LEC , 09:45 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. , Tu,Th (01/22/2008 - 05/09/2008) ,
BlegH 225, 4 credits

Instructor: Wallace,John R

Grading basis/credits: 4 credit(s)

Liberal Educ. Reqs: Meets CLE req of Citizenship/Publ Ethics Theme; meets CLE req of Cultural Diversity Theme

Description: This is the second course in a sequence of two courses in which students explore social justice and community service. The present course is designed to stand alone. Students who are entering the sequence at this point should feel--because they are--perfectly welcome and on an equal footing. All students in the course are required to be involved in some ongoing work in the community ("community service") for at least two hours per week. The guiding theme for the course is "going home, or going some other place, and digging in." We will be exploring what this means, what supports it, what prevents it. This theme, and the "going home and digging in" language to describe it, is drawn from the first book we will read, Wes Jackson's Becoming Native to This Place. In the context of the guiding theme, the course places a strong emphasis on diversity. Home is going to be a diverse place; and digging in requires building common ground with people who are different from ourselves in many ways. Through reading, discussion, and writing, and through interviews with members of our families and communities, we will seek to deepen our understanding of diversity and, especially, to understand some of the challenges, possibilities, and rewards of building common ground among diverse persons.

Class Time: 25% Lecture, 75% Discussion.

Work Load: 50 pages reading per week, 30 pages writing per term, 4 papers.

Grade: 50% reports/papers, 50% class participation.