Complex Problems & Enduring Questions Courses first-year students | spring 2019
Expand your world Expand yourself
The Core
spring 201 9
The centerpiece of Jesuit education has always been a common curriculum that emphasizes the study of defining works in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The Boston College Core is designed to provide a broad understanding of the
as a member of the class of 2022, you are invited
forces that have shaped world history and culture,
to enroll in one of Boston College’s innovative, team-taught Core courses. Open only to
challenging students to think across the disciplines,
first-year students, there are two types of interdisciplinary offerings: Complex Problems,
to make good decisions, and to communicate
which probe compelling contemporary issues such as the environmental and social
effectively in an increasingly complex world.
implications of energy production and use; and Enduring Questions, which explore subjects To fulfill Core requirements, each student must complete:
crucial to the human experience including health and illness, religion and politics, and the
1 course in Arts:
relationship between humans and nature.
Art, Art History, Film, Music, Theatre
Complex Problems Courses
1 course in Cultural Diversity 2 courses in History
Each of these six-credit courses, team-taught by 1 course in Literature:
Classics, English, German Studies, Romance Languages and Literatures, Slavic & Eastern Languages and Literatures
consist of three 50-minute lectures and one 75-minute lab session each week, along with and integration.
Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Physics
2 courses in Philosophy 2 courses in Social Science:
two Core requirements. Complex Problems courses
a weekly meeting during the evening for reflection
1 course in Mathematics 2 courses in Natural Science:
professors from different disciplines, satisfies
Enduring Questions Courses These linked pairs of courses are taught by
Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology
2 courses in Theology 1 course in Writing
professors from different disciplines, who
Complex Problems and Enduring Questions courses extend inquiry beyond the classroom to labs, reflection sessions, conversations with outside speakers, and off-campus field visits, creating an intensive shared learning experience for both teachers and students. They exemplify Boston College’s innovative approach to Core education by establishing a foundation for students’ intellectual development and preparing them to become engaged, effective world citizens. You will have the opportunity to enroll for the Complex Problems and Enduring Questions courses described in this catalog in November when you register for Spring 2019. There is
collaborate in choosing common readings and
no limit to the number of Complex Problems and Enduring Questions courses you may
questions for consideration. The same group
take during your first year at BC.
of 19 students takes each class, which meets for 150 minutes per week. Four evening reflection sections will be scheduled over the course of the
Courses that satisfy Core requirements, by department:
www.bc.edu/core/courses.html
semester. Taken together, the courses are worth six creditsand fulfill two Core requirements.
To read course descriptions and for more information, visit www.bc.edu/pilotcore
“ It made me realize that college is more than just studying something
spring 201 9 | complex problems courses
to get a job. It really opened my mind and made me explore things that I didn’t even know I wanted to explore. Honestly, I can’t imagine Complex Problems | EESC150701 + HIST151301
Complex Problems | POLI103101 + THTR150301
Powering America: Energy, Tech, Environment
Performing Politics
John Ebel, Earth and Environmental Science and Conevery Valencius, History
Luke Jorgensen, Theatre, and Jennie Purnell, Political Science
1 History II + 1 Natural Science
1 Arts + 1 Social Science
MWF 1–1:50 (lecture) + Tues. 6–7:50 (reflection) + 1 lab section (times below)
MWF 2–2:50 (lecture) + Mon. 6–7:50 (reflection) + 1 lab section (times below)
This course explores U.S. energy. From the perspectives of history, culture, technology, engineering, and foreign policy, we ask how we have created and distributed energy in the past, how energy systems function in the present, and how they may evolve. We investigate energy production, distribution, and use—coal, oil, nuclear power, hydropower, wind and solar power—along with cables, pipelines, and transmission systems. Through hands-on exercises and field trips, students learn how past technological and economic choices shaped current U.S. energy systems, how energy systems affect the environment, and how sustainable energy systems will be in the future.
