, kinematics and dynamics along with mathematical advances in the 17th century; and Newton’s Principia. The course stresses exercises, observation, laboratory experiments, establishment of data, and the development of mathematical analysis and laws.

    Fulfills the Natural Scientific Inquiry requirement.
  
  • PHY 195 - Quarks and Quanta: Exploring the Subatomic World

    Three Credits
    Spring Semester

    The search for the ultimate building blocks of matter is traced from antiquity up to the recent discovery of the Higgs boson, culminating in the standard model of particle physics. The symmetry ideas that underlie the theory and the role of particles in the evolution of the universe are emphasized.

    Fulfills the Natural Scientific Inquiry requirement.
  
  • PHY 196 - Quantum World and Relativity

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    Introduction to the mysteries of quantum physics and relativity for the general student. Despite nearly a century of confirmations, the basic rules of quantum physics and relativity are still strange, mysterious, and counter-intuitive, and fun to think about. This course examines these rules – their discovery, content, and experimental verifications – and the people who created them – Einstein, Bohr, DeBroglie, Heisenberg, etc. You do not need to be a science major to take this course.

    Fulfills the Natural Scientific Inquiry requirement.
  
  • PHY 205 - Physics Problem Solving II

    One Credit
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This series of one-credit courses is meant to help students integrate the knowledge acquired in several physics topics from freshman to senior year. The topics covered range from engineering applications of physics concepts to advanced topics in physics and astrophysics. Students are given complex and multifaceted problems that they can study individually and in groups with the help of the Physics faculty.

    Prerequisite(s):

      Corequisite(s):  
    Each spring semester there will be four separate sections of the course for, respectively,   for freshmen, PHY 205 for sophomores,   for juniors and   for seniors. Seniors will read research papers and present them to the rest of the class.

    Completion of the four courses will satisfy the Capstone requirement for Physics and Astronomy majors.

  
  • PHY 221 - Physics III

    Four Credits
    Fall Semester

    Mechanical and electrical examples of damped, forced and resonant oscillations; the mechanical wave equation via Newton’s mechanics; the electromagnetic wave equation via Maxwell’s equations; traveling sound and electromagnetic waves; diffraction and interference, geometrical limit of wave optics.

    Prerequisite(s): MTH 125 , MTH 126 , PHY 121  and PHY 122 .
  
  • PHY 222 - Classical Mechanics

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    Lagrange’s equations; central forces; kinematics and equations of motion for rigid bodies; Hamilton’s equations; Hamilton-Jacobi equations; small oscillations; elements of fluid dynamics.

    Prerequisite(s): MTH 125 -MTH 126 ; and PHY 121 -PHY 122 .
  
  • PHY 291 - Planets, Moons and the Search for Alien Life

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    Earth and the solar system, the search for planets around other stars and a discussion about the probability of finding life on other planets or their moons. Topics include: birth of the solar system; early history of the Earth; emergence of life on our planet; mass life extinctions; space exploration of planets and moons in our solar system and search for extraterrestrial life; recent successful search for planets around other stars; possibility of discovering Earth-like planets around other stars in the near future. The course will include class activities, such as labs, and repeated visits to our astronomical observatory.

    Fulfills the Natural Scientific Inquiry requirement.
  
  • PHY 292 - The Universe

    Three Credits
    Spring Semester

    Structure and evolution of the Universe. Topics include: a brief history of our ideas about the size of the Universe, from the Greeks to Copernicus; the Newtonian revolution and the defeat of the anthropocentric view of the cosmos; Einstein and the geometry of space-time; the Milky Way and the discovery of other galaxies; stellar evolution; supernovae; white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes; pulsars; how stars produce the atomic building blocks of life; Big Bang and the expansion of the universe; discovery of microwave background radiation; and the mystery of dark matter. The course will include class activities, such as labs, and repeated visits to our astronomical observatory.

    Fulfills the Natural Scientific Inquiry requirement.
  
  • PHY 305 - Physics Problem Solving III

    One Credit
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This series of one-credit courses is meant to help students integrate the knowledge acquired in several physics topics from freshman to senior year. The topics covered range from engineering applications of physics concepts to advanced topics in physics and astrophysics. Students are given complex and multifaceted problems that they can study individually and in groups with the help of the Physics faculty.

