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Explores the origins of social scientific thought in the history of political philosophy and traces the development of one or more of the social sciences in modern times. Focuses on fundamental ideas about human nature, civil society, and politics, explored through reading such authors as Aristotle, Aquinas, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Freud.

It has been called “the greatest story ever told”. The Bible springs out of traditions, literature, and momentous events in the Ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world of the first millennium BCE, but in turn, the Bible has also spawned a vast body of interpretative and literary texts that keeps on growing to this day. In this section of “The Bible and its Interpreters” we will examine the stories, traditions, and events that shaped the biblical text, as well as the reverberations it has had throughout the past two millennia. We will look at how the myths of Mesopotamia, and the experience of the Israelites/Judaeans as a people wedged in between the mighty empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Macedon, Persia, and Rome shaped the Bible. We will also trace how the Bible as text and tradition has been interpreted to influence legal codes, religious traditions, art and literature all the way up to the present, including the Mishna and Quran in the first millennium CE, the medieval poetry of Hildegard of Bingen and Dante Alighieri, and modern authors such as Dostoevsky and Saramago. The formative texts of the distant past meet the creative burst of modernity as we discuss scripture, literature, rhetoric, authority, and art as it pertains to the Bible, its history, and its impact on the world around us.

What, according to the Bible, is required of us? What is our response to the deity? What is our
place in the cosmos? With these questions in mind, this course seeks to cultivate both an
understanding of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) and the New Testament and
how biblical writers and subsequent interpreters grappled with notions of divine command and
human obligation. We pursue this aim through close readings of the biblical texts themselves and
the reception of biblical figures, themes, and ideas among its many interpreters. We begin by
examining the historical sense of the Hebrew Bible as a product of the ancient Near East. We will
then examine the practice of biblical interpretation among the competing Jewish ideologies at the
turn of the Common Era, out of which emerged the early Christians and their writings. The later
part of the course will highlight some of the major Jewish and Christian interpreters of the Bible
in the pre-modern and modern periods and how, through their own view of “scripturalism”, these
interpreters understood and formulated responses to questions of human nature, humanity’s
relationship to the supernatural, and the meaning of life.

What, according to the Bible, is required of us? What is our response to the deity? What is our place in the cosmos? With these questions in mind, this course seeks to cultivate both an understanding of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) and the New Testament and how biblical writers and subsequent interpreters grappled with notions of divine command and human obligation. We pursue this aim through close readings of the biblical texts themselves and the reception of biblical figures, themes, and ideas among its many interpreters. We begin by examining the historical sense of the Hebrew Bible as a product of the ancient Near East. We will then examine the practice of biblical interpretation among the competing Jewish ideologies at the turn of the Common Era, out of which emerged the early Christians and their writings. The later part of the course will highlight some of the major Jewish and Christian interpreters of the Bible in the pre-modern and modern periods and how, through their own view of “scripturalism”, these interpreters understood and formulated responses to questions of human nature, humanity’s relationship to the supernatural, and the meaning of life.

What, according to the Bible, is required of us? What is our response to the deity? What is our place in the cosmos? With these questions in mind, this course seeks to cultivate both an understanding of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) and the New Testament and how biblical writers and subsequent interpreters grappled with notions of divine command and human obligation. We pursue this aim through close readings of the biblical texts themselves and the reception of biblical figures, themes, and ideas among its many interpreters. We begin by examining the historical sense of the Hebrew Bible as a product of the ancient Near East. We will then examine the practice of biblical interpretation among the competing Jewish ideologies at the turn of the Common Era, out of which emerged the early Christians and their writings. The later part of the course will highlight some of the major Jewish and Christian interpreters of the Bible in the pre-modern and modern periods and how, through their own view of “scripturalism”, these interpreters understood and formulated responses to questions of human nature, humanity’s relationship to the supernatural, and the meaning of life.

THE BIBLE AND ITS INTERPRETERS examines the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, the New Testament, and their significance over time.  This particular course will focus on the emergence of three longstanding religious traditions (Judaism, Catholic Christianity as well as Protestant Christianity, and Islam) through the interpretation of sacred and foundational writings. 

We will begin by examining the transmission and development of scriptural themes within Ancient Israel, identifying within the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament variations or re-tellings of common scenes, prophetic visions, and religious practices. 

We will then examine the New Testament as interpreting and transforming the Old Testament to provide foundations for Christianity, with emphasis on Paul’s letters as well as elements of the Gospels. 

The later part of the course will highlight four later sets of writings that emphasize four trajectories of interpretation and innovation: the rabbinic anthology The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan for Judaism, the church Father Augustine’s Confessions for Catholic Christianity, the Koran for Islam, and writings of Martin Luther for Protestant Christianity.  In each case we will emphasize the expansion and transformation of biblical sources in setting the course for each religion.

