Kathryn Hunt (Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center)

(Honors 315 Section 002)  Shakespeare’s Political Thought:  Ancient Rome and Modern England

Repeated readings of the plays to be studied in this tutorial, which began with my participation in a 1989 NEH Summer Seminar for College Teachers on “Shakespeare’s Politics” at the University of Virginia, along with a rapidly-growing body of secondary literature, convince me that Shakespeare was a profound political thinker.  The Roman trilogy offers as thoughtful a political analysis of the critical phases of Rome’s historical development—the birth of the republic after the expulsion of the Tarquin kings, the end of the republic under the pressures of what came to be called “Caesarism” by political theorists, and the imperial period—as such acknowledged classics on the subject as Polybius’ History of Rome or Machiavelli’s Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius (Discourses on Livy). Similarly, the career of Henry Monmouth (Prince Hal in Richard II, who becomes Henry V by the end of the Henriad plays) is a profound analysis of the end of the medieval foundation of monarchy in England, and the search for a new, “modern” foundation.  In this course, these plays will be studied from this political perspective, one from which they are not studied anywhere else in the university.  The first week on each shall be a general discussion facilitated by the instructor; the second, discussion based on the three-page papers that each of the student’s shall write on each play. This should mean we’ll have time for one introductory meeting and two weeks on each of the plays, although time restrictions will require that the two parts of Henry IV be discussed as one play.

Michael Palmer (Political Science)

Recent years have witnessed a marked increase in the conversion of forest land and other open spaces to suburban and commercial development.  The rapid pace of land conversion—often termed “sprawl”—has been especially severe in the U.S. in recent decades, and is a growing source of concern for many communities.

This course will examine the issue of land conversion and environmental quality from three perspectives. First, we will address the social, economic, and biophysical factors driving land use change in Maine and the U.S. Second, we will examine the legal and regulatory framework within which land use decisions are made.  Finally, we will explore a range of approaches taken to accommodate growth while protecting environmental quality.  This last section will draw upon case studies from Maine, the U.S., and abroad.        

Robert Lilieholm (School of Forest Resources)

This course focuses on one type of stratification in particular: social class.  It does so in the belief that in American society we have become conditioned to see other forms of inequality (race, gender, age) much more readily than class stratification, even when apparent differences between racial, gender or age groups may in fact be explained by their link to social class.  Social class is by no means the only determinant of social life and life chances, but it is a goal of this course to "see" class and its significance where before it may have been invisible.

The course is designed to take an in-depth look at the forms, causes, and consequences of social inequality in the United States.  It is organized around the assumptions that (1) social inequality is multidimensional; (2) a theoretical understanding is necessary to be successful in grappling with inequality’s undesirable consequences; (3) couching a discussion of inequality in its broader historical and social-structural context provides a fuller understanding of inequality’s nature and role in society; and (4) an evenhanded approach covering the gamut of perspectives on inequality is most appropriate.  As a field of study, Social Stratification has an extremely broad scope.  Therefore, this course will deal with issues of poverty, rapid and growing globalization, racial and ethnic groups, gender roles, life expectancies, varying mortality rates, and group residential patterns, just to name a few.

Marwin Spiller (Sociology)

This course will explore classic texts of the Chinese religion and philosophy of Taoism, including the Tao Te Ching and Chuang Tzu. In addition, the course will compare in depth two contemporary commentaries on the Tao Te Ching. Other readings will help contextualize Taoism in historical and cultural perspectives, bringing together recent scholarship in religion, philosophy and psychology. Students also will explore aspects of Taoism through an introduction to the practice of tai chi and the "I Ching."

Paul Grosswiler (Communication and Journalism)