This course aims at introducing students to the intellectual life and at creating a learning community. Unlike most courses, the foundations sequence is not concentrated on a single discipline. We will be examining this semester's themes, nature, society, person from various perspectives. The course aims at providing a secure foundation for addressing, in a serious and profound way, the key questions of human life: who are we? what are our relations/obligations to others, to the natural world, to transcendence, and to our progeny? In conjunction with the field trips that will take us to La Boheme and Don Giovanni, one thread running through all our discussions will be the topic of love.  Thinking about love in its many manifestations, e.g. family love, friendship, charity, erotic love, love of nature, love of neighbor, will allow us to explore the semester's 3 themes and their associated readings in an interrelated fashion. Because all Foundations students will be exposed to texts in common, it is hoped that discussions will be continued outside of class with students from other sections.

Students are expected to be active participants, not mere spectators in this course. The class will succeed only if students (1) come to class prepared, and (2) take an active part in classroom discussions. Genuine intellectual development, like development of an athletic or a musical talent, cannot be handed to someone from the outside. Only personal participation, effort, and practice can bring it about. Our work will involve the 4 R’s (four ‘R’ sounds at least): read, reflect, react, write. Serious reflection involves sharing our reactions with others, listening to what others have to say, articulating our positions in writing, and getting comments on our formulations. Class sessions will be structured to maximize these sorts of activities. A unique part of the course will involve research projects, together with their associated oral reports and papers. The subject-matters for these projects will be assigned.

Students will be evaluated on the basis of a variety of criteria: Formal writing will count for 40% of the grade.  Preparation for class, manifested in classroom conversation that reveals outside work with the texts will count for another 40%. The remaining 20% will be based on quizzes. There will be three essays worth a total of  400 points.   Class preparation/participation will also be worth 400. Included in this will be reports on the field trip and in-class quizzes on the readings.  Writing articles for the school newspaper (with a maximum of two) will be a way to enhance this grade. The quizzes will be worth a total of 200 points. Grades will be distributed according to the following scale: 940-1000 = A; 900-939 = A-; 870-899 = B+; 840-869 = B; 800-839 = B-; 770-799 = C+; 740-769 = C; 700-739 = C-; 670-679 = D+; 640-669 = D; 600-639 = D; 599 and below = F.  Plagiarized work will receive a failing grade. 

This course can only succeed if students take an active part in making each class successful. Because of this, regular attendance is expected. There is no fixed penalty for absences, but the preparation/participation grade (worth 40% of the overall grade) will be adversely affected by failure to attend class. Because tardiness is disruptive, please make every effort to arrive prior to the start of class.