Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West—taught in sections of about twenty-two students by an interdepartmental staff—emphasizes critical inquiry and active participation in discussion and argument.

The central purpose of the course is to introduce students to a range of issues concerning all kinds of communities—political, social, moral, and religious—that human beings construct for themselves and the values that inform and define such communities. Among the readings currently required are the Bible, the Koran, and works by Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Machiavelli, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Smith, Marx, Darwin, Nietzsche, DuBois, Freud, and Woolf.

What is required?

COCI C1101-C1102

When?

This two-semester sequence is normally taken in the sophomore year.

Can I test out?

No.