STV Spring 2015 Course Offerings
STV 53451 American Towns and Cities
CRN 25152
T R- 9:30A-10:45A
Steil, Lucien
This course addresses the nature and metrics of the American city and town and discusses historically essential
qualities, as well as contemporary potentials for a sustainable urban quality. Though the class will explore a wide
range of comparative studies of American precedents and some European examples, most of the practical exercises
will be done either in South Bend or neighboring towns.
STV 20142 Architectural History II
CRN 21728
T R- 11:00A-12:15P
Doordan, Dennis
This course continues the history survey, beginning with Renaissance and Baroque Europe and continuing to the
18th and 19th centuries in Europe and the United States. It extends to the Modern Movement as it affected countries
as far-reaching as Japan and Australia.
STV 50245 Bioethics
CRN 25216
M- 2:00P-3:55P
Deane-Drummond, Celia
Bock, Joseph
This course will focus on bioethical issues from a global perspective in the context of health needs of the global
community. We will address the particular practical ethical dilemmas faced by humanitarian workers. We will then
cover some examples of ethical quandaries that are most relevant in a global health context, some of which are
controversial from a religious perspective, including corruption and weak governance, HIV/AIDS; end of life, mental
health and drug resistant tuberculosis. We will also discuss evolving theoretical frameworks for global health ethics,
including values in global health, and more specifically social justice, solidarity and sustainability, drawing on named
philosophical and theological traditions, including liberation theology.
STV 22247 Culture Morality & Society
CRN 26780
M W-9:30A-10:45A
Lizardo, Omar
A key observation in cultural sociology and cultural anthropology is that different groups have different ways of
conceiving of ?right? and "wrong." This course will explore the connection between variations in these moral
worldviews and the social arrangements that persons create for themselves as members of specific groups. The
basic premise of the course is that group-specific moral worldviews are constructed in order to fit with the ways in
which persons prefer to arrange their social relationships with one another. For instance, some groups prefer to
organize social relationships between persons in a predictable, hierarchical fashion, with a clear distinction between
superiors and inferiors. Other groups prefer to organize their relationship in messier, less predictable fashion,
characterized by competitive contests as to who is better than who. We will explore the implications of the idea that
the moral worldviews constructed by each group to regulate the social relationships between persons colors their
perception and conceptualization of essentially everything else in the world, including religion, politics, gender
relations, and even the natural world (e.g. the environment). Accordingly, this course will address (and attempt to
provide convincing answers) to such questions as: Why are some groups committed to hierarchy while others prefer
egalitarianism? Why are some groups constantly worried about making everybody follow strict moral standards while
others have a ?live and let live? attitude? Why are some groups committed to competitive individualism, private
property and market-mediated exchange while others prefer communitarian identities and collective sharing? Why
are some groups committed to technological progress and secularism, while others prefer religion and tradition? Why
are some groups in favor of government intervention into private affairs, while others prefer a "hands off" attitude?
Why are some groups constantly worried about impending environmental catastrophe, while others see nothing to
worry about? Why do some groups have a tendency to see major accidents and catastrophes as predictable
consequences of declining moral standards while others see the same events as random or unpredictable?
STV 46297 Directed Readings in 2nd Clust
CRN 27547
TBA
Bock, Joseph
Deane-Drummond, Celia
Course readings are determined by instructor in consultation with each individual student.
STV 46497 Directed Readings/ Research
CRN 25604
R- 4:00P-5:00P
Bock, Joseph
Independent research or readings taken under the supervision of an STV faculty member. An approved proposal for
the research/readings will be filed with the STV office. (In order to receive STV credit, the student's proposal will need
to be approved by the faculty member supervising the student's research/readings and by the director of the STV
program.)
STV 20306 Environmental Chemistry
CRN 21741
T R- 2:00P-3:15P
Kamat, Prashant
Discussion of basic chemical processes occurring in the environment, particularly those relating to the impact of
humanity's technological enterprise.
STV 20228 Ethics of Emerging Weapon Technology
CRN 29471; 29472
T R- 11:00A-12:15P, T R- 2:00P-3:15P
Ruiz De Olano Altuna, Pablo
Latiff, Robert
This course explores the ethical challenges posed by the ongoing revolution in the technology of war. After learning
about some general, philosophical approaches to ethical decision making, we will examine a wide range of new
weapons technologies, from "smart" bombs, drones, and robots to em (electromagnetic) weapons, cyberwar, and bioenhancement, asking the question whether the existing framework of Just War Theory and the Law of Armed Conflict
(LOAC) are adequate for war as it will be fought in the 21st century.
