news, events, and commentary from the Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum
April 12, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Through me the way into the suffering city,
Through me the way to eternal pain,
Through me the way that runs among the lost.
Justice urged on my high artificer;
My Maker was divine authority,
The highest wisdom, and the primal love.
Before me nothing but eternal things
Were made, and I endure eternally.
Abandon every hope, who enter here.
– Dante, Inferno (III, lines 1-9)
April 11, 2011 at 1:32 pm
The Core blog would like to welcome Karaugh Brown (CAS’01, GRS’10) and Fabiana Cabral (CAS’10) to the steering committee of EnCore: The Core Alumni Association. This addition to the committee strengthens what was already a strong group of alumni leaders, who are all committed to serving the community of Core alumni.
April 11, 2011 at 12:15 pm
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
- John 1:1-5 (King James translation of the Bible)
April 8, 2011 at 12:14 pm
It's an important point to realize that the genetic programming of our lives is not fully deterministic. It is statistical -- it is in any animal merely statistical -- not deterministic. Even if you are in some sense a determinist -- and philosophically speaking many of us may be -- that doesn't mean we have to behave as if we are determinists, because the world is so complicated, and especially human brains are so complicated, that we behave as if we are not deterministic, and we feel as if we are not deterministic -- and that's all that matters. In any case, adding the word "genetic" to deterministic doesn't make it any more deterministic. If you are a philosophical determinist, then adding the word "gene" doesn't increase the effect.
- Richard Dawkins (from a PBS interview)
April 8, 2011 at 10:47 am
Fall 2011
T, Th 3:30-5:00
Professor James Johnson
This interdisciplinary seminar (HI 426) offered by Professor James Johnson of the History Department explores the cultural context of major works of music, from Don Giovanni and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Each week considers a musical work alongside fiction, philosophy, or criticism from the period, as well as contemporary scholarship.
Composers include: Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Schumann, Wagner, Mahler, Debussy, Schoenberg, Ellington, Davis, and Coltrane.
Writers include: Schiller, Goethe, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Cocteau, Ellison, and Baldwin.
For more information and permission to register, contact Professor Johnson at jhj@bu.edu.
April 7, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Each spring, Core and Classics students work with Prof. Stephanie Nelson and assorted faculty to stage a dramatic reading of one of the bawdy comic plays of Aristophanes.
Tomorrow night, you're invited to attend their production of The Wasps. In the Core/Classics re-invention of the play, the character Loathcleon tries to save Lovecleon (representing all the beloved senior faculty) from a dire obsession with earning a deanship. Meanwhile, a chorus of wasps delivers its stinging commentary on the action.
Ask any upperclassman who's been to the Aristophanes show in previous years, and they'll tell you -- you don't want to miss it! Guest stars include Prof. Eckel and Prof. Samons, as well as other familiar faces from the faculty.
See you there...
The play is free and open to all -- bring a friend!
April 7, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Molly Zeff from Equal Exchange will be speaking on Wednesday, April 13 in CAS 211 at 6 PM about how organic chocolate can help combat global warming. Come get a free sample, and hopefully leave with new found, sweets-inspired inspiration for going green. Also check out the event on facebook.
April 7, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Judson Cowan, Senior Art Director for Morrison Agency and self titled freelance musician offers many free albums on his website, one of which is a remix of the music from Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), which has often been studied in CC202. His remix adds a more modern emphasis on rhythm, while giving a darker, more savage feel. Modern musicians, it seems, continue going back to the classics for not only inspiration, but framework for their own creations. You can download the entire album for free on his website here.
April 7, 2011 at 10:34 am
The James Devlin Award, in memory of one of the Core’s first and most inspiring lecturers and classroom teachers, is for two second-semester freshmen who have done outstanding work in the Core and plan to continue in one or both of its sophomore courses. It was always Professor Devlin’s strong belief that it is in the curriculum of the sophomore year that students experience the full benefit of the Core. Click here to read some of the many memories about Prof. Devlin Core students shared following news of his passing in November 2011. The award consists of the purchase of all books for both semesters of a sophomore Core course (CC201/202 or CC203/204), as well as a stipend of $200. Two students will be presented with an award each year; however, if there are more than two outstanding applicants, a third award may be considered. Students who wish to be considered for the award should:
Any student with questions about the award program or application process are asked to contact Professor Emeritus Brian Jorgensen at bwj@bu.edu.
Alumni and friends of the Core who would like to contribute online may do so here. Click on "Give Today," and follow the instructions on the website. Under "Gift Designation," indicate that you would like your gift to go to "CAS Core Curriculum in Memory of Professor James Devlin."
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Dr. James Patrick Devlin (1943-2010) was a philosopher, a programmer, and a teacher through and through. It was his way to examine all of life and then to examine it more, sometimes with hilarity and always with originality, honesty and thoughtfulness. He inspired those who came into contact with him to do the same. He pushed the pedagogical envelope, and is remembered by students and colleagues—most fondly, with deep admiration, and even awe—as an outstanding teacher and a brilliant lecturer in the Core Humanities.
April 6, 2011 at 10:25 am
Tonight is the perfect chance for Core alumni to come together at the EnCore book club and recapture the excitement of being a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Core student again with intellectually provocative discourse. Join the discussion at the BU Alumni Lounge, 595 Commonwealth Avenue, at 6:30 PM, whether you are a returning participant or are just getting started. This time they'll be discussing Carl Zimmer's Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea. Register at https://secure.www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/BUAR/event/showEventForm.jsp?form_id=71724.
