University Now

List of 6 items.

• The Reading Life: Do Not Read: Banned Books

  Books—especially in schools—are banned, censored, and challenged for different reasons. By reading and writing about a range of controversial texts and frequently challenged material, we will grapple with the difficulties posed by these texts and explore how these works have been perceived as threatening or dangerous.

• Exploring the Basics of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

  Exploring the Basics of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is a study of the faith traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by presenting the core beliefs of each, their scriptures and the historical and social context of these communities of faith. Among possible topics to be explored may be the role of women, the relationship of faith and politics, and issues of faith and violence.

• New Testament

  This course will delve into the historical, social, economic, geographical, and cultural context(s) of the New Testament and early Christianity, exposing students to the origins of Christian religious tradition and its sacred texts. This historical foundation seeks to equip students to critically, deconstructively, constructively, and creatively engage the New Testament. Students will examine key foundational issues in New Testament scholarship, closely read biblical and secondary texts, and reflect upon the interpretive processes and ideologies of various (especially one’s own) communities.

• Freedom, Power and Politics

  Freedom. It is the West's most enduring belief and its most debated concept. The light of freedom has brought millions of people into political power and economic success. But what happens when things go wrong? Will you sacrifice part of your freedom to ensure the liberty of all of society? Can society take away some of your liberties in service to the greater good? This course traces historical crises from ancient Greece to 9/11.

• The Decades: A Trip Back In Time Through the Lens of Art and Mass Media

  This semester course will explore the major events of the post-World War II world one decade at a time (1940s-present day). Rather than use a traditional geopolitical approach to world history, The Decades will rely on the products of the world’s creative community to explore the advances and upheavals of the modern world. Music, film, traditional art, fashion, technology, television, communication, and literature are just some of the areas that will be explored in order to construct each decade’s narrative.

• Law and Contemporary American Society

  The essence of this course is our focus on a number of important but controversial issues involving law and the legal system and opposing viewpoints of those issues in contemporary American society.  Our free speech guarantee extends to all viewpoints and presumes that we all benefit by a vigorous debate of important issues.  In this class we will have that vigorous discussion on such issues as security versus liberty, capital punishment, euthanasia, and other subjects important to our country.