aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

of the most important periods and personalities in the evolution
of political philosophy with special attention to the Age of
Enlightenment and Romanticism.
Prerequisites: PHR 130 Western Philosophy, or POL 150
Introduction to Political Science, or equivalents, or sophomore
standing
Enthusiasm: Search for the Divine through the
Lost Sciences
PHR 270 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course embraces various disciplines including astrology,
alchemy, the Cabala, Gnosticism and music. These disciplines,
which have their roots in classical pre-Christian culture, will be
explored within a historical and philosophical context from the
medieval period up to the Renaissance. Each of these subjects
will be examined, not in isolation, but with reference to other
disciplines, in such a way as to demonstrate the correlation
between them. These interrelationships existed in antiquity
but have, to a large extent, been forgotten in our modern day
culture with its tendency to compartmentalize knowledge.
Scientific developments have led humankind to lose contact
with their inner selves and consequently with a lay conception
of the divine. The aim of this course is to seek to rediscover,
through the study of these ‘sciences’ which have been lost
along the centuries, the sense of the divine which allowed man
to experience supreme self-knowledge in conjunction with
a deep knowledge of the universe. It is for this reason that
the course is entitled “Enthusiasm”, a term deriving from the
ancient Greek and which means “the sense of the divine within
each of us”. This course is not, therefore, a mere historical
excursus, an illustration of disciplines which have lost their very
essence and meaning over the centuries; it is, rather, a course
which stimulates debate and deep reflection, not only within a
classroom context, but also through frequent visits to spiritual
sites both in Florence and elsewhere.
Astrology, Alchemy and Western Thought
PHR 280 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course studies the general principles of two of the main
domains of the magical tradition - astrology and alchemy
- linked by the assumption of the existence of a universal
sympathy in the cosmos: “as above, so below” (as in the planets,
so in metals, etc.), says Hermes Trismegistus. The first part of
the course deals with the subject of Astrology first through a
historical and mythological approach. More technical aspects
- such as the Zodiac, the Signs and their meaning, the Planets
and the Houses of Astrology - are then considered. Students
will be able not only to understand the significance of the Chart
of the Heavens, but also to cast their own astrological charts.
The second part of the course deals with alchemy, pre-Socratic
philosophies, the Hermetic tradition and its Renaissance
revival. The focus will be on the philosophical background to
alchemical operations, and on their ethical and psychological
connections. In addition, students will come to understand the
symbols, images, procedures and phases of alchemy, which
will help them discern the meaning of the attainment of the
Philosophers’ Stone.
The Renaissance Theory of Love
PHR 285 F; Dual listed: HIS 285 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
“Love” is a fundamental concept in our culture. A glance into
contemporary literature, poetry and cinema will demonstrate
the centrality of this notion still in modern days. During the
Renaissance, the concept of “love”, which draws its basic
tenets from Marsilio Ficino’s interpretation of Platonic love,
was even more central and predominant. This course will
begin with the study of the Neoplatonic metaphysical theory,
the basis of the Renaissance theory of love, as interpreted by
Ficino in the fifteenth century, and will follow its development
to more encompassing theories, such as that of Leone Ebreo,
and especially to the manifestation of these theories in art and
literature (at times very light courtly literature), which became
very fashionable in the sixteenth century and known to a very
large and varied public. The course will consist of the study
of various types of fifteenth and sixteenth primary sources
(philosophical and literary) and of the study of the works of art,
especially of Titian and Michelangelo, backed with the reading
of up-to-date secondary sources.
Prerequisites: PHR 130 Western Philosophy, or HIS 130 Western
Civilization, or equivalents
Psychology: A Philosophical Investigation
PHR 300 F; Dual listed: PSY 300 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
In today’s world psychology is a major academic and
professional discipline, but what exactly is it? This course is
concerned with understanding psychology, and especially its
relationship to biology and the physical sciences, from the
point of view of philosophy. Central issues include the mindbody
problem, the problem of whether psychological concepts
can be related to neural states, and the associated question of
whether psychology is an autonomous subject or should rather
be seen as a subdiscipline of neuroscience, biology, or physics.
We shall examine four possible responses to these questions,
which represent the standard competing theories of mind:
Dualism, Behaviorism, Identity Theory and Functionalism. We
shall also consider problems of consciousness, subjectivity, and
the qualitative character of sensory experience, and we shall
discuss the ethical implications of the issues involved.
Prerequisites: PSY 150 Introduction to Psychology, or PHR 130
Western Philosophy, or equivalents
Religion and Politics in the Middle East
PHR 314 F; Dual listed: POL 314 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course is a study of the role of Judaism, Christianity and
Islam in the history and politics of the Middle East. The course
will address critical issues in the Middle East such as land,
water, language, community, and sacred sites from multiple
perspectives including a cross section of resident populations
(Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, recent immigrant populations
and Palestinians) as well as key interested “outsiders” (USA,
Arab League, etc.). Starting from the consequences of the
fall of the Ottoman Empire – which can dramatically improve
the understanding of events today – the course will cover
the main events of the area, addressing critical issues such
as the formation of cultural and religious identities, the role
of political ideologies, and the logistics of land partition.
Through the analysis of documents, political plans, religious
manifestos, maps and statistical data, students will better their
understanding of the relationship between systems of beliefs,
political interests, and cultural norms.
Prerequisites: PHR 210 World Religions, or POL 288 International
Politics, or equivalents
The Role of Magic in Renaissance Thought
PHR 318 F; Dual listed: HIS 318 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
During the Italian Renaissance an extraordinarily talented
collection of writers and thinkers embarked on a voyage of
rediscovery, uncovering the rich body of knowledge left by
ancient civilizations and creating a new and exciting synthesis
from what they found. In this synthesis magical thought
exerted a central and prestigious influence. Regarded as the
key to understanding the nature of reality, magic occupied
much the same place held by natural science in today’s society.
This course explores the spiritual and magical world conjured in
the thought of important Renaissance thinkers such as Marsilio
Ficino, Pico della Mirandola and Giordano Bruno, examining their
texts and visiting sites in Florence which made this city one of
the great centers of Renaissance magic. By reinterpreting the
Renaissance in the light of magic and imagination, the course
offers a fresh perspective on the origins of the modern world.
Prerequisites: PHR 130 Western Philosophy, or HIS 130 Western
Civilization, or equivalents
School of Arts & Sciences FLORENCE
LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014
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