2009-2010 Themes

CYBORG MILLENNIUM 20^TH century revolutions in quantum physics, information technology and genetics have profoundly altered the human experience of the 21^st century. This course explores the impact of computers, genetics engineering, particle physics and new imaging technologies on, among other things, concepts of humanity, society, privacy and cultural identity. We will look at changes underway in social relations, legal doctrines, political values and environmental consciousness. From workplace surveillance to email retrieval, from prenatal genetic screening to cloning, from human consciousness to artificial intelligence, students will consider the dangers, opportunities and ethical ambiguities inherent in new technologies. Through stories, films, case studies, field research, art, books and original projects, students will have a wide range of outlets through which to explore and express their own questions and ideas, and to mediate among differing viewpoints.

DESIGN & SOCIETY Designers influence the creation of products, images, infrastructure and environments surrounding us, both virtual and real. Acting in a deliberate manner, designers engage with the problems facing their communities, and act to solve them by developing pragmatic, creative and innovative solutions. This course will use designers' activities as an analogy for individuals in other disciplines; in the end, everyone is a designer as they determine the context and direction of their life. Using design as our focus, we will explore individual responsibilities toward society: How can we act to bridge the gap between design and ecological sustainability? How can individuals acting locally compete within the global economy? Using hands-on activities, case studies, and historical investigations, we will university studies 5 explore techniques for design, visualization, and creative problem solving, and share our visions for a future where designing, and by extension all activity, occurs in harmony with natural systems.
While this course uses hands-on activities as part of the teaching and learning process there is significant amount of reading and writing expected.

FAITH AND REASON What is the reason for the human condition? Where do we look for a moral compass?  How do we find truth? Human beings throughout history have sought to answer these questions through faith and reason. In this course, we will look at how the complex dichotomy between faith and reason has played out in human history. We will discuss the emergence of science during the Enlightenment; Darwin, evolution, and the authority of science in modern society; and contemporary issues such as creation science and faith healing. We will read broadly, touching on classical philosophy, sacred texts, modern fiction, poetry, theology, evolutionary biology, and cosmology. We will consider how our concepts of faith and reason, and the institutions of science and religion, shape both our intellectual landscapes and our efforts to develop our own moral characters.

HUMAN/NATURE The human animal is considered to be both a part of and yet distinct from nature. This relationship between our human selves and the natural world we inhabit is complicated and perplexing. This theme explores the complex connections between humans and nature. In what ways are we humans "natural"? Is there such a thing as human nature, and if so, what is it? How are we related to nature and our larger natural surrounds? How have we described and represented nature to ourselves? How have humans over the course of time understood and interacted with the natural world? How have our understandings of nature changed? Do humans have unique responsibilities toward the natural world and if so, what are they? Over the course of the year we will attempt to answer these questions, drawing on the resources of the social and biological sciences, history, literature and the arts.

ON DEMOCRACY: THE HISTORY OF AN IDEA "(Democracy) is a great word, whose history, I suppose, remains unwritten because that history has yet to be enacted." Walt Whitman, American poet. In January 2005, the world was riveted by images of Iraqis lining up to cast votes in a free election. Their actions were accompanied by many commentaries on the power of democracy. But what is democracy? Why does it succeed and flourish or dissolve into tyranny? Why does the idea have such power to move us? This course will trace the idea of "Democracy" in history, culture, art, economics and political institutions at various times and locations. We will begin with the idea as conceived among the elite of Athens, and follow its many and varied transformations in Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Throughout the course we will examine the critical relationship between economic structures and the evolution of democracy. At different points in the course we will examine the present moment in Iraq, Palestine, Haiti, Mexico, and the United States. Throughout the year the tension between democratic principles and minority rights will underlay our discussions. We will end the course with an exploration of how democratic practice takes place in local communities in the United States. Throughout the year we will ask: How has the idea of democracy changed over time and in different locations? How do ‘democratic' principles impact the development of new ideas, in science, economics and the also in the arts? Can democratic principles be applied to life in the University? Can democracy be exported or imposed? Why do democracies fail?
In addition to the reading and written analyses the course will ask students to organize and present their conclusions in oral and visual form, to engage in statistical analysis the use of charts and tables to examine experience of democracy, to debate various aspects of the democratic project, and to explore democratic practice through projects in the local community.

