All first year students are required to take two seminars, one in the fall, the other in the spring semester. The seminars are courses in which the student is introduced to the literary, philosophical, and artistic legacies of several interrelated cultures. Works are chosen to represent a wide range of intellectual discourse, from poetry, drama, and fiction, to history, philosophy, and polemic.

Throughout history, one of the most recurring realities across cultures has been humanity's engagement in war. Human endeavors to prevent war through movements for peace have also had a prominent role in history, particularly (but not exclusively) in the last two centuries. Wars have shaped the international system and promoted social change. They have inspired literature, art, and music. On a more personal scale, wars provide some of the most intense and brutal of human experiences, bringing out the best and worst in people--heroism, comradeship, and self-sacrifice, as well as utter cruelty and viciousness. It could be said that very little in human affairs can be understood without studying war. Today, it also could be argued that among all of the enormous ills on our planet, the most pressing problem continues to be the violence that humans commit or threaten to commit against others. Thus the study of peace becomes a necessity as well. In the process, war and peace raise fundamental questions of ethics. What are the causes of war? What are the moral arguments for considering a war just or unjust? Can war ever be conducted in a moral way? Is there such a thing as peace without war? Can a war be fought peacefully and non-violently? Is a lasting peace a necessity for creating a just, sustainable world and if so, how can conflicts be resolved? This course assumes that there are no simple solutions to the problems of either peace or war; the war-peace dilemma is complex, interconnected, and often very poorly understood. This course does not pretend to cover all of the issues raised by the theme of war and peace, but does intend to explore both sides of the divide, as well as some of the many ambiguities in between, by closely examining great works composed by a variety of thinkers writing in a variety of genres, who have reflected or reported upon the nature of both war and peace, and also by activists who have moved to promote either war or peace.

This fall the core common texts for the course are:

In addition, each professor will assign additional writings on the nature of war and peace, poetry about or inspired by war and peace, pro- and anti-war speeches, and pacifist statements and writings.