CoursesCitizenship, Patriotism, and Identity
PSCI 4992-302

Citizenship, Patriotism, and Identity

This course introduces students to fundamental moral questions about countries and individuals’ membership in them. Do people owe more to their compatriots than to foreigners?  Is it desirable – or at least permissible – for countries to have and promote a national identity?  What different forms can patriotism take, and in which (if any) of these forms is it a virtue?  Should we all be “citizens of the world”?  These questions will be explored primarily through readings in contemporary moral and political philosophy.

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LAWM 538

Engineering Law and the State (New)

Instructor(s)

  • Justin (Gus) Hurwitz

Semester

Spring 2026

This course explores the relationship between engineering, law, and the state to develop an understanding, on the one hand, of the mechanisms by which technology affects political processes and, on the other hand, how political processes regulate technological designs. It does so by using engineering principles as a lens to introduce and discuss foundational concepts from political philosophy, jurisprudence (legal theory), positive political theory, and economics. The course has the express goal of bringing engineering fields into dialogue with the humanities and social sciences and facilitating dialogue between those disciplines.

 

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EDUC 5437

Interfaith Dialogue in Action

Instructor(s)

  • Steve Kocher

Semester

Spring 2026

Faith, belief, spirituality and religious identity are central to the lives of so many people, and so building understanding about these aspects of life – encompassing the development of our personal convictions as well as our connections to (or challenges with) institutional religion and spiritual community – is essential to understanding our world.  But conversations on these topics can be complicated, confusing, even contentious.  The Interfaith Dialogue in Action course makes space for students of all religious and non-religious backgrounds to engage with one another, reflect together, and learn skills to build dialogue between people with different faith traditions, worldviews, practices, and beliefs.  

 

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