ILC - Integrative Learning Course
An Integrative Learning course where students
receive
CORE credit in both Arts and Letters:
Literature and Faith and Reason: Philosophy.
This course brings together pairs of philosophers
and poets in conversation on themes common to
their works and times, such as the affirmation of
life in all its manifestations, the dehumanization
of war and oppressive governments, the
unexpectedness of events and the unlikeliness of
their meanings, and the elemental connectedness
between living beings. Although philosophers and
poets address the human condition, they have
different styles of writing and ways of examining
it. By reflecting on the different themes as poets
and philosophers write and think about them,
students will gain deeper understanding for the
human condition and greater appreciation for
philosophy and poetry.
An Integrative Learning course where students
receive
CORE credit in both Faith & Reason: Philosophy and Social
Science.
The Elusive Self: On Mind, Brain, and Consciousness.
No concept is more central to our lives than the
notion of "I." We could not navigate the world if
we lacked a fundamental sense of self-hood. Yet,
for philosophers and psychologists alike, this
commonplace idea has been the starting point for
much speculation, research, and wonder. This
course explores various dimensions of what we call
the self from both psychological and philosophical
perspectives. We begin with questions on the
nature of consciousness, with special emphasis on
the relationship between the mind and the brain.
We then explore issues related to personal
identity, self-awareness, and memory. We next
consider the prospects for consciousness and
self-hood in non-human animals and machines.
Finally, we reckon with the self's ultimate
limitation, death.
An Integrative Learning course where students
receive
CORE credit in both Arts & Letters-Literature and Social Science as well as Cultural Diversity.
This course will examine social justice and human
rights issues in global and local contexts through
critical engagement with world cinema. We will
interrogate the relationship between the
aesthetics and the politics of world cinema within
multiple cinematic traditions (e.g. Neo-Realism,
Third Cinema, Indigenous Media, etc.) and genres
(narrative cinema, documentary, etc.). We will
focus on the intersections between the global and
the local, between history and memory, and between
the self and the "other." Students will apply
their knowledge of the critical frameworks and
themes learned through the course to their
examination of similar issues in their community.
An Integrative Learning Course for which students
receive
CORE credit in both Arts and Letters:
Literature and Social Science.
A Discerning Eye: Depression, Trauma and Madness
in Literature.
How do we diagnose a mental illness? How are
symptoms of mental illness portrayed in
literature? Depression, Trauma and Madness
will examine the ways in which
psychology and literature both overlap and diverge
on the subject of mental illness. The course will
consist of a conversation between literary texts
that portray mental illnesses and psychologists'
current understanding of those illnesses. The
course will focus on comparing and contrasting
current diagnostics for many common psychological
disorders and how certain disorders are reflected
in the literature. The course will have distinct
units with specific texts used to highlight
important aspects of depression, trauma and
madness.
An Integrative Learning course where students
receive
CORE credit in Arts & Letters-Fine Art.
Roles, Politics and Persuasion: How to Act in the Business World.
In this course, students will work in teams and on
individual projects to simulate the business
environment and create learning opportunities on
how to act in a business setting. Success in the
business environment, whether a corporation,
start-up, or non-profit, depends on soft skills
and communication to a large degree. The Harvard
Business School, in fact, defines intelligence as
knowing how to act in different situations. The
course applies to those in business, the social
sciences and the arts and will help them learn the
fundamentals of behavior, roles, communication and
how to act under different challenging business
settings.
An Integrative Learning course where students
receive
CORE credit in Arts & Letters-Fine Art.
This course introduces students to basic concepts
of professional communication and artistic
creation in the context of the French fashion
industry. Over the semester, students will learn
to sketch clothing for both fashion and theatrical
contexts, to render the costumes using appropriate
scale, to add color using watercolors, and to
communicate with a director or editor, and with
clients, vendors, and co-workers about their work
both in English and in French.
An Integrative Learning course where students
receive
CORE credit in both Arts & Letters-Fine Art and Quantitative Analysis.
This course is designed to provide data literacy
skills through practical application of data
collection, analysis, and dissemination of
findings as it relates to research in the arts.
Students will perform internet research, analyze
their findings in relation to other published
studies and prior year's data, and create a
presentation suitable for an academic conference.
Students will gain valuable knowledge and
awareness which they can take into their
professional lives and apply as advocates for the
underrepresented.
An Integrative Learning course where students receive
CORE credit in both Fine Arts and Theology.
Social Documentary Photographer & Catholic Social Teaching.
Students will learn fundamental camera skills and how to apply them to the field of documentary photography. They will also learn the core themes of Catholic Social Teaching. The course will culminate with each student presenting a portfolio of work employing the techniques of documentary photography and illustrating at least one core theme of Catholic Social Teaching. The course will include a review of the principle photographers in the field (e.g., Henri Cartier-Bresson, W. Eugene Smith, Sebastio Salgado, etc.) and the role of documentary photography in promoting social awareness and change.
An Integrative Learning Course for which students receive
CORE credit in both literature and philosophy.
