Reaction papers are due in class session unless otherwise indicated.
| SES # | TOPICS | KEY DATES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Introduction & Overview "How do you feel?" What is "affect?" Why study it? How to go about it? Attitudes and actions at the point of entry; "Positive and negative thoughts and feelings" in personal and social situations. Affective universals and particulars. What is going on here? Who is addressing whom? Who knows? Who is to say? Says who?; A definition of the situation; Conduct and administration of the subject: Study groups formed and begin weekly meetings. | |
| 2 | Human Systems |
Reaction paper 1 Handout and questionnaires due |
| 3 | MFA Field Trip |
Reaction paper 2 due one day before field trip MFA field trip feedback report due |
| 4 | Quality in Arts, Technology and Life | Reaction paper 3 and two photos from MFA field trip due two days before next class |
| 5 |
Problematique du changement I: What is a "Scientific Revolution?" Paradigms Lost and Regained in science and in society; The interplay of meaning and power in human systems: Beliefs, values and practices associated with the rise of monopoly capitalism and the degradation of work since the 19th century. | Reaction paper 4 |
| 6 | What is Quality in (my MIT) Education? | Reaction paper 5 |
| 7 |
Wrapping Up Phase One (Inquiring into values; What has been learned?) | Reaction paper 6 |
| 8 |
The Neuropsychology of Affect Debriefing on Spring Break assignments and experiences. The emotional brain; perceptions of beauty and beholders' eyes; physiological and anatomical "embodiments" of human "mental life" and behavior; biological roots and social projections of concurrently prevailing beliefs, values and practices. Recognizing and coping with stress. | Reaction paper 7 |
| 9 | Neurosurgery: The Science of Violence and Vice-Versa | Reaction paper 8 |
| 10 | Field Trip: A Walk Around the Block |
Reaction paper 9a Reaction paper 9b (Term paper proposal) due two days before next class |
| 11 | Fathering the Unthinkable? | Reaction paper 10 |
| 12 |
Problematique du changement II: What is the path to effective pro-social collaboration in these times? Revisiting "the commons" and questions about the issue of "externalities." An invitation to consider the possible advantages of membership in communities; belonging to place? | Reaction paper 11 |
| 13 | Humanecological Sustainability: Toward a Quality Worldview, Valuesystem and Lifestyle | |
| 14 | Final Presentations and Closure Discussion | Reaction paper 12 (Term paper) |