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Introductory Quantum Mechanics
No full textAn introduction to the principles governing systems on the atomic scale.Topics include the experimental basis of quantum mechanics, wave-particle duality, Schrodinger’s equation and solutions in one dimension, time dependence of quantum states, angular momentum, and one-electron atoms. Recent developments, such as paradoxes calling attention to the remarkable behavior of quantum systems, or quantum computing, will be discussed. Multi-electron atoms and nuclei will be discussed if time allows
Advanced Electromagnetism
No full textThe course covers classical electrostatics and electrodynamics at the intermediate level. Topics include electro- and magneto-statics in ponderable media, boundary value problems, the Laplace Equation, multipole moments, electromagnetic waves, and radiation. Other topics as time permits
Advanced Physics Laboratory
No full textThe main purpose of this course is to develop your abilities as an experimenter, i.e., your ability to design, execute, and analyze the results of significant (and very cool!) physics experiments. For some, it will be a natural prelude to doing experimental research as a senior, or an aid to research performed concurrently. For others, it may be the sole experience in independent laboratory work at Haverford or Bryn Mawr. The experiments themselves will also enable you to deepen your knowledge of some areas of physics
Cognitive Neuroscience
No full textExamines the neural basis of higher mental functions, including brain systems supporting perception, attention, memory, spatial functions, language, emotion and decision-making. Major themes include mind/brain relationships, localization of function, and plasticity of the brain. \ud
Material will include studies of people with focal brain damage as well as neuroimaging studies of neurologically normal people. Cognitive neuroscience approaches to clinical conditions will also be explored. Prerequisite: one semester of introductory psychology
Embodied Cognition
No full textEmbodied cognition (EC), the view that the body plays a central role in shaping the mind, is gaining considerable traction in cognitive science (Wilson, 2002). At the heart of EC is the idea that high-‐level cognitive processes (e.g., memory, decision-‐making, language) are influenced by sensory, motor, and affective information from the body. The last ten years have seen an explosion of theory and research connected by the term “embodiment.” A typical claim of embodied theories is that many forms of cognition make use of perceptual/action systems. That is, cognition is not something that can be accomplished with abstract symbols outside of a body that interacts with the world. Our main goals are to understand this claim, examine evidence regarding this claim across multiple areas of psychology and application, and to determine if there can be a coherent, unified, embodied approach to understanding behavior
Interview with Robert "Bob" Hillier '66 by Krista Oldham
No full textInterview was conducted May 26, 2016 for Haverford College's 2016 Alumni Weekend Event: Sharing Our Stories: Voices from Haverford College, Scarlet Sages Series. Interviews took place in the Group Study Room in Magill Library, Haverford Colleg
Una institución penetrable: agencia y disidencia en comunidades de subalternos durante la Inquisición en el Nuevo Mundo (1569- 1780)
No full textLa Inquisición española. Es imposible escapar a las imágenes de tortura, intolerancia religiosa, y autoridad suprema que evoca esta institución. De cierto modo, este punto de vista tradicional es exagerado, y contribuye a estereotipos (Schaposchnik 9). La autoridad de la Inquisición no fue totalmente represiva, especialmente en el Nuevo Mundo. Debido a la geografía, mezcla de pueblos, corrupción de los tribunales, religión católica y concepciones racistas y sexistas del tiempo, la Inquisición estuvo limitada en su poder. En parte, mi tesis sería un estudio de las limitaciones de la Inquisición y del dominio colonial de 1569 a 1780. El control de los inquisidores no fue absoluto, y subalternos en el Nuevo Mundo encontraron posibilidades de afirmar su agencia
“Here is a people that dwells alone, and that does not consider itself among the nations”: Balaam ben Beor and the National Boundaries of Ancient Israel