This course explores how marginalized and oppressed people have used public performances “in the theater and on the streets” to make political claims about human rights and social justice. We will examine a range of political plays and protest movements, asking how and why relatively powerless people use public performances to make political claims. Can theater be both good politics and good art? Students will create their own political performances (e.g., short plays, puppet shows, videos, etc.), learning about various aspects of theater while developing a better understanding of their own political views and interests.
To register for this course: (1) First register for both EESC150701 and HIST151301 (2) Then, register for any one of the following lab sections that fits your schedule
To register for this course: (1) First register for both POLI103101 and THTR150301 (2) Then, register for any one of the following lab sections that fits your schedule THTR150401 (T 3–4:15)
HIST151401 (T 9–10:15)
THTR150402 (T 4:30–5:45)
HIST151402 (T 10:30–11:45)
POLI103001 (Th 3–4:15)
EESC150801 (Th 9–10:15)
POLI103002 (Th 4:30–5:45)
EESC150802 (Th 10:30–11:45)
my freshman year without meeting those professors and the awesome students in my class. They opened my mind to new perspectives.” —Diana Dinkel ’19 Lynch School of Education
enduring questions courses | spring 201 9
spring 201 9 | enduring questions courses
Enduring Questions | POLI102801 + UNAS170601
God and Politics
Enduring Questions | BIOL170201+ ECON170101
Enduring Questions | BIOL170401 + ENGL171601
Enduring Questions | ENGL170901 + CHEM170101
Metamorphosis: Evolution and the Genetics of Change
Living in the Material World
Alice Behnegar, Political Science
Human Disease: Plagues, Pathogens, and Chronic Disorder
God and Love
Mary Kathleen Dunn, Biology
Welkin Johnson, Biology
Living in the Material World
Christopher Constas, Honors Program
Human Disease: Health, the Economy, and Society
Metamorphosis: Story-Telling
Dunwei Wang, Chemistry
1 Social Science + 1 Philosophy TTh 4:30–5:45 + MWF 11–11:50 Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) In these courses, we will study foundational works of philosophy, theology, literature, and art to explore the widely diverse ways that individuals and communities have thought and lived according to their respective conceptions of the divine. Is what we can see and touch all there is? Are there gods, one God, or no god(s)? What does it matter? In “God and Love” we will focus on our erotic lives, on the question of what, if anything, the divine has to do with love: Are there different kinds of love? Is love different from desire? Is God love and, if so, what does it mean? In “God and Politics” we will focus on what the divine has to do with justice and politics: What does being religious have to do with being moral? Should we bring religion into, or cast religion out of, politics?
Samuel Richardson, Economics 1 Natural Science + 1 Social Science MWF 10–10:50 + MWF 11–11:50 Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) These courses explore the causes and consequences of human epidemics and disease. Students will examine the cellular and physiological parameters associated with health, and apply economic reasoning both to understand why health care resources are deployed the way they are and to ask how we might improve them. To register for these courses: Register for both BIOL170201 and ECON170101
Dayton Haskin, English 1 Natural Science + 1 Literature MWF 12–12:50 + MWF 2–2:50 Thurs. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) Taken together, these courses examine change, one of the great certainties of existence. Change is the central theme of one of the most enduring works of literature from classical antiquity, Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It is also the central premise of one of the most profoundly influential works of modern science, Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. These linked courses probe a diverse series of readings in order to explore the theme of change in literature and biology. They will challenge students to discover connections between literary and scientific approaches to the acquisition and use of knowledge. To register for these courses: Register for both BIOL170401 and ENGL171601
To register for these courses: Register for both POLI102801 and UNAS170601
Elizabeth Kowalski-Wallace, English
1 Literature + 1 Natural Science TTh 9–10:15 + TTh 3–4:15 Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) These courses respond to the moral, spiritual, and ethical challenges presented by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si, exploring the complex place of the human within the material world. While one class employs a scientific approach to questions that pertain to actual energy consumption, the other explores the definition and history of materiality from literary and humanistic perspectives. To register for these courses: Register for both ENGL170901 and CHEM170101 Enduring Questions | EESC170101 + THEO170301
