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ARCHIVED 2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

The courses listed herein  have been approved by the faculty as authorized by the Board of Trustees.  Prerequisites (if any) and the General Education Requirement(s) which each course fulfills (if any) are noted following each course description.

Current course offerings are available in Merlin.
 

Shimer Great Books

All Shimer School courses are distinctive in two major ways.

First, there are no textbooks. Instead, all materials in every course are “primary texts”—including books, artworks, and scientific experiments—that represent landmark achievements in all the areas studied in the Shimer School curriculum: the Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences.

Second, classes are limited to 14 students. They take place around octagonal tables designed to facilitate discussions about the course materials. Every Shimer School class session is a “Socratic seminar” in which all students consider each other’s interpretations of the materials in a cooperative effort to understand the texts, themselves and one another better.

In addition to intensive reading and discussions, course work generally takes the form of essay writing and, especially in the science courses, exercises drawn from the materials of the course. In this light, students are responsible for the content of what they learn in a Shimer School course to an unusual degree. They are thus expected to combine diligent work habits with imaginative curiosity and a collegial ethos and to integrate what they have learned in other courses and their lives into insights that cross, and eventually transcend, traditional disciplinary boundaries.
  

  • SGBH 325 - Epic Poetry

    4.00 credit hours
    Epic poems - long narrative poems that arise out of a collaborative oral tradition - are central to literary cultures around the world, The Iliad and the Odyssey are the Western exemplars; in India, the Mahabarata and the Ramayana have a similar status. Along with these works, this course also covers epics from China and Scandinavia as well as scholarly background providing aesthetic and historical interpretations of the poems and the genre of the “epic” in general.

    Prerequisite(s): One course in English, Shimer Humanities, Shimer Social Science or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, Global Understanding.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 326 - Black, Brown and Beige: The Spirit of African American Arts

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBS 326 .) In literature, music, art, photography, film and architecture, black Americans have made signal contributions to modern arts and culture. This inter-disciplinary class covers a wide range of these texts and works of art, as well as the relevant history and politics informing them. Special attention is given to figures associated with Chicago, such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright, Louis Armstrong and Kerry James Marshall.

    Prerequisite(s): One course in Art Design, Art History, English, Music, Shimer Humanities, Shimer Social Science or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequality.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  
  

  • SGBH 330 - Foucault and Butler

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBS 330 .) Through the works of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, we examine the interplay between power, subjectivity, sexuality, and ethics. We will also examine the potential for a socially constructed subject to engage in ethical political action.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBH 101  or SGBS 201 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 331 - The Political Philosophy of Hannah Arendt

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBS 331 .) Hannah Arendt is one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. Her first book was a detailed analysis of the two major totalitarian trends that defined her world, the communism of Stalin and the racial ideology of the Third Reich. We will survey the broad range of her thinking on all the themes of classical philosophy. But, like her, we will concentrate on political issues, especially the threat to social order posed by totalitarianism.

    Prerequisite(s): One course in English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Shimer Humanities, Shimer Social Science or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.
    iCon(s): Engaging Civic Life.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 332 - Dante’s Divine Comedy

    4.00 credit hours
    Composed at the beginning of the 14th century, Dante’s Divine Comedy is arguably the central text in the entire Western literary canon. Encapsulating the Greek, Roman and European poetic and historical traditions along with the theology of the Western church the poem laid the groundwork for much important artistic expression of the centuries to come. As T.S. Eliot said, “Dante and Shakespeare divide the modern world between them.” Students will read all one hundred cantos of this important epic, along with commentary, over the course of the semester.

    Prerequisite(s): One course in English, Philosophy, Religion; or SGBH 101 , SGBH 102  or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 333 - Heidegger’s Being and Time

    4.00 credit hours
    Students delve into a close study of one of the foundational works of 20th century European philosophy. They read Heidegger’s Being and Time in its entirety, along with selections from the seminar courses he taught in the years following the book’s publication.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBH 201 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 334 - Shakespeare Film: Study in Drama Genre

    4.00 credit hours
    Focusing on one of the four major dramatic genres in which Shakespeare composed (tragedy, comedy, history, romance) as well as classic films on or about the plays, students will both read selected plays and view excerpts of taped performances and film versions of the plays. Class time will be devoted to student-led discussions of the plays as well as dramatic readings of portions of each text.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBH 101  and SGBH 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 335 - Virginia Woolf and Post-Structural Theory

    4.00 credit hours
    Students read and critique Virginia Woolf’s major fictional works in conjunction with post-structuralist literary and social theory. Works analyzed include “The Waves”; “Orlando”; “Between the Acts”; and “The Years”. Students also read several of her non-fiction books and essays including “A Room of One’s Own”; “Three Guinaes”; and “The Moment”.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBH 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 339 - I’m Ok, You’re Ok: The History and Practice of Wellness

