FALL 2014 STV Course Offerings

STV20245Medical Ethics
CRN 12855
M W – 10:30A- 11:20A
Solomon, William

An exploration from the point of view of ethical theory of a number of ethical problems in contemporary biomedicine. Topics discussed will include euthanasia, abortion, the allocation of scarce medical resources, truth telling in the doctor-patient relationship, the right to medical care and informed consent and human experimentation.

STV20304Energy and Society
CRN 19660
T R – 3:30P-4:45P
Couder, Manoel

A course developing the basic ideas of energy and power and their applications from a quantitative and qualitative viewpoint. The fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) are studied together with their societal limitations (pollution, global warming, diminishing supply). Nuclear power is similarly studied in the context of the societal concerns that arise (radiation, reactor accidents, nuclear weapons proliferation, high-level waste disposal). The opportunities as well as the risks presented by alternative energy resources, in particular solar energy, wind, geothermal and hydropower, together with various aspects of energy conservation, are developed and discussed. This course is designed for the non-specialist.

STV20310Health, Medicine, and Society
CRN 15816
T R – 3:30P-4:45P
Faeges, Russell

This course is a comprehensive introduction to the sociology of health and of medicine. First we will examine how sociological variables affect people's health. Research is rapidly accumulating which shows that sociological variables have a huge impact on people's susceptibility to various illnesses, on their access to health care, and on their compliance with medical advice. Such variables include people's neighborhoods, occupations, and lifestyles; their social class, education, race, ethnicity, and gender - and the density of "social networks", whose importance for health was predicted by one of sociology's founders over 100 years ago. Second we will examine medicine, both the practice of medicine by individual health care professionals, viewed sociologically, and the operation of the increasingly large and bureaucratic medical institutions in which health care professionals must work. In addition, we will examine sociological issues that overlap "medicine", such as radically long shifts; the rapid increase in the proportion of female doctors; and increasing concern with work/family balance among practitioners. Third, we will examine health and medicine in relation to other dimensions of society, such as the modern economy, the media, law, the internet, government and politics. Health and medicine are intrinsically social and they cannot be isolated from the effects of the rest of society, many of which run counter to strictly "medical" considerations. Finally, we will examine health and medicine globally. We will compare health and medicine in a number of societies to see and explain how they are similar and how they differ - for example, how different societies pay for medical care. And we will examine global trends with implications for health and medicine that require cooperation among societies, such as the way in which global air travel both increases the danger of global pandemics and makes possible "medical tourism."

STV20331Introduction to Criminology
CRN 15817
M W F – 11:30A-12:20P
Thomas, Mim

As in introduction to the topic of criminology, this course examines crime as a social problem within American society. Particular attention is given to the nature and function of law in society, theoretical perspectives on crime, victimology, sources of crime data, the social meaning of criminological data and the various societal responses to crime. These topics are addressed through specialized readings, discussion, and analysis.

STV20431Philosophy & Cosmology: A Revolution
CRN 19661
T R- 12:30P-1:45P
Brading, Katherine

In the 17th century there was a revolution in our view of the cosmos and of our own place in it. Most vivid, perhaps was the change from believing that the Earth is at the center of everything to believing that the Earth is just one planet among many, orbiting the sun. This course will consider how and why these changes took place.

STV20461Nuclear Warfare
CRN 17730
T R -3:30P-4:45P
Bardayan, Daniel

Nuclear phenomena; nuclear fission and fusion.Nuclear weapons. Effects of blast, shock, thermal radiation, prompt and delayed nuclear radiation. Fire, fallout, ozone-layer depletion, electromagnetic pulse, "nuclear winter."Medical consequences, physical damage, effects on the individual and on society.Defensive measures and their feasibility.Scenarios for war and peace, proliferation of nuclear weapons material, recent diplomatic history.US Bishops' Pastoral Letter. The course counts for science majors as a general elective credit.

