Philosophy

This course introduces a basic understanding of what philosophy is and further provokes interest in the deeper and particular subjects of philosophy. The course covers some of the most important questions being debated in the study of philosophy based on essential topics of the study and how argumentative they are. With these questions that will be discussed, the course teaches how to approach them philosophically in addition to letting students brainstorm them independently.

This course focuses on the history of Buddhist philosophy, which spreads out over 2,500 years in India and East Asia. It covers the central themes of Buddhist philosophy, such as the Four Noble Truths and dependent origination. The course also includes aspects of the historical influence of Indian Buddhism on East Asian culture. 

This course focuses on the meaning of "peace" as a classical Jewish value demonstrating the significant differences between it and the modern Western secular model. The course starts with an analysis of the politics of peace in western philosophy, tracing this discourse from the work of Kant to that of contemporary post-critical political philosophers. Students trace similarities between contemporary critiques of Kant and the alternative strategies for peace-making offered in the Jewish tradition. The course studies the meaning of peace in both classical and modern Jewish literature, examining the connection between peace and Messianism and exploring the implications of this connection for Zionist and religious Zionist political thought. Finally, the course examines the different ways in which alternative articulations of peace might suggest entirely new approaches to the challenge of accomplishing peace in today's Middle East after a fashion that enables us to tackle such loaded questions as the sanctity of the holy land, the Temple Mount, etc. This course requires students have completed one course in Jewish Studies, Political Philosophy, Middle East Studies, or International Relations as a prerequisite.