Option 1: H+ENGL

STEP 1000-01A

Global Perspectives on Culture and Media

Are you interested in learning about cultures, difference, and reaching across divides? At a time when cultural difference becomes a source of anxiety, it is critical to learn the importance of cultural awareness in understanding each other. In this class, we will explore media from new lenses by examining books, social media, films, and short stories to grow our knowledge about other cultures and build an understanding based on mutual respect. Some of the issues we will explore include culture, identity, imperialism, power, race, sexuality, and gender. This class will grow your ability to think critically about large themes that shape who we are!

STEP 1000-02A

What Is Childhood?

When did you know you were no longer a child? This class asks students to critically examine what it means to be a child in the 21st century. We will ask the following questions: How is childhood marked and/or celebrated? What defines childhood and how might these definitions differ when one considers gender, race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, education, etc.? In what ways has childhood changed over the past several decades and how might it continue to evolve? We will consider theories of childhood that are concerned with the history of childhood as a concept, the nature of childhood, and how childhood might be used in society. We will also consider the paradox of how today, young people are often seen as growing up too fast or conversely, not growing up at all (i.e., having an extended adolescence). Students will also have the opportunity to reflect on how their own childhood has shaped their behavior as a human and their experiences as adults

STEP 1000-03A

Happiness & the Good Life

Brand new campus culture, brand new communities, brand new life. With so much new in your life, why stick to old habits? Recent research in positive psychology provides practical ideas that can impact our wellbeing. In our class, we’ll study up-to-date research and then apply it to our own lives by “rewiring” our small habits. We will complicate easy solutions about happiness by investigating “toxic positivity” and bittersweet states of mind. We’ll dive in pressing topics like cultural measures of happiness, physiological factors of wellbeing, and situational supports from fields like psychology, sociology, mindfulness, and environmental studies. This class will culminate in multi-modal research projects. If we choose to take insights to heart from the class – we stand to change our culture in big ways.

STEP 1000-04A

Narratives of the American West: Representations in Media

We usually picture the American West by thinking of a rugged, horseback cowboy on sagebrush-dotted plains. This Western identity lives on in film and in television (think Longmire or Yellowstone). But, more importantly, it lives on in perceptions of Western identity, nationally and globally. Anyone who has lived in the American West can confirm this story of a mythicized West is not always accurate. If the portrayal of Western identity isn’t right, why is it still so common in film, TV, and other popular media? Is there value in maintaining a classic Western mystique? These questions, and others, are the focus of our class. We will examine more accurate and more complex representations of Western identity through media portrayals of the American West. If you have interest in sociology, archival work, American Studies, Indigenous studies, or film and media studies, this class is for you!

STEP 1000-05A

Hear Me Out: Listening for Lifelong Success

It’s no surprise that we live in a deeply divided time. Persuasive oration has long been idolized as the tool for unity, but without the ability to listen critically and thoughtfully, our speech and the speech of others falls flat. What if our division has less to do with our ability to persuade those with whom we most deeply disagree, and more to do with our inability to really hear on another? In this course, we will begin by exploring texts and podcasts focus on how to listen will in our everyday lives. Then, we will consider the importance of listening as a skill in various professions such as healthcare, business, counseling/social work, education, and engineering. Finally, this course will conclude with an emphasis on listening for the sake of democratic practice and participation. We will work to listen beyond our own ideological bubbles to prepare ourselves to better understand our diverse world.

STEP 1000-06A

Creativity & Culture

Forbes magazine recently declared creativity “the skill of the future” and others have claimed it is as important to education as literacy. But what exactly is creativity? Who can be creative and how does one live a creative life? Furthermore, how is culture shaped and influenced by creative individuals and movements? In this class, we will use a variety of texts, active learning and discussion, and a self-designed research project to pursue these questions, develop our critical and creative thinking, and build your own creative practice. Students from ALL majors and disciplines who want to bring more creative energy to any part of their life are encouraged to register.

STEP 1000-07A

Apple of My I: Food, Identity, and You 

Ever wondered how true that old cliché, “you are what you eat,” is? This phrase is often used to encourage healthy eating. But can what we eat impact us in ways beyond physical health? By combining self-reflection, our family histories, and analysis of popular food brands and trends, this class will ask, how can the food around us imprint our values? Subsequently, how can the foods we eat be used to assert our convictions? This class is relevant to those studying history, American studies, family and consumer science, business, sociology, English, gender studies, nursing, and more. If you learn best in courses that intersect your experience with the ideas of others, this class will suit you. Assignments require you to dovetail reflection with research and interviews. By taking this class, you will grow as a student while better understanding yourself and your history.

STEP 1000-08A

Language of Food

How does culture influence eating habits? What can the language used in advertising, reviews, and menus tell us about the intended consumer? Why do macaroni and macaroons sound so alike but have such different ingredients? This hands-on class blends topics of food studies and linguistics to explore the language of food. Learn how and why food both unites and divides individuals. Through studies of word origins, cultures, and food systems, you will gain diverse perspectives on culinary habits. With recipe trials, international conversation partners, collaborative group work, and a class-sponsored fundraiser, the focus is on learning through experience. The class serves up critical thinking, cultural & global literacy and community outreach in a way that appeals to majors in psychology, business, languages, family & consumer sciences, and health.