Paradigm Shifts & the Nature of Human Knowing
Facilitator: TBD
At some time or another, many perhaps all disciplines have experienced a sea change in thought, when one or more scholars have pushed beyond the limits of the fields traditional approaches, assumptions, and understandings. Such dramatic, often rapid, changes that result in a shift away from previously accepted ways of thinking about a discipline can provide the opportunity for you to explore how people learn and how we think. In addition, understanding the sometimes wildly different ways knowledge is constructed and evidence interpreted in different disciplines can help you reflect more insightfully on your own education. This pathway includes courses that address ways of thinking within a discipline that are departures from the accepted norms and courses that include the usual ways of knowing and understanding in a discipline.
Exploring the pathway:
Look for the ways in which the topics in your Paradigm Shifts & the Nature of Human Knowing pathway courses are connected to the themes of the pathway. You might find it helpful to explore questions such as these:
What are the ways that knowledge, approaches, and assumptions are identified?
How can you apply this understanding to gaining insight into how you yourself come to know and understand? Can you tie this insight to an understanding of your past and future educational choices? Can you tie this insight to an understanding of your vocational choices?
Identify specific examples of a paradigm shift in your pathway courses. In what ways did a departure from the accepted norms in a discipline come about? What similarities and differences can you find between the ways departures from previously accepted ways of thinking occur in different disciplines?
Can you identify the emergence of an issue associated with the themes of this pathway in more than one of your pathway courses, that is, can you find a thread that is common to a number of these disciplines
Can you identify either overlapping or opposing approaches to the way we know and understand, based on your pathway courses?
Can you identify connections between the themes of this pathway and topics you have studied in your major?
You may discover that some of your instructors in courses in the Paradigm Shifts & the Nature of Human Knowing pathway don't directly mention a paradigm shift or directly address the nature of knowing. That's okay it's up to you to find the connections and common threads in these courses. By reflecting on and synthesizing that understanding across a number of courses for yourself, rather than having your instructors make the connections for you, you will learn more deeply in a way that can complement other aspects of your Santa Clara education.
Associated Courses
| Art History (ARTH) |
| 22 Reframing the Renaissance: A Survey of Early Modern Visual Culture |
| 23 Art and Revolution: Europe and the United States, 18th-20th Centuries |
| 120 Keeping up with the Medici: Fame and Family in Renaissance Florence |
| Biology (BIOL) |
| 108 Genetics |
| 110 Genetics L&L |
| 122 Neurobiology L&L |
| 173 Evolution L&L |
| 175 Molecular Biology L&L |
| 178 Bioinformatics |
| Chemistry (CHEM) |
| 33 Organic Chemistry III |
| 151 Spectroscopy |
| Classics (CLAS) |
| 51 History of Philosophy: Classical and Medieval (cross-listed with PHIL 14) |
| 171 Ancient Science and Technology |
| Computer Engineering (COEN) |
| 19 Discrete Mathematics (cross-listed with MATH 51) |
| 179 Theory of Algorithms (cross-listed with CSCI 163) |
| Computer Science (CSCI) |
| 10 Introduction to Computer Science |
| 10B Introduction to Computer Science B |
| 161 Theory of Automata and Languages I |
| 162 Theory of Automata & Languages II |
| 163 Theory of Algorithms (cross-listed with COEN 179) |
| 164 Computer Simulation |
| Electrical Engineering (ELEN) |
| 160 Chaos Theory, Metamathematics and the Limits of Science: An Engineering Perspective on Religion (cross-listed with ELEN 217) |
| 160L Chaos Theory, Metamathematics and the Limits of Science: An Engineering Perspective on Religion Lab (ELEN 160 is a co-requisite) |
| 217 Chaos Theory, Metamathematics and the Limits of Science: An Engineering Perspective on Religion (cross-listed with ELEN 160) |
| Ethnic Studies (ETHN) |
| 12 Native Spiritual Traditions (cross-listed with RSOC 91) |
| 176 Race & Sex in Modern America (cross-listed with HIST 105 and GNSX 174A) |
| Finance (FNCE) |
| 116 Mathematical Finance (cross-listed with MATH 125) |
| Gender and Sexuality Studies (GNSX) |
| 47 Biblical Women and Power (cross-listed with SCTR 39) |
| 57 Women in American Society (cross-listed with HIST 84) |
| 137 History of Sexuality (cross-listed with HIST 133) |
| 138 Gays and Lesbians in United States History (cross-listed with HIST 177) |
