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Integrated Studies
MONMOUTH COLLEGE ACADEMIC CATALOG 2012–2013
INTG 322 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Soul 1 course credit When it was published in England, the first of the Harry Potter novels was called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Although the author was referring to the stone of alchemy supposedly able to turn base metals into gold and to produce the elixir of life, her novels also perform a sort of literary alchemy. This class will read the Harry Potter series for its “alchemical” potential to transform its readers and, through them, the society in which we live. Some of those themes might include the transformative power of Renaissance science (alchemy, astronomy, and astrology) in the Potter novels; construction of self and/in society; oppression and social justice; issues of gender, race, and ethnicity; power, mortality, evil, and courage; and the magic of love. INTG 323 Great Powers & Great Responsibilities: Superheroes, Philosophy & Identity 1 course credit “With great power, comes great responsibility.” This driving philosophy constantly present in the mind of Spiderman provides a lesson for how we all might live our lives, conscious of how our actions affect those around us. This course makes similar rhetorical connections between the American superhero in its various incarnations (comic book, television, film) and a number of important ideas that explore issues of meaning and value in contemporary society. These explorations will be firmly grounded in critical theory (gender, race, identity, psychoanalytic) and will involve deep readings of critical texts, writings on those texts, and exercises that are reflective of individual identities and which connect to specific heroes. Our popular culture heroes such as superheroes can tell us a great deal about what we as a society value, and through the fantastical trope of the superhero, we can seek to better understand ourselves. In this course, we will do so both by reading and studying about specific superheroes and how they reflect distinct values. INTG 324 Clothing, the Self and Society 1 course credit This course will consider the social construction of self in a variety of settings and human encounters. We will look at what we wear, or do not wear, in the contexts of human social interaction including contemporary and historical contexts. Thematically, we will consider how status and/or power (or the lack of such) in masculine, feminine or androgynous forms are created and reinforced through our clothing and adornment choices; we will consider the authority, limitation or freedom or ceremonial/religious costume as well as considering aspects of taboo in our society. Students will examine their choices of clothing in order to reflect upon the value society places on the presentation of the self. INTG 325 Christian Vocation: Identify, Faith and Work 1 course credit Who am I? What do I believe? What shall I do with my life? These questions are intertwined with deeper questions that lie at the heart of what the Christian community calls “vocation” or “calling.” Drawing primarily on writings from within the Christian tradition and individual exercises that encourage self-reflection, students will examine how human beings have made decisions about what to do with their lives and how this can inform decisions for their own lives. INTG 333 Machiavelli and Gandhi: Meaningful Ethics in an Amoral World 1 course credit This course looks for common ground between two highly compelling philosophies, moral realism, which assumes that effective behavior requires ethical compromise, and moral idealism (best exemplified by pacifism), which assumes that ethically tainted