Law and Civilization (with or without math)

This course will focus on the analysis of art and artistic achievements from the civilizations that have informed the development of Western cultures. The themes of power and beauty will be examined through pictorial and sculptural representations, architecture, and other primary source documents related to the study of art history and visual culture. The range of periods covered will extend from antiquity to the nineteenth century.

This course is a chronological survey of the development of the Ancient and Medieval worlds from the beginnings of the Neolithic Revolution to the end of the Middle Ages. The course will focus on the major ideas, institutions, social structures, forms of artistic expression, and historical figures that shaped the civilizations of the Ancient Near East, Greece, Rome and Medieval Europe. Students will also be introduced to the research methods used within the discipline of history.

Questions about justice and morality have been raised time and time again in Western civilization as well as in other
civilizations. Answers to these questions have been advanced by many different major thinkers, philosophers and
ideologies, which all find their ultimate source and foundations in the thought and writings of Greek and Roman
philosophers of the Ancient World, and most notably Plato and Aristotle, the two most important Greek philosophers and the two main sources of Western philosophy. Students will consider and reflect upon Plato’s and Aristotle’s views of
morality and justice, through their moral philosophies and their political theories, as well as their views of human nature. This will be done through a careful reading of some central passages in Plato’s and Aristotle’s writings, such as Plato’s
“Republic” and Aristotle’s “Ethics” and by relating these texts to issues of justice and morality in our own society.

This course introduces students to thinking, talking and writing about literature at the college level. Students will
complete this course with tools that they will be able to use in future literature courses, such as the abilities to think
critically, analyze evidence carefully, develop original arguments, and communicate effectively. By the end of term, successful students will be able to analyze a short literary text and write a 750-word theme analysis.

“If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound?” How can anything be known with
certainty? Can we base our knowledge on our senses? Is scientific knowledge more reliable? Since our eyes have been
known to “deceive” us and some scientific “facts” become obsolete, can we really know anything? The focus of the course is to incite critical and creative thinking about all presumed knowledge by asking, and attempting to answer, one simple question, How do you know?

This course is designed to acquaint students with different philosophical perspectives and views on law. Such questions, among others, will be explored: What is law? What are the origins and foundations of legal systems? What is the relationship between law, politics, and morality? What are the criteria of legal validity? Where do rights come from and what is their philosophical justification? What is the legal and political status of constitutions? Throughout the semester students will be introduced to the theories and notions of various contemporary thinkers on these questions and will also be asked to critically analyse different legal practices and issues with the use of these theories and notions.

This course introduces students to the use of proper research methods in the Liberal Arts. Students will practice the various research and expository skills needed to write a major academic research essay (e.g., critical evaluation of primary and secondary sources, organized note-taking, writing of increasingly well-structured and clearly expressed drafts). During the lab period the students will have the opportunity to improve their computer skills.

The main focus of this course is the origins of the novel but the broader purpose is to investigate how and why literary genres change. A cross-section of works from antiquity to the 1700s will be analyzed. More contemporary examples may also be used to show how genres continue to evolve today. In addition to gaining a valuable perspective on cultural history, students will learn several approaches to textual analysis and trace the origins of some of their favorite genres of books and films.

Throughout history, human beings have tried to understand the world and their own individual existence. To do so, they have developed worldviews: visions of the cosmos, of the place of human beings in this cosmos, of human nature, and of society. Within Western Civilization, a limited number of worldviews have shaped our present vision of the world, of human nature and of society; one major worldview is that of Humanism which sees humans as having fundamental value and potential. But to understand Humanism we must look at the worldview that came before it and which was entirely opposed to it: the Medieval Christian worldview, which, with its God centered perspective, did not recognize any inherent value to an individual human being. Students will thus be introduced to these two worldviews, their modes of expression in the arts, literature and philosophy, and their impact on our world.

Some of the great philosophical ideas of the Modern Age in the 17th and 18th century will be considered this semester. These ideas have shaped the modern world, its political and social institutions, and its views of reason, human beings, liberty, morality, and politics. Since many of these ideas are still accepted in the 21st century, we will also explore ways in which they have influenced our current views. Students will thus explore the thinking of modern and contemporary
philosophers who addressed such questions as: What is the source of legitimate political power? Are we first of all individuals or members of a society? Do we have rights other than those granted by society? What are the basis and limits of religious tolerance? Are humans good or evil by nature? What is happiness? What principles should guide the distribution of social and economic goods? Can greater liberty, economic prosperity, wealth and private property lead to progress and to greater human happiness? These questions will be addressed through some major relevant texts, including the political and social theories of Hobbes, Locke, Spinoza and Rousseau, among others.