STV20556Science, Technology, & Society
CRN 11914
M W – 12:50P-1:40P
Jurkowitz, Edward

This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of science and technology studies. We will examine science and technology and medicine as social and historical phenomena, shaped by human beings embedded in specific historical, as well as contemporary cultures. We shall examine the diverse roots and aims of contemporary science, technology, and medicine – that by considering topics including how scientific knowledge has changed through time, especially how modern conceptions of “objective” knowledge have evolved, whether medical and psychiatric researchers can define ‘normal’ human psyches independent of the pharmacological agents they use to alter them, how genetics and genomics are reshaping our understandings of human health, and how cybernetic and cyborg technologies are leading people to rethink the boundaries of human existence. Reflecting our focus on how science and technology intersect with and reflect aspects of wider society, we will also consider and how society should mediate or moderate scientific and technological development.

PLEASE NOTE: All students taking STV 20556 MUST sign up for a DISCUSSION SESSION, STV 22556:

STV22556- 01SciTech & SocDiscusion
CRN 12548
F – 12:50P-1:40P

STV22556- 02SciTech & SocDiscusion
CRN 14644
F – 2:00-2:50P

STV24117Philosophy of Science
CRN 20568
T R- 12:30P-1:45P
Climenhaga, Nevin

This course will examine the kind of reasoning that scientists engage in, and what it means for scientific hypotheses to be confirmed or disconfirmed. Our primary focus will be on probabilistic, or Bayesian, theories of scientific reasoning and confirmation. Students will learn the basic concepts and mathematics of probability theory. Then we will examine case studies of scientific reasoning and confirmation to see how they can be reconstructed and interpreted using probability theory. We will also discuss arguments for and against Bayesian interpretations of scientific reasoning, alternatives to Bayesian approaches, and open questions within Bayesian theories. This course does not presuppose any acquaintance with probability theory in particular, but it does presuppose some comfort with high school algebra and a willingness to learn the mathematical tools of probability theory. Course assignments and tests will involve both written reflection on the conceptual and philosophical issues we'll be discussing and mathematical proofs and calculations demonstrating facility with the probability calculus.

STV27997Biology and Society in the Modern Era
Please note: This is a FOUNDATIONAL COURSE (within the STV Minor program)
CRN 20569
M W- 9:30A-10:45P
Hamlin, Christopher

This course examines major changes in the life sciences since 1800, when “biology” as a distinct enterprise was first conceived: it will be concerned both with changes in scientific knowledge and with the cultural contexts which biological science both reflects and helps to create. The broad theme will be aspects of human biology, from the origins and distinctiveness of the human species (issues associated with the achievements of Charles Darwin), to matters of the relations of humans to other species (issues associated with the emergence of an ecological perspective), and to biotic concepts of the self (issues associated with physiology, psychology, and neuroscience). Readings include both scientific and literary texts. Requirements include short essays, a mid-term and final examinations, and a review essay on a classic text.

STV30161History of Television
CRN 13862
M W - 11:00A - 12:15P
Becker, Christine

This course analyzes the history of television, spanning from its roots in radio broadcasting to the latest developments in digital television. In assessing the many changes across this span, the course will cover such topics as why the American television industry developed as a commercial medium in contrast to most other national television industries; how television programming has both reflected and influenced cultural ideologies through the decades; and how historical patterns of television consumption have shifted due to new technologies and social changes. Through studying the historical development of television programs and assessing the industrial, technological, and cultural systems out of which they emerged, the course will piece together the catalysts responsible for shaping this highly influential medium.

STV30174American Wilderness
CRN 17223
M W - 9:30A - 10:45A
Coleman, Anne

How is a national park different from a national wilderness area, a city park, the lakes at Notre Dame, or your back yard? Why are some considered more wild than others, and why is wilderness such an attractive idea? Writers, historians, painters, photographers, and politicians have described American landscapes as wild to great effect, in concert with identities of gender, class, race, and nation. This class will explore how the idea of wilderness - and the places associated with that idea - have developed during the 19th and 20th centuries. We will examine how wilderness has supported the growth of a national identity but largely failed to recognize the diversity of the American people. Course themes include: 1) developing the wilderness idea; 2) national parks and the problem of wilderness; 3) wilderness experience and politics; and 4) wilderness narratives. Readings will range from Henry David Thoreau and John Muir to Edward Abbey and Jon Krakauer, and there will be a strong visual culture component. For their final project students will choose a wild place of their own to interpret.