    Prerequisite(s):

     
    Each spring semester there will be four separate sections of the course for, respectively,   for freshmen,   for sophomores, PHY 305 for juniors and   for seniors. Seniors will read research papers and present them to the rest of the class.

    Completion of the four courses will satisfy the Capstone requirement for Physics and Astronomy majors.

  
  • PHY 321 - Statistical Physics

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    An introduction to the macroscopic view of thermodynamics: temperature, heat, work, entropy, equations of state, engines and refrigerators. Introduction to the microscopic or statistical view: Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution; microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical distributions; quantum statistics of bosons and fermions; black body radiation; electronic and thermal properties of quantum liquids and solids.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 -PHY 122 , and PHY 221 , LC 235  recommended.
  
  • PHY 322 - Astrophysics and Cosmology

    Three Credits
    Spring Semester

    Introduction to the structure of stars and hydrostatic equilibrium; stellar nuclear fusion; stellar evolution, the ultimate fate of stars, stellar super-winds and supernovae; stellar remnants: white dwarfs, neutron stars and degeneracy pressure; x-ray sources; black holes and accretion disks; how relativity predicts the expansion of the universe; quasars and gamma ray bursts; modern cosmology: microwave background radiation; dark matter; vacuum energy; the formation of galaxies from gravitational instability; primordial synthesis of the elements; the Big Bang as a test of our high energy physics theories.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 -PHY 122 , and PHY 221 .
  
  • PHY 323 - Quantum Physics

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Schroedinger wave equation and the statistical interpretation of the wave function; the time independent equation in one dimension – free particle, square wells, barriers, tunneling; the equation in three dimensions – hydrogen atom and angular momentum; identical particles and spin; multiparticle states and entanglement; introduction to solids and Block theorem.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 -PHY 122 , and PHY 221  and MTH 251  (Linear Algebra), LC 235  is highly recommended.
  
  • PHY 324 - Electromagnetism

    Three Credits
    Spring Semester

    The sources, the properties and the waves of electromagnetic fields and potentials; Boundary value problems in electrostatics; Magnetostatics and Faraday’s law; Electromagnetic Properties of media: dielectrics, diamagnetic, paramagnetic and ferromagnetic materials; Maxwell’s equations in differential form; Relativistic basis of electromagnetism; Electromagnetic basis of geometric and wave optics: lenses, mirrors, diffraction, polarization.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 , PHY 122  and PHY 221 .
  
  • PHY 325 - Electronics

    Four Credits
    Fall Semester

    Analog electronic circuits, from RL, RC, RLC filters to transistors and operational amplifiers; introduction to digital circuits. The course includes both theory and a strong lab component.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 -PHY 122 .
  
  • PHY 401 - Great Experiments in Modern Physics I

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Available experiments include: Cavendish experiment for the gravitational constant, Young’s two-slit interference experiment, Fizeau’s rotating mirror experiment for the speed of light, Maxwell’s speed of light via electrical measurements, Thomson’s experiment for the electron charge/mass ratio, Millikan’s experiment for the electron charge, Einstein-Perrin’s for Boltzmann’s constant, Planck’s constant via photoelectric effect, Planck’s constant via hydrogen spectrum, Rutherford’s experiment for nuclear size, Frank-Hertz experiment on inelastic electron-atom collisions. PHY 401 may be elected without PHY 402 ; however, to complete all of the experiments students will need both semesters. See Program Director.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 -PHY 122 , and PHY 221 .
  
  • PHY 402 - Great Experiments in Modern Physics II

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Available experiments include: Cavendish experiment for the gravitational constant, Young’s two-slit interference experiment, Fizeau’s rotating mirror experiment for the speed of light, Maxwell’s speed of light via electrical measurements, Thomson’s experiment for the electron charge/mass ratio, Millikan’s experiment for the electron charge, Einstein-Perrin’s for Boltzmann’s constant, Planck’s constant via photoelectric effect, Planck’s constant via hydrogen spectrum, Rutherford’s experiment for nuclear size, Frank-Hertz experiment on inelastic electron-atom collisions. PHY 401  may be elected without PHY 402; however, to complete all of the experiments students will need both semesters. See Program Director.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 -PHY 122 , and PHY 221 .
  
