HON-100 |
Mysticism and Transcendence |
This course investigates the human being as having a capacity for transcendence and an ultimate desire to be with God. Students read the relevant works of the Western philosophical and theological traditions, surveying a broad range of possibilities and perspectives on mysticism, transcendence, the soul, philosophy of religion, and related themes. |
HON-150
Philosophy of the Sublime: the Awesome
This course is a historical introduction to the concept of the sublime, or the ' awesome '. The sublime, a feeling of great exhilaration, excitement, or awe, is a positive aesthetic experience in response to a vast or powerful object, or one that appears vast or powerful. Traditional examples of sublime objects, or things that evoke the feeling, are waterfalls, icebergs, raging storms, deep ravines, mountains( Rockies, Alps, Himalayas), and perhaps some works of art( land art, film, poetry, fiction). As " disinterested," the experience of the sublime is not to be identified with fear; as an intense feeling or " affect "( emotion), the sublime is to be distinguished from wonder and curiosity. Can the sublime be evoked by art and nature alike, or only one of these? How is it distinguished from beauty? How is it connected to, and different from, the ' moral feeling '? What causes it from a psychological or scientific point of view? We will examine the theory of the sublime from its roots in Longinus ' s rhetorical theory, through the British and German traditions, concluding with the perspective of contemporary thinkers( Lyotard, Danto) and neuroscience. Students will read and respond to canonical ' sublime ' texts( fiction, poetry), react to works of art( photos, film, etc.) associated with the sublime, and engage with texts from history of philosophy and rhetoric. The course will thus offer an opportunity to study basic ideas of logic( argumentation), rhetoric, and the relation between them. It may be taken for English or Philosophy credit. It may be used to fulfill a General Education requirement or an Honors Program requirement under " Rhetoric " or " Dialectic."
HON-151 |
Dangerous Books |
This course exposes students to a " dangerous " canon of works that have been regarded at various points in history as being prohibited, radically transformative, and / or subversive. Students will analyze these texts according to their philosophical content and historical context and assess their enduring impact on society. It may be taken for History or Philosophy credit. It may be used to fulfill a General Education requirement or an Honors Program requirement under " Rhetoric " or Dialectic." |
3.00
3.00
3.00