STV30201Intro to Clinical Ethics
CRN 15959
M W - 2:00P - 3:15
Foster, James

The focus of the course will be an examination of the advances in medicine over the last 30 years that have challenged traditional values and ethical norms, and the institutional processes and procedures in place that facilitate decision-making in the health care setting. It will include a sketch of the most recent advances in the various fields of medicine, followed by an examination of the clinical and ethical questions they raise and how they have affected the physician-patient relationship. Note: This course counts as a general elective - Fall and Spring.

STV30203Compassionate Care and the Medical Professions
CRN 20654
T R - 2:00P - 3:15P
Vachon, Dominic

This course is designed to provide the theoretical and practical foundation to providing compassionate care in the medical professions. It will provide an introduction to the field of Caring Science and provide the behavioral and attitudinal components to providing effective patient care as well as teaching how practitioners can be balanced in providing patient care. Topics include Caring Science theory, clinician burnout, compassion fatigue, maintaining caring in the encounter with suffering, and physician self-care. While designed specifically for the future medical professional, the course is open as enrollment allows to students in allied helping professions. Class material will include research from medical, psychological, caring science, business, and spiritual sources.

STV30225People, Environment, Justice
CRN 19662
M W - 11:00A - 12:15P
Smith, Vania

What is our environment? What is our role within our surroundings? How do our actions affect ecological landscapes, and people's livelihoods across the globe? How does our reliance of fossil fuels lead to catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina? What - if anything - does it mean to be "green?" This course will address these and other questions through the use of critically applied anthropology. We will explore the interaction of local peoples and cultures with natural and man-made ecosystems. We will focus equally on traditional environmental knowledge held by small-scale communities as on the usage of the environment by the industrial world. This course will focus on theory and major environmental questions, problems, and possible solutions illustrated by various case studies from different parts of the world. Topics to be discussed include intellectual property rights, poverty and environmental health and justice, economic development, health and emerging disease, and ethno- and eco-tourism. Through readings, films, discussions, and independent research students will be able to critically understand the complexity surrounding humans' place within the environment.

STV30900-01Foundations Sociological Theory
CRN 15818
T R - 12:30P - 1:45P
Konieczny, Mary Ellen

Sociological theory is the foundation of sociology. Students in this course will learn two things: first, what theorists do and why and, second, how to use fundamental theoretic concepts - such as exploitation and alienation, social structure and solidarity, bureaucracy and charisma - to analyze and explain contemporary society.

STV 30900-02Foundations Sociological Theory
CRN 20204
T R - 2:00P - 3:15P
Fishman, Robert

STV 31161History of Television Lab
CRN 13863
T - 6:30P - 8:30P
Kackman, Michael

During the lab times, certain television shows will be viewed for further discussion in class.

STV 33401Animal Welfare & Human-Animal Bond:Community Based Learning Seminar
CRN 12905
W - 5:00P - 6:30P
Whaley, Michelle & Stewart, Kay

Consider the fact that in six short years, one female dog and her offspring can give birth to 67,000 puppies. In seven years, one cat and her young can produce 420,000 kittens. Three to four million dogs and cats are euthanized each year. It is estimated that there are 60 million feral cats in the US. In a society that considers pets as part of their family, watches Animal Planet, and spends millions of dollars on pet products, it is imperative that we acknowledge and educate ourselves on the issues of over population of pet animals in our society. What is our responsibility to these animals, and how can we solve these pressing problems? The focus of this course will be on animal behavior from an evolutionary perspective. The students will learn to recognize both desirable and undesirable behaviors in pet animals. They will learn how to use evolutionary behavior training methods to alter detrimental behaviors and reinforce those that are advantageous. This course will also cover animal welfare issues, and will intimately and meaningfully connect the state of humans, to that of animals. The students will carry out community research projects of their choice and will immerse themselves in an important issue and generate a product that can help the plight of animals (and therefore humans) in our community.