  • PHY 403 - Topics in Physics

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This is an umbrella title to accommodate any physics offering not included in the above list. The specific topics covered will be listed in pre-registration materials and will appear in the student’s transcripts; for example, PHY 403, Topics in Physics – Medical Physics. Student may take several semesters of PY 403, because of a change in topic: e.g. Topics in Physics-Optics.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 -PHY 122 , and PHY 221 .
  
  • PHY 404 - Topics in Astronomy

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    The mechanism for PHY 404 is the same as for PHY 403 : examples are PHY 404 - Research in Extrasolar Planets, PHY 404 – Stellar Evolution or PHY 404 - Cosmology.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 -PHY 122 , and PHY 221 .
  
  • PHY 405 - Physics Problem Solving IV

    One Credit
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This series of one-credit courses is meant to help students integrate the knowledge acquired in several physics topics from freshman to senior year. The topics covered range from engineering applications of physics concepts to advanced topics in physics and astrophysics. Students are given complex and multifaceted problems that they can study individually and in groups with the help of the Physics faculty.

    Prerequisite(s):

     
    Each spring semester there will be four separate sections of the course for, respectively,   for freshmen,   for sophomores,   for juniors and PHY 405 for seniors. Seniors will read research papers and present them to the rest of the class.

    Completion of the four courses will satisfy the Capstone requirement for Physics and Astronomy majors.

  
  • PHY 420 - Engineering Statics

    Three
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Introduces students to the basic principles of engineering statics. The course deals with forces acting on rigid bodies under static equilibrium. Topics include forces, force systems, moments, couples, first and second moments of areas and volumes, inertia, centroids, frames and trusses.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121 
  
  • PHY 425 - Solid Mechanics

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    The concepts of stress and strain and their relation are introduced. Axially loaded members, temperature effects, torsion, bending, combined loading and stress transformations are studied. Torsion, deflection of beams, stability and buckling of columns are discussed.

    Prerequisite(s): PHY 121  , PHY 420 
  
  • PHY 490 - Directed Study

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    This is an opportunity for upper level students to do advanced work in a specialized area of physics or astronomy.

  
  • PHY 496 - Independent Research

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    Students carry out an independent research project under the direction of a faculty member. The research may be part of an ongoing project being conducted by the faculty member, or the student and faculty member may develop an original project. Approval of the faculty member and the Department Chairperson needed.

  
  • PHY 497 - Senior Thesis

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    Students complete an independent scholarly work under the guidance of a faculty member, resulting in a substantial written work.

    Prerequisite(s): Senior standing in the department; approval of the faculty member and the Department Chairperson.

Political Science

  
  • POL 101 - Model United Nations

    One Credit
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This one credit course prepares students to participate in the annual four-day National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York City in late March. The course prepares students to participate in Stonehill College’s delegation to NMUN to represent effectively and knowledgeably the delegation’s country assignment.

    Prerequisite(s): Instructor Permission required.
    Course may be taken a maximum of four times.
  
  • POL 110 - Power, Order, and Justice (First-Year Seminar)

    Four Credits
    Spring Semester

    This course will explore the dilemmas facing all governments: on what principles should the political order be based? What is the nature of the just state? What determines citizenship, political authority, and power? What is the good life and how is it related to the political order and the satisfaction of justice?

    Prerequisite(s): Open to First-Year Students only.
    Is the equivalent to  .
    Fulfills the First-Year Seminar Requirement.
  
  • POL 123 - American Government and Politics

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    The primary goal of this introductory course is to provide a broad understanding of governmental institutions and political behavior in the United States. This course covers the development of institutions and ideas from the founding era, the interaction among institutions and between the levels of government in the formulation and implementation of public policy, and the impact of citizens and groups on the American political system.

    Fulfills the Social Scientific Inquiry requirement.
  