Building a Habitable Planet, Geoscience Perspectives Ethan Baxter, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Building a Habitable Planet, Theological Perspectives Natana Delong-Bas, Theology 1 Natural Science + 1 Theology
“ The professors created an interactive experience. It made the material seem more relevant and exciting. You approach topics holistically from different perspectives. This is the way students need to prepare for the real world.” — Kate Mignosa ’19 Connell School of Nursing
MWF 11–11:50 + MWF 1–1:50 Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) Providing both Christian and Islamic perspectives, this course explores our planet and the evolution of life. Students will also examine the scientific method and the tools of geology, geochemistry, and geophysics used to unlock the history of the Earth from its beginnings. To register for these courses: Register for both EESC170101 and THEO170301
enduring questions courses | spring 201 9
spring 201 9 | enduring questions courses
Enduring Questions | COMM170101 + ENGL172501
Social Norms and Values: Disney Rita Rosenthal, Communication
Narrative and Myth in American Culture: Disney Bonnie Rudner, English 1 Social Science + 1 Literature MWF 9–9:50 + MWF 10–10:50 Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) A funny thing happened with fairy tales in the last 30 years, coinciding with Disney studios’ Waking Sleeping Beauty, which expanded both its franchise and its economic hold on American culture. Students will examine the power that myths and stories exert on personal and societal identity, from the earliest tales around the hearth to the stories prevalent in today’s culture. Students will decode the meaning that Disney movies portray through an examination of their social, cultural, political, and economic impacts. The courses will review social expectations, socially accepted behaviors, and cultural norms of Disney’s reinvented fairy tales by surveying their impact on society. To register for these courses: Register for both COMM170101 and ENGL172501 Enduring Questions | ENGL172401 + HIST171001
Nature and Power: Reading the American Place Suzanne Matson, English
Nature and Power: Making the Modern World Ling Zhang, History 1 Literature + 1 History II TTh 12–1:15 + TTh 10:30–11:45 Thurs. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester)
How does nature act upon us and our imaginations, and how do we act upon it—transforming and representing it? How do our links with nature change across time and place to produce the modern world and contemporary consciousness? These paired courses use global comparative case histories and indepth literary readings of the American place to trace changing conceptual frameworks of both conquest and conservation. Students will think critically, write analytically and reflectively, and venture beyond the classroom for urban walks, museum visits, and a field trip to Walden Pond. To register for these courses: Register for both ENGL172401 and HIST171001 Enduring Questions | ARTS170101 + PHIL170901
Art of Creativity: Buzzword to Artwork Sheila Gallagher, Studio Art
Art of Creativity: Crisis and Transformation Richard Kearney, Philosophy 1 Arts + 1 Philosophy TTh 3–5:00 + TTh 1:30–2:45 Thurs. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) What is creativity? Where does it come from and how is it nurtured? How does it mirror or reimagine prior acts of creation by gods and men? How does creativity relate to vital issues of human development and politics today? One course in these linked offerings addresses these questions philosophically with texts from Greek and biblical narratives to modern theories of the creative imagination in Romanticism, existentialism and postmodernism. The other course is a hands-on studio art class that is based on the assumption that creative people are made through making. It explores how creativity works through art production and experimental problem solving. To register for these courses: Register for both ARTS170101 and PHIL170901
Enduring Questions | UNAS170701 + PHIL171001
Enduring Questions | FILM170101 + UNAS170801
Modern Science and Ancient Faith: Neuroscientific
Coming of Age: Film
Jessica Black, Social Work
John Michalczyk, Art
Modern Science and Ancient Faith: Philosophical
Coming of Age: Literature
Daniel McKaughan, Philosophy
Susan Michalczyk, Honors
1 Social Science + 1 Philosophy
1 Arts + 1 Literature
TTh 10:30–11:45 + TTh 12–1:15
TTh 4:30–5:45 + TTh 3–4:15
Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester)
Thurs. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester)
To what extent can contemporary science be reconciled with, or lead us to reconceive, common ideas about religion, spirituality, and our place in nature? Professor McKaughan will engage students in discussions of classical texts and contemporary perspectives to examine the evolving relations between science and religion. Professor Black will use brain science and genetics research to detail the human brain’s anatomy and function, to review modern scientific tools to investigate how the brain changes and is challenged by its environment, and to equip students to reflect on the significance of the life sciences, especially neuroscience, for faith-related concepts.
