Human Monsters: Representations Of The Limits Of Humanity In The Early Modern Period (SPAN/LITRS 058) Syllabus

What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be a monster? Under what conditions and at what point does one exceed or not meet the standards of humanity and become a monster? Focusing on the so-called ‘Age of Exploration,’ this course examines the ways in which authors, artists, politicians and philosophers imagined the limits between the human and the monstrous during the early modern period, identifying their sources and pursuing their lines of influence. Ranging from classical mythology and the medieval worldview to Renaissance drama and the chronicles of the discovery and conquest of the New World, we will consider the physical, psychological and cultural boundaries of the human and the monstrous, as well as explore the ways these identities shift across time and space and have a continuing impact on the way we think of otherness today

Digital Exhibit Of Human Monstrosity

The final project for SPAN/LITRS 058 is a digital exhibit of human monstrosity. Each student will identify a topic or theme related to human monstrosity in any form and choose representative examples. This project will be presented using an online tool (Scalar) that enables the creation of multimedia exhibits. Students will search for and collect text, images, video and sound recordings of their topic/theme and examples and curate an online exhibit that explores some facet (historical, biological, psychological, social, etc.) of the limits between the human and the monstrous

The Informing Science Framework:Part I. The Similarity Among Various Disciplines

There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old system and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would gain by the new on

Failure to Inform: Errors in Informing Systems

The paper examines ways in which information systems can and do misinform clients. Using a common framework for understanding information systems, it uncovers four primary (and eleven secondary) methods by which systems can fail to inform. The paper uses research conducted in a variety of fields

A question of Mesorah?

In the upcoming Krias Hatorah in Parshat Shoftim and Parshat Ki Savo there are a number of instances where the meaning of a phrase changes completely based on the pronunciation of a single word – םד – with either a Komatz or Patah. Until recently, most Chumashim and Tikunim which generally followed the famous Yaakov Ben Hayyim 1525 edition of Mikraot Gedolot published in Venice that printed a seemingly inconsistent pattern in the pronunciation of the different occurrences of this word

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationBacteria swim through liquid environments by rotating extracellular propellers known as flagella. Extending up to 10 m in length, the cell-external flagellar filament self-assembles from ∼10,000 copies of a single protein and constitutes the bulk of the flagellum. However, the nanometer-scale hook basal body (HBB), which powers the flagellar filament and anchors it to the cell body, is constructed from ∼25 unique protein subunit types that must self-assemble into an ion-powered motor of precise dimensions. Thus, the HBB represents the structurally and mechanically more complex component of the flagellum and has been the subject of intense study for several decades. The HBB is composed of three substructures: i) the MS-C-ring rotor in the cytoplasm that encloses the flagellar-specific Type III Secretion apparatus, ii) the periplasmic driveshaft, and iii) the extracellular hook. The rigid driveshaft, known as the rod, is the first axial structure of the flagellum to assemble and resides entirely in the periplasmic space between the inner and outer membranes. The rod transmits the torque generated by the flagellar motor embedded in the cytoplasmic membrane to the cell-external components of the flagellum. Until recently, the mechanisms that regulate rod assembly and the switch from rod-to-hook polymerization remained unknown. Specifically, it was unclear how the flagellum, which self-assembles from thousands of individual subunits to predetermined dimensions, ensured the rod substructure did not grow past its mature wild type length of ∼25 nm. Secondly, while it was known that the transition from rod polymerization to hook polymerization was somehow coordinated with penetration of the outer membrane by the nascent flagellar structure, the molecular mechanism that coupled these two events was unknown. Using genetic, biochemical and microscopic techniques, we have elucidated both the means by which rod length is controlled as well as the mechanism that synchronizes outer membrane penetration with the switch from rod-to-hook assembly. We have also provided insight into the molecular basis for the difference in flexibility between the rod and the hook and the significance of the rod's relative inflexibility with respect to flagellar form and function

Evolving Trends in Information Systems Education

Information Systems (IS) education has evolved over the last fifteen years. The old paradigm for IS education, as described in the paper, failed to provide students with the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed. This paper examines the paradigm shift in IS education and presents it in the form of a word framework. This framework should be useful in course and curricular development

Information System Ethics: Refining the Pedagogy

This article describes an approach to teaching ethics in the information system curriculum that the authors have used successfully in a variety of courses at various levels. The approach is comprised of five steps: 1. Administering to students a questionnaire designed to address ethical and policy issues; 2. Reporting to the students a summary of their responses to the questionnaire and those of previous classes; 3. Using the responses as an entree to pose other ethically ambiguous situations and solicit from student volunteers their solutions to the situations; 4. Furnishing the students with normative solutions to these situation as provided by experts; and 5. Using additional scenarios to develop generic ethical principles that can be applied to other situations as well.. The article proceeds to explain the psychological principles that make this approach effective. Experimental validation of this approach have been reported in a companion article

College Students Believe Piracy is Acceptable

This paper describes a study conducted on college students to determine their attitude toward copying of computer software. This study builds and replicates two earlier studies, by Schuster and by Christoph, et al. In addition to questions used by these two earlier studies, additional questions about experience with computers, use of software and perceptions of the extent of piracy by others were asked. The study was administered to over 300 students from various disciplines and from different levels. The study\u27s findings corroborate the findings of Christoph et al. in failing to find a significant relationship between computer work experience and attitude toward piracy. Questions similar to Schuster\u27s study replicate his earlier results. When asked if they had personally pirated software, 58% of the students who indicated previous work experience with computers responded Yes. The authors recommend several forms of action for colleges and universities to take to reduce such unethical behavior. These actions include (1) formal education concerning the illegitimacy of software piracy in orientation and early courses of the students freshmen year and (2) informal education in the form university policies and demonstration of ethical actions by university employees