STV 43717 Forbidden Knowledge
CRN 29475
M W- 5:05P-6:20P
Kourany, Janet
Within the last 10 years historians of science such as Robert Proctor, Londa Schiebinger, Peter Galison, and Naomi
Oreskes, have been promoting a new area of enquiry - Proctor calls it agnotology, the study of ignorance - which they
suggest is of as much relevance to philosophers and social scientists and others as it is to historians. Indeed, the
suggestion is that agnotology offers a new approach to the study of knowledge, an approach at least as complex and
important as its more established sister, epistemology. In this course we shall focus especially on socially constructed
ignorance - the kind exemplified by governmental secrecy and censorship, or industry-engineered confusion (think of
the tobacco industry or the pharmaceutical industry), or the 'virtuous ignorance' that would ensue if certain kinds of
research (think of race- and gender-related cognitive differences research) were no longer supported. This will lead
us to consider the kinds of freedom of research and other social structures that need to be in place to support the
legitimate quest for knowledge, and thence to the recognition that agnotological/epistemological questions are also,
ultimately, political questions.
STV 30900 Foundations of Sociological Theory
CRN 25149
T R - 2:00P - 3:15P
Fishman, Robert
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 43343 Health Care and the Poor
CRN 25997
T R - 2:00P - 3:15P
Betson, David
The relationship between health and poverty is complex and challenging. The inability of the poor to maintain
adequate nutrition, shelter and have access to preventative medical care can contribute to their poor health status.
But even if one isn't poor, one illness or hospitalization can test their ability to meet both their ability to meet the
financial burden of their medical care as well as their other needs. In either case, individuals have to face difficult
choices between their health and other material needs. This course examines the consequences of the health risks
the poor face and the difficulties that they have in obtaining medical care whether they are uninsured, seek
"charitable" care, or utilize public programs such as Medicaid. The course will also examine the impact of the
Affordable Care Act that will require all individuals to have at least a minimal level of health care coverage.
STV 40172 History of Chinese Medicine
CRN 30082
T R - 9:30A - 10:45A
Murray, Dian
In light of the contemporary currency of certain Chinese practices in the field of alternative medicine, this course will
explore the phenomenon of Chinese traditional medicine in both its historical and contemporary settings. The first
unit, Medicine in Ancient China, will explore the earliest medical ideas of the Chinese and will demonstrate how the
state's political unification gave rise to a correlative cosmology that not only included Heaven and Earth, but also
human beings as integral elements of an organic cosmos. The second unit will explore the influences and
contributions of Taoism (Daoism) and Buddhism to Chinese medicine and will explore what it meant to be both
physicians and patients in late imperial China. The third unit will focus on medicine in contemporary China and will
feature the experiences of Elisabeth Hsu, a student of Chinese medical anthropology who, as a part of her doctoral
research, enrolled as a student in Yunnan Traditional Chinese Medical College between September 1988 and
December 1989. We will conclude the course with a brief examination of the influence of Chinese medicine on the
contemporary world.
STV 30161 History of Television
CRN 23723
M W - 2:00P - 3:15P
Kackman, Michael
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.
Foundational Course
STV 29697 How Pharmaceutical Drugs are Created, and Create Us
CRN 30079
T R - 12:30P - 1:45P
Mirowski, Philip
In this course we examine how knowledge about drugs ? legal, regulated, and patented drugs ? is produced,
distributed among diverse scientific-technical and social communities, and how it is received and/or consumed by
them. As we will learn, the question of how drugs are produced and how they should be consumed is a highly
contentious one. We will study how pharmaceutical companies work not just to distribute, but also to shape scientific
knowledge about their products, and we will trace the mechanisms used to transfer that knowledge to researchers,
physicians, and potential consumers. We will discuss a range of important issues that arise as our lives become more
medicalized, for example: what is the nature of the diseases that researchers and companies target ? are their
characteristics and limits easily fixed? What are, and what should be the bounds of the use of pharmaceuticals for
cosmetic purposes? How can society engage and deal with conflicts of interest ? profits versus regulated safety; how
can one ensure the integrity of researchers and research? What rules should be placed on how researchers and
companies enroll research subjects, both in the US and abroad? We will start off exploring the history of
pharmaceuticals regulation in the US, and then explore the peculiar history that led to the unique research
infrastructure in the area of pharmaceutical research and development. Then we will turn to explore the wider range
of implications of our system of drug production for society at larger, exploring the questions above in the context of
diverse cases. In this course you will develop a far-reaching understanding of how scientific and technical knowledge
in the medical-pharmaceutical world is produced and distributed, an understanding that you can apply to many other
areas of knowledge production.