This course is designed to allow students to investigate themes and topics related to two major areas of human thinking and knowledge: logic and mathematics. The course will consider such topics as the nature of reasoning, the relation between logic and mathematics, the relation between knowledge and mathematics, the nature and place of truth and validation within mathematics, and the status of rationality. The course will also include a laboratory component made up of exercises to allow students to explore and better understand these themes and topics.

Myth and religion have played a central role in the development of civilization for millennia, and to this day religious
worldviews purport to offer answers not only to basic questions of human existence, but also explanations for natural
phenomena and justifications for social and ethical mores, political structures, and systems of law. This course traces the history and development of religious ideas, with a focus on early mythology, the Semitic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and the Eastern traditions (Buddhism and Hinduism). Using key texts from the religions studied and focusing on comparative themes, students will be challenged to address the historical and contemporary importance of these ideas while evaluating them in the light of other worldviews, both religious and secular.

This course examines the historical events and forces that have shaped the development of Western Civilization from the Renaissance era to the 19th century. Lecture topics will include the Italian Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, exploration and colonization, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and the American and French Revolutions. Particular attention will be paid to the periods of the Enlightenment and the revolutions that gave birth to nation-states of early modern Europe.

Throughout time, changing technologies have influenced the production of art. During the nineteenth century the invention of photography and recording technologies inspired a wave of new creative media and genres of artistic expression. This course will examine the connection between art and developing technologies from the nineteenth century to the present day. The study of topics related to artistic authenticity and originality in the age of mass production will encourage students to develop skills for critical media analysis.

The History of Law course will look at the development and practice of European law over time. The course will address the evolution of our modern legal systems, namely civil law and common law, and examine a variety of themes and ideas such as ius commune, law of nations and natural law, as well as secular and canon bodies of law in their historical context. The course will track the evolution of law in Europe from Antiquity (Ancient Greece and Rome), throughout the Middle Ages, and into the Modern and Contemporary eras.

This course introduces students to a variety of Romantic and Realist works, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. The reading list may include novels, stories, poems, essays or plays and some of them may be in translation. By analyzing details of literary works and their contexts, students will explore and write about ideas such as individuality, sentiment, nature, social change, and justice.

The seminar is intended to serve as the framework within which students will meet the two requirements of the
stipulated comprehensive assessment for the L.A. program: the comprehensive exam and the research essay. This essay and the final exam constitute the épreuve synthèse required by the Ministry of Education to successfully complete the Liberal Arts program. The seminar is therefore specially designed to give students the supervision required in the process of writing a major research essay and using one of the major critical approaches found in the field of the “humanities”. This will be done mainly through class meetings, small group meetings and individual supervision meetings. In addition the seminar will continue to explore the great tradition of the humanities of Western Civilization which students undertook in the first semester of their studies, and focus every year on a central theme expressed in the humanities of the late 29th to the early 21st century. Students will explore and reflect upon these themes through readings and class discussions.

This course charts the history of the scientific approach to knowledge. It focuses on the transition from the medieval worldview to one where nature is studied through the application of the scientific method. Students will learn the theory underlying some of the important developments in science after the 1500s. The course explores some of the philosophical assumptions that frame knowledge in science, and contextualises scientific knowledge within the artistic, literary and political movements of the time. An important distinction between science and other philosophies is that scientific knowledge is derived from sensory information and physical manipulation, augmented by technological tools. For this reason this course includes two hours of laboratory work per week, and emphasis is placed upon directly experiencing some of the techniques used by scientists to understand the world around us.

This course will examine the origins of our contemporary world by looking at the forces that shaped the 19th and 20th
centuries. Specifically, students will look at the industrialization of modern economies and the impacts this had on the
world. Other topics of discussion will include key ideas and themes of contemporary history including communism, imperialism, rights, democracy and global conflict and their influence on 20th century events.

This course is an exploration of how contemporary literature responds to, reflects and shapes our world. The reading list might involve the study of works in translation as well as works written originally in English. Students will consider the links between the details of literary texts and their cultural meaning. The course also considers aesthetic aspects of contemporary literature through the examination of developments in literary technique.

In this course students will be presented with some moral principles and some major ethical theories which they will be required to use in the examination of fundamental issues of interest to all, and of specific moral issues specially relevant to the law and civilization profiles within the program, such as social justice, law and morality, human rights, international law and the notion of a just war.

