Sections offered FALL 2023:
#10121 |
NORMAN FURNISS |
TuTh 1:15 PM–2:30 PM |
HU 111 |
CLASS NOTES: COLL Intensive Writing section; IUB GenEd S&H credit; COLL (CASE) S&H Breadth of Inquiry credit
All of us face immense challenges to our normal ways of living and our normal ways of thinking. The continuing turmoil surrounding the legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential Election, and the worldwide threats of global warming and endemic wars have highlighted our concerns. The primary aim of this seminar is to use the ideas of liberty and equality to help us understand the nature of these challenges as they play out concretely in our lives as individuals, as members of society, as citizens of the United States, and as citizens of the world. We will explore questions such as these: Is it within our liberties to “flip off” the President and still keep our job? Who should decide basic life questions concerning marriage and abortion? Is “privacy” attainable in today’s world? Do Americans even value it?
There will be a variety of course materials—classic texts, court cases, news articles, poems. Together they will be broad enough to allow us to engage with complex arguments, and they will be short enough to allow us time to frame our own positions. Core written assignments will center on a series of short essays based on class readings, discussions and your own life experiences. There will also be an examination toward the end of the semester.