ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

CRN

13505

Distribution

E

Course No.

INTD 125

Title

Metaphors and Mechanisms in Molecular and Neural Biology

Professor

Anthony Lombardino / Linda Wilbrecht (Register with Prof. Mark Halsey)

Schedule

Friday 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Metaphors are one of the driving forces in human thought, yet they often function implicitly, without careful examination of their usage and limitations. This is true in the humanities as well as in science, where metaphors are typically grounded in data from the real world. Despite the requirement that scientific ideas be testable, metaphors from other intellectual realms, such as those of literature, often frame and direct new scientific knowledge. This course will attempt to connect ideas from biology and the humanities, while offering a basic introduction to molecular biology and neuroscience. We will discuss DNA as information, the mind as a blank slate, instinct and our reptilian brain, the brain as a computer, male versus female brains, and what it means to grow up. Readings will include selections from Stephen Jay Gould, Jorge Luis Borges, Aldous Huxley, Richard Powers, Richard Dawkins, Arthur Koestler, Evelyn Fox Keller, Don Griffin, Lacan and Deleuze. The class will meet once a week at Bard or at the Rockefeller University Field Research Center in Millbrook, and will be formatted as half lecture and half seminar. There are no prerequisites for this course.

WRITING INTENSIVE COURSES

"Writing Into..."

Offered for the first time this spring, "Writing Into..." courses offer students an introduction to the core skills of academic writing -- developing an argument, the craft of revision, and the proper use of sources. Formal and informal writing assignments, multiple drafts, and writing workshops are integral to these courses, which explore the critical foundations of various disciplines. Aimed primarily at lower college students, these courses do not satisfy area or divisional distributions, nor are they writing workshops.

CRN

13483    

Course No.

HUM 104

Title

Writing Into Philosophy

Professor

James Brudvig

Schedule

Wed Fr 11:30 am - 12:50 pm ALBEE 106
This course is built around a collection of readings in the philosophy of mind, readings that not only make significant contributions to the field, but also are noteworthy for the clarity of the thinking and the quality of the exposition. Of course, not all arguments that are significant, clear, and well articulated are good arguments. So, in addition to thoroughly understanding arguments offered by the likes of Descartes, Locke, Hume, Moore, Russell, Broad, Smart, Searle, and Dennett, an equal effort will be given to evaluating their positions. Assignments will include both class presentation and written work. The goal of the course is to read critically, to write precisely and persuasively, and to speak with confidence in the company of supportive but critical listeners.

CRN

13484    

Course No.

HUM 105

Title

Writing Into Fiction

Professor

Susan Rogers

Schedule

Tu Th 4:30 pm - 5:50 pm LC 120
An intensive course in the close reading of American short fiction of the 20th century, and writing analytic essays in response to these stories. Students will read short fiction from a range of writers, including Hemingway, Welty, Baldwin, Cather, and Faulkner and will place their work within various contexts: political, social and biographical. Class discussion will encourage a practical criticism that engages both imaginative and critical skills. Students will learn to ask focused questions that arise from the stories and from these questions articulate complex and sophisticated ideas in both oral and written forms. Three essays will go through drafts, with a focus on strong organization and a thesis that is supported and developed through strong textual evidence.

CRN

13485    

Course No.

HUM 106

Title

Writing Into Poetry

Professor

Celia Bland

Schedule

Wed Fr 11:30 am - 12:50 pm PRE 101
An intensive course in the close reading of poetry in historical contexts, the development of a critical vocabulary and imagination, and the writing of scholarly essays. Students will read and write about a range of English and American poetry. We will read poetry by The Pearl Poet, the Metaphysical poets, Anne Bradstreet, William Blake, and many contemporary poets. Class discussion will focus on poetic language and imagery, prosody, and the methods and analytic strategies practiced by leading literary critics. Students will explore and practice the writing process from outline, to multiple drafts, to bibliography, and develop the critical foundations and strategies necessary to produce effective academic essays.