This course will focus on the analysis of art and artistic achievements from the civilizations that have informed the development of Western cultures. The themes of power and beauty will be examined through pictorial and sculptural representations, architecture, and other primary source documents related to the study of art history and visual culture. The range of periods covered will extend from antiquity to the nineteenth century.

Topics in this course include: limits, continuity, differentiation, curve sketching, maxima and minima, differentials and
antiderivatives. Examples and applications will be drawn from economics, business and social sciences.

Questions about justice and morality have been raised time and time again in Western civilization as well as in other
civilizations. Answers to these questions have been advanced by many different major thinkers, philosophers and
ideologies, which all find their ultimate source and foundations in the thought and writings of Greek and Roman
philosophers of the Ancient World, and most notably Plato and Aristotle, the two most important Greek philosophers and the two main sources of Western philosophy. Students will consider and reflect upon Plato’s and Aristotle’s views of
morality and justice, through their moral philosophies and their political theories, as well as their views of human nature. This will be done through a careful reading of some central passages in Plato’s and Aristotle’s writings, such as Plato’s
“Republic” and Aristotle’s “Ethics” and by relating these texts to issues of justice and morality in our own society.

This course is a chronological survey of the development of the Ancient and Medieval worlds from the beginnings of the Neolithic Revolution to the end of the Middle Ages. The course will focus on the major ideas, institutions, social structures, forms of artistic expression, and historical figures that shaped the civilizations of the Ancient Near East, Greece, Rome and Medieval Europe. Students will also be introduced to the research methods used within the discipline of history.

This course introduces students to thinking, talking and writing about literature at the college level. Students will
complete this course with tools that they will be able to use in future literature courses, such as the abilities to think
critically, analyze evidence carefully, develop original arguments, and communicate effectively. By the end of term, successful students will be able to analyze a short literary text and write a 750-word theme analysis.

“If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound?” How can anything be known with
certainty? Can we base our knowledge on our senses? Is scientific knowledge more reliable? Since our eyes have been
known to “deceive” us and some scientific “facts” become obsolete, can we really know anything? The focus of the course is to incite critical and creative thinking about all presumed knowledge by asking, and attempting to answer, one simple question, How do you know?

This course is designed to acquaint students with different philosophical perspectives and views on law. Such questions, among others, will be explored: What is law? What are the origins and foundations of legal systems? What is the relationship between law, politics, and morality? What are the criteria of legal validity? Where do rights come from and what is their philosophical justification? What is the legal and political status of constitutions? Throughout the semester students will be introduced to the theories and notions of various contemporary thinkers on these questions and will also be asked to critically analyse different legal practices and issues with the use of these theories and notions.

This course introduces students to the use of proper research methods in the Liberal Arts. Students will practice the various research and expository skills needed to write a major academic research essay (e.g., critical evaluation of primary and secondary sources, organized note-taking, writing of increasingly well-structured and clearly expressed drafts). During the lab period the students will have the opportunity to improve their computer skills.

Topics in this course include: review of differentiation, integration techniques, applications of integration, improper
integrals and infinite series. Applications and examples will be drawn from economics, business and social sciences.

The main focus of this course is the origins of the novel but the broader purpose is to investigate how and why literary genres change. A cross-section of works from antiquity to the 1700s will be analyzed. More contemporary examples may also be used to show how genres continue to evolve today. In addition to gaining a valuable perspective on cultural history, students will learn several approaches to textual analysis and trace the origins of some of their favorite genres of books and films.

Throughout history, human beings have tried to understand the world and their own individual existence. To do so, they have developed worldviews: visions of the cosmos, of the place of human beings in this cosmos, of human nature, and of society. Within Western Civilization, a limited number of worldviews have shaped our present vision of the world, of human nature and of society; one major worldview is that of Humanism which sees humans as having fundamental value and potential. But to understand Humanism we must look at the worldview that came before it and which was entirely opposed to it: the Medieval Christian worldview, which, with its God centered perspective, did not recognize any inherent value to an individual human being. Students will thus be introduced to these two worldviews, their modes of expression in the arts, literature and philosophy, and their impact on our world.

Some of the great philosophical ideas of the Modern Age in the 17th and 18th century will be considered this semester. These ideas have shaped the modern world, its political and social institutions, and its views of reason, human beings, liberty, morality, and politics. Since many of these ideas are still accepted in the 21st century, we will also explore ways in which they have influenced our current views. Students will thus explore the thinking of modern and contemporary
philosophers who addressed such questions as: What is the source of legitimate political power? Are we first of all individuals or members of a society? Do we have rights other than those granted by society? What are the basis and limits of religious tolerance? Are humans good or evil by nature? What is happiness? What principles should guide the distribution of social and economic goods? Can greater liberty, economic prosperity, wealth and private property lead to progress and to greater human happiness? These questions will be addressed through some major relevant texts, including the political and social theories of Hobbes, Locke, Spinoza and Rousseau, among others.

