Peggy Cowan
Maryville College

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Freshman Seminar 120:
Perspectives on the Individual

"The unexamined life is not worth living" -- Plato

Note: Assignments should be completed before the class day for which they are listed. Readings are from the text Perspectives unless otherwise noted. A minimum of two Journal entries of at least 300 words each should be turned in each week. Some of the entries will be assigned on the syllabus for that week. Others should be on a topic of your choice. Journal entries should be emailed to me (cowan@maryvillecollege.edu). For more information go to Journal page.

Introduction and Unit I

DATE	TOPIC	ASSIGNMENT
8/29	Introduction
9/3	Begin Unit I: Identity	Read: Animal Dreams and answer questions on assignment sheet.

9/5

Journal entry: Introduce yourself to me by telling me where you are from. Describe some of your earliest memories and how you have been shaped by the time and place in which you were born or lived during your early childhood. What is 'home' for you? Do you miss it? Why or why not? Who have been the people most important in shaping your experience and sense of who you are?

9/5

Journal entry: Answer the following questions: 1. Describe the time you remember being truly "turned on" as a learner, an exciting and rewarding experience because it represented a learning "high" for you. What motivated you to succeed as a learner? 2. Describe the incident (or incidents) that you recall as being the most distressing or disappointing for you because it represented a learning "low"--a time when you felt despair or frustration about your learning activities. 3. Describe the characteristics and behaviors of teachers you have found to be most helpful to you as a learner. If possible, give a specific example of an event in which these traits were especially noticeable. 4. Describe the characteristics and behaviors of teachers you found to hinder your learning. Again, give a specific example if possible. 5. What insights have you discovered about yourself as a learner over time? (Adapted from Teaching College Success (Wadsworth, 1999)

9/5	Your identity as a student	Read: Cronon, "Only Connect" Barzun, "Pupils Into Students"
9/6 or 9/9	CC&C: Assessment	Be sure to keep your appointment in the Center for Calling and Career to do the assessment tools.
9/10	Identity and Self Knowledge	Read: Kemp, "Reading College Textbooks with Confidence" Bennis, "Knowing Yourself" Identify major point and sub-themes of each section of the Bennis article. Underline, write notes, etc. in book or on a photocopy of the article.
9/10, 11 or 12	CC&C: Assessment	Be sure to keep your appointment in the Center for Calling and Career to learn how your assessments can help you. Include the two worksheets "*My Assessment Results"* and "Career Exploration Worksheet" in your journal

9/12	Journal entry: What goals have you set for yourself for the next year or several years? Why? How do you expect to change while in college? What are your greatest fears about the next few years? What can you do to reach your goals and avoid those things you fear most?

9/12

Identity and Roots

Read: Walker, "Everyday Use"

9/17	Journal entry: What did you learn about yourself from your assessment results? Go beyond the lists that are on the "*My Assessment Results"* to reflect on your interests, personality, skills, and values. What surprised you? What fit your self understanding? What did not? Are there some of the results with which you disagree? Some that you found particularly helpful?
9/17	Journal entry: What situations “bore” you? What types of situations do you find exhilarating and exciting? How can boredom become a positive element in your life?

9/17

Identity and Culture

Read: Angier, "Do Races Differ?"
Dery, "Trendspotting: I Shop, Therefore I Am"
Go to: Assignments page to find instructions for Unit I project. Begin work on assignment.

9/19

Identity and Happiness

Read: Russell, “Boredom and Excitement”
Thoreau, “Where I Lived and What I Lived For”

Assigned film: "Dead Poets Society" - Thursday, 9/19 at 7:00 PM in Fayerweather, Lawson auditorium

9/24

"Dead Poets Society"

Identify at least one issue or question that the film raised that you would like to discuss in class and at least one connection that you can make between the movie and Animal Dreams.

9/26

Introduction to Unit II: Vocation

Unit I Project "Composing a Life" due.

9/26	Journal entry: What are the purposes of a formal education? What do you expect to gain from your Maryville College education? Look at the General Education requirements in your Maryville College Catalog and explain what types of things you expect to gain from those classes.

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Unit II

9/26	Journal entry: What are the purposes of a formal education? What do you expect to gain from your Maryville College education? Look at the General Education requirements in your Maryville College Catalog and explain what types of things you expect to gain from those classes.

9/26

Introduction to Unit II: Vocation
Vocation and Your Identity as a Student

Unit I Project "Composing a Life" due.

10/1

Vocation as Dream
"I Have A Dream"
Meet in Fayerweather
auditorium

Read: King, “I Have A Dream?
Bond, “What Is Your Dream”
Plan ahead: Go to Assignments page to find instructions for Unit II project.

10/3	Journal entry: What is your dream? What will be required for you to attain your dream? What are you willing to commit to reaching it? Dream big, going beyond dreams of family and material comfort.

10/3

Vocation and Risk

Read: Kane, "Moi Goes to Washington"
Complete: Three-level reading guide (handout)

10/10

Journal entry: Compare and contrast the dreams of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Moi.

10/8

Vocation and Work

Read: Dominquez & Robin, “For Life or Money”
Nerburn, “Work"
Write: A comparison of the ideas in these two articles. Where do they agree? Where do they disagree? You may write in essay for or create a chart or other visual presentation of your comparison.