  • POL 143 - International Politics

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    An exploration of the formation of foreign policy, the structure and processes of international systems, patterns of conflict, economic and security issues, and institutions and processes of conflict resolution.

    Course may be applied to the Asian Studies minor.

    Course may be applied to the Middle Eastern Studies minor.

     

  
  • POL 171 - Power, Order, and Justice

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    The dilemmas facing all governments: On what principles should the political order be based? What is the nature of the just state? What determines citizenship, political authority and power? What is the good life, and how is it related to the political order; and the satisfaction of justice?

  
  • POL 201 - College Mock Trial

    One Credit
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This course prepares you to participate in the American Mock Trial Association collegiate mock trial competition as a member of the team representing Stonehill College. Topics covered include developing a case theory, drafting opening statements and closing arguments, conducting direct and cross examinations, and making and responding to evidentiary objections.

    Prerequisite(s): Instructor permission required.
    Course may be taken three times as long as topics differ.
  
  • POL 221 - Education Policy and Politics

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    An in depth investigation of the political dynamics and policy challenges in American education. This course explores the history and purpose of education, problems facing U.S. public education within an increasingly globally competitive world, governance structures, education finance, and specific education policy issues, standards and accountability, among others.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 
  
  • POL 222 - Political Ideologies

    Three Credits
    Alternate Years: Fall 2013

    An introduction to Western political ideologies: basic philosophical concepts, the theory of democracy and its critics, and various political ideologies including conservatism, fascism, feminism, liberalism, Marxism, and socialism.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 171 .
  
  • POL 233 - Law, Politics, and Society

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

      This course examines law in practice with a focus on how individuals operate within and against the legal system. It explores the nature of law, its impact on the everyday lives of people, the judicial process, the art of legal reasoning, and the role of courts in initiating, directing, and resisting social change.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
  
  • POL 234 - Comparing States

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

     

    The variations in political systems of states will be explored in terms of state-society relations. Types of democratic and authoritarian systems will be investigated, as well as conditions of their consolidation, change or transformation. In addition, the role of such forces as political protest and participation, ideologies and civil society on shaping politics and policy outcomes will be explored through comparative case studies of countries around the world. 

    Course may be applied to the Asian Studies minor.

    Course may be applied to the Middle Eastern Studies minor.
     

  
  • POL 235 - American Political Thought

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    An exploration of the basic structure, values, and theoretical foundations of the American republic and its political development. The creation and definition of American political thinking in the works of Locke, Jefferson, Madison, Tocqueville, Calhoun, Lincoln, and others.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 171 .
    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
     
  
  • POL 245 - American Foreign Policy

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    The interplay between American interests and the international political system is examined in terms of decision-making, political pressures, ethical considerations, a changing security agenda, patterns of cooperation and conflict, trade and aid, human rights and resource distribution.

    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
  
  • POL 247 - Elections in America

    Three Credits
    Alternate Years: Fall 2014

    Elections are the signature events of American democracy and provide a mechanism to ensure democratic accountability. This course examines how elections in America are structured and how political parties shape the electoral system. The course also examines how interest groups, the media, and money impact electoral dynamics.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
     
  
  • POL 249 - Contemporary Global Conflict

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Conflicts around the globe are grounded in ethno-national or ethno-religious foundations and exemplify this low level but intensely savage terrorism and war. The course will look at the explanations and analyze the causes of such wars and the strategies policy makers offer to deal with the consequences.

    Course may be applied to the Asian Studies minor.

    Course may be applied to the Middle Eastern Studies minor.
     

  
  • POL 255 - Environmental Policy and Politics

    Three Credits
    Alternate Years: Spring 2014

    Global climate change, mass extinctions, polluted waterways, hazardous waste dumps, oil spills, and nuclear meltdowns. Concerns about the health and integrity of the environment have garnered much attention since the 1960s. This course examines the nature and extent of public policy-making that addresses these and other environmental issues.

    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
     
  
  • POL 273 - Politics of Developing Nations

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    The application of theories of political development to selected countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The course also examines problems of political development such as leadership, ideologies, political change, parties and political movement, nation-building, and constitutional development.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 143 .
    Course may be applied to the Asian Studies minor.

