2022-2023 Academic Year

Fall 2022

FYSM 100 First-Year Seminar
The First-Year Seminar (FYS) introduces students to Dickinson as a "community of inquiry" by developing habits of mind essential to liberal learning. Through the study of a compelling issue or broad topic chosen by their faculty member, students will: - Critically analyze information and ideas - Examine issues from multiple perspectives - Discuss, debate and defend ideas, including one's own views, with clarity and reason - Develop discernment, facility and ethical responsibility in using information, and - Create clear academic writing The small group seminar format of this course promotes discussion and interaction among students and their professor. In addition, the professor serves as students' initial academic advisor. This course does not duplicate in content any other course in the curriculum and may not be used to fulfill any other graduation requirement.

RUSS 101 Elementary Russian
An intensive study of the fundamentals of Russian grammar, with an emphasis on the development of reading, writing, speaking, and understanding skills. Short stories and songs will supplement the text.

INTD 500 Independent Study

Spring 2023

CLST 200 Philosophy and Literature
Cross-listed with PHIL 270-01 and RUSS 270-01. The characters of Sophocles and Dostoevsky lie, steal, scheme, and murder. What is it about these authors’ depictions of their characters’ lying, cheating, and murdering ways that makes their writing not just literary but philosophical? And what is it about philosophical works like Nietzsche’s that makes them literary? More generally, does literature shape its audience’s ethical education, emotional health, and ability to discern truth from falsity? Where do the overlapping realms of literature and philosophy begin and end? This course investigates the intersections of philosophy and literature across various cultural contexts, historical periods, and schools of thought, with an emphasis on ancient Greek and Russian literature; authors include Fyodor Dostoevsky, Sophocles, Euripides, Ralph Ellison, Friedrich Nietzsche, Plato, Aristotle, Leo Tolstoy, and contemporary philosophers (Murdoch, Rorty, Scanlan, etc.). We will look at how arguments transform and are transposed from one style of writing to another, thereby raising the contentious question of whether philosophy can achieve things that literature cannot, and vice versa. We will also ask ourselves fundamental questions about the role of literature in the 21st century: why should we care about fictional stories, how and why are we moved by great writing, and what role (if any) does literature play in moral imagination?

RUSS 202 Intermediate Russian II
Emphasis on the development of reading, speaking, and writing skills. Reading of simple texts to acquaint the student with a variety of styles of the Russian language, concentration on some of the more difficult problems in the Russian grammar, translation, written composition, vocabulary building, and intonation. Prerequisite: 201 or equivalent.

PHIL 270 Philosophy and Literature
Cross-listed with CLST 200-01 and RUSS 270-01. The characters of Sophocles and Dostoevsky lie, steal, scheme, and murder. What is it about these authors’ depictions of their characters’ lying, cheating, and murdering ways that makes their writing not just literary but philosophical? And what is it about philosophical works like Nietzsche’s that makes them literary? More generally, does literature shape its audience’s ethical education, emotional health, and ability to discern truth from falsity? Where do the overlapping realms of literature and philosophy begin and end? This course investigates the intersections of philosophy and literature across various cultural contexts, historical periods, and schools of thought, with an emphasis on ancient Greek and Russian literature; authors include Fyodor Dostoevsky, Sophocles, Euripides, Ralph Ellison, Friedrich Nietzsche, Plato, Aristotle, Leo Tolstoy, and contemporary philosophers (Murdoch, Rorty, Scanlan, etc.). We will look at how arguments transform and are transposed from one style of writing to another, thereby raising the contentious question of whether philosophy can achieve things that literature cannot, and vice versa. We will also ask ourselves fundamental questions about the role of literature in the 21st century: why should we care about fictional stories, how and why are we moved by great writing, and what role (if any) does literature play in moral imagination?

RUSS 270 Philosophy and Literature
Cross-listed with CLST 200-01 and PHIL 270-01. The characters of Sophocles and Dostoevsky lie, steal, scheme, and murder. What is it about these authors’ depictions of their characters’ lying, cheating, and murdering ways that makes their writing not just literary but philosophical? And what is it about philosophical works like Nietzsche’s that makes them literary? More generally, does literature shape its audience’s ethical education, emotional health, and ability to discern truth from falsity? Where do the overlapping realms of literature and philosophy begin and end? This course investigates the intersections of philosophy and literature across various cultural contexts, historical periods, and schools of thought, with an emphasis on ancient Greek and Russian literature; authors include Fyodor Dostoevsky, Sophocles, Euripides, Ralph Ellison, Friedrich Nietzsche, Plato, Aristotle, Leo Tolstoy, and contemporary philosophers (Murdoch, Rorty, Scanlan, etc.). We will look at how arguments transform and are transposed from one style of writing to another, thereby raising the contentious question of whether philosophy can achieve things that literature cannot, and vice versa. We will also ask ourselves fundamental questions about the role of literature in the 21st century: why should we care about fictional stories, how and why are we moved by great writing, and what role (if any) does literature play in moral imagination?

RUSS 500 Independent Study