This course explores the ways in which social scientists understand how people function individually and collectively, and the influence of communities, institutions, and the social environment in shaping individuals.

Urban places have been alternatively called the crown of human invention or the archetypal representation of human rebellion against God. What are cities? How do they function? What opportunities & challenges do they extend today and for the future? These are the key questions around which the course is developed.

An investigation of the nature of contemporary urban society. The origin and growth of cities and the dynamics of urban social interaction will be central areas of attention. Urban crime, conflict, and ecology will also be part of the examination of social life in cities.

An introduction to the taxonomic groups of vertebrate organisms and their defining features. Topics include comparative morphology, reproduction, development, environmental adaptation, and development of vertebrate organ systems. Includes a weekly three-hour lab or field trips. Materials fee applies.

Available through the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies. For more information on Au Sable, see the Academic Calendar. Includes principles of watershed ecology, principles and practice of community-based water monitoring and watershed management for developing and developed countries and data access and analysis using an online relational database and data-to-action strategies. Designed for students in science and public policy, including students interested in missions and development, and agencies involved in environmental assessment and community development.

Stories: how do they tell us about the world? Looking at short fiction and novels from a range of historical periods, in this course we will cultivate the ability to read with imaginative, intellectual, and spiritual discernment.

How do poems and plays express human experience? Looking at poetry and drama from a range of historical periods, in this course we will continue to cultivate the ability to read with imaginative, intellectual, and spiritual discernment.

This course explores foundational themes in the story of Western culture from its classical origins to the Renaissance through history, philosophy, literature, and the fine arts.   Required in Year 1

This course traces the development of Western culture from 1500 to the present through history, philosophy, literature, science, and the fine arts.   Required in Year 1

In recent years, psychology has experienced an explosion of interest in the topic of willpower or self-control. Numerous empirical studies show that human beings have a capacity for self-control, that this capacity is linked to the brain, that willpower can be strengthened, and that new insights are available that can help us to overcome bad habits and achieve our goals in life. Students will be challenged to understand this research and apply it to their lives. But is willpower really “the greatest human strength” as some researchers contend? To answer this question, we will grapple with the deep historical connections between this new psychology of willpower and the traditional Christian idea of “will.” In the process, students will engage several foundational issues, such as the construction of psychological language, the role of metaphor in psychology, and the nature of “free will.”