Descriptions_MATH-THEO
MATHEMATICS
MATH 340: Topic: Cryptography
Uncover the mysteries of classical and modern cryptography. Learn how to keep your secrets safe with modern cyphers. Become a master spy that can break the inferior cyphers of others. Put your cryptographical skills to the test in an ongoing game of espionage and intrigue.
MODERN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES
FREN 354: The Subjunctive
In this course, students will refine their understanding of the subjunctive mood in French to be able to use it more confidently in their writing and conversation. The course will include:
- grammar exercises setting the subjunctive in context with the imperative, indicative, and future,
- translations from French to English, from English to French
- analysis of excerpts from literature, theology, music and advertising, that highlight all forms of the subjunctive
- in-class performance of short scenes and skits emphasizing the distinction between the indicative and the subjunctive.
PREREQUISITE: FREN 311 or 312 or 315 or 316 or permission of instructor.
GERM 350: Current Debates & Issues
A course based on today's explosive debates and issues in German-speaking countries using up-to-date materials from the internet, German radio, television, film, and newspapers. This is a course for researching and debating controversies and listening to provocative news. Prerequisite: 212. Offered every three years. Can be repeated with permission of instructor if content differs. Qualifies as a course in Theme.
LATN 327B: Topic: Ovid's Metamorphoses
Ovid's Metamorphoses, one of the greatest works in Latin verse, is a carefully organized series of over two hundred myths told by an inventive, artful, and sometimes cheeky narrator. We will read the entire book in English as well as many of the stories in Latin.
MCLT 319C: Transcultural Japan
This course surveys literary and visual texts in East Asia including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea, but with a focus on Japan. We will examine developments of cultural materials in the national and transnational contexts across the region since the turn of the twentieth century, and also how these cultural activities expose collaborative, competitive, and conflictual relationships between them. In Part I, we will analyze what imaginative spaces have emerged from the use of premodern narratives in recent box- office hit movies, TV dramas, and best-selling manga. In Part II, we will investigate how national subjects have been formulated through the creation of national literatures in modern Japanese, Korean, and Chinese culture spheres in the wake of the expansion of the Japanese Empire.
NATURAL SCIENCE
NATS 151: Integrative Science I
This introductory research-based course will introduce scientific concepts and research methodologies from multiple disciplines in the context of interdisciplinary themes. Each theme is based on a current problem that is best solved using an interdisciplinary scientific approach. Examples include mass extinction, the brain, energy, and management of water resources. Throughout the course, students will actively discuss, analyze, and create a series of research questions based on the identified scientific problem. The students then conduct, analyze, and present experiments that utilize skills and concepts from multiple scientific disciplines. Concepts from the following natural science disciplines will be introduced: mathematics, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, and nutrition.
PREREQUISITE: Three years of college preparatory mathematics and satisfactory performance on the university administered Quantitative Skills Inventory Test. Students who have an ACT - Math score of 21 or greater or SAT - Math score of 530 or greater will be granted satisfactory performance status without taking the examination. Otherwise, the examination will be administered by appointment with the Mathematics Skills Center.
NATS 152: Integrative Science II
This introductory research-based course will introduce scientific concepts and research methodologies from multiple disciplines in the context of interdisciplinary themes. Each theme is based on a current problem that is best solved using an interdisciplinary scientific approach. Examples include mass extinction, the brain, energy, and management of water resources. Throughout the course, students will actively discuss, analyze, and create a series of research questions based on the identified scientific problem. The students then conduct, analyze and present experiments that utilize skills and concepts from multiple scientific disciplines. Concepts from the following natural science disciplines will be introduced: mathematics, computer science, biology, chemistry, physic and nutrition.
PREREQUISITE: NATS 151 or permission of the instructor, three years of college preparatory mathematics and satisfactory performance on the university administered Quantitative Skills Inventory Test. Note: Students who have an ACT-Math score of 21 or greater or SAT-Math score of 530 or greater will be granted satisfactory performance status without taking the examination. Otherwise, the examination will be administered by appointment with the Mathematics Skills Center.
NUTRITION
NUTR 260B: Physiology of Weigh Regulation
An overview of physiological processes that contribute to the regulation of body weight in humans. Focus will be placed on adipose tissue hormones and gut hormones, the role of gut bacteria in energy harvest, the influence of viruses on adiposity and the impact of exercise on substances involved in weight regulation. Students will be expected to read and interpret technical journal articles.
