Sections offered SPRING 2019:
#9363 |
NORMAN FURNISS |
TuTh 1:00pm-2:15pm |
HU 217 |
CLASS NOTES: Satisfaction of the English composition
requirement; COLL Intensive Writing section; IUB GenEd S&H credit; COLL (CASE) S&H Breadth of Inquiry credit
We will orient our seminar around the complexities and interactions among these three ideas. Our first aim is to develop their meanings and to tease out tensions and possible trade-offs. Our second goal is to investigate how these ideas play out in our private lives, as members of society, as citizens of the United States, and as citizens of the world. We will look at questions such as these: Is the Supreme Court decision on “gay marriage” a proper application of the value of “liberty”? Does there need to be a certain level of social and economic equality for a democracy like ours to function properly? What implications, if any, do the challenges of climate change pose for our understandings of “liberty” and “democracy”?
These questions do not yield a single “correct” answer. Our basic educational purpose is to promote independent thinking. There will be a variety of course materials—classic texts, works of fiction, poetry, “TED Talks.” Together they will be brief enough to allow us to engage with arguments, not just to absorb information. Written assignments will center on a series of short essays based on class readings, discussions and your own life experiences; additional research is not necessary, and in my experience has rarely been useful.