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as SGBS 339 .) Insurance companies, employers, educators and influencers all agree that we need to better our physical and spiritual selves, that we need to practice wellness to be well. Though the roots of this phenomenon are in the religious traditions and martial disciplines, wellness is now a spectacularly lucrative industry, and, as such, it should be approached critically. To be well is to not only engage in a particular set of practices, but to be savvy to the economics, sociology and history of a set of profit-driven enterprises. This course, therefore, takes a holistic approach and aims to teach wellness as both a variety of practical disciplines and a complex web of ideologies, prejudices and assumptions. Students will read influential texts from diverse traditions, examine the history and sources of various wellness trends and experiment with different well-being practices (such as meditation, yoga and other body arts, and approaches to sleep and diet).

    Prerequisite(s): One course from Shimer Humanities, Shimer Natural Science or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Well Being.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 348 - Origins and Destinies

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBN 348 .) Science and most religions have explanations of how humans came to be and how the world as formed. These stories are decidedly different from each other, but resonate at a variety of levels. We will read and discuss scientific, religious, and mythological stories of the creation and fate of the world. Readings range from the Big Bang to Genesis, from Darwin to the Upanishads, from Kant to Middle Earth, among others.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 354 - Classics in the History of Science

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBN 354 .) What is science? What is the character of the knowledge it offers? What are its limits? How certain is it? This course addresses such questions as students read philosophers and historians of science who examine the development of modern science and its characteristics, as both a social and an intellectual enterprise

    Prerequisite(s): SGBN 101  and SGBN 102 .
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBH 359 - Topics in the Humanities

    2.00-4.00 credit hours
    Students focus one or more key figures, texts, ideas and practices in the Humanities. Students may retake this course for credit for sections covering significantly different content.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBH 101  and SGBH 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  
  
  

  • SGBI 101 - The Classical Foundations: Logic and Math

    4.00 credit hours
    Axiomatic systems are the foundation of mathematics and logic. Accordingly, we investigate the nature of proof using reasoning based on formal statements following the geometry of Euclid and the logical writings of Aristotle. Descartes’ unification of algebra and plane geometry relying on his new approach to truth and analytic reasoning concludes the course.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Quantitative Analysis.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBI 102 - The Modern Foundations of Logic and Math

    4.00 credit hours
    The study of modern mathematics and logic begins with probability and the beginnings of the mathematical formalization of statistics based on the writings of Pascal and Hume. Students then investigate how the “Imaginary Geometry” of Lobachevsky examines the assumptions of Euclidean space, how Einstein’s relativity theory corrects and expands the Newtonian world system and Godel’s proof demonstrates the inherent limits of axiomatic reasoning.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBI 101 .
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Quantitative Analysis.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBI 451 - Integrative Studies: Ancient Early Modern World

    4.00 credit hours
    The Shimer Great Books School’s senior capstone sequence explores the complex relationship between text and context. The course is organized around a series of interdisciplinary units that explore a particular historical and geographic setting through the lenses of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. During this first semester, the course focuses on the pre-modern world (i.e. before the end of the 15th century).

    Prerequisite(s): SGBH 201  and SGBH 202  ; or SGBN 201  and SGBN 202 ; or SGBS 201  and SGBS 202 ; Pass the Basic Comprehensive Exam.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBI 452 - Integrative Studies: The Modern World

    4.00 credit hours
    During this second semester of the Shimer School’s senior capstone sequence, students focus on the modern world from the 15th century to our contemporary moment. Again, students examine a series of interdisciplinary units that explore a particular historical and geographic setting through the lenses of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBI 451 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBI 496 - Thesis

    4.00 credit hours
    Students plan, research and carry out a senior thesis project centered on an important work, figure, movement or concept, which must be grounded in their major area but may span multiple disciplines. Students in each of the Shimer School majors (Humanities, Liberal Studies, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences) meet as a cohort to discuss writing strategies, report on their progress and present their work. Students in the Humanities and Liberal Studies majors have the option of completing a creative work, whether written or in some other medium as their thesis project.

    Prerequisite(s): Senior standing.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  
  
  

  • SGBN 101 - The Shape of the World

    4.00 credit hours
    How do we understand how people in the past came to their beliefs about the natural world and pursue questions about it? This gateway to the Natural Sciences surveys general forms of ancient knowledge about nature. What questions were important? How did the answers form a system? Through texts, experiments and observations from the Pre-Socratics to the late Medieval Cosmos, including contributions of Islam and other cultures, students study the early formation of holistic conceptions of nature and our relation to it.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Sciences, Global Understanding.
    iCon(s): Experiencing Place, Thinking Globally.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 102 - What is Matter?