When do we come of age? What influences our actions and reactions throughout our journey into adulthood? How do these experiences affect the lives we choose to lead? From times of crisis to moments of calm, childhood memories cover a range of experiences, from the mundane to the transformational. Literature and film adaptations can capture both the individual and collective experience of these critical years of development and memorialize a common experience of both private and public struggles. In both courses, students will analyze approaches used by authors and directors to connect these individual moments to current social concerns.
To register for these courses: Register for both UNAS170701 and PHIL171001
To register for these courses: Register for both FILM170101 and UNAS170801
There were so many different students from all different schools. People in my lab group were from the school of management or the nursing school—I really would not have had the opportunity to take classes with them otherwise. — Claire Finnegan ’21 Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
enduring questions courses | spring 201 9
spring 201 9 | enduring questions courses
Enduring Questions | PHYS170101 + ENGL172601
Inspiration in Imagination Michael Naughton, Physics
Reading the Impossible Universe Joseph Nugent, English 1 Natural Science + 1 Literature
economic rights, women’s rights, and universalism versus cultural relativism. The history course will focus on contextualizing and periodizing human rights while the political science class will concentrate on the political conditions, religious traditions, and cultural values that enhance or impede human rights. To register for these courses: Register for both POLI102501 and HIST171101
MWF 1–1:50 + MWF 12–12:50 Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) Science and literature: two subjects, it’s said, that use the same words, but speak different languages. Is this actually true? And why does it matter? In these courses we will unearth intersections between the two and the underlying role of human imagination in each. We will examine what scientists and humanists can learn from each other—while exploring science, art, creativity, and, ultimately, the Schrödingerian uncertainties of everyday life. Pairing literature and physics, these courses invite us on a voyage across the wonders of time and space in the realms of language and literature. To register for these courses: Register for both PHYS170101 and ENGL172601 Enduring Questions | POLI102501 + HIST171101
Human Rights in International Politics
“ My advice to any high school student on taking any Complex Problems or Enduring Questions
Ali Banuazizi, Political Science
Human Rights in History Devin Pendas, History
course is to not be afraid. College is the time to
1 Social Science + 1 History II
step into the unknown and try out something
TTh 10:30–11:45 + MWF 9–9:50
new. Taking this course was an opportunity I did not have in high school. Try to look for something that you never thought you might be interested in.” — Jadeen Samuels ’20 Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) When did human rights originate? How have they evolved over time? How do they differ across different political and cultural contexts? Is “human rights” a specifically Western concept? Who bears the responsibility for the protection of stateless persons and refugees? These two classes will share a set of topics, including civil and political rights vs. social and
Enduring Questions | COMM170201 + THEO170601
Being Human: Secular-Humanist Perspective Marcus Breen, Communication
Being Human: Theological Perspective Louis Petillo, Theology 1 Social Science + 1 Theology TTh 9–10:15 + MWF 10–10:50 Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) These paired courses invite students to consider the questions and challenges that artificial intelligence poses for human existence. Can human intelligence and freedom be digitally or mechanically replicated? What are the ethical responsibilities of humans living in a world of thinking machines? How does artificial intelligence inform the way we think about human meaning and purpose? While one course approaches these questions from a secular and humanistic perspective, the other assumes a religious and theological viewpoint. Students will explore these questions through their engagement with a variety of academic texts, literature, film, and other creative arts. To register for these courses: Register for both COMM170201 and THEO170601
