THE COMPLEAT GARGOYLE - Graham School of General Studies ...

Adrian Guiu
Mr. Guiu has taught in the College
at the University of Chicago and is
a doctoral student in the University’s
Divinity School. His research
focuses on the influence of theological
traditions of late antiquity on
medieval and modern philosophy.
Course Code LAPHRP
Section 12S1
Spring 2012
Gleacher Center
$345 Early registration ends March 21
$375 Regular registration
Mondays
March 26–May 14
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
Hellenistic Philosophy
What happened to ancient philosophy
after Aristotle? The Hellenistic
period saw the growth and diversification
of philosophical schools
across Greece. Some of these schools
went on to have great influence on
Western culture, even though they
tend to be overlooked in surveys of
philosophy today. This class will
explore some of the major Hellenistic
philosophies, including Epicureanism,
Stoicism, Cynicism, and
Skepticism. Readings will include
Epicurus’s letters, selections from
De Rerum Natura, selections from
Seneca and Epictetus, and others.
Zoë Eisenman
Ms. Eisenman holds a BA in Greek
from Vassar College and an MA
in classics from the University of
Chicago. Her main academic focus
is on Greek and Roman philosophy,
classical cultural history, and
gender studies.
Course Code BPUHLH
Section 12U1
Summer 2012
Gleacher Center
$250 Early registration ends June 13
$280 Regular registration
Tuesdays
June 19–July 24
10 am–1:15 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 18
Heidegger’s The Principle of
Reason
Among the last sets of lectures
given by Martin Heidegger was his
treatment of Leibniz’s “principle
of sufficient reason,” as a foundational
principle of philosophy and
science in the West. Heidegger aims
to make us reflect on what it means
for something to have a ground or
a cause, why reason demands that
the ground be fully available and
articulated, and how this principle
ultimately obscures something even
more fundamental. His lectures
set rigorous scientific thinking into
a larger context that, refusing us
ultimate grounds , opens up a new
understanding of truth and a new
range of human experience.
Clare Pearson
Ms. Pearson did graduate work
with the University’s Committee
on Social Thought and pursues
interdisciplinary work centering
especially on ethical questions and
experiences. She chaired the Basic
Program from 2004 to 2008 and
codesigned and chaired the Asian
Classics Program from 2006 to
2009.
Course Code BPUHPR
Section 12U1
Summer 2012
Gleacher Center
$250 Early registration ends June 13
$280 Regular registration
Thursdays
June 21–July 26
6–9:15 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 18
Please read lectures one and two for
the first class.
Reality 101: Hindu and
Quantum Perspectives
This is an interdisciplinary
course on the philosophy of
reality presented by two distinct
yet overlapping areas of human
knowledge: classical Hindu texts
and quantum mechanics. We
will contrast sections of the early
Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita
with fundamental ideas of quantum
mechanics. Through lectures,
videos, and discussions, participants
will be encouraged to compare
the two perspectives and to examine
the differences and similarities they
present regarding the nature of
reality. Students do not need any
6 Humanities
Ideas & Beliefs
background in mathematics,
physics, Sanskrit, or Indian religions.
Abhishek Ghosh
Mr. Ghosh has an MSt in the study
of religion from Oxford and is a PhD
student in South Asian languages
and civilizations at the University of
Chicago. His research includes Caitanya
Vaisnava history and theology,
post-colonialism, and modernity.
Course Code ACERHQ
Section 12U1
Summer 2012
Gleacher Center
$360 Early registration ends June 13
$390 Regular registration
Saturdays
June 23–August 11
10 am–12:30 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 20
POLITICAL
SCIENCE
Human Rights in the Contemporary
Arab World
(listed under Humanities/Ideas &
Beliefs/Religious Studies)
Little Dorrit: Finance, Society, and
Freedom
(listed under Humanities/Texts &
Contexts/Literature)
The Twelve Caesars
(listed under Humanities/Texts &
Contexts/History)
Freedom Charters
In this course, we will look critically
at some key human rights
documents—including Charter 08
(China), Charter 77 (Czechoslovakia),
the ANC Freedom Charter
(South Africa), the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the
U.S. Constitution, and the U.S.
Declaration of Independence. We
will examine contemporary criticism
of the “human rights” concept
itself, particularly the claim that it is
a thinly veiled excuse for “Western”
imperialism. As background, we
will include a generally neglected
critique of Jefferson, David Walker’s
Appeal, which offers important
insight into how to read more
contemporary documents.
Steven Schroeder
Mr. Schroeder holds a PhD in ethics
and society from the University of
Chicago. He teaches philosophy,