    4.00 credit hours
    Western ideas of matter proceed from the Pre-Socratics through Aristotle, medieval scholastic-Aristotelianism and alchemy before being reshaped by the views enunciated by Bacon, which herald new practices and ideas (mathematization, experimentation and mechanism). Through texts, experiments and observations developed from ancient to modern times, students see a shift in fundamental questions, particularly regarding the nature of matter. Through historical accounts of the transition, students come to distinguish between the ancient project to understand the world and the modern project to predict and control it.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Sciences.
    iCon(s): Innovating the World.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 191 - Humanimal

    2.00 credit hours
    In what sense - if any - are humans distinct from all other animals? That is, how can human beings be meaningfully distinguished from other animals, even given our willingness to compare ourselves to - and even identify ourselves with, in however limited a way - any number of other species in the animal kingdom? Could it be that everything we have long taken to be specifically “human” can be found, in one form or another, among other animals? If so, what sense would it make then to insist on a distinctive notion of humanity apart from the rest of the animal - or simply “natural” - world? What implications do these questions have for how we as humans care for ourselves and others, and how we design and inhabit our institutions together? These are the questions that will drive our inquiry, which will include classical and major contemporary works of biology, primatology, philosophy, psychology, well-being, literature and visual art.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 201 - What is Motion?

    4.00 credit hours
    The history of the modern study of motion (or mechanics) begins with Galileo, followed by Descartes and, above all, Newton. Generations later, Faraday offers experimental work to unify the idea of “force,” which leads to attempts to unify physical theories of matter, electricity, light and energy in the work of Einstein and quantum mechanics. Through primary texts and reflections on the social and cultural contexts in which the science of mechanics developed, students carry on epistemological inquiries begun in prior courses. They also undertake a semester-long experimental investigation into the nature of light.

    Prerequisite(s): Cardinal Directions Science course or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Sciences, Writing Intensive.
    iCon(s): Innovating the World.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 202 - What is Life?

    4.00 credit hours
    Concentrating on the modern development of biology, this course begins with answers to the question of the course title in the 17th century and proceed thence to the recent neo-Darwinian synthesis. Through readings and laboratory exercises in evolutionary and genetic theory, students study their origins and the social and cultural milieux in which they developed. Epistemological questions raised earlier in the Natural Sciences sequence continue to guide inquiry, along with new ethical and even political considerations involving the question of the course title.

    Prerequisite(s): Cardinal Directions Science course or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Sciences, Writing Intensive.
    iCon(s): Being Human.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 229 - Theories of Metaphor and Conceptual Blending

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 229  and SGBS 229 .) Metaphors are arguably at the root of all meaning making. They occur and recur in virtually every kind of communication, even non-linguistic forms. At their core, however, metaphors are notoriously difficult to understand in their own right. This course surveys a variety of literary, philosophical, psychological, historical and linguistic theories of the work of metaphors in texts from the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 242 - History: Space Program in Film Video

    4.00 credit hours
    At the opening of the tumultuous 1960s, John F. Kennedy announced that “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.” Students examine news videos and documentary and feature films that portray the era reliably. Beyond looking into the historical record, students gather what they can of the feeling of the time, especially the optimism and “can-do” spirit of those who devoted themselves to what they saw as a grand mission.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 343 - Objectivity

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBS 343 .) The current notion of objectivity emerged in the mid-nineteenth century sciences. Students chart the emergence of this notion and the vision of the world it makes possible. At stake in discussions of objectivity are the questions “what is reality composed of?” and “what is its relation to us?” Is it lying there waiting to be known, is it constructed, is it made up of things-in-themselves or things behind the phenomena? Can being and knowledge be separated? These are some of the questions students entertain in this course.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 344 - Dark Side of Evolution: Social Darwinism

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBS 344 .) This course examines selected cases of the application of evolutionary theories to human subjects, from Darwin onwards. Many of these applications (such as eugenics) were and continue to be controversial and this course follows the development of debates about them over time.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, Ethical Dimensions, U.S. Power Structures.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 345 - Hysteria and the Modern Psyche

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBS 345 .) Hysteria flourished as a diagnostic category in 19th and early 20th century Europe. This course explores its connections to new conceptions of the self and to the emerging sciences of neurology, psychology and psychiatry. This course looks at scientific, literary and artistic renderings of this phenomenon and at the broader cultural impact of hysteria, hypnosis and related conceptions of “nervousness.”

