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  • HSCI 336: Science, Pseudoscience, and the Two Cultures

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    A famous dichotomy between the sciences and the humanities, and public understanding of them, was laid down by C. P. Snow and has been widely discussed, with ignorance of the second law of thermodynamics compared with ignorance of Shakespeare. In this seminar, we will consider several aspects of science and scientific culture, including how scientific thinking challenges the claims of pseudoscience. We will consider C. P. Snow and his critics as well as the ideas about the Copernican Revolution and other paradigms invented by Thomas Kuhn. We will discuss the recent "Science Wars" over the validity of scientific ideas. We will consider the fundamental originators of modern science, including Tycho, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton, viewing their original works in the Chapin Library of rare books and comparing their interests in science with what we now call pseudoscience, like alchemy. We will review the history and psychology of astrology and other pseudosciences. Building on the work of Martin Gardner in Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science, and using the current journal The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, we consider from a scientific point of view what is now called complementary or alternative medicine, including both older versions such as chiropractic and newer nonscientific practices. We will discuss the current global-cliamte-change deniers and their effects on policy. We consider such topics as GM (genetically modified) foods, the safety and regulation of dietary supplements, and the validity of government and other recommendations relevant to the roles of dietary salt and fat in health. We consider the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and reports of UFO's and aliens. We consider the possible effects that superstitious beliefs have on the general public's cooperation in vaccination programs and other consequences of superstition. We also consider the recently increased range of dramas that are based on scientific themes, such as Tom Stoppard's Arcadia and Michael Frayn's Copenhagen.
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  • HSCI 497: Independent Study: History of Science

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    History of Science independent study.
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  • HSCI 498: Independent Study: History of Science

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    History of Science independent study.
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  • INST 101: The Modern Middle East

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    This survey course addresses the main economic, religious, political and cultural trends in the modern Middle East. Topics to be covered include the cultural diversity of the Middle East, relations with Great Powers, the impact of imperialism, the challenge of modernity, the creation of nation states and nationalist ideologies, the discovery of oil, radical religious groups, and war and peace. Throughout the course these significant changes will be evaluated in light of their impact on the lives of a variety of individuals in the region and especially how they have grappled differently with increasing Western political and economic domination. This course is part of the Exploring Diversity Initiative because it compares the differences and similarities between different cultures and societies in the Middle East and the various ways they have responded to one another in the past. Prerequisite:    Open to all
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  • INST 210: Violence and Public Health

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    This interdisciplinary tutorial will analyze the advantages and limitations of public health perspectives on different categories of violence. Through readings in the primary and secondary literature and analysis of on-line databases, we will explore how structural violence, armed political violence, and interpersonal violence affect public health, as well as examine evidence suggesting that violence is preventable and amenable to public health strategies. Prerequisite:    A background in Public Health is preferred
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  • INST 211: Epidemiology and Global Health

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    This course examines the interplay of biomedical, societal, and ethical concerns in global health. Students will develop competency with the quantitative tools of epidemiology to elucidate the distribution of diseases within populations and to evaluate preventive and therapeutic interventions. Readings from the public health, medical anthropology and public policy literature will be complemented by current events to raise awareness of public health needs in the US and other countries and to highlight the influence of cultural, economic, and political factors on health. Each student will complete a semester-long research project: first gathering demographic and health care indicators for a particular country, then selecting a subpopulation within that country for further investigation, and finally analyzing a public health intervention to improve a selected health outcome. Prerequisite:    STAT 101 and background in Biology preferred
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  • INST 231: Inequality and Development in a Globalizing World

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    This course introduces students to the relations among growth, inequality and globalization of economic markets, with a focus on implications for the developing world. Among topics for study are the world distribution of income, across and within countries; concepts of inequality (income, opportunity, mobility, capabilities, horizontal inequality); the implications of global trade and capital markets for inequality within developing countries; the consequences of inequality for growth and for political institutions in developing countries; the effects of global market failures and differences among countries in economic power on trade, capital, intellectual property, international migration, climate and other global regimes; and the role of global economic institutions (IMF, World Bank, bilateral aid programs) in addressing unequal opportunity and global market failures. Prerequisite:    ECON 110 and 120
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  • INST 315: International Trade, Globalization and Its Effects

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    This course is an introduction to international trade and finance with an emphasis on issues of current interest. Topics to be discussed may include: the gains from trade; why nations trade; different theories of the pattern of trade; the effects of tariffs and other trade barriers on national welfare and income distribution; the balance of payments, the determination of foreign exchange rates, and alternative exchange rate regimes. Prerequisite:    Economics 110; students who have completed Economics 251 must have permission of the instructor
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  • INST 397: Independent Study: International Politics

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    International Studies independent study.
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  • INST 398: Independent Study: International Politics

    3.00 Credits
    Williams College

    International Studies independent study.
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