Division and Course Offerings
Rhetoric
Division of Social Science
Division of Science and Mathematics
Science
Instruction--Science
Mathematics
The general education core curriculum is developed and implemented by the faculty of the three divisions of the College.
Acting Chairman Natalie McKnight
Professor Wexelblatt
Associate Professors Fawell, Mahon, McKnight, Parfitt,
Wells, Wilcox
Assistant Professors Emery, Fahy, Hansen, Henry, Ivers,
Johnson, Larson, Masters, Moscovici, O'Brien, Pines, Pipkin, Regan,
Smith, Stewart, Stockdell-Giesler, Stoehr, Sullivan, Sweeting,
Wolin
The study of the humanities has traditionally been the core of
a liberal or general education. Literature, art, philosophy, and
film constitute the subjects of humanistic study at the College.
The humanities encompass diverse forms of expression, from the
logical to the passionate. The critical disciplines needed for
the study of the humanities include clear writing, critical reading,
visual and aural attentiveness, the capacities to analyze arguments,
think logically, form generalizations, and interpret symbols.
In addition to these practical skills, the study of the humanities
provides familiarity with one's cultural heritage, cultivation
of taste, expansion of sympathies and interests, more profound
self-knowledge, and a deepened appreciation of artistic achievements
and philosophic methods. The development of insight and perception,
as well as the ability to express oneself intelligibly in both
conversation and writing, are objectives of the humanities courses.
Where such ideal aims are realized, the student will have a clear
vision of the imaginative and ethical possibilities of life along
with rich intellectual, emotional, and artistic resources for
personal growth and social usefulness.
An appreciation of the arts does not guarantee creativity any
more than the study of ethics ensures virtue. Yet a person's capacities
to feel deeply and act sensibly are likely to be increased by
such knowledge. Moreover, thanks to the College's core program,
the study of the humanities does not occur in isolation from the
study of other disciplines. The faculty help students to understand
the connections among the humanities and sociological, scientific,
and political theories, as well as historical developments.
Through the analysis of aesthetic and philosophical materials,
from informal and intense discussion, observation, and reading,
the humanities faculty aim to encourage in their students a critical
turn of mind; that is, the exercise of judgment with respect to
reasonable standards of aesthetic and philosophical valuation.
In the end, having learned something of the variety and depth
of philosophy and the arts, the student's range of critical reaction
is extended and refined. Such a person will be less likely to
accept simplistic or biased statements, easy or imprecise arguments,
cheap or purely sentimental effects, superficial displays of talent,
or unverified assertions.
The division conceives of these qualities as essential to the
citizens of a free and democratic society. Such persons will be
informed without being pedantic, responsible without loss of compassion
or humor, sensitive without being weak-minded. The division's
overriding objective is to educate a person who can be relied
upon to think clearly and live fully.
The College is committed to writing as an instrument of learning
and evaluation in all aspects of its curriculum. It therefore
offers instruction in rhetoric to first-year students to develop
their abilities as writers and thinkers in the context of the
demands placed on them as college students.
To fulfill this responsibility, rhetoric faculty members work
closely throughout the year with team colleagues in other disciplines,
sharing material and assigning joint writing projects. The rhetoric
courses show students how the process of writing is itself a mode
of thinking deeply and clearly about any subject. Faculty instruct
students in a variety of widely applicable strategies for generating
ideas, drafting, and revising, with attention to both grammatical
correctness and stylistic refinement. Students learn to synthesize
ideas from their reading and to develop an effective thesis; they
learn modes of organization and argumentation; and finally, they
learn methods of library research and proper documentation.
In addition to these specific objectives, the rhetoric faculty
attempt to inculcate in their students a sensitivity to the power
of language and an ability to assess arguments and to evaluate
opinions.
Classes of approximately 15 students meet twice each week. Students
write constantly and copiously in class as well as out and develop
their ideas for the formal papers through a writing process that
includes class discussion, prewriting exercises, draft revisions,
and conferences with the instructor.
Chairman Jay P. Corrin
Professors Corrin, Gilbane, Kort
Associate Professor Grasso
Assistant Professors Garrison, McCrank, McGrath, Minehan,
Poole, Sanchez, Sheets, Tilchin, Waller, Wend
Lecturer Varat
The objectives of the two-year social science program are to provide
students with a basis for understanding human social behavior
and to acquaint them with humankind's endeavor to produce a body
of reliable knowledge about the human condition. In pursuing these
objectives, the course draws from the various disciplines that
make up the social sciences--anthropology, sociology, history,
social psychology, political science, and economics--and combines
fundamental conceptual and factual materials from these disciplines
into an integrated four-semester sequence. The first semester
of the freshman year is devoted primarily to the behavioral sciences
and serves as the analytical background for the next three semesters,
which treat historical society, emerging society, and contemporary
society. The approaches during this sequence necessarily vary
from conceptual and historical to analytical and cross-cultural.