    Prerequisite(s): SGBS 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 346 - Revolutions: Scientific and Political

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBS 346 .) The conception of Revolution is now encrusted with tradition. Few historical episodes present themselves as more substantial or more self-evidently worthy of study. Nevertheless, like many twentieth-century “traditions,” the notion of Revolution is not nearly as old as we think. The phrase, “The Scientific Revolution,” for example, was not in common use before Alexandre Koyr gave it wider currency in 1939. This course examines two paradigmatic “revolutions” the French Revolution and the Scientific Revolution and the history of their interpretation over time.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBN 101  and SGBN 102  or SGBS 101  and SGBS 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 348 - Origins and Destinies

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 348 .) Science and most religions propose explanations of how the world was formed and how humans came to be. These stories are decidedly different from each other, but resonate at a variety of levels. Students read and discuss scientific, religious, and mythological stories of the creation and fate of the world. Readings range from the Big Bang to Genesis, from Darwin to the Upanishads, from Kant to Middle Earth, among others.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 349 - Basic Probability and Statistics: Drawing Good Inferences and Identifying Bad Ones

    4.00 credit hours
    A famous quotation states that there are three levels of deception: lies, damned lies and statistics. The problems with statistics stem from a combination of misunderstanding, misinterpreting and even misusing data. Students first learn how to assess data and statistical claims critically by using the basic assumptions of statistics and verifying whether those assumptions are validly met. Readings and exercises are designed to help the educated layperson, especially one in education or the social sciences, identify whether a claim or data are reliable.

    Prerequisite(s): One quantitative analysis course.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 352 - Great Equations

    4.00 credit hours
    Great Equations uses animated cartoons, movies, laboratory work, and readings ranging from aesthetics to physics to complex analysis. We explore mathematics and mathematical physics to appreciate the beauty in (some of) the most famous equations. Not all equations are beautiful, according to mathematicians. Of each equation we consider, we will ask: What do the symbols mean? What does the equation as a whole mean? How is it derived, including the assumptions it carries? And: is it beautiful?


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 354 - Classics in History and Philosophy of Science

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 354 .) What is science? What is the character of the knowledge it offers? What are its limits? How certain is it? This course addresses such questions as students read philosophers and historians of science who examine the development of modern science and its characteristics, as both a social and an intellectual enterprise.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBN 101  and SGBN 102 .
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 355 - Readings in Science Studies

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBS 355 .) The recently created field of science studies has subverted traditional philosophical and historical notions of what science is and how it works. Students read a variety of texts from contemporary practitioners such as Shapin, Knorr-Cetina, Latour, Pinch, Pickering and Haraway.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBN 101  and SGBN 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBN 359 - Topics in the Natural Sciences

    2.00-4.00 credit hours
    Students focus on key figures, texts, ideas and practices in the natural sciences and their history from ancient to contemporary times. Students may retake this course for credit for sections covering significantly different content.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBN 101  and SGBN 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  
  
  

  • SGBS 101 - Models of Social Thought

    4.00 credit hours
    The disciplines of sociology, anthropology and economics gave shape to many of the most fundamental concepts of social thought. The texts in this “gateway” to the Social Sciences focus on specifically social phenomena and the theories, normative and descriptive, that arise from the study of structural realities such as the state, the economy, race, gender and class. This course concludes by considering economics as a “model” social science, testing its methods and how its theoretical commitments purport either to describe or guide social action.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Social Sciences, Ethical Dimensions, U.S. Power Structures.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 102 - The Western Political Tradition

    4.00 credit hours
    The development of the Western political thought and of the US in particular can be traced from ancient through contemporary texts. This course addresses questions about the nature of laws and the authority of the state across this long tradition. Students study key terms in political thought, including freedom, liberty, equality, power and responsibility. The course concludes by looking deeply into challenges posed to the American political order over time by the movements for abolition, women’s suffrage and civil rights.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Social Sciences, Ethical Dimensions, U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Engaging Civic Life.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 190 - What is Power?

    2.00 credit hours
    “Power” is a vague word but a very real phenomenon. We all exervise a variety of forms of power over others and we are all subject to others’ exercise of power. Through a series of classic and contemporary texts we will begin by defining a variety of kinds of power, starting with interpersonal and organizational contexts in which power is often exercised through relatively implicit mechanisms. But we will culminate our investigation in international and intercultural contexts, where the exercise of power becomes relatively open and explicit. Throughout, we will also come to understand better what we mean by such related terms as authority, legitimacy, dependence, force, obedience and resistance.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Global Understanding.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 201 - Critical Theories of Society and Politics

    4.00 credit hours
    Western political history and its theoretical background have undergone serious critique over time, particularly regarding forms of domination and alienation that are not addressed by classical liberal political theory. Beginning with Hegel’s philosophical defense of the modern state, students engage with Marxist, anarchist, feminist and post-colonial critiques of the dominant Western power structures of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

    Prerequisite(s): Cardinal Directions Social Science course or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Social Sciences, Ethical Dimensions, U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequity.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 202 - Social Formation and Social Transformation

    4.00 credit hours
    Societies form individuals. In texts illustrating a wide range of social scientific methods, this course examines how the process of individuation might be interrupted or diverted. Beginning with a study of various accounts of the social and moral formation of children, the course moves to a study of broader theories of the social construction of reality within a range of social contexts. The course concludes with a consideration of the possibility for transforming society itself through the emergence of new social structures and norms. Students complete a major research paper.