“ It’s something never |experienced enduring questionsI’ve courses spring 201 9
spring 201 9 | enduring questions courses
before. Other courses deal with infor-
mation—learning one thing and then Enduring Questions | SOCY171101 + COMM170301
Social Inequality in America Eve Spangler, Sociology
Rhetoric of Social Inequality in America Celeste Wells, Communication 1 Social Science + 1 Literature TTh 12–1:15 + TTh 1:30–2:45 Tues. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) These independent courses explore enduring questions regarding social inequality, social justice, and the social representations of both in America. Both courses take for granted that inequality is embedded in the American experience, but will explore this inequality from different perspectives: one takes a perspective rooted in examining the lived human experience (sociological), and the other takes a perspective rooted in examining the language and resulting creation of human experience (rhetorical). Issues of class, race, gender, and sexuality are explored in both classes. To register for these courses: Register for both SOCY171101 and COMM170301 Enduring Questions | GERM170101 + SOCY171001
Constructing Deviance: Madmen, Hysterics, Criminals Daniel Bowles, German
Constructing Deviance: Power, Control, Resistance Stephen Pfohl, Sociology 1 Literature + 1 Social Science MWF 3–3:50 + TTh 1:30–2:45 Thurs. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester)
How societies reckon with behaviors that deviate from powerful social norms has long haunted both social scientific inquiry and the literary imagination. These paired courses explore the historical construction, enforcement, and transgression of normative boundaries separating conformity from deviance. Exploring the politics and poetics of deviance from the perspectives of both literature and sociology, both courses invite critical reflection on dominant religious, legal, medical, and cultural practices of social control and the challenges they face from behaviors that violate conventional rituals of spirituality, economic life, sexuality, political authority, morality, mental well-being, aesthetics, and the criminal law. To register for these courses: Register for both GERM170101 and SOCY171001 Enduring Questions | ENGL170801 + SOCY170401
Narrating Black Intimacies
applying it to a test or a lab. But with these courses, it’s using what you learn and applying it to life.” — Bruk Adane ’20 Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
Enduring Questions | POLI103201 + HIST171201
Sic Semper Tyrannis: Politics of Empire and War
What Can Machines Do? Automation in Society
Matthew Berry, Political Science
William Attwood-Charles, Sociology
Sic Semper Tyrannis: History of Empire and War
Can Machines Think? A.I. in Historical Perspective
Jesse Tumblin, History
Rhonda Frederick, English
1 Social Science + 1 History II
Black Intimacy and Intersectionality
MWF 2–2:50 + MWF 12–12:50
Shawn McGuffey, Sociology 1 Literature + 1 Social Science TTh 12–1:15 + TTh 1:30–2:45 Thurs. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) “Black intimacy” conveys belonging and the centrality of the Black experience. Students will read intimate representations of sex and sexuality, race, and public and private relations in popular fiction, film, and visual art in order to examine how Black intimate experiences are distinct from, yet integral to, those of others in the United States. To register for these courses: Register for both ENGL170801 and SOCY170401
Enduring Questions | SOCY171201 + HIST171401
Thurs. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) These courses ask whether history’s most common system of government—empire—tends more toward war than other systems such as republics, oligarchies, or anarchy. Using political theory and historical methods, we will explore the conceptual foundations of empire and what distinguishes it from other forms of government. We will then consider specific cases of empires throughout history, asking conceptual questions about whether they upheld peace or tended to cause war—a question that has proved remarkably divisive to scholars and observers. Students will then conduct their own research projects on empires at war. To register for these courses: Register for both POLI103201 + HIST171201