    Course may be applied to the Middle Eastern Studies minor.
     

  
  • POL 291 - American Political History

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    American governance from the 1960s to the present, the interplay of political and cultural forces during critical episodes, the Cold War, the Great Society, the Civil Rights Movements, the Reagan Era, and the War on Terrorism. Political Ideologies, domestic and foreign policy challenges, broad political, cultural and institutional changes are explored.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
  
  • POL 310 - Political Science Research Methods

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    This course provides an introduction to the methods that political scientists use to answer questions. Students will learn analytical tools to critically evaluate and conduct research. The course will cover research design, hypothesis formulation, and various qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting and analyzing data.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
  
  • POL 331 - War

    Three Credits
    Spring Semester

    The causes of war, military history with the interplay of strategy, technology and politics as the central focus, the nuclear threat and terrorism in the contemporary period. Prevention and the limitation of war and the moral and legal restraints on the activities of states are explored.

  
  • POL 332 - The American Presidency

    Three Credits
    Alternate Years: Spring 2014, 2016

    The origins and growth of the American presidency, the Executive office, and its occupant, the relationship between the office and democratic government, the separation of powers and divided party government, and on the expansion of public administration during the twentieth century.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
     
  
  • POL 333 - Contemporary Political Theory

    Three Credits
    Spring Semester

    This course explores contemporary political theory from the perspective of core political concepts such as liberty, rights, and democracy. What does it mean to be free in a modern society? What does it mean to have rights, and what rights should individuals have? What does democratic theory expect of citizens?   

    Prerequisite(s): POL 171  (cannot be taken concurrently).
  
  • POL 336 - Constitutional Law and Politics

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    This course focuses on the structural form and institutional powers of American government. The central purpose of the course is to explore the question of constitutional interpretation. Who are the authoritative interpreters of the Constitution, what is the relationship between them, and what interpretive methodology should they employ?

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
     
  
  • POL 337 - Public Administration

    Three Credits
    Alternate Years: Spring 2014

    Administration of public affairs; how public policy is put into effect by government bureaucracies; theories of government organizations; the political setting of bureaucracies; problems of budgeting and personnel; efficient and humane conduct of public business.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
     
  
  • POL 340 - European Politics

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    The history, political structures, and politics of the major nations of Europe, the political ideologies and policies of Great Britain, Germany, France, and Italy. The European Union is central to the course and its expanding membership and deepening responsibilities are explored.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 143 .
  
  • POL 341 - Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    The primary goal of this course is to provide a broad understanding of the civil liberties and civil rights enjoyed by persons in the United States. The course explores the historical evolution of rights and liberties and their application to current controversies. The course covers freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the right to privacy, freedom from cruel and unusual punishments, protections against discrimination, and affirmative action.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
     
  
  • POL 343 - Public Opinion & Voting Behavior

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    The course focuses on trends in public opinion on public issues, measurement of public opinion, and the forces affecting public opinion and its expression in various public activities. Specific issues explored in the course include public attitude formation, trends in public opinion on political issues, measurement of public opinion, and political participation and voting behavior in American elections.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
     
  
  • POL 344 - Contemporary Global Issues

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    Key issues in international relations: Terrorism, civil and ethnic conflict, economic interdependence, weapons of mass destruction, international political economy, human rights, failed states, and global warming.

    Course may be applied to the Asian Studies minor.

    Course may be applied to the Middle Eastern Studies minor.
     

  
  • POL 345 - Inequity, Poverty, and American Democracy

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    Democracy is based on the ideal of political equality. Yet inequality is an undeniable feature of American society. How do inequity and poverty affect the working of American democracy? This seminar examines the nature and extent of poverty in the U.S., its causes and consequences, and the antipoverty effects of existing and proposed government programs and policies.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
  
  • POL 347 - Ethnicity and Conflict Management

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    At the end of the Cold War global peace and security have proven short-lived due to the revival of ethnic conflicts. Competing theories on nationalism and ethnic conflict, modern conflict management tools and approaches and case studies: Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Sudan, Sri Lanka, and Chechnya will be examined.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 234 .
  