    Prerequisite(s): Cardinal Directions Social Sciences course or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Community Engaged Learning, Writing Intensive.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequity.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 220 - Classics of Historical Writing

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 220 .) Students study the approaches to narrative, their rhetoric and analyze the use of evidence in masterpieces of historical writing and historiography. Special emphasis is be given to their context and influence. Authors include Herodotus, Thucydides, Tacitus, Ibn Khaldun, Machiavelli, Gibbon, Henry Adams and Marc Bloch.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 229 - Theories of Metaphor and Conceptual Blending

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 229  and SGBN 229 .) Metaphors are arguably at the root of all meaning making. They occur and reoccur in virtually every kind of communication, even non-linguistic forms. At their core, however, metaphors are notoriously difficult to understand themselves. This course surveys a variety of literary, philosophical, psychological, historical and linguistic theories of how metaphors in examining texts from the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 236 - Rabelais: Context and Transform Legacy

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 236 .) Rabelais, the 16th century author of an exuberant comic fantasy that intertwines learning and obscenity, created an innovative mythology on a gargantuan scale. Its celebration of laughter and freedom provides a wild and wonderful view into Renaissance Europe. His writings have been an inspiration to some of the most profound innovations in modern critical theory, interpretations of popular culture, religious history and the history of literacy and reading.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 269 - The History and Critiques of Friendship

    4.00 credit hours
    The concept of friendship has an ancient lineage and continues to shape how we understand our selves and a vast array of relationships. So widely does the concept appear that it bears to be examined in a large variety of contexts, from everyday usage and literary depictions to high theoretical treatments that characterize friendship as among the highest goals of individual and collective life.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 278 - Why and What Should We Read? An Exploration of the Role of Reading in Our Lives

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 278 .) Reading is one of the hallmarks of human evolution, though it is a notoriously difficulty activity to characterize with any precision. The reading and discussion will center on reading across more than two millenniums of texts, from the origins of the Latin alphabet to meditations on electronic media. Students participate in two field trips into Chicago and practica in online textual annotation.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBH 101  and SGBS 101 .
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 310 - Feminist Theories

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 310 .) Students examine how gender roles are socially constructed. Students study various historical and contemporary approaches to feminist theory and apply these insights to an analysis of contemporary society.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBS 101  or SGBS 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 311 - Philosophy of Race and Gender

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 311 .) This course uses significant works in the philosophy of race and gender to guide students in a study of the interplay between power, subjectivity, race, gender and ethics.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Social Sciences, Ethical Dimensions, U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequity.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 317 - Neoliberalism and Popular Culture

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 317 .)This course is an interdisciplinary study of the political-economic system known as neoliberalism and its impact on popular culture. Students engage with several influential accounts of the neoliberal order from a variety of perspectives. They apply those concepts to representative films, television series and songs of the neoliberal era (approximately 1980 to the present), placing them in political and economic context.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBS 201 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 326 - Black, Brown and Beige: The Spirit of African American Arts

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 326 .) In literature, music, art, photography, film, and architecture, black Americans have made signal contributions to modern arts and culture. This inter-disciplinary class covers a wide range of these texts and works of art, as well as the relevant history and politics informing them. Special attention is given to figures associated with Chicago, such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright, Louis Armstrong and Kerry James Marshall.

    Prerequisite(s): One course in Art Design, Art History, English, Music, Shimer Humanities, Shimer Social Science or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequity.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 330 - Foucault and Butler

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 330 .) Through the works of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, this course examines the interplay between power, subjectivity, sexuality and ethics as well as the potential for a socially constructed subject to engage in ethical political action.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBH 201  or SGBS 201 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 331 - The Political Philosophy of Hannah Arendt

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBH 331 .) Hannah Arendt is one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. Her first book was a detailed analysis of the two major totalitarian trends that defined her world, the communism of Stalin and the racial ideology of the Third Reich. This course surveys the broad range of her thinking on all the themes of classical philosophy and concentrates on political issues, especially the threat to social order posed by totalitarianism.

