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New Collegiate
Division

The New Collegiate Division offers a variety of interdisciplinary courses in addition to those particularly related to the concentration programs. One of the purposes of the division is to provide a forum for new ideas in teaching--certainly only one such forum among many in the College and the University, but for some teachers, and for some subjects cutting across familiar academic lines, the most convenient one. These courses are as a rule open to all students. Indeed, they usually aspire to attract students with different interests and backgrounds.

Courses

212. The Human Environment (=EnvStd 212). PQ: Common Core biological, physical, and social sciences and consent of instructor. This course analyzes the relationship of human activity to the natural world that sustains it. Topics include human population growth; pollution; the use of land, waterways, and energy sources; human impact on the biosphere; the prospects for sustainable development around the world; and the role of cultural institutions and values in such human activities. T. Steck. Autumn.

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213. Managing the Environment (=EnvStd 213, PubPol 213). PQ: Econ 198 or higher. This course analyzes human interaction with and intervention into the environment. Topics include resource management, environmental and economic policy, environmental law, business initiatives, and global environmental legislation. Also assessed are major national legislation on Superfund, resource conservation and recovery, air quality, water quality, hazardous chemicals, and endangered species. D. Coursey. Winter.

218. Medicine and Ethics (=BioSci 291). Clinical medicine and biomedical science pose fascinating questions. These involve permanent human concerns, such as the meaning of life, suffering, the relationship between healer and patient, and the pursuit of health, as well as issues on the cutting edge of contemporary science and society, such as new genetic and reproductive technologies, AIDS, and the organization and funding of health care. In the interplay between such questions lies not only enhanced understanding of pressing personal and public policy problems but also enduring insights into humanity. R. Gunderman. Autumn.

228. Foundation of Gender and Gender Differences (=BioSci 286, Psych 219). This course examines issues fundamental to an understanding of sex, sex differences, and gender differences. The course begins by considering the significance of the evolution of sexually reproducing species and by studying mechanisms of normal and abnormal early embryonic sexual development. The relative influence of innate (or "primarily biological") and learned (or "primarily environmental") factors are discussed. The different roles of males and females in reproduction in various species are examined to relate sexual dimorphism, mating strategies, and life cycle differences. This is a seminar course involving faculty from different departments. M. Moscona, M. McClintock. Spring.

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277. The Radicalism of Job and Ecclesiastes (=Fndmtl 246, Hum 235, JewStd 235). Both Job and Ecclesiastes dispute a central doctrine of the Hebrew Bible, namely, the doctrine of retributive justice. Each book argues that a person's fate is not a consequence of his or her religio-moral acts and thus that piety, whatever else it is, must be disinterested. In brief, each book not only demythologizes but "de-moralizes" the universe. The students read Job and Ecclesiastes in translation and discuss the nature of such a universe and ask what kind of God did Job and Ecclesiastes worship. H. Moltz. Spring.

280. The World of the Biblical Prophets (=Hum 234, JewStd 234). This course offers an in-depth analysis of the biblical prophets. Each prophet is set in historical time and within a particular societal context, and against this background a profile of the man is drawn. What was he like as social reformer and religious thinker? What did he say no to in society and no to in organized worship? And to what did he say yes? How was his message received and what influence did it have in its day? And finally, is the individual prophet merely a historical figure, a curiosity of antiquity, or does he speak to us in our age? H. Moltz. Autumn.

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297. Reading Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and faculty adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Must be taken for a letter grade. This course is designed for students whose program requirements are best met by study under a faculty member's individual supervision. Arrange the subject, course of study, and requirements with the instructor. Staff. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

298. Reading Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and faculty adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Must be taken for a letter grade. Students in divisions other than the New Collegiate Division may arrange a tutorial with a member of the NCD faculty. Registration for this course and information about the tutorial arrangement must be reported to the office of the NCD master. Staff. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

299. Independent Study. PQ: Consent of instructor and faculty adviser. Must be taken P/F. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Staff. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

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