NUTR 260C: Sensory Evaluation of Food
Principles and procedures for sensory evaluation of food/ Appropriate uses of specific tests are discussed, along with physiological, psychological, and environmental factors affecting sensory verdicts.
PEACE STUDIES
PCST 368G: Religion, Society & Politics
Cross-listed with THEO 348
Recent developments in the United States and other parts of the world have led observers to look closely at religious groups¿ beliefs and activities concerning the state, society and sociopolitical issues like cultural diversity and war and peace. In this course we will examine the Judeo-Christian tradition and address such questions as: What is the relationship between religion and ethnicity and religion and nationalism? What is religious fundamentalism? How do various groups view their relationship with the state and the broader society? What kinds of social and political goals do religious groups have and how do they try and achieve them? We will try to answer these and other questions through the study of historical and sociological case studies and selected religious texts reflecting the range of belief and practice in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
PHILOSOPHY
PHIL 368B: Economics, Philosophy & Method
Cross-listed with ECON 328
An inquiry into the philosophy of social science and the methodology of economics. A survey of philosophical debates concerning what makes a "good" explanation in natural science and social science, and an examination of the debates within the history of economics concerning the requirements for good explanations of economic events. Prerequisite: Two courses in economics or two courses in philosophy.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
POLS 320D: Topics in Law: Sex, Drugs, Guns & Money
Voters in Washington and Colorado legalize marijuana. Minnesota votes down a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. There is a scramble to enact new gun laws in the wake of mass shootings. And money permeates politics. The common theme is *law*. Law is everywhere, solving some problems while creating others. Law is always present and always changing.
This is an interdisciplinary course on the roles that law plays in structuring our daily lives. The course includes readings from Law, Sociology, Political Science, and even some readings on legal systems in other countries. We'll define the law in its many forms; discuss how law mediates relationships between people; discuss how law creates distinctions between people; and cover the myth of rights and the politics of rights, or how we potentially can or cannot use the law to advance social justice goals. If you are interested in the law generally -- maybe you're thinking about law school -- this course will provide an important foundation for how you think about and understand the law.
The course includes a number of graded quizzes, a research project, and a final exam. Students will additionally be evaluated on their participation in group exercises and discussion.
PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 309N: Environmental Psychology
Human behavior is the major contributing factor to all environmental problems we face today. Thus, if we are to understand both the causes and potential solutions to the many environmental problems our planet is facing, we need to understand how psychological principles influence the human behavior that causes those problems. We can then begin to develop strategies for addressing environmental problems based upon our knowledge of human behavior. The purpose of this special topics course is to examine psychology's role in leading society toward a more sustainable existence. We will review many of the psychological principles covered in the introductory course with the purpose of applying those principles to environmental issues.
PSYC 393-01A: Personality Assessment & Profiling in Criminal Psychology
Aubrey Immelman
Psychology Seminar involves detailed consideration of a special topic and requires seminar participants to prepare and present a major paper. This section is designed to help senior psychology majors integrate diverse psychological concepts, principles, theories, and methods to the applied areas of criminal investigation.
The course will draw from several areas of psychology, including the biological foundations of personality; perception and cognition; motivation and emotion; human development; personality psychology; psychopathology; and social psychology.
Students will develop offender and victim psychological profiles in unsolved criminal cases.
PREREQUISITE: Senior standing and 20 credits in psychology.
PSYC 393-02A: Ethical Issues and Controversies in Psychology
Robert Kachelski
In this reading-intensive, discussion-based course, we will examine a number of controversial topics within the field of psychology. The main objective of the course is to help psychology majors develop informed opinions on a variety of important issues that are currently being debated in the field. Participation in class discussions will be expected of all students and will constitute a significant portion of the course grade. In addition, students will write a major paper and present it to the group; they will also lead discussions and complete frequent short writing assignments.
Potential topics include the following: Is it ethical for psychologists to be involved in the interrogation of suspected terrorists? Are abstinence pledges effective in reducing teen sexual activity, pregnancy, and STDs? To what degree is the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders influenced by drug companies? How well does evolutionary psychology explain human sex differences? What effect does media violence have on children? What is emotional intelligence and is it a useful construct? Do certain vaccines increase the chances that a child will develop autism? What is involved in sexual orientation "conversion" therapy, and should therapists offer such treatment?
PREREQUISITE: Senior standing and 20 credits in psychology.