| 148 RSS: Gender & Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation (cross-listed with SCTR 165R) |
| 169 Revolutions in Sex, Race & Rights (cross-listed with HIST 115) |
| 172 Gender and National Identity in 20th-Century Eastern and Western Europe (cross-listed with HIST 136) |
| 174A Race & Sex in Modern America (cross-listed with HIST 105 and ETHN 176) |
| History (HIST) |
| 21 Saving the World?: A Critical History of Human Rights and Humanitarianism |
| 27/127 Digital History |
| 30 The French Revolution, an Introduction |
| 33 This is What Democracy Looks Like |
| 43 The Haitian Revolution in World History and Memory (cross-listed with HIST 143) |
| 65 Parties and Presidents |
| 71/171 The New Nation: U.S. From Hamilton to Jackson |
| 72/172 The Civil War Era |
| 72B/172B Reconstruction through Progressive Era |
| 74/174 Protest and Activism |
| 75 Natives & Newcomers: Early North America |
| 84 United States Women's History (cross-listed with GNSX 57) |
| 97 The Modern Middle East |
| 103 This is What Democracy Looks Like? Populism and Fascism in Comparative Perspective |
| 105 Race and Sex in Modern America (cross-listed with ETHN 176 and GNSX 174A) |
| 112 The Haitian Revolution in World History and Memory |
| 115 Revolutions in Sex, Race & Rights (cross-listed with GNSX 169) |
| 118 Representation, Rights, and Democracy, 1050-1792 |
| 119 Gender, Sexuality & Social Movements in the 20th U.S |
| 121 Saving the World?: A Critical History of Human Rights and Humanitarianism |
| 122 The Holocaust |
| 133 History of Sexuality (cross-listed with GNSX 137) |
| 136 Gender and National Identity in 20th-Century Eastern and Western Europe (cross-listed with GNSX 172) |
| 137 The Soviet Experiment |
| 143 The Haitian Revolution in World History and Memory (cross-listed with HIST 43) |
| 165 Parties and Presidents |
| 175 Natives & Newcomers: Early North America |
| 176 Contemporary America: 1980 to the Present |
| 177 Gays and Lesbians in United States History (cross-listed with GNSX 138) |
| 184 American Historical Geography |
| 188S The Making of Modern America: The Progressive Era |
| Management (MGMT) |
| 40 Foundational Knowledge of Managing for Sustainability |
| 41 Foundational Skills of Managing for Sustainability |
| 42 Leading from the Triple Bottom Line |
| Mathematics (MATH) |
| 14 Calculus & Analytic Geometry IV |
| 51 Discrete Mathematics (cross-listed with COEN 19) |
| 101 Survey of Geometry |
| 113 Topology |
| 122 Probability & Statistics I |
| 123 Probability & Statistics II |
| 125 Mathematical Finance (cross-listed with FNCE 116) |
| 170 Development of Math |
| Music (MUSC) |
| 119 Music, Technology & Society |
| 156 Improvisation |
| 189 Sacred Music and the Church |
| 194 Music of the Romantic Period |
| 196 Music Since 1945 |
| Operations Management & Information Systems (OMIS) |
| 41 Statistics and Data Analysis II |
| Philosophy (PHIL) |
| 14 History of Western Philosophy: Classical and Medieval |
| 14H History of Western Philosophy: Classical and Medieval: Honors |
| 19 Knowledge and Reality |
| 20 Introduction to Philosophy |
| 40 Science, Technology, and Society |
| 125 Moral Epistemology |
| 135 Existentialism |
| 140 Philosophy of Science |
| 142 Problems of Knowledge |
| 145 Contemporary European Philosophy: Existentialism |
| 150 Wittgenstein |
| 152 Problems of Moral Knowledge |
| 153 Philosophy of Science |
| 156 Knowledge, Truth, and Belief |
| 174 Uncertainty, Conflict & Self Development: Chinese Perspectives |
| Physics (PHYS) |
| 34 Physics for Scientists & Engineers IV |
| 121 Quantum Mechanics I |
| Psychology (PSYC) |
| 50 Ways of Knowing |
| Religion, Theology, and Culture |
| Religion and Society (RSOC) |
| 91 Native Spiritual Traditions (cross-listed with ETHN 12) |
| Scripture and Tradition (SCTR) |
| 35 Science vs. The Bible: The Genesis Debates |
| 35H The Genesis Debates: Honors |
| 39 Biblical Women and Power (cross-listed with GNSX 47) |
| 128 Human Suffering and Hope |
| 165 Gender & Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation (cross-listed with GNSX 148) |
| 165R RSS: Gender & Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation (cross-listed with GNSX 148) |
| 170 Darwin & God |
| 170R RSS: Darwin & God |
| Theology, Ethics, and Spirituality (TESP) |
| 2 Magicians, Athletes and God: Fantasy Literature and Christian Theology |
| 16 Religion, Science and Ecology |
| 50 Catholic Theology: Foundations |
| 50H Catholic Theology: Foundations: Honors |
| 58 Theology of Vatican II |
| 72 Darwin, God & the Poets |
| 124 Theology of Marriage |
| 124R RSS: Theology of Marriage |
| 127 Theology of Family |
| 142 Conscience, Christianity and Politics |
| 149 Radical Theology: Death of God |
| 176 Nature, Humanity, Spirituality |
| Sociology (SOCI) |
| 117 Sociology's Analytical Frameworks and Conceptual Approaches |
| 119 Sociological Theory |