2012-2013 Academic Year Calendar - Marianopolis

Arts and Sciences: HumanitiesWorld Views345-702-MS (3-0-3) 2 credits- 3 hours of class- 3 hours of homeworkShifting Visions of the CosmosA world view is a construct thatreflects and informs our attitudetoward reality – i.e. our view ofnature, of society and (mostimportantly) of ourselves and whatour relation is to everything else. Inthis course we first consider thenature of a world view – what it is,how it gets created and changed, andwhat it does. Then, we use that as abasis for examining the major worldviews that have been dominant in thedevelopment of Western civilization:ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary.Our goal is to see how theseworld views have both shaped – andbeen shaped by – the great achievementsand events in western history.Tattoos, Trophies and T-cellsIn this course we look at conceptsof the body in various cultures anderas. Based on descriptions of illness,healing, sports, the arts, and religiousrituals, the class discusses how worldviews are reflected in the ways wetreat, use, and experience our bodies.We also ask how these views andpractices differ according to aperson’s social or economic position.By examining conceptions of thebody, the students come to a greaterunderstanding of how a world viewshapes our daily experiences and oursense of self.Aboriginal Cultures in CanadaCanadian Aboriginal peoples arepresently facing critical issuessurrounding the struggle for thesurvival of their various culturalidentities. This course focuses onstudying Aboriginal worldviewsthrough an appreciation of culture.Students study representative groupsfrom each region of Canada(including Eastern Woodlands,Plains, Northwest Coast, and Arctic),with an emphasis placed on aspects ofFirst Nations, Metis and Inuit culturesuch as material culture, traditionalbelief systems, creation stories, andsocial structure. The course alsoaddresses historical and contemporaryAboriginal issues, from land claims toself-government to resource rights.Connections are made withindigenous peoples in other parts ofthe world as a way of addressingcommon issues and questionsregarding indigenous peoples’ rights.Architecture—A World ViewThis course incorporates ideasdrawn from a variety of disciplinesto present architecture as a form ofcultural expression. The ideas heldby patrons, architects and buildersabout what buildings should do,how they should look, and howpeople should behave within themare conditioned by their world views.By comparing these world viewswith actual buildings, studentsrecognize how, in different timesand places, the ways people organizespace and impose different orderson the natural world reflect specificnotions of human existence in thelarger scheme of things.Ethics345-704-MS (3-0-3) 2 credits- 3 hours of class- 3 hours of homeworkIndividual Ethics, GrandConspiracies and Half TruthsMaking ethical decisions is a processthat depends on having complete andaccurate information about the issuesat hand. When information iswithheld, altered, or fabricated, theprocess becomes much more difficult.We are left in a position where ethicaldecisions are impossible to make. Weare forced to seek more information.The challenge lies in determiningwhat, from among available information,is accurate and relevant. Thiscourse considers the problem ofmaking personal ethical decisionsin the face of the flood of (oftencontradictory) information providedby governments on one hand and bythe critics on the other. The coursecovers a range of events that providematerial for spin-doctors and conspiracytheorists alike, with an eyealways on the ways the informationavailable from both sides impacts onindividuals. We will ask whether ourpersonal responses to life’s issues areinfluenced more by those who claimto have our best interests at heart orthose who claim to offer the truth.Ethical Issues in Human SexualityContemporary life is animated by abewildering array of sexuality issues.Ethical controversies as diverse assexism in language, pornography andsadomasochism have changed sexualpolitics forever. This course exploresthese and other issues in the attemptto achieve some clarity concerningtheir ethical dimensions.97