Identity: Purpose and the Self

Instructor

LuAnne McNulty

Course Description

Food. Food is essential for the survival of all living things. But, it’s more than just a source of sustenance; the idea of food is interwoven with our thoughts, our emotions, and our actions. We celebrate with food, mourn with food, and covet food. From family gatherings to food blogs, the way we talk about food and culture has changed with the rise in social media. How does food nourish our bodies? What should we know about nutrition? What should we know about taste and flavor? How does food impact health, behavior, and communities? How do we reconcile the food culture propagated by social media with the understanding that many live in food deserts and go to bed hungry? We will consider all these things and more in this course. 

Instructor

Brian Day

Course Description

In this class, students will be exposed to the field of Human Factors Psychology, which, broadly defined, examines the relationship between human beings and technology in an attempt to make human-technology interactions safe, effective, and efficient. Students will be presented with background on human factors and various real-world applications before transitioning to thinking about taking what has been learned to design their own life in accordance with human factors principles. For instance, students will be asked to reassess their study routines, sleeping habits, and daily technology usage. Students will also be tasked with making changes in their lives which will impact things like their happiness and state of mind. The goal of this class is for students to learn about the field of human factors psychology, and to take what is being learned and make intentional changes to how they live their lives. 

Instructor(s)

Bryan Furuness

Shelly Furuness

Course Description

In this course, students will explore the values, choices and goals that inform their decisions and guide their own lives. By reading carefully selected texts — from writers across the vast array of disciplines, students will seek answers to the following questions: how can I do both well and do good in the world? How do I know what I am meant to do, for work and for leisure? How can I find the path in life that is uniquely mine? What are the philosophical and practical goalposts that I should aim for? How do I live a meaningful life?

This course is offered as an Honors First Year Seminar course.

Instructor

Michelle Stigter-Hayden

Course Description

Innocent question or microaggression? Who is asked? Who is not asked? Does anyone really know where they are from? How does “knowing” where we and where others are from influence our own concept of identity? During the semester our exploration of immigration, identity, and marginalized life in the United States will take a three-pronged approach. Through analyzing a wide variety of texts, reflecting on our own identities, and serving the immigrant and refugee community we will crystalize our own beliefs about what it means to be a member of our community.

Instructor

Carol Reeves

Course Description

When you enter the university, you want to make friends.  You fear that you won’t make friends.  You aren’t sure that you can reach out to strangers and establish connection.  You feel the loss of friends you left behind.   In this class, we will learn all about why humans need friendships, how we define and classify friendships, what barriers prevent us from making friends, and the reasons why we lose friends as well as keep them throughout our lives.  We will learn the skills of making friends, which include the art of conversation, the ability to interact with people who are different from us, and the ability to give advice without insult and to listen.  We will explore male and female friendships, intersexual and interracial friendships, childrens’ friendships, and friendship we form throughout our lives for different reasons.   The class is interdisciplinary because friendship can be examined through Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Literature and Film.  Hopefully, we will leave the class with new friendships!

Instructor

Nii Kpakpo Abrahams

Course Description

What does Pixar’s Monsters University tell us about starting school? How does Tik Tok’s viral #BamaRush inform how we make sense of Greek life? What does Pitch Perfect get right (and wrong) about college friendships? We all have expectations entering college, mostly coming from family or through entertainment. This FYS course is all about deconstructing the first year of college…all while you go through it! We’ll engage with a variety of past and present voices to garner a deeper understanding of orientation, friendships/relationships, academics, mental health, and other areas of the higher education system students encounter in their first year as you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and how you fit into the Butler ecosystem. As a course that fulfills the Indianapolis Community Requirement (ICR), students will have the opportunity to engage in, learn from, and serve alongside different education-based organizations in the community. 

This course fulfills an Indianapolis Community Requirement (ICR) credit.

Instructor

Felicia Williams

Course Description

I chose this topic because it is important to be cognizant of our individual process and habits. It is imperative that one knows how to articulate their voice and be comfortable doing so. I also think it is important that we seek to hear the voices of others. Listening to and thinking about others can be both educational and transformative on multiple levels.

This course fulfills an Indianapolis Community Requirement (ICR) credit.

Instructor

Natalie Carter

Course Description

This seminar introduces students to critical thinking and a discussion of values, and develops oral and written communication skills through an investigation of contemporary women’s literature written in a variety of global cultures. Through contemporary literary texts, the course will explore women’s perspectives on current issues influencing women’s sense of self, relationships, worldviews, opportunities, and challenges; we’ll consider the ways that sexual politics intersect with the politics of race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, and other markers of difference. By examining literary texts and other cultural materials, we’ll consider possibilities for understanding and changing the cultural, political, and social systems that define women in the world.

This course is offered as an Honors First Year Seminar course.

Instructor

Christopher Bungard

Course Description

The journey of the hero is a story as old as humans have gathered around to tell stories. In this course, we will start with stories from the Trojan War in order to think about what it means to be heroic. How is one called to be a hero? What does the hero gain? Sacrifice? From our initial foray in the Greek world, we branch out to consider hero stories from a variety of cultures and what the similarities and differences to the heroes of Homer tell us about what we as humans find inspirational about heroic stories.