An Integrative Learning Course for which students receive
CORE credit in both literature and social sciences (psychology). How do we diagnose a mental illness? How are symptoms of mental illness portrayed in literature? Depression, Trauma and Madness (ILC289-K) will examine the ways in which psychology and literature both overlap and diverge on the subject of mental illness. The course will consist of a conversation between literary texts that portray mental illnesses and psychologists' current understanding of those illnesses. The course will focus on comparing and contrasting current diagnostics for many common psychological disorders and how certain disorders are reflected in literature. The course will have distinct units with specific texts used to highlight important aspects of depression, trauma and madness.
La France: Terroir et Patrimoine(GD)
This course will provide a basic understanding of the cultural and chemical makeup of food in France. The course is appropriate for students not majoring in science or French, but students in those disciplines are welcome. There is no assumption of any previous high school chemistry, but knowledge of high school algebra will be helpful. The course will satisfy both the science/lab requirement and global diversity requirement within the current core curriculum. The laboratory portion of the course will reinforce the lecture topics, as well as provide valuable hands-on experience with how science is performed. All laboratory exercises will take place in a common kitchen and in the kitchens of the students' rented apartments. Laboratory activities will involve investigating basic chemical concepts through the experimentation with foods and the preparation of French dishes.
An Integrative Learning course where students
receive
CORE credit in both Arts & Letters-History and Social Science.
Understanding the Holocaust through Psychology and History.
The destruction of European Jewry is among the most heinous crimes of Nazi Germany. The Holocaust seems almost inconceivable; yet, close study shows it as a set of comprehensible human interactions. This course integrates psychological perspectives into the study of the historical event. Misconstrued psychological concepts (e.g., personality and racial differences) informed German policies under Hitler. Psychological scholars immigrated to the United States as the Nazi party gained power, and fields of psychological inquiry developed after World War II to better understand what had occurred (e.g., obedience to authority, racism). This
ILC will explore the motivations and actions of those involved while familiarizing the students with the origins and operation of this genocide. Disciplines: History and Psychology. An Integrative Learning course where students receive
CORE credit in two distributions. Distribution #1 Arts & Letters-History. Distribution #2 Social Science.
An Integrative Learning course where students
receive
CORE credit in both Arts &
Letters-History and Social Science.
A Shared Space - Animal and Human Geography and
History.
This course focuses on an examination of how
spatially situated human-animal relations have
changed through time. Looking critically at the
relationships that exist among people, animals,
and the landscape this course engages students in the study of the ways in which interrelationships between humans and animals have been constructed over time and space. It also illustrates how the study of animals - past, present, even mythical - demands critical analyses of the three main fields it brings together, anthrozoology, history, and geography, enriching all three.
An Integrative Learning Course for which students
receive
CORE credit in both Arts & Letters:
Literature and Natural Science with a lab.
The Missouri River Plains: Words and Watersheds.
This course is a summer, field-intensive course
that is centered around multi-day field trips
along the Wild and Scenic Upper Missouri River in
Montana and the Lower Missouri River in
Kansas/Nebraska. The primary focus is the diverse
interactions that form the ecosystems of the
Missouri River Plains in the central United
States. We will explore the interplay between
Biology and Literature by experiencing the effect
that biological systems have on our culture and
society as well as the way literature affects the
way we experience nature. Additional emphasis in
the course is placed upon the scientific method,
the evaluation, analysis, and synthesis of
information, and on communicating scientific
information and integrating it with cultural,
historical, political, economic, and artistic
endeavors. This course fulfills the Natural
Science and Literature core distribution
requirements. Prerequisites: Either (or both?) an
Intermediate Writing or Cultural Diversity course
must be taken prior to enrolling in this course.
This course will introduce students to the aesthetics and the politics of world cinema within multiple cinematic traditions (e.g. Neo-Realism, Third Cinema, Indigenous Media, etc.), which have focused on social justice and human rights issues in the world. We will examine the intersections between the global and the local, between history and memory, and between the self and the other in African, Asian, European, and Latin and North American cinemas. The course will foster integrative learning by providing students with the tools and critical lenses that are grounded in both humanities and social science epistemologies. The humanities framework will guide students to consider questions about the politics and aesthetics of representation, the relationship between history and memory, between the self and the other, and cinema as a medium of knowledge-production in comparative global and local contexts. The social science framework will encourage students to critically examine the multiple aspects of production, distribution, and consumption of cinematic texts and its effects on meaning-making. Students will be required to apply this interdisciplinary approach to the creation of their own film texts on social justice and human rights themes in the local context.
An Integrative Learning course where students receive
CORE credit in both History and Theology.
This course will seek to weave together the problem and question of God with historical case studies illuminating humanity's capacity for cruelty, atrocity, and genocide. By exploring some of the leading philosophical and theological arguments regarding the problem of evil, for example, alongside real historical examples, we will force the class to confront the reality that neither discipline has all the answers to the difficult questions posed by the human potential for evil.
Exploring Gender, Literature, and History.
An Integrative Learning course where students receive
CORE credit in both History and Philosophy. This course will seek to weave together the problem and question of God with historical case studies illuminating humanity's capacity for cruelty, atrocity, and genocide. By exploring some of the leading philosophical and theological arguments regarding the problem of evil, for example, alongside real historical examples, we will force the class to confront the reality that neither discipline has all the answers to the difficult questions posed by the human potential for evil.