This course is designed to allow students to investigate themes and topics related to two major areas of human thinking and knowledge: logic and mathematics. The course will consider such topics as the nature of reasoning, the relation between logic and mathematics, the relation between knowledge and mathematics, the nature and place of truth and validation within mathematics, and the status of rationality. The course will also include a laboratory component made up of exercises to allow students to explore and better understand these themes and topics.

Myth and religion have played a central role in the development of civilization for millennia, and to this day religious
worldviews purport to offer answers not only to basic questions of human existence, but also explanations for natural
phenomena and justifications for social and ethical mores, political structures, and systems of law. This course traces the history and development of religious ideas, with a focus on early mythology, the Semitic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and the Eastern traditions (Buddhism and Hinduism). Using key texts from the religions studied and focusing on comparative themes, students will be challenged to address the historical and contemporary importance of these ideas while evaluating them in the light of other worldviews, both religious and secular.

This course examines the historical events and forces that have shaped the development of Western Civilization from the Renaissance era to the 19th century. Lecture topics will include the Italian Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, exploration and colonization, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and the American and French Revolutions. Particular attention will be paid to the periods of the Enlightenment and the revolutions that gave birth to nation-states of early modern Europe.

Throughout time, changing technologies have influenced the production of art. During the nineteenth century the invention of photography and recording technologies inspired a wave of new creative media and genres of artistic expression. This course will examine the connection between art and developing technologies from the nineteenth century to the present day. The study of topics related to artistic authenticity and originality in the age of mass production will encourage students to develop skills for critical media analysis.

This course introduces students to a variety of Romantic and Realist works, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. The reading list may include novels, stories, poems, essays or plays and some of them may be in translation. By analyzing details of literary works and their contexts, students will explore and write about ideas such as individuality, sentiment, nature, social change, and justice.

This course will examine the origins of our contemporary world by looking at the forces that shaped the 19th and 20th
centuries. Specifically, students will look at the industrialization of modern economies and the impacts this had on the
world. Other topics of discussion will include key ideas and themes of contemporary history including communism, imperialism, rights, democracy and global conflict and their influence on 20th century events.

This course charts the history of the scientific approach to knowledge. It focuses on the transition from the medieval worldview to one where nature is studied through the application of the scientific method. Students will learn the theory underlying some of the important developments in science after the 1500s. The course explores some of the philosophical assumptions that frame knowledge in science, and contextualises scientific knowledge within the artistic, literary and political movements of the time. An important distinction between science and other philosophies is that scientific knowledge is derived from sensory information and physical manipulation, augmented by technological tools. For this reason this course includes two hours of laboratory work per week, and emphasis is placed upon directly experiencing some of the techniques used by scientists to understand the world around us.

Topics include: systems of linear equations, matrices, determinants, the dot and cross products, vectors, three-dimensional geometry, linear programming and other applications. Examples and applications will be drawn from economics, business and social sciences.

The seminar is intended to serve as the framework within which students will meet the two requirements of the
stipulated comprehensive assessment for the L.A. program: the comprehensive exam and the research essay. This essay and the final exam constitute the épreuve synthèse required by the Ministry of Education to successfully complete the Liberal Arts program. The seminar is therefore specially designed to give students the supervision required in the process of writing a major research essay and using one of the major critical approaches found in the field of the “humanities”. This will be done mainly through class meetings, small group meetings and individual supervision meetings. In addition the seminar will continue to explore the great tradition of the humanities of Western Civilization which students undertook in the first semester of their studies, and focus every year on a central theme expressed in the humanities of the late 29th to the early 21st century. Students will explore and reflect upon these themes through readings and class discussions.

This course is an exploration of how contemporary literature responds to, reflects and shapes our world. The reading list might involve the study of works in translation as well as works written originally in English. Students will consider the links between the details of literary texts and their cultural meaning. The course also considers aesthetic aspects of contemporary literature through the examination of developments in literary technique.

In this course students will be presented with some moral principles and some major ethical theories which they will be required to use in the examination of fundamental issues of interest to all, and of specific moral issues specially relevant to the law and civilization profiles within the program, such as social justice, law and morality, human rights, international law and the notion of a just war.