    Prerequisite(s): One course in English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Shimer Humanities, Shimer Social Science or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.
    iCon(s): Engaging Civic Life.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 339 - I’m Ok, You’re Ok: The History and Practice of Wellness

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as SGBH 339 .)  Insurance companies, employers, educators and influencers all agree that we need to better our physical and spiritual selves, that we need to practice wellness to be well. Though the roots of this phenomenon are in the religious traditions and martial disciplines, wellness is now a spectacularly lucrative industry, and, as such, it should be approached critically. To be well is to not only engage in a particular set of practices, but to be savvy to the economics, sociology and history of a set of profit-driven enterprises. This course, therefore, takes a holistic approach and aims to teach wellness as both a variety of practical disciplines and a complex web of ideologies, prejudices and assumptions. Students will read influential texts from diverse traditions, examine the history and sources of various wellness trends and experiment with different well-being practices (such as meditation, yoga and other body arts, and approaches to sleep and diet).

    Prerequisite(s): One course from Shimer Humanities, Shimer Natural Science or instructor consent.
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Well Being.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 343 - Objectivity

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBN 343 .) Our current notion of objectivity emerged in the mid-nineteenth century sciences. This course charts the emergence of this notion and the vision of the world it makes possible. At stake in discussions of objectivity are the questions “what is reality composed of?” and “what is its relation to us?” Is it lying there waiting to be known, is it constructed, is it made up of things-in-themselves or things behind the phenomena? Can being and knowledge be separated? These are some of the questions that are entertained in this course.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 344 - Dark Side of Evolution: Social Darwinism

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBN 344 .) This course examines selected cases of the application of evolutionary theories to human subjects, from Darwin onwards. Many of these applications (such as eugenics) were and continue to be controversial and this course follows the development of these debates over time.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, Ethical Dimensions, U.S. Power Structures.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 345 - Hysteria and the Modern Psyche

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBN 345 .) This course explores the flourishing of hysteria as a diagnostic category in 19th and early 20th century Europe and its connections to new conceptions of the self and to the emerging sciences of neurology, psychology and psychiatry. This course looks at scientific, literary and artistic renderings of this phenomenon and also looks at the broader cultural impact of hysteria, hypnosis and related conceptions of “nervousness.”

    Prerequisite(s): SGBS 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 346 - Revolutions: Scientific and Political

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBN 346 .) The conception of Revolution is now encrusted with tradition. Few historical episodes present themselves as more substantial or more self-evidently worthy of study. Nevertheless, like many twentieth-century “traditions,” our notion of Revolution is not nearly as old as we think. The phrase, “The Scientific Revolution,” for example, was not in common use before Alexandre Koyr gave it wider currency in 1939. This course examines two paradigmatic “revolutions”—the French Revolution and the Scientific Revolution, and the history of their interpretation over time.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBN 101  and SGBN 102  or SGBS 101  and SGBS 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 355 - Readings in Science Studies

    4.00 credit hours
    (Same as: SGBN 355 .) The recently created field of science studies has subverted traditional philosophical and historical notions of what science is and how it works. Students read a variety of texts from contemporary practitioners such as Shapin, Knorr-Cetina, Latour, Pinch, Pickering and Haraway.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBN 101  and SGBN 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 359 - Topics in the Social Sciences

    2.00-4.00 credit hours
    Students focus on one or more key figures, texts, ideas and practices in the Social Sciences from ancient to contemporary times. Students may retake this course for credit for sections covering significantly different content.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBS 101  and SGBS 102 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 362 - Liberation Theologies

    4.00 credit hours
    An overview of important 20th-century attempts to rethink monotheistic traditions as a resource for political liberation. Students engage with important primary texts from Latin American, Black American, Feminist and Queer theological perspectives.

    Prerequisite(s):  SGBH 201  or SGBH 202 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 368 - Origins of Capitalism

    4.00 credit hours
    This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the origin of the capitalist system. Students engage with a variety of accounts, both appreciative and critical, of the distinctive economic system of the modern era. Key questions include the role of religion, race, gender, sexuality and family structures in the development of capitalism. Alongside social theoretical texts, students also encounter literary works that portray the development and effects of capitalist structures in a variety of historical and social settings.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBS 201 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SGBS 372 - Great Texts in the Marxist Tradition

    4.00 credit hours
    A close study of an important text, figure or movement within the Marxist tradition, ranging across political, economic and cultural topics. May be repeated for credit with a different topic.

    Prerequisite(s): SGBS 201 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  
  

Sociology
  

  • SOCI 100 - Life Chances and Choices: Introduction to Sociology

    4.00 credit hours
    Gateway to the social science of human interaction and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Development of a sociological imagination to grapple with diverse and fascinating societal issues ranging from deviance to structured inequalities. Special focus on the life chances and life choices in emerging adulthood in areas of relationships, education, and work.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Social Sciences, US Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequity.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 200 - Social Inquiry I: Quantitative

    4.00 credit hours
    An assessment of the strengths and limitations of various modes of quantitative data collection including experiments, surveys, content analysis and the use of secondary data. Sustained focus on applying the methods and techniques learned to actual social science data. Emphasis is placed on ethical issues, becoming a critical consumer of research and developing the ability to design and carry out an independent study.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Quantitative Analysis.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 210 - Gender: Patterns/Privileges/Possibilities