At times these approaches may be combined. The program is introductory,
stressing basic concepts, methods, and attitudes rather than surveying
the broad range of the social sciences.
In both years, the courses require four hours of class attendance
each week. One hour is devoted to a departmental lecture attended
by the entire freshman or sophomore class. This large lecture
is supplemented by a team lecture that combines several small
sections once a week and tutorials when deemed necessary. The
team lecture is used for presentations that are most conveniently
offered to groups of intermediate size and the tutorial is designed
to help students who require additional assistance. Two additional
hours are devoted to smaller discussion-section meetings.
The methods of instruction used in the classroom are highly important
in achieving the goals of education. Materials are carefully selected
to provide for future self-directed learning by the student. The
reading materials are widely varied so that the students learn
to use general sources of information, as well as specialized
ones. The professors closely observe student progress, and there
are maximum opportunities for conferences.
Chairman Peter E. Busher
Professor Davis
Associate Professors Baublitz, Busher, Hammer, Schoch,
Sommers Smith, Stern
Assistant Professors Blau, D'Andrea, Gross, Hersek, Loya,
Mabrouk, Medeiros-Bergen, Quinn, Stone, Suzuki, Yu
The two-year program in science is fundamentally designed to arrange
and order for students that which scientists theorize and understand
concerning the natural world. In no sense is this course a condensed
version of science; it is an attempt to replace in students' minds
the idea that science is a strange and incomprehensible activity
with the understanding that science is an activity and a product
of the mind, and, at its best, is a search for logical, impersonal
explanations of natural phenomena.
The content and emphasis of the program focus on the broad unifying
concepts that undergird the structure of science, and the evidence
on which scientific views are based and, therefore, serve as a
basis for decisions that members of a free society are asked to
make. The implications of these broad unifying concepts are considered
as we examine the diverse disciplines embodied in the fields of
natural science.
This approach to science is made on an interdisciplinary level
because many students in college have taken specialized science
courses without ever seeing the interrelationship among the sciences.
The faculty in this division believe that this approach is important
to students, whether or not they plan to continue to study science.
Covering some of the unifying principles early helps students
approach the study of science with more sophisticated knowledge
of the nature and methods of science, the kinds of problems science
can address, and the limitations that scientific study imposes.
The Division of Science and Mathematics attempts to develop critical
thinking through a study of scientists, their problems, and their
methods, and to show the relationship of this study to other fields.
The purpose of this activity is to build mature judgment and a
real sense of social and scientific responsibility that allow
students to accept their place as participating citizens in society.
The science program should be viewed as a four-semester continuum.
The freshman year investigates the physical sciences and the sophomore
year examines the biological sciences. Each of the four courses
meets four hours per week and includes a laboratory. For most
students this program represents the only formal study of science
they will undertake at the college level. The faculty consider
this program an integrated exploration of natural sciences that
is enhanced by the courses being taken consecutively within the
two-year period. It is expected that students who complete this
program understand the major concepts of science and the integration
of science in society.
The science courses are designed to encourage students' recognition
that science is progressive with no absolute truths, and that
science is a process in constant search for further understanding
about the natural world. The division's courses expose students
to the idea that science is integral to society and is not an
independent human venture. Through the courses students come to
appreciate that modern science is very much directed by the needs
of society and not divorced from societal input. Additionally,
students become aware that scientific methodology, while providing
a mechanism for solving problems, also imposes limitations on
the types of problems that science can address.
The science courses focus on allowing students to appreciate and
understand that humans are part of an intricately interwoven ecological
system. Students come to view themselves as biological animals
that play a key role in ecological activities within our biosphere.
This is especially important since many of the problems currently
facing our society have a scientific basis. These problems require
sound scientific understanding, critical analysis, and responsible
solutions. Through the course of study students become well prepared
to discuss, analyze, and propose solutions to the many serious
scientific problems facing our species and all other species on
our planet.
The four-semester sequence of science courses provides the sound
foundation that is necessary for a scientifically literate citizen
as the twenty-first century approaches.
A weekly laboratory exercise is scheduled for each science course.
