Course Offerings
Course ID
Course Title (click on title for course description)
Term
GS502
Terror in the Name of God
2
This course will address the contemporary global resurgence of terror in the name of God. In classroom talks and discussions we will seek to identify, describe, and explore the potential for extremism within the different religious traditions. We will also examine the ways in which we might grapple with this phenomenon in order to see how religion is not only part of the problem of terrorism but is a key ingredient to its solution. Finally, we will seek to find answers to the following complex questions: Which destructive patterns of religious training, thinking, and rhetoric contribute to this global problem? How can spirituality in different religious traditions create new venues for dialogue in today’s terrorized world?
GS506
The American Civil Rights Movement
2
The course will focus on the African-American Civil Rights Movement and the leadership contributions of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Rev. Andrew Young, John Lewis, Julian Bond, Fannie Lou Hamer, Thurgood Marshall, Stokeley Carmichael and other civil rights leaders. In the process, the course will also examine the relationships of Robert Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover and the American government to this movement. The “Eyes on the Prize” documentary films I and II will be featured along with the music and culture of the entire period. Actual participants in the movement will be invited to be presenters. Students in the class will be offered leadership opportunities in developing and implementing the Taft MLK celebration of January 2011. Finally, the class will contrast the leadership impact of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Barack Obama on the American psyche.
GS507
Paris, City of Light
1
This course is a study of the city of Paris, France, from its origins to the modern day, from simple village on the Seine to an international center of the arts and the most loved of the world’s urban landscapes. It will entail readings of the historical perspective of its urban development, of the construction of its monuments, and particularly of the lives of the individuals that led to its construction. Novels about the city, its people, the art found there, and past and present cultural activities will be further aspects of the course. Besides readings and films, internet research assignments will lead the student to both brief and substantial writing assignments and class presentations.
GS508
Service Learning: Not to Be Served
2
"First with the head, then with the heart."
This Service Learning course combines rigorous academic classes with challenging community service on the basis that it is not until we are informed that we can be really useful.
Classroom work will focus on issues such as poverty, public health, immigration, environment and education. Students will spend at least one session per week in the local community working with local partners, for example Children's Community School and the St John's Soup Kitchen. All students will complete regular written assignments as well as one major individual research paper.
GS509
South African Democracy
1
In this seminar, students will learn to think critically about democracy and its challenges and triumphs in South Africa. Students will be immersed in exciting history as it is being made. This interactive course will include readings, films, speakers, and class projects. Students will gain an in-depth understanding and appreciation for the values, work, and leadership of Nelson Mandella, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Steve Biko. Contrasts will be drawn with human rights efforts in the United States. Texts will include "Leading like Madiba" and "Legacy of Freedom" as well as a collection of essays, and four to six films for critical analysis. This course is especially appropriate for students who may wish to go on Taft's trip to South Africa in June of 2010. Open to Upper Mids and Seniors.
GS515
Human Rights
1
As wars, inequality, disease, and extreme poverty continue, this course examines these issues and the international laws and strategies that intend to bring about their end. It focuses on international human rights law as a new solution to persistent injustice, and uses the work of journalists, scholars, and those affected to analyze and debate the success of this and other possible approaches to making universal respect for human rights a reality. A mock war crimes tribunal and/or mock truth commission will likely be a component of the course. Open to upper middlers and seniors.
GS517
Service Learning: Not to Be Served
1
"First with the head, then with the heart."
This Service Learning course combines rigorous academic classes with challenging community service on the basis that it is not until we are informed that we can be really useful.
Classroom work will focus on issues such as poverty, public health, immigration, environment and education. Students will spend at least one session per week in the local community working with local partners, for example Children's Community School and the St John's Soup Kitchen. All students will complete regular written assignments as well as one major individual research paper.
GS523
Philosophy: Searching for Truth
1
This course introduces students to the components of philosophy through readings from the history of philosophy (ancient, modern, and contemporary) combined with the examination of topics such as metaphysics, logic, ethics, existence of God, immortality, knowledge, the mind-body question, personal identity, free will and determinism, political philosophy, the meaning of life, abortion, capital punishment, animal rights, and affirmative action. The course exposes students to a range of ideas and readings representing a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
GS526
Human Geography
2
The purpose of this semester course in Human Geography is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. By the completion of this course students should be able to use and think about maps and spatial data; understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places; recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes; define regions and evaluate the regionalization process; and characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.
Students should also gain a better understanding of contemporary events and global concerns from an environmental, financial, economic, and social perspective.
GS531
The Influence of Buddhism in the West
1
In this course students will explore why Buddhism has become so popular in the contemporary West. We will study Buddhism through the lives and teachings of the two most popular Buddhist teachers in the world today: the Dalai Lama (Tibet) and Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnam). Together we will seek to understand what Buddhists mean when they speak about enlightenment, nirvana, meditation, human suffering, compassion and wisdom. We will examine the practical value of Buddhism and how it has enriched the lives of Jews, Christians, agnostics and others in the modern West.
GS538
Social Justice
2
Students will examine the social issues affecting contemporary society, such as poverty, hunger, equality, stewardship, and violence, and discuss how to create a more just society. The lens of economics, history, and literature will be used to further their understanding of the causes of injustice, and work on finding solutions. What is the obligation of an individual or a community to promote justice, and how can one affect change? Open to upper middlers and seniors.
GS541
Journalism and Web Media
1
In June, 2009 the world first learned of election fraud in Iran from Twitter users on the streets of Tehran. Protests and authoritarian crackdowns were scooped not by the New York Times, CNN, Fox News or the BBC but by first hand witnesses using Twitter and other social media. Changes in technology and the explosion in global interconnectedness have transformed our world and placed immense reporting power in the hands of individuals. The formats now available for reporting (video, audio, text, web) have also broadened the expressive possibilities for, and the power of, today's journalists. This course, through reading assignments, online research, purposeful website monitoring, classroom discussions and deadline-driven reporting assignments, will give students an overview of journalistic theory, a historical perspective of the role of journalism in society and hands-on experience with current journalistic tools and outlets. By the end of the course students will have a grasp of journalistic fundamentals past and present. Students will produce a multi-media portfolio of work showcasing their proficiency in the use of today's journalistic tools, with an emphasis on those that have made the most difference in connecting individuals and communities from one part of the world with those from another. These tools will include weekly blogs, traditional web pages, MP3 recordings, videos intended for online publication and digital photo galleries. Much of the student work produced will serve Taft by reporting the news from campus, report the news of the world to campus and will seek to strengthen the global understanding and connectedness of the entire Taft community.
GS591
Independent Tutorial in Global Service and Scholarship
1
This is an opportunity for a student to work with a member of the Department on a project in which they share a common interest. Open to Seniors by permission of the Department Head and the Dean of Academic Affairs.
GS592
Independent Tutorial in Global Service and Scholarship
2
This is an opportunity for a student to work with a member of the Department on a project in which they share a common interest. Open to Seniors by permission of the Department Head and the Dean of Academic Affairs.
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