Grading:

1) Attendance, careful preparation of assigned readings, and participation in class discussions are considered to be basic requirements the course.  Please bring relevant books to course each session, as class lectures and discussions will regularly make reference to specific passages and pages in the assigned readings: 15% of course grade

2) First paper, 4 pages:  20% of course grade

3) Second paper, 4 pages: 20% of course grade (

4) Rewrite of First or Second Paper: 20% of course grade

5) Third Paper, 4 pages: 25% of course grade

Required Books:

(available at the University Co-Op Bookstore)

The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha (Oxford University Press, edited by Suggs, Sakenfeld, and Mueller)

Saint Augustine, The Confessions (Penguin Classics, trans. Gary Wills)

The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan (Yale Judaica Series, trans. Judah Goldin)

The Koran (Penguin Classics, trans. N. J. Dawood)

Martin Luther: The Ninety-Five Theses and Other Writings (Penguin Classics, trans. William Russell)

This course offers a survey of major religious traditions of Asia (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism). It focuses on the historical development of their beliefs, practices, rituals, and customs in their social contexts. The course will combine lectures with class discussions on readings. At the end of the semester, students will have a basic knowledge of the beliefs and practices of those religious traditions, have read important religious texts and discussed issues pertinent to the religions’ adherents, and have a more refined sense of how the category “religion” may be applied. All this enables students to develop a greater awareness of global cultural diversity and will, hopefully, spark the desire to study some of those religions more deeply.

Readings:

TBD

Introduces students to classical political thought through a study of seminal works of antiquity, focusing on those of Plato and Aristotle.

Major alternative approaches to the question of the moral character of international relations, as elaborated by some of the greatest political thinkers.

Designed to improve reasoning and communication skills through constitutional interpretation. Determining what the Constitution means, how to determine what it means, and who should determine what it means.

Studies major tragedies, comedies, and historical plays from various epochs, including at least one of Shakespeare's plays. Explores themes related to ethics, politics, and human nature, as well as the craft of the playwright. Students attend and discuss at least one play performance.

Studies major tragedies, comedies, and historical plays from various epochs, including at least one of Shakespeare's plays. Explores themes related to ethics, politics, and human nature, as well as the craft of the playwright. Students attend and discuss at least one play performance.

While age-old scientific concepts were being overturned by the rise of modern physics, Europe was torn apart by wars of unprecedented scale. This history course analyzes these developments, examining the rise of the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics against the stage of international political upheavals. Following the life of Albert Einstein, the course focuses on conceptual developments (from the 1880s through the 1940s) and intellectual conflicts. It also studies the lives of physicists such as Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, in the context of changing cultural and political environments. We'll read and discuss various materials: manuscripts, letters, accounts by historians, physicists, essays, and even secret transcripts of controversial conversations. The material will be understandable even to students with no significant background in physics. Among the topics involved are the following: What was Einstein's personal life? How did relativity and the quantum clash with earlier conceptions of nature? Why did physics become so apparently difficult to understand? In Europe and America, how did scientists behave in times of international catastrophe? How were the academic and social orders affected by the development of nuclear weapons?

Texts:
• Jürgen Neffe, Einstein: A Biography (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009).
• Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe (Simon and Schuster, 2008).

Assignments:
• Two reading reaction essays, of 650 words each.  
• Final Research Paper, of at least 2500 words. A draft of the introduction or outline of the Research Paper will be expected 3 weeks before the final due date; for critical feedback. The subject of the final Research Paper will be designed by each student under advisement with the Instructor. The writing assignments will equal 50% of the grade for the course.
 
Grading:
Class participation                            10%
Presentation                                     10%
Writing Assignments & Quizzes        20%               
Subject Comprehension Exam         30%               
Final Research Paper                       30%               
minus absences     – 0.5 course points per unexcused absence.

Great Works in the History of Medicine

This course is part of the Thomas Jefferson Center’s Core Texts and Ideas (CTI) program. In keeping with the spirit of Mortimer Adler's Great Books of the Western World and Charles William Eliot's Harvard Universal Classics, this course will thematically examine signature works in the history of medicine. There are numerous reasons for using the great books approach to teaching the history of medicine. In addition to providing professional inspiration, sense of continuity with the past, and an awareness of medicine's unique role in society, this approach can foster a healthy sense of skepticism about the content and durability of medical dogma allowing students to think more critically about the principles and practices of medicine. The great books in the history of medicine provide numerous examples of why one should be prepared to question long-standing views for the sake of progress. Furthermore, the history of medicine can be a "kindly, useful mentor" which not only provides a forum for meaningful exchanges between physicians and historians, but also allows both groups a means to link historical knowledge to contemporary issues in order to reform medicine and bring about change in public policy. The approach taken in this class will be of great use to pre-med students and to students interested in international and public health.

To better understand the unique implications of the different areas of medicine, each week will entail reading a signature work that is representative of a key topic in the history of medicine (e.g. pharmacology, pathology, anatomy, surgery). After performing an analytical reading of the text with respect to its historical context, students will focus on discovering ethical principles in the text that can be used for modern applications.

Flags: The course carries an Ethics Flag and a Writing Flag. Assessment: One long and two short research papers, graded in-class writing activities. No final. Readings: Jacalyn Duffin, History of Medicine: A Scandalously Short Introduction, 2010 ISBN 978-0802095565; all other readings will be available on CANVAS or through the library’s electronic resources.

Examine the age-old confrontation between the teaching of the Bible and the politics and philosophy of the ancient Greeks.

Please contact the Jefferson Scholars advisor for more information on how to register for the course.