The freshman physical science laboratories and the sophomore biological
science laboratories are two hours long. The laboratory sessions
focus on the general themes presented in each course. Each successive
laboratory experience provides the students with more responsibility
for the design of experimental procedure. This laboratory component
fulfills the bachelor's degree requirements for non-science majors
in most liberal arts colleges.
The mathematics program is a two-semester sequence for all freshmen
in the College. The courses primarily focus on pre-calculus and
introductory calculus but also cover other aspects of mathematical
applications used in everyday life.
Both courses force students to write and think about mathematics
and not simply to solve equations. Students must think about mathematics
in a different way than they have in the past and be able to communicate
mathematical problems using symbolic logic, writing, and oral
presentations. Both individual and group work is stressed in the
courses.
Published by Trustees of Boston University
22 November 2000Division of Humanities and Rhetoric
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Humanities
Objectives
The Student of the Humanities
Instruction
CGS HU 101 Humanities I: Traditions in the Humanities
is organized
historically and is devoted to the study of fiction, drama, poetry,
art, and film. The semester begins with a unit on ways of interpreting
the humanities, proceeds with the study of literature and art
history from Ancient Greece through the nineteenth century, and
includes a film studies component.CGS HU 102 Humanities II: Breaks with Tradition
examines the departure
from tradition characteristic of the modern in all the arts. Units
of study may include poetry, modern art, modern drama, and the
novel. Particular themes may be stressed--for example: the recurrence
in modern culture of the antihero, formal experiment in the arts,
or literature as the embodiment of values. Students will also
analyze five films by distinguished contemporary directors.CGS HU 201 Humanities III: History of Western Ethics I
is a rigorous
course in the history of Western ethical thought from Socrates
through Nietzsche. The course also includes selected films and
literary works that embody philosophical ideas or dramatize ethical
dilemmas. Primary texts are used throughout.CGS HU 202 Humanities IV: History of Western Ethics II
is a course
with two goals: first, the application of philosophical ideas
to various areas of modern life such as politics, science, business,
personal development, education, and religious faith; and second,
preparation for the Capstone Project. This final project involves
each faculty team with small groups of students. The students
in each group choose a specific current problem, research it,
and synthesize their work in all their courses at the College
by producing a 50-page research essay. This essay must include
a recommendation for a solution to the problem that is justified
politically, scientifically, and ethically. Each student is expected
to contribute research and imagination to the group's report,
which is presented in written form, examined by the faculty, and
defended orally by the students before their instructors.
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Rhetoric
Objectives
Instruction
CGS RH 101 Rhetoric I: English Composition
begins with critical
reading, writing, and thinking strategies, applied throughout
the phases of prewriting, drafting, and revision. Students learn
the conventions of the expository essay and ways to meet its demands
by developing a thesis, organizing an argument, using definitions
consistently, and supporting claims with evidence. By working
on joint paper assignments students explore connections between
their rhetoric readings and texts from other courses and learn
to write for different audiences. Students also receive instruction
in grammar, style, and document design.CGS RH 102 Rhetoric II: English Composition and Research
focuses
on argumentation and research while continuing to use interdisciplinary
assignments. Students learn how to use electronic research tools,
evaluate sources, select and weigh evidence, and use standard
scholarly conventions to document their research.
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Division of Social Science
Objectives
Instruction
CGS SS 101 Social Science I: Introduction to the Social Sciences
introduces
the student to the basic tools of anthropology, sociology, social
psychology, economics, and history. Students examine and apply
the methods and principal concepts of these disciplines to the
problems of contemporary society. The first-semester program introduces
the structures and processes involved in an analysis of culture,
society, the socialization process, social stratification, and
social institutions. Cross-cultural inquiry demonstrates the universal
social needs of people and illustrates how these can be met in
a variety of social configurations.CGS SS 102 Social Science II: Modernization of the Western World
draws
on the conceptual and cross-cultural materials of the first semester
and focuses on social change in the West. The focus of this semester's
work is a case study of social and cultural transformations from
the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. The historical phenomena
of industrialism, nationalism, imperialism, socialism, communism,
and fascism--all of which are elements of the process of modernization--are
examined both in their historical contexts and within the framework
of theories of social change. The historical case study offers
the student a vehicle for analyzing in depth the impact of such
phenomena on the life, institutions, and ways of thinking of a
given society. The concepts of this semester are of special relevance
to the work of the sophomore year, when the process of modernization
in the non-Western world is examined.CGS SS 201 Social Science III: Revolutions in China and Russia
builds
on the conceptual and the historical materials of the freshman
experience. The first semester of the sophomore year centers on
two case studies in rapid modernization: Russia and China. Russia,
the Soviet Union, and its successor, the Confederation of Independent
States, are considered as recent examples of rapid social change
and serve as the basis for a comparison of the problems of modernization
in contemporary China. The historical roots of Western industrialism,
the culture of the non-Western peoples as it affects their responses
to Western experiences, and the dramatic complexities of social
change combine to challenge the students' grasp of the problems
facing the modern world.CGS SS 202 Social Science IV: America's Response to Twentieth-Century Revolutions
focuses
on the reaction of the United States to the revolutionary changes
that have taken place abroad in the post-World War II era. After
considering the events that destroyed the wartime relationship
between the United States and the Soviet Union, the course examines
how fear of communism operated as a prism through which our government
viewed both foreign and domestic affairs. The factors that led
to America's involvement in Vietnam, the American-Soviet détente
in the 1970s, the nuclear arms race, and ultimately the collapse
of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War are examined.