STV 40230 Internet and Society
CRN 23754
T R - 11:00A - 12:15P
Rose, Kathryn
This course will spend the semester studying the impact the World Wide Web has had on several key areas of our
society, including communications, commerce, marketing, productivity, education, collaboration, and our sense of
community. Through a combination of discussion, group presentation, guest lectures, and out of class research,
students will be exposed to some of the profound effects this medium has had on our culture. In spite of the bursting
of the dot come bubble, the Web has left all of the above mentioned areas substantially changed, many for the long
term. The positive and negative forces brought on by this technology must be recognized, studied, and dealt with if
we are to truly embrace the momentous opportunities brought about by the World Wide Web.
STV 30201 Introduction to Clinical Ethics
CRN 23122
M W - 2:00P - 3:15P
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.
STV 20331 Introduction to Criminology
CRN 25290
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.
STV 30128 Medicine & Public Health in US History
CRN 30080
M W - 9:30A - 10:45A
Baron, Jessica
This course examines health as a unifying concept in American history. It follows several themes: how class, race,
and gender; as well as age; lifestyle; and place have manifested themselves in differential health experience; the
ongoing conflict between personal liberty and the interests of the state, the remarkable diversity of American medical
systems and their close relation to religious and social diversity; the place of medicine in Americanization campaigns;
the changing political economy of American medicine; and finally, the emergence of health as the core concern of the
American dream. In short, by the end of the course you should have a good understanding of the uniqueness of
American medicine and its central place in America's history. You should have acquired an historical and critical
context that will be of use in your own encounters with matters of health and medicine--as intelligent citizens and
about issues of public health and questions of medical ethics, and as creative thinkers about more satisfactory modes
of medical practice and health improvement and protection. The course will use three to five texts, and require
exams, project, and presentation.
STV 40190 Media Industries
CRN 30083
M W - 11:00A - 12:15P
Becker, Christine
“How do the contemporary film and television industries work? How can an analysis of the "business of
entertainment" enable a greater understanding of contemporary media aesthetics and culture? This course will
explore these questions by focusing on the structure, practices and products of America's film and television
industries, and students will engage with academic readings, screenings, trade publications, current events, guest
lectures, and written and oral assignments in order to understand the activities of the film and television industries. By
the end of the course, students should be able to understand prominent practices employed by media conglomerates
today; recognize the ways in which industrial structures and practices can shape media products; examine how
television shows and movies are influenced by business strategies; and identify the potential impact that the media
industries have on creativity, culture, and society. The course should be especially beneficial for students intending to
pursue scholarly or professional careers related to film and television through its comprehensive overview of how
these industries work, why they work as they do, and the broader practical and theoretical implications of media
industry operations."
STV 30902 Methods Sociological Research
CRN 25150
M W - 11:00A - 12:15P
Williams, Richard
Sociology 30902 is designed to provide an overview of research methods in the social sciences. Topics covered
include (1) hypothesis formulation and theory construction; (2) the measurement of sociological variables; and (3)
data collection techniques - experimental, survey, and observational. At the end of the course, students should
appreciate both the strengths and the limitations of sociological research methods.
STV 30113 The Greek and Latin Origins of Medical Terminology
CRN 29473
T R - 2:00P - 3:15P
Lanski, Alison
This course offers an introduction to the ancient Greek and Latin languages that enables students to decipher the
arcane and often perplexing vocabulary of modern medicine. Basic linguistic concepts are explained, the manner in
which medical terms are constructed from Greek and Latin roots is analyzed, and appropriate contextual material on
ancient medicine is provided. This is a course of great practical value, not least for the attention it pays to human
anatomy.