STV 40130Crime, Heredity, and Insanity in American History
CRN 20205
M W - 2:00P - 3:15P
Przybyszewski, Linda

The 19th century witnessed a transformation in the understanding of the origins of criminal behavior in the United States. For many, a religious emphasis on humankind as sinful gave way to a belief in its inherent goodness. But if humans were naturally good, how could their evil actions be explained? Drawing on studies done here and abroad, American doctors, preachers, and lawyers debated whether environment, heredity, or free will determined the actions of the criminal. By the early 20th century, lawyers and doctors had largely succeeded in medicalizing criminality. Psychiatrists treated criminals as patients; judges invoked hereditary eugenics in sentencing criminals. Science, not sin, had apparently become the preferred mode of explanation for the origins of crime. But was this a better explanation than what had come before?

STV 40216Bio-Medical Ethics, Scientific Evidence and Public Health Risk
M - 3:30P - 6:15P
Shrader-Frechette, Kristin

An analysis of the ethical theories provided by contemporary philosophers to guide research and practice in biomedicine. The course will focus on analysis of contemporary public health problems created by environmental/technological pollution and will address classic cases of biomedical ethics problems. Students who are not pre-med, engineering, or science majors need the professor's permission to take this course

STV 40319Self, Society and Environment
CRN 15819
T R - 12:30P - 1:45P
Weigert, Andrew

This course introduces students to social psychological aspects of the natural environment. Issues considered include interacting with different environments, symbolic transformations of environments, competing accounts, and claims concerning environments. With an overview of basic information, these issues are discussed from the perspectives of individual self and sociocultural institutions. The course touches on alternative ways of envisioning, interacting, and valuing human-environment relations with an eye toward individual and collective change.

STV 40455Water, Disease & Global Health
CRN 20206
M W - 2:00P - 3:15P
Shrout, Joshua & Severson, David

The main emphasis of the course will be to study the diseases important to both the developed and developing world. Basic principles of public health, epidemiology, infectious disease microbiology, immunology, and engineering application will be learned utilizing both local and global examples. Particular emphasis will be given to diseases transmitted by water. As a complement to environmental engineering design classes, this class will focus upon the disease agents removed in properly designed municipal water and waste systems.

STV 43119Sciences of the Mind
Please note: This is a FOUNDATIONAL COURSE (within the STV Minor program)
CRN 20570
W - 3:30P - 6:15P
Bordogna, Francesca

This seminar explores the history of the sciences and technologies of the human mind and self in Western culture, focusing chiefly, though not exclusively, on the early modern period and the period from the late 19th century to today. We will study how philosophers, physicians, mystics, psychologists, psychiatrists, and neuroscientists thought about the traditional mental faculties (e.g. memory) and offered new ways of thinking about mind, self, and personal identity, including, for example, late 19th-century conceptions of the “divided self” and current models of the self-emerging from psychopharmacology and from the synthesis of evolutionary biology and the neurosciences.)We will also track the “soul’s economy” (Jeff Sklansky) as well as the gender, class, and “bio”-politics of the self, and ask historical and methodological questions, such as: How did the geography of the mind change through history? When did the self become a scientific object? How do practices of the self and technologies of the mind (e.g. disciplines of attention and techniques of introspection, inscription, and visualization, especially MRI and PET scans) circulate across scientific, philosophical, and religious cultures? What are their ramifications for political and legal practices? How can one best write a history of the self? In addressing these questions we will engage recent methodologies in the history, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology of science. Primary sources will include works by Aristotle, Descartes, Teresa of Avila, John Locke, William James, Sigmund Freud, Michael Gazzaniga, Antonio Damasio, and Christoph Koch. Secondary sources will include texts by Jan Goldstein, Joseph Dumit, Andrew Lakoff, Roger Smith, and Nickolas Rose.