Evan Hepler-Smith, History 1 Social Science + 1 History II MWF 3–3:50 + MWF 4–4:50 Thurs. 6–7:50 reserved for reflection sessions (4 times during the semester) These courses address how automation has both reflected and contributed to transformations in economy, society, and cultural understandings of humans and machines, both in the past and in the present. Does automation liberate humans from drudgery, or does it pose a threat to human freedom and the dignity of meaningful work? Is there a place for free will in a world of machine intelligence, and should we worry about machines attaining it? When the judgments of machines go wrong, whom can we hold accountable? How can machines and machine intelligence be put to work for humans, rather than the other way around? To register for these courses: Register for both SOCY171201 and HIST171401
Fall 201 9 | quick guide: core renewal cour ses listed by core requirement
Arts Performing Politics (THTR150301) paired with Social Science (POLI103101) Art of Creativity: Buzzword to Artwork (ARTS170101) paired with Philosophy (PHIL170901) Coming of Age: Film (FILM170101) paired with Literature (UNAS170801)
History II Powering America: Energy, Tech, Environment (HIST151301) paired with
Natural Science (EESC150701) Nature and Power: Making the Modern World (HIST171001)
Constructing Deviance: Madmen, Hysterics, Criminals (GERM170101) paired with Social Science (SOCY171001) Narrating Black Intimacies (ENGL170801) paired with Social Science (SOCY170401)
Natural Science
Natural Science (BIOL170201)
History II (HIST151301) Human Disease: Plagues, Pathogens, and Chronic Disorder (BIOL170201) paired with Social Science (ECON170101)
Living in the Material World (CHEM170101) paired with Literature (ENGL170901)
Sic Semper Tyrannis: History of Empire and War (HIST171201)
Building a Habitable Planet, Geoscience Perspectives (EESC170101) paired with Theology (THEO170301)
Can Machines Think? A.I. in Historical Perspective (HIST171401) paired with
Social Science (SOCY171201)
Literature Metamorphosis: Story-Telling (ENGL171601) paired with Natural Science (BIOL170401) Living in the Material World (ENGL170901) paired with Natural Science (CHEM170101) Narrative and Myth in American Culture: Disney (ENGL172501) paired with
Social Science (COMM170101) Nature and Power: Reading the American Place (ENGL172401) paired with
History II (HIST171001) Coming of Age: Literature (UNAS170801) paired with Arts (FILM170101) Reading the Impossible Universe (ENGL172601) paired with Natural Science (PHYS170101) Rhetoric of Social Inequality in America (COMM170301) paired with
Social Science (SOCY171101)
Human Disease: Health, Economy, Society (ECON170101)
paired with
Human Rights in History (HIST171101) paired with Social Science (POLI102501)
Social Science ((POLI103201)
God and Politics (POLI102801) paired with Philosophy (UNAS170601) paired with
Literature (ENGL172401)
paired with
Performing Politics (POLI103101) paired with Arts (THTR150301)
Powering America: Energy, Tech, Environment (EESC150701)
Metamorphosis: Evolution and the Genetics of Change (BIOL170401) paired with Literature (ENGL171601)
paired with
Social Science
Inspiration in Imagination (PHYS170101) paired with Literature (ENGL172601)
Philosophy God and Love (UNAS170601) paired with Social Science (POLI102801) Art of Creativity: Crisis and Transformation (PHIL170901) paired with
Arts (ARTS170101) Modern Science and Ancient Faith: Philosophical (PHIL171001) paired with
Social Science (UNAS170701)
Social Norms and Values: Disney (COMM170101) paired with Literature (ENGL172501) Modern Science and Ancient Faith: Neuroscientific (UNAS170701) paired with
Philosophy (PHIL171001) Human Rights in International Politics (POLI102501) paired with History II (HIST171101) Being Human: Secular-Humanist Perspective (COMM170201) paired with
Theology (THEO170601) Social Inequality in America (SOCY171101) paired with Literature (COMM170301) Constructing Deviance: Power, Control, Resistance (SOCY171001) paired with
Literature (GERM170101) Black Intimacy and Intersectionality (SOCY170401) paired with Literature (ENGL170801) Sic Semper Tyrannis: Politics of Empire and War (POLI103201) paired with
History II (HIST171201) What Can Machines Do? Automation in Society (SOCY171201) paired with
History II (HIST171401)
Theology Building a Habitable Planet, Theological Perspectives (THEO170301) paired with Natural Science (EESC170101) Being Human: Theological Perspective (THEO170601) paired with Social Science (COMM170201)
gasson hall 103 140 commonwealth avenue chestnut hill, ma 02467