STV 20231 Philosophy of Medicine and Health Care Reform
CRN 30077
M W- 2:00P-3:15P
Smith, William
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the moral and political issues involved in health care reform. After a
brief introduction to the philosophy of medicine and bioethics, we will focus on the historical events and sociological
factors that led to the current need for health care reform. In the second part of the course, we will pause to examine
a popular account of the principles that underlie the ethical practice of medicine. In the third part of the course, we will
consider some issues having to do with the allocation of scarce medical resources. We will close the course by taking
a look a recent philosophical work on health care and by reflecting on original student presentations responding to the
question: Can we reform the healthcare system in America and, if so, how?
STV 20117 Philosophy of Science
CRN 25939
T R- 2:00P-3:15P
Mills, Mark
A detailed consideration of the central methodological and epistemological questions bearing on science.
STV 20306 Philosophy of Technology
CRN 30078
T R- 3:00P-4:45P
Bourgeois, Mark
Topics covered will be: early philosophy of technology, recent philosophy of technology, technology and ethics,
technology and policy, technology and human nature, and technology and science. Readings will be principally
derived from David M. Kaplan (2004) Readings in the Philosophy Of Technology and Francis Fukuyama (2002) Our
Posthuman Future.
STV 30332 Policy and Practice in STEM Education
CRN 30081
M W - 9:30A - 10:45A
Kloser, Matthew
Science education occupies a unique position among the school-based disciplines. Across many sectors, the
perceived role of science education is to prepare students to enter into and succeed in scientific fields. It is argued
that if an advanced economy, like the United States, wishes to maintain its economic relevance, than each generation
must be prepared to engage in scientific and technological innovation and that school science is responsible in
fulfilling this obligation. But only approximately 5% of all occupations are STEM related ? what happens to the 95% of
students who wish not to pursue STEM careers? What are the needs of an educated citizen in today's society?
Although most goals for science education focus on the development of students? understanding of the material
world, this focus on canonical science often presents the discipline as a "rhetoric of conclusions" rather than a messy,
complex, highly creative, and tentative enterprise. The consequence has been that many students are alienated from
science, thus undermining one of the fundamental aims of science education. This course explores the complex and
contested terrain of policy and practice in science education by focusing on four major themes: 1) The nature of
science and the nature of school science; 2) Policies surrounding science curriculum; 3) The practice of science
education; and 4) New approaches to science education.
STV 40151 Psychology and Medicine
CRN 22418
M W - 3:30P - 4:45P
White, Robert
Kolberg, Kathleen
This course has two basic objectives. First, it examines from a lifespan and psychobiological perspective the factors
that place individuals at different stages of life at risk for illness and assist them in maintaining their health. In
addition, it addresses a variety of challenging psychological and social issues that physicians and other healthcare
professionals must face in the practice of medicine. The course covers a range of topics dealing with health issues
related to different stages of human development (childhood, adolescence, and adulthood), disabled populations,
culture and gender, stress, physician-patient interactions, death and dying, professional ethics, and social policies
relating to health care. The course is primarily intended for students intending to enter medical school. Most classes
will involve brief formal presentations by the instructors and invited guests, followed by discussion of assigned
readings pertinent to the day's topic. In addition, students will be exposed, through a limited practicum, to a variety of
medical settings.
STV 28309 Race Ethnicity
CRN 26781
T R - 12:30P - 1:45P
Jones, Jennifer
In 2006, Henry Louis Gates popularized the practice of DNA ancestry testing through his PBS series "African
American Lives". In it, he uses DNA testing to uncover ancestral connections to ethnic groups in Africa, as well as
Europe and elsewhere. And yet, scholarly consensus is that race and ethnicity are social constructed- fictional
concepts that have real consequences, but are not biological in nature. What is it about race that makes us believe it
is constitutive of some essential, biological self, and yet racial categories and meanings are constantly in flux? In this
course, we will scrutinize the classification of groups and the naturalization of those categories. Focusing on the
United States, throughout the course we will examine the invention, production and reproduction of race from a social
constructionist perspective, concentrating on the ways in which the constitution of race is controversial and constantly
being remade. We will also discuss how race structures inequality in everyday life. This course is organized so that it
builds from racial classification theory, moves on to an examination of the construction of US racial categories and
racial stratification, and closes with an applied focus on racial controversies that are directly tied to resource
allocation and federal policy.