PORTLAND How do our surroundings shape our lives? How do we shape our surroundings? In this course, the complex relationship between people and the places in which we live, recreate and work will be explored. We will specifically focus on Portland places: its place as a context for human development and cultural expression; its place as an urban area of diverse communities; its place within the natural, material, and social environment of the Pacific Northwest. We will discuss what connects people to their place(s) as well as what makes their place(s) part of their social, cultural, spiritual, economic and political life. We will read broadly, touching on cultural anthropology, urban studies, education and the natural sciences. We will provide opportunity for students to ground their understanding with applied experience by encouraging and supporting student interactions and field research within and among the communities and spaces of greater Portland.

RACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Most people in the United States value equality of opportunity. In reality, however, our social and economic system perpetuates various inequalities, including inequalities between socially defined racial groups Gunnar Myrdal, an architect of the Swedish social welfare system, wrote in 1955 that this "American Dilemma" would ultimately prevent the United States from building a society that would successfully put its values into action. He warned that if existing racial inequalities were not addressed, it would undermine our sense of shared identity and our moral purpose as a nation.This course will seek to address Myrdal's "American Dilemma" on two levels. First, we will study biology that undermines the concept of race itself; sociology that defines the concept as socially constructed; history that is not acknowledged in standard K-12 texts; and literature that opens a diversity of windows onto the experience of race. This knowledge can help students to move past stereotypes and appreciate the experience of people in other groups more deeply. Second, students will be welcomed into opportunities for personal reflection on their own social position and on the privileges and challenges that come their way simply because of the identities they hold. Thus, through both increased knowledge and personal reflection, students can develop capabilities useful to the work of moving U.S. society past its racial dilemma.

SUSTAINABILITY There is growing evidence that human activity is significantly transforming the natural systems that sustain us. Although we may often think of the natural world as something separate from our largely urban lives, our most basic needs such as nutritious food to eat, clean air to breath, and clean water to drink depend on the health of the natural systems of which we are a part. The focus of this course will be on exploring the possibility of maintaining a sustainable relationship between human communities and the natural world. To investigate this question we will explore the interconnectedness of global systems (including physical, ecological, cultural, social, and economic). We will begin in fall term by focusing on natural systems and how they are affected by human activity. In winter we explore how different social and cultural systems, both past and present, interact with and influence their natural surroundings. We conclude in spring by taking a critical look at how cultural, economic, and political traditions shape our relationship to the natural world, including how the human relationship to nature is understood, the ways economic well-being is measured, and how terms such as "sustainability" and "green" are used in the media, by interest groups, organizations, and constituents. Throughout the course students will be encouraged to read and research widely on these issues, report on their findings, participate actively in discussions, and develop a deeper sense of responsibility for their own habits and choices.

WAYS OF KNOWING How do artists, scientists, writers, social scientists know and also shape their knowledge of the world? This course explores the foundational questions in three major areas of academic inquiry: the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences. Each quarter will closely examine the ways in which people create knowledge in these areas and the ways that "disciplines" shape the questions we ask. There will be a particular emphasis on the investigative methods used in these three areas and the ways that these methodologies animate the subjects in question. Students in this course will travel the year together but work with three different faculty members, each of whom represents a particular area of disciplinary expertise. This is a rotational course, students in different sections will take the introductions in different sequences. However, faculty will collaborate across the three quarters to ensure that readings and discussions are connected.  Additionally, faculty will collaborate on developmental goals of freshman inquiry: particularly writing and numeracy in order to assure that students experience of the assignments are both progressive and integrated.

THE WORK OF ART Approaching art from a dance of disciplines, this course examines how the work of art shapes, reflects, disguises and complicates our personal and cultural identities. Throughout the year, we will think "the work of art," both what it might be as an object or experience and what it might do as a possible agent for social, political or personal change. Questions we will ask and explore answers to include: How does the art we do and the art we experience shape our identity? How does it disguise or reveal our essence, heal our hearts, and enable our joy? How can we use the arts to build community? What can the arts reveal about ourselves, our cultures and our societies? What is the relationship between the aesthetic and the political? How do we evaluate art? What is expressed or communicated through art? How does art change according to its place and time? Through these and other questions we will explore the various roles that art plays in our imaginary, political and social lives.