10/10

Journal entry: Do you think most of your learning has been "maintenance learning," "shock learning," or "innovative learning?" (see Bennis article below) Give specific examples from your experience to illustrate.

10/10

Vocation and the Liberal Arts

Read: Warren Bennis, “Knowing the World”
Palmer, "Listening to Your Life"
Write: A paragraph explaining how "knowing the world" through your liberal arts education will enhance a career you have been considering or learning about.

Assigned film: "Norma Rae" - Sunday, 10/13 at 7:00 PM in Fayerweather auditorium

10/17

Journal entry: What does the movie "Norma Rae" have to say about identity? Vocation? What connections can you make with Animal Dreams?

10/15

Discuss "Norma Rae"

Bring one question - in writing - related to the movie that you want the class to discuss.

10/17	Vocation and Identity	Mid-term evaluation
10/22	Vocation and Career	Unit II Project due. Go to Assignments page for instructions. Be prepared to present: A brief report on what you learned from one or more interview(s). Do not simply repeat what the interviewee said, but synthesize, summarize, connect to other materials in class.

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Unit III

10/24

Begin Unit III:
Wellness

Wellness and Eating: Meet in Fine Arts Center: Amanda Myers, class of 2001, will speak on her experience with eating disorders.
Read: Weil, "The Principles of Eating Well"

10/28-
10/31

Journal Entry: Sometime during the week, go to the atrium in Bartlett and view the Clothesline Project. Write a journal describing your response to what you find there.

10/29

Wellness and Lifestyle

Read: Hipp, “The Pathology of Normalcy”
Complete: Wellness Lifestyle Questionnaire and Stress Questionnaire. Be honest. You will not be required to share any part of the questionnaires that you prefer not to talk about. While I will check to make sure the assignment is completed, I will not take up or read your questionnaires.
Complete: The Longevity Game: Go to northwesternmutual.com/games/longevity.

10/31

Journal entry: Based on the results of your wellness and stress questionnaires, select a behavior that you want to change. Identify the benefits of making the change. Identify your long-term goal and short-term goals that will bring you closer to the long-term goal. Identify obstacles you will have to overcome. Identify strategies for overcoming these obstacles and achieving your goals. Assess your level of commitment to achieving the desired change

10/31

Wellness, Emotions, and Stress

Read: Goleman, “from Emotional Intelligence"
Write answers to the following questions: Think about the last time you were really angry. Why were you angry? How did you respond to your anger? Were you angry "with the right person, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way?"(Aristotle, Perspectives, p. 167) Based on the reading, what do you think Daniel Goleman would say to you about your anger?

10/31-
11/6

Journal entry: Instead of the usual journal entries for the coming week, keep a stress and coping diary. Each day for a week, write down your stressful experiences. What was happening? How did you feel? How did you respond? What coping mechanisms did you or could you have used? Be attentive to the variety of things that cause you to experience stress and the variety of ways in which you respond to stress. Begin your diary on 10/31 and complete it on 11/6.

11/5	Wellness as Wholeness	Read: Kabat-Zinn, “Glimpses of wholness, Delusions of Separateness” Complete the concept mapping exercise (handout).
11/7	Wellness and Quality of Life	Read: Csikszentmihalyi, "Enjoyment and the Quality of Life" Chopra, "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind" Write: An abstract on the Csikszentmihalyi article. For an example of an abstract go to abstract page.
11/12	Begin Unit IV: See Below	Unit III Project due. For instructions go to the assignments page.

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Unit IV

11/12

Begin Unit IV:
Questions of Belief

Unit III Project due.
Faith and Learning: What does it mean for Maryville to be church-related college?

11/14

Journal entry: When you think of God, what do you think of? What are the characteristics of God? How does God relate to human beings? to the world? If you do not believe in God, what is the nature of the God you reject? Why do you reject belief in this God? Is there some idea of what is the ultimate reality that you find more compelling than a concept of God? What is your place in the universe? Where do your ideas on these issues come from?

11/14	Where do beliefs come from?	Read: Walker, “God is Inside You and Inside Everybody else,” (handout). Merton, "from Thoughts in Solitude" "On Defining Spirit" (handout) Guthrie (handout)
11/19	"Carved in Stone" Multi-media presentation in the Fine Arts Center	Read: Nerburn, "The Spiritual Journey" Watts "from The Spirit of Zen"
11/21	Paths to Enlightenment	Complete Religious Tolerance Exercise (See Assignments page.) Note: Note film assignment "Dead Man Walking" below.

11/21

Journal entry: Go to the website www.religioustolerance.org and read about your assigned religious tradition other than Christianity and reflect on what you learn.

11/26	*No Class Meeting*	No journals this week.
11/28	Thanksgiving

Assigned film: "Dead Man Walking" - Thursday, 11/21 at 7:00 PM in Fayerweather auditorium. I will show the film at my house on Monday, December 3. If you cannot come to dinner and the film showing that evening, please attend this or one of the other scheduled showings and be prepared to discuss the film.

12/4	"Dead Man Walking"	Prepare to discuss film. Bring at least one question to class for discussion. In particular, be thinking about Sister Prejean's religious convictions and how she expresses them in her life.
12/6	Beliefs into Action	Read: Einstein, "Religion and Science" Carey, "from Flat Rock Journal" McEwan, "Us or Me" (handout) Final Journal paper due. See Journal page for instructions.