STV 20556 Science, Technology, & Society
CRN 23903; 26091
M W F- 10:30A-11:20A;
Jurkowitz, Edward
This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of science and technology studies. Our concern will be with science
and technology (including medicine) as social and historical, i.e., as human, phenomena. We shall examine the
divergent roots of contemporary science and technology, and the similarities and (sometimes surprising) differences
in their methods and goals. The central theme of the course will be the ways in which science and technology interact
with other aspects of society, including the effects of technical and theoretical innovation in bringing about social
change, and the social shaping of science and technology themselves by cultural, economic and political forces.
Because science/society interactions so frequently lead to public controversy and conflict, we shall also explore what
resources are available to mediate such conflicts in an avowedly democratic society.
STV 20341 Sociology of War and Terror
CRN 26779
M W F- 12:50P-1:40P
Faeges, Russell
This course offers a broad introduction to the sociology of wars, terror, and communal violence, including their
causes, conduct, and consequences. We will consider the basic social forces which impel people to kill and to risk
death in the name of their societies, including the relationship of violence to ?human nature.? We will survey the
manifold characteristics of societies that contribute to and are affected by war and terror: politics; economics; religion;
culture; demographics; the environment; gender; race, ethnicity, and nationalism; social movements; and social
psychology. We will survey the scope of war and terror throughout social history and pre-history, but will give special
attention to the security dilemmas confronting American society. And we will consider alternatives to war and terror
and the prospects for transcending the communal violence that has been so much a part of social life for millennia.
The format of the course combines lectures, presentations, and discussions. We will draw on both written and visual
materials of several kinds. Grades will be based on examinations, brief written work, and participation. (This course
requires no background in sociology. It is open to any student, regardless of major, who is concerned about the
occurrence of armed conflict in social life.) This course bears the ALSS attribute.
Foundational Course
STV 20235 Technology, Society, & Ethics
CRN 27320
M W F- 2:00P-2:50P
Jurkowitz, Edward
This course will explore ethical and moral dilemmas that arise as powerful and pervasive new technologies
increasingly shape how individuals understand themselves, and play important roles in weaving together new kinds of
social groups. We will examine how new technological capacities have helped shape new kinds of economic
organization and production (information economy), new forms of community (dispersed, virtual), and led people to
new understandings of individuality and of themselves (e.g., online communities as constitutive of new self-definitions
and understandings). We will work through case studies to investigate how particular new communication
technologies have changed how society is organized, and changed how individuals interact with one another. We will
explore ethical questions in the context of these case studies, and will ask ourselves how people can and should treat
and engage one another in a rapidly transforming technical and social landscape. We will grapple with understanding
information technologies as both shaping and reflecting the communities and societies in which they exist; and we will
consider whether the question of how one should/can engage another person may be decided by, or embedded in
the technical structure of new social media and other technical systems. We will explore how our interactions with the
physical world are increasingly mediated by technologies (from games to Google glass), and think about how the
?natural? and the ?artificial? are merging together, possibly transforming what it means to be human, or to be a
nation. In short, we will explore how communication systems shape societies: how social, economic, political, and
cultural life is transformed as new technologies enable new modes of mediated social interaction. In a rapidly
transforming world, this course will lead students to understand themselves as, and be, active, ethical contributors,
capable of shaping communities of various kinds: business, social, cultural, and other.
STV 43111 The Life and Works of Darwin
CRN 29474
M W - 12:30P - 1:45P
Ramsey, Grant
Through Darwin's work and biographic material about Darwin, we examine his ideas as well as the social context in
which these Ideas were developed.
STV 23222 Social Concerns Seminar: In Their Shoes- Understanding Mental Illness
CRN 27323
T - 7:00P - 9:00P
Mick, Connie
Brandenberger, Jay
In the United States alone, over 25 million people are affected with mental illness. Countless family members, friends
and mental health professionals struggle to understand and help those diagnosed with these confusing and often
debilitating diseases. Unless we know someone or struggle with similar issues ourselves, the majority of the rest of us
know virtually nothing about the confusing "world" of mental illness. This seminar gives students the opportunity to
learn about mental illness from the personal perspective of those most directly impacted by it: those living with it,
family members, and health care providers. The goals of this seminar are to help students become more
knowledgeable about these diseases and their early warning signs and to develop compassion for those who suffer
from them.