[Please note: because of the labour disruption at St. Thomas, this course is in the process of being radically revised. The introduction here was intended for the course as it would have been had it started a month ago. I do not know clearly as yet how I will deal with the curtailed semester. But obviously drastic changes will become necessary, as you'll understand if you have a look through the explanation below of how the course is usually structured. I regret this necessity. If you want to know more about what I think about how things came to this pass, you are invited to read my letter to the faculty union at the time of the original lockout, which was published here, or the letter I wrote on February 1 to my students, which is here.]