    2.00 credit hours
    Explores the social construction and importance of gender and sexualities in our social world including life experiences, opportunity structures and institutions, such as the military and the media. Evaluates who is privileged and disadvantaged in this categorization system and some of the ways in which current practices are being challenged. Particular attention paid to the intersection of race/ethnicity, social class and disabilities.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Social Sciences, U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Being Human.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 211 - Race/Ethnicity: Conflict and Change

    2.00 credit hours
    An examination of racial and ethnic diversity in American society, with a focus upon racial and ethnic inequality; prejudice, discrimination and institutional racism; patterns of race and ethnic relations; racial and ethnic responses to racism and subordination. Attention to the various ways race and ethnicity are created and recreated in society, and the way these social constructions permeate all aspects of societal life, despite remaining largely invisible and normalized.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Social Sciences, U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Being Human.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 212 - Social Class: Get Ahead/Fall Behind

    2.00 credit hours
    Social class impacts every aspect of life-from food choices, to college attendance, career options, good health, vulnerability to crime, happiness, life span, and on. Most importantly, it impacts the chances for getting ahead in society or falling behind. The social causes and personal consequences of class in American society are examined through a discussion of key concepts and theories, a cultural and structural tour through the class system, an examination of social mobility, and a debate on possible solutions to the problems of growing inequality.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Social Sciences, U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequity.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 220 - Crime, Law and Society

    4.00 credit hours
    An analytic and real world examination of the intricate relationship between crime, law and society. Examination of the social roots of criminal behavior, the emergence of criminal laws, the types of crime (homicide, burglary and arson), characterizing segments of society and the criminal justice response to offenders. Special attention devoted to specific types of crime, including white collar and organized crime.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequity.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 221 - Youth Justice, Crime and Law

    4.00 credit hours
    A close-up look at juvenile laws, crimes committed by young people and the juvenile justice system. Special attention given to specific crimes such as shoplifting, tagging and vandalism and more serious crimes of theft, assault and drug behavior. Discussions of social policies related to treatment and prevention and an analysis of juvenile courts, diversion program and incarceration.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequity.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 222 - Power-Based Personal Violence

    4.00 credit hours
    Debunks pervasive myths by delving into the causes and consequences of Power-Based Personal Violence, which takes many forms (e.g. harassment, stalking, sexual assault, intimate partner violence). Utilizes the lenses of intersectionality and social justice. Engages deeply with community partner prevention programs and trains with a strengths-based model of survivor empowerment. Makes space for candid conversations about the emotional impact of researching PBPV and anticipated career challenges in fields, such as criminal justice and social services.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): U.S. Power Structures, Community Engaged Learning.
    iCon(s): Engaging Civic Life.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 223 - Community and City Life

    4.00 credit hours
    Discover the breath of experiences, the range of life styles, and the persistent problems that make city life the social setting for the richest opportunities and most perplexing inequalities in contemporary society. Attention given to issues of urban culture, schooling, housing and planning for more sustainable and equitable environments.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Social Sciences, U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Engaging Civic Life.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 250 - Pathways in Sociology

    1.00 credit hours
    This course challenges students to reflect on how sociological skills and insights can be applied to their own lives, future careers and to the broader community. Students will examine the structural constraints individuals face as they consider personal and occupational vocations, explore specific career pathways, discuss the logistics of the job market and begin to develop resources to make them competitive applicants.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 295 - Research Practicum

    1.00-4.00 credit hours
    Work in collaboration with faculty on ongoing research. Activities vary according to project needs and student background, but may include bibliography construction, literature review, recruitment of participants, data collection and entry, qualitative coding or statistical analysis. This course is graded pass/no pass. May be taken more than once for up to four total credit hours.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  
  
  

  • SOCI 300 - Social Inquiry II: Qualitative

    4.00 credit hours
    Social researches and detectives have much in common. Both are concerned with human behavior and both investigate the world to gather evidence that produces valid and meaningful conclusions. This class provides students the opportunity to learn, practice and develop their research skills though the investigation of social worlds, with special emphasis upon in-depth interviews, observations, content analysis, focus groups and the ethical standards associated with each of these methods.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Writing Intensive.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 330 - Policing and Corrections

    4.00 credit hours
    Reviews how criminal punishment and the justifications for it (e.g. deterrence, retribution, rehabilitation, incapacitation and restoration) have evolved over time. Reflects on contemporary trends, such as the increased militarization and mass incarceration. Assesses the strategies of police and corrections officers and identifies best practices in criminal investigations, law enforcement, prisoner supervision, rehabilitation and reintegration. Special emphasis on relationships with the broader community.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 332 - Chicago Encounters