All of these developments are studied with a view toward answering
how our national interests should be defined and pursued in the
post-Cold War world. The remainder of the second semester is devoted
to an interdivisional Capstone Project in which the students apply
the ideas, concepts, and analytical skills they developed over
the four semesters in all the College's courses in a group writing
assignment.
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Division of Science and Mathematics
Science
Objectives
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Instruction--Science
CGS SC 101 Physical Science I: Ancient Cosmology to the Newtonian Revolution
begins
by tracing the history of ideas from Egyptian and Babylonian roots
to the mathematical revolution manifest in the Newtonian synthesis.
Students investigate various scientific methodologies, the relationship
between science and society, and cause-and-effect associations.
The Newtonian revolution is used as a backdrop to investigate
speculations about matter and its chemical implications.CGS SC 102 Physical Science II: Matter and the New Cosmology
examines
the evolution of the concepts of a divisible atom and the relationship
between atomic structures and chemical properties. It also investigates
issues associated with nuclear forces and their energy potential,
culminating in a consideration of particle physics and models
that propose alternative explanations for the nature and structure
of the nuclear atom. The course ends with an examination of modern
cosmology that is concerned with the synthesis of atoms and aggregation
of matter in the universe. Included in this examination is a discussion
of the formation and structure of Earth and an investigation of
the geological process of plate tectonics. The discussion sets
the stage for an examination during the second-year course of
the emergence of life and an investigation of life as a level
of organization.CGS SC 201 Biological Science I: Evolution and Biodiversity
begins
with an introduction to the characteristics of life and the unifying
concept in biology--organic evolution. Once evolution is introduced,
the course takes a historical approach to a thorough examination
of pre-Darwinian models and the Darwinian paradigm. Cellular reproduction
and classical genetics are also examined at this time, since they
directly support evolutionary theory. This unit on evolution culminates
with an examination of the modern synthesis of evolutionary ideas.
Next, the course examines the result of evolution--the diversity
of life on Earth. This investigation of organismal diversity leads
to the question of how life on Earth originated. Alternative theories
of the origin of life are considered with particular emphasis
on chemical evolution, which culminated in the origin of the smallest
unit of life--the cell. Study of the chemistry of life completes
the first semester.CGS SC 202 Biological Science II: Cellular Basis of Life, Ecology
concentrates
on the cell as the basic structural and functional unit of life.
Students examine the functional morphology and biochemistry of
both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The importance of the evolution
of biochemical pathways and their implications for extant life
forms is stressed. The course also examines advances in modern
molecular biology and explores both scientific and sociological
concerns raised by such developments as recombinant DNA technology
and the human genome project. Finally, modern theories of ecology,
ecosystem dynamics, and organismal associations are explored.
This solid foundation in ecology allows a serious consideration
of the technological impact of humans on the delicately balanced
ecosystems of Earth. The interrelationship between science and
society that has been explored throughout the year leads to the
Capstone Project, which concludes the sophomore year.Laboratory
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Mathematics
CGS MA 101 Mathematical Analysis I: Modeling
covers many aspects
of pre-calculus. The course begins with a discussion of mathematical
models and culminates with an introduction to calculus. This course
includes many aspects of the reform movement in calculus. Students
use graphing calculators to construct and better understand mathematical
models and also learn some aspects of programming. Many problems
students work with are relevant "real life" problems which help
students to see the relevancy of mathematics.CGS MA 102 Mathematical Analysis II: Introductory Calculus
further
examines the application of calculus to real life problems. Students
learn differentiation and integration of functions of one variable.
Students recall, apply, and interpret mathematical processes and
organize, interpret, and present information accurately in written,
tabular, graphical, and diagrammatic forms. A range of problem
solving strategies is presented.
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