No full textContrary to the claims of religious fundamentalists, the Torah is not a single, consistent work of sacred literature, handed by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Instead, it is a composite text, representing a collection of writings from a number of ancient Israelite authors. In this regard it is best viewed as ancient Israel's national mythology, as it uses narrative forms to present, for Israelite readers, a history of the world and of Israel. In turn, this history informs the manners in which audiences from ancient Israel to the present day conceive of God and the Israelite people. Within that context, this thesis takes a close look at the figure of Balaam ben (son of) Beor, as he appears in Numbers 22-24 and 31. As a mythological character, Balaam acts to construct, reify, and strengthen the boundaries between Israel and foreign nations. Placing him in a direct and personal relationship with God, the Bible's authors and redactors establish him as a legitimate cultic authority. Simultaneously, however, they attack his credibility by associating him with such denigrated characters as the Pharaoh of the Exodus story and the prophets of Baal from 1 Kings 18. In so doing, they make Balaam the religious representative of Moab and Midian, two of Israel’s traditional enemies, and therefore contrast him directly with God, who represents Israel. Inevitably, God outranks Balaam, and the authors therefore depict him as a model of cultic behavior expected of foreigners but disallowed to Israelites. As such, Israel's mythologizers posit Balaam as a boundary-crosser, only to redraw the lines so as to place him on the outside
Exploring How Diet and Nutrition Redefine Notions of Black Identity, Health, and Gender in the Nation of Islam
No full textIn this thesis, I explore how the Nation of Islam’s dietary regulations are used as an instrument that is intended to reinforce Black gender roles, strengthen camaraderie in a separatist framework, revitalize Black bodies, and free Africans Americans from oppression in the United States. I conclude that propaganda negatively depicting soul food, a diet that many Black people perceived as a form of racial pride, was used as a tool to oppress African Americans, and assisted in the formation of a marginalized masculinity in Black America, thereby subjugating the Black woman’s position in society. The Nation of Islam’s diet is practiced as a method of combating notions of Black oppression. The Nation’s leader, Prophet Elijah Muhammad heavily frowned upon the soul food diet, understanding it to be harmful to the sacred Black body and an illegitimate source of racial pride. For Black Muslims, diet is very much related to the understanding that Black people are made in the likeness of Allah, who has the form of a Black male. Because of this, addressing the issues of racial and gendered subordination involves the adoption of a sacred dietary practice that aids in their formation of a communal identity separate from Black Christianity, White America, the Black Consciousness Movement and Orthodox Islam. Muhammad attracted followers by promising that adherence to the Nation’s diet would ensure health and longevity. Additionally, it would foster growth in Black society by strengthening one’s identity as a Black Muslim and relation to God. During the Civil Rights Era, men predominantly became involved with the faith because it offered an alternative philosophy to the Christian movements of nonviolent protest that were understood as feminine. Blackness became associated with Islam and masculinity, while Whiteness was attributed to Christianity and femininity. In viewing the state of gendered Black identity in the mid-twentieth century, the Nation of Islam argues that Black men had become emasculated, impure, lazy, and were confused by White supremacy. Black women had become promiscuous and neglectful caretakers of Black children, inhibiting the advancement of the Black race. The sacred dietary customs were designed to help treat these shortcomings. Engaging Doris Witt, I explain how the diet ironically disempowers women. While Professor Elizabeth Pérez does not explicitly employ Witt’s argument, I find her research useful in understanding Witt’s reasoning. In the soul food tradition, it is the Black woman who takes pride and is recognized for her recipes that provide care and life to her family. Black Muslim women lose this recognition because they are no longer using the recipes passed down from their grandmothers. Instead, they are using the foodways instructed by Allah, which takes the pride women would receive for their unique abilities in the kitchen, and credits it to Him. Placing food studies authors Jennifer Wallach and Psyche Williams-Forson in dialogue with one another, I conclude that the Nation’s foodways aids in their formation of a separate community. Muhammad’s distinct dietary guidelines forged social connections and enhanced group unity in the same way that sharing a common diet strengthened camaraderie amongst Blacks outside the Nation of Islam. The Nation’s food habits redefine Black health for its partakers, making it a communal concern, as members identify with each other through sharing a healthy and sacred diet. Avoiding the unhealthy foods attributed to the soul food, nationalistic eaters demonstrate ideological fidelity and physiological allegiance to the Black nation and loyalty to Allah