    4.00 credit hours
    From the Gold Coast to Pilsen, Bucktown to Bridgeport. Join with fellow students in a first-hand, field study of Chicago’s most interesting and intriguing neighborhoods. Students work together and conduct an original investigation of a selected neighborhood by means of interviews, demographic analysis and street level observations. A Chicago Semester course that provides students with a supervised introduction to the communities of the city and the opportunity to develop an appreciation for the personal and career opportunities in this world-class urban environment.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Community Engaged Learning.
    iCon(s): Experiencing Place.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 340 - Criminal Justice System

    4.00 credit hours
    An in-depth study of the functions, structure and organization of the agencies that are responsible for the administration of justice. Special emphasis is placed on the institutions and processes of law making and enforcement, the judicial system, corrections and the juvenile justice system. Attention is given to issues such as overburdened court calendars, crowded and explosive jail conditions, pervasive citizen fear of crime and understaffed police departments.

    Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 .
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Global Understanding.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 341 - Schools and Society

    4.00 credit hours
    Examines the education system through the sociological lens, focusing on the practices and outcomes of schooling and the structural environment in which schools are situated. Considers the relationship between organizational practices and individual experiences, as well as cross-cultural variation in educational systems. Attention given to school reform efforts, the “achievement gap” between students from different communities and debates about K-12 curricula.

    Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 .
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Global Understanding.
    iCon(s): Thinking Globally.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 342 - Families and Intimate Relationships

    4.00 credit hours
    Examines topics from a sociological and feminist perspective including the history of the family, the relationship between work and family, the changing definition of the family and the impact of class, race and gender on family dynamics. Thought-provoking discussions explore ideals about love, marriage, gender, parenthood, sex and sexuality-scientifically considering both the “public” and “private” dimensions of families over the course of the semester.

    Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 .
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Global Understanding.
    iCon(s): Thinking Globally.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 343 - Health, Illness and Care

    4.00 credit hours
    This course covers the theoretical orientations that guide sociological and anthropological insights into health, illness, treatment seeking and the organization of medical care and the current state of empirical knowledge in the field. Topics include the social origins of illness; lay beliefs about disease; sociodemographic variations in health care utilization; the profession of medicine; the structure of the American health care system and cross-national disparities in health and longevity. This course challenges our assumptions about the social foundations of health disparities, the sovereignty of medical providers and the administration of health care.

    Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100  or HTSC 230 .
    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Global Understanding.
    iCon(s): Examining Health.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 344 - Sport in Society

    4.00 credit hours
    An historical-comparative analysis of sport across time and cultures and its uses in ancient, medieval and modern societies is undertaken. Examines work-leisure patterns that developed over the course of American history. Primary consideration of the urban, industrial and commercial processes that contributed to culture formation, with particular emphases on class and gender relations, commercialized leisure practices and the impact of the mass media in the formation of value systems.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): U.S. Power Structures.
    iCon(s): Challenging Inequity, Engaging Civic Life.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SOCI 350 - Social Life and Social Theory

    4.00 credit hours
    An introduction, review and application of classic and modern sociological theories to everyday life. Emphasis placed upon the attempts to understand the emergence of modern and post-modern times and the underlying problems brought about by these social developments. Applications of social thought to issues of work, marriage, deviance, presentations of self, love, police work, gender, consumer behavior and punishment.

    Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Humanities, U.S. Power Structures.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  
  
  
  

  • SOCI 400 - Sociological Culminating Experience

    2.00 credit hours
    A synthesis and integration of the sociological knowledge acquired in coursework and other learning experiences. Students, either individually or in small groups, apply sociological understanding (theory, research methods or substantive knowledge) to a selected problem or public issue. Students demonstrate the mastery of their sociological expertise and create samples of work to further careers or advanced educational goals.

    Prerequisite(s): Senior standing and Sociology major or minor.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  
  

Spanish
  

  • SPAN 101 - Elementary Spanish I for Beginners

    4.00 credit hours
    Introduction to communication in the Spanish language and the cultures it represents. Students develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. For students with little-to-no prior exposure to the language. A technology-enhanced course. Taught in Spanish.

    Prerequisite(s): Placement.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SPAN 102 - Elementary Spanish II for Beginners

    4.00 credit hours
    Continued development of elementary structures and modes for communication in the Spanish language and the cultures it represents. Development of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. A technology-enhanced course. Taught in Spanish.

    Prerequisite(s): SPAN 101 .


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
  

  • SPAN 177 - Elementary Spanish Abroad

    4.00-12.00 credit hours
    Intensive study of elementary Spanish abroad. Level is determined on site via placement exam. Fulfills the language requirement for the B.A. degree. Taught in Spanish.


    Click here for the schedule of classes.
 

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