  • POL 351 - Public Policy Analysis

    Three Credits
    Spring Semester

    The course examines the roles that values play in the making of public policy, considers why some problems reach the public agenda, and why some policies succeed. Using a variety of policy problems, students will hone their ability to analyze complex issues and develop concise reports of their findings and recommendations.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
  
  • POL 352 - Transitions to Democracy and Building Democracy

    Three Credits
    Alternate Years: Spring 2014, 2016

    This course considers hurdles and obstacles facing countries transitioning to democracy. We study the literature on the topic and explore several cases of democratic transition and consolidation. We focus on constitution engineering and stability in post-conflict situations with weak economic development and inadequate infrastructure, corruption, and ethnic tension.

    Prerequisite(s):

     .

  
  • POL 353 - International Organizations and State Building

    Three Credits
    Alternate Years: Spring 2014, 2016

    Explores the extent to which international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank are able to alter the contours of statehood and state sovereignty and whether such international organizations serve or dominate state actors. Case studies are Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 143 .
    Course may be applied to the Asian Studies minor.

    Course may be applied to the Middle Eastern Studies minor.
     

  
  • POL 354 - Irish Politics

    Three Credits
    Spring Semester

    The development of Irish nationalism, the creation of the Irish state in 1922, and the building of the Irish state. Economic development, Church-state relations, and education are explored as well as unsolved puzzle of the Irish nation and state, Northern Ireland.

    Course may be applied to the Irish Studies minor.
  
  • POL 355 - Politics of East Asia

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This course provides an introduction to the methods that political scientists use to answer questions. Students will learn analytical tools to critically evaluate and conduct research. The course will cover research design, hypothesis formulation, and various qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting and analyzing data. Students will also construct a research design for a political science topic of interest to them.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 143 .
    Course may be applied to the Asian Studies minor.
     
  
  • POL 356 - Politics of the Middle East

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    This course will focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict and relationships among the Arab states; the roll of the major powers in the Middle East’s consideration of ideas and political manifestations of nationalism,the impact of imperialism, problems of development, and politics of oil, finally, the impact of ethnicity, tribalism culture and religion in explaining politic in the Middle Eastern states.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 143 .
    Course may be applied to the Middle Eastern Studies minor.
     
  
  • POL 357 - Topics in Politics

    Three Credits
    Fall and Spring Semesters

    From time to time, faculty members may offer a special course in their field of expertise. The course engages in analysis of selected topics in one of the four area fields of the discipline: Political Theory; American Government; Comparative Politics; and International Relations.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123  or POL 143  or POL 171 .
  
  • POL 358 - Massachusetts State Politics

    Three Credits
    Alternate Years: Spring 2014, 2016

    A study of the organization, powers, processes and politics of state government in Massachusetts. Topics will include Massachusetts history, political institutions, budgeting, political leaders, and contemporary issues in the state.

    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
  
  • POL 360 - The United States Congress

    Three Credits
    Fall Semester

    This course explores the politics of the U.S. Congress. Emphasis is placed on representation, the legislative process, and policy making. Congressional organization, namely committee systems and party leadership, are also examined to gain a deeper understanding of Congressional decision-making.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 123 .
    Course may be applied to the American Studies program.
  
  • POL 377 - International Political Economy

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    The development of the modern international economy and strategies for the pursuit of wealth, order, and development, emerging trends shaping the post-Cold War international economic order, the global monetary order, multinational corporations, economic aid relationships, food and energy politics, market reforms in non-Western and former communist societies.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 143 .
    Course may be applied to the Asian Studies minor.

    Course may be applied to the Middle Eastern Studies minor.
     

  
  • POL 380 - Dirty Hands: Moral Dilemmas

    Three Credits
    Not Offered 2013-2014

    The difficult “problem of dirty hands” that is making morally unpalatable choices when confronting mutually exclusive and competing ethical claims. Works of modern political philosophy and classic literature explore some possible responses to such problems.

    Prerequisite(s): POL 171 .
    Fulfills the Moral Inquiry requirement.
 

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