SOCIOLOGY
SOCI 337E: Cultural Anthropology: Transnational Cultures
Cultures and cultural groups have never been bounded to a single location-people have always been in movement, learning from people outside their cultural groups, and hybridizing ideas and ways of life. This course provides an advanced introduction to cultural anthropology, focusing on transnational cultural groups that are present in contemporary Minnesota. In particular, we will study ethnographic manuscripts about Hmong, Somali, and Mexican people and topics including ethnicity, migration, refugees, tourism, nomadism, political economy, and medical anthropology. Students will be conducting original ethnographic research in a semester-long project that analyzes a particular transnational cultural case study.
SOCI 337F: Environmental Perspectives: Sociological Considerations of Environmental Issues & Minimalist Lifestyles
Issues such as depletion of natural resources, pollution, loss of habitat, global warming (or not), population growth, urban growth and sprawl, biodiversity, toxic waste management, transportation, energy, vegetarianism, sustainable community development, and globalization will be considered. Aspects of these issues to be covered include: conditions of emergence, theories, applicable social movements and counter-movements, cross-cultural perspectives, and social change. Special attention will be given to consideration of low or minimal impact lifestyle efforts.
SOCI 337H: Savage Minds
How have engagements with cultural "others" helped create knowledge, expand our understanding of ourselves and the world, and inspired us to think about humanity? In this class, we will learn about some of the key theoretical paradigms in cultural anthropology, from its earliest inception through contemporary, experimental anthropological thought.
As anthropological theory must be deployed in ethnographic practice to have any effect, theoretical material in this class will be paired with ethnographies-articles, manuscripts, and films-which exemplify, challenge, and build upon abstract concepts.
THEATER
THEA 218: Culture & Dramatic Literature
This course will explore the culture of Judeo/Christianity as portrayed in plays for live theater. Great classics include Everyman, Paphnutius, Murder in the Cathedral, and JB, as well as more modern works such as Doubt, Nunsense, Do Patent Leather Shoes really Reflect Up? and Agnes of God. Each week we read one play, view photographs from various productions, learn about how the play works onstage and discuss the ideas within the scripts.
THEOLOGY
THEO 339B: Spiritual Companioning
This course will introduce participants to the ministry of spiritual companionship. They will explore the growing need for "soul friends" in contemporary life and consider the various contexts for cultivating spiritual community: one-to-one, small groups, marriage, family life, place of worship, and the workplace. Participants will apply companioning skills to their own lives through course assignments and class activities such as role-plays, discussion of case studies, and reflection on personal experiences.
THEO 348: Religion, Society & Politics
Cross-listed with PCST 368G
Recent developments in the United States and other parts of the world have led observers to look closely at religious groups¿ beliefs and activities concerning the state, society and sociopolitical issues like cultural diversity and war and peace. In this course we will examine the Judeo-Christian tradition and address such questions as: What is the relationship between religion and ethnicity and religion and nationalism? What is religious fundamentalism? How do various groups view their relationship with the state and the broader society? What kinds of social and political goals do religious groups have and how do they try and achieve them? We will try to answer these and other questions through the study of historical and sociological case studies and selected religious texts reflecting the range of belief and practice in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
THEO 349A: Family, Church, and Society
Drawing on historical, sociological, and religious sources, this course introduces students to a range of perspectives concerning the intersection of family, church and society, focusing on issues such as cohabitation, marriage, divorce, homosexuality, and gender roles.
THEO 349E: Economic Thought & Religious Values
Cross-listed with ECON 327
An examination of how economic life has been viewed from the perspective of religion, particularly Western Christianity: from roots in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, through the early church, middle ages and the Protestant Reformation, up to contemporary debates about free markets, Marxism, feminism and the social teaching of the Roman Catholic Church today.
PREREQUISITE: ECON 111 & THEO 111
THEO 349J: Justice in Sexuality & Relationships
Given the inescapable complexities surrounding human sexuality, gender, and embodiment, how might we live and relate to one another in ways that are increasingly fulfilling, and in ways that deepen our relationships with ourselves, others, and God? This course will introduce students to the methodology of Christian ethics, i.e., the process of drawing upon sources of knowledge (scripture, tradition, reason, and contemporary experience) to formulate responses to contemporary issues regarding sexuality and relationships. Specifically, we will be exploring the concept of justice as it relates to sex, contemporary hookup culture, love, and relationships. In the end, students will be equipped to construct and articulate a compelling theological sexual ethic for college students in 2013.
SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
DOCT 468-01A: The Theology of Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther
Cross-listed with HHTH 468-01A
Few thinkers have exercised greater influence over the Christian theological tradition than Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther. This course will survey and examine the primary contributions of these authors including the way in which their thought has shaped the present state of Christian doctrine. With each author, the course will look familiarize the student with the thinker's context and biography; it will then explore the central theological debates and questions from which the thinker's writings emerged. To establish points for comparison and interpretation, the course will focus on certain common topics among the three thinkers; these include (1) Christology, (2) salvation - including questions of nature and grace, (3) sacraments, and (4) Christian life. In doing so, the course intends not only to observe these thinkers as decisive influences for the Patristic, medieval, and Reformation periods but also to observe the historical development of Christian thought over time. The structure of the course will focus on close readings of primary texts and in-class discussions of their meaning; in addition to reading certain seminal or classic texts, the course will make a variety of genres such as sermons, hymns, and letters. Long and short essays will be used to demonstrate mastery of the material and offer opportunities for meaningful comparisons and constructive evaluations of these theologians and their work.
HHTH 468-01A: The Theology of Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther
Cross-listed with DOCT 468-01A
Few thinkers have exercised greater influence over the Christian theological tradition than Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther. This course will survey and examine the primary contributions of these authors including the way in which their thought has shaped the present state of Christian doctrine. With each author, the course will look familiarize the student with the thinker's context and biography; it will then explore the central theological debates and questions from which the thinker's writings emerged. To establish points for comparison and interpretation, the course will focus on certain common topics among the three thinkers; these include (1) Christology, (2) salvation - including questions of nature and grace, (3) sacraments, and (4) Christian life. In doing so, the course intends not only to observe these thinkers as decisive influences for the Patristic, medieval, and Reformation periods but also to observe the historical development of Christian thought over time. The structure of the course will focus on close readings of primary texts and in-class discussions of their meaning; in addition to reading certain seminal or classic texts, the course will make a variety of genres such as sermons, hymns, and letters. Long and short essays will be used to demonstrate mastery of the material and offer opportunities for meaningful comparisons and constructive evaluations of these theologians and their work.
HHTH 468-02A: Contemporary Monasticism
Cross-listed with MONS 468-01A
Since Vatican II with its call to religious communities to return to the sources, the monastic world has witnessed a multiplicity of expressions of monastic life: from intentional communities to heritages, from traditional Benedictine and Cistercian communities to ecumenical, inter-faith and Protestant communities, from solely vowed religious to various forms of affiliation of lay membership. Some of the fastest growing communities appear to be in regions of the world other than Europe and North America. The rise of new expressions of monastic life has led to questions about what it means to be a monastic in the world. This course will explore some of the currents of the changing face of monasticism, along with the hopes, dreams, concerns and challenges for monasticism in the 21st century.
LMUS 468-01A: Gregorian Chant Schola
A performing ensemble, open to men and women, which sings Gregorian Chant (and some English chant) primarily at liturgies of Saint John's Abbey and other liturgies on the two campuses.
MONS 468-01A: Contemporary Monasticism
Cross-listed with HHTH 468-02A
Since Vatican II with its call to religious communities to return to the sources, the monastic world has witnessed a multiplicity of expressions of monastic life: from intentional communities to heritages, from traditional Benedictine and Cistercian communities to ecumenical, inter-faith and Protestant communities, from solely vowed religious to various forms of affiliation of lay membership. Some of the fastest growing communities appear to be in regions of the world other than Europe and North America. The rise of new expressions of monastic life has led to questions about what it means to be a monastic in the world. This course will explore some of the currents of the changing face of monasticism, along with the hopes, dreams, concerns and challenges for monasticism in the 21st century.
MONS 468-02A: Reading the Bible with Benedict
Consideration of the significance of the Bible in the Rule of Benedict and the place of the Bible in monastic life, using lectio divina as the core method. Exploration of key scriptural themes in the Rule, especially in the areas of humility, obedience, silence, the community of goods, prayer, and good zeal.
SPIR 468-01A: Prayer Formation for Spiritual Direction
Preparatory to listening to others' experiences of God we will explore how our own image of God evolves as we discern God's ways of being present to us in prayer and in life. The course will include an introduction to the practice of lectio divina applied to our lived experience.