Courses

ISHS 100: Themes in the Interdisciplinary Study of the Humanities and Sciences (3 credits)

How has Charles Darwin influenced the field of literary study? How has neuroscience affected movie making? What can artists tell us about the scientific advancements of their time? How might these advancements have affected art itself? How has biology affected the social sciences? What can the history of science tell us about the process of scientific discovery? Why were so many famous scientists also philosophers? Why and how has religion had such a strong influence on science? What does science have to say about faith? Why are math and philosophy so strongly connected? When, why, and how did science and the humanities become different fields of studies?

This course is the cornerstone course in the ISHS curriculum; as such, it familiarizes students with the various ways in which the humanities and sciences interact with, influence, and inform one another. The course begins by raising questions about: (1) the nature/definition of the humanities and the sciences as (sets of) disciplines; (2) the boundaries/distinctions between the various fields within/across disciplinary lines; and (3) the characteristic ways in which knowledge is produced, transmitted, and used within each set of disciplines. The course also offers a survey of various models of interaction between the humanities and sciences, including a sampling of work from fields such as philosophy of science, history of science, sociology of science, literary studies of science, science dramatization, fine arts and science, religious studies and science, science journalism, and cultural studies of science. The course equips students to frame and address particular questions (ethical, social, epistemic, practical) that arise at the intersection of the humanities and the sciences

ISHS 199: A culminating, individualized learning experience that integrates scientific and mathematical inquiry with humanities and social sciences inquiry (3 credits)

ISHS elective courses are cross-listed with courses from the following departments and programs: