Communio sections

Dr. Stuart Korshavn – Section A – CRN 1272   |  Syllabus
When someone says, “So, tell me about yourself.” how do you respond? What and how do you think about yourself? Where does your self-knowledge come from? How does your understanding of yourself affect the way you think, feel and act? What are the consequences of the desire to think well of yourself or to have others think well of you? How has culture shaped the way you think about yourself? We will consider these and other questions as the semester progresses. We will begin with a chapter (The Consciousness of Self) from Principles of Psychology by William James (1890). Many argue that it is the most important book in the history of modern psychology. We will relate James’ insights to current theory and research in psychology, to a variety of contemporary issues, and to personal experience.

Dr. Bradford Ellis – Section B – CRN 1273  |  Syllabus
In this section of Communio we will examine the construction of the self in relation to those around us. We will explore how we shape and define ourselves amidst societal and cultural factors and expectations that influence how we view ourselves and how others view us. What is our responsibility to society and community? How do we preserve our sense of self while realizing and fulfilling our connection, duty and responsibility to our community? We will gain diverse perspectives on these questions and others as we journey across time and cultures through texts in translation from Ancient Greece, Medieval and Early Modern Spain, and the current Latino/Hispanic population in the U.S. Texts we will explore include Sophocles’ Antigone, Spain’s anonymous Poem of the Cid, Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote de la Mancha, and Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street.

Dr. Howard Ebert – Section C – CRN 1274  |  Syllabus
How is who we are as individuals shaped and formed by factors outside of ourselves? To what extent do these factors imprison or liberate us? This section of Communio examines the impact of tradition on personal identity with special attention on the formative impact of geographical location and spiritual traditions on one’s self-understanding. In addition, the experience of self-transcendence is explored. This examination is situated within the three master traditions of St. Norbert College: Catholic, Norbertine and the Liberal Arts. Participants will be asked to reflect on their sense of individual identity in light of a variety of readings, artistic images, movies and music. Readings include Joan Chittister’s Called to Question: A Spiritual Memoir, Pat Conroy’s The Prince of Tides, Gary Eberle, The Geography of Nowhere: Finding One’s Self in the Postmodern World, and Fenton Johnson's, Keeping Faith: A Skeptic’s Journey.

Dr. Joy Pahl – Section D – CRN 1275  |  Syllabus
“What do you do for a living? What do you want for your birthday? Where do you live?” Each of these questions has economic implications. In fact it may seem natural to follow each question with an additional question such as: “How much do you earn?  How much does the gift cost? How much is the rent?” We are economic actors. As economic actors we may take on many different roles: producer, consumer, negotiator, organizer, employee, marketer, manager, decision maker, competitor, taxpayer, team member, leader, breadwinner and investor—just to name a few. In this section of Communio we will explore the question, “How then shall we live in a manner true to ourselves and others?” be examining how our role as an economic actor influences our definition and understanding of self, our human relationships and our ability to live in a world of many selves.

Readings may include work by Adam Smith, Joseph Schumpeter, John Maynard Keynes, Max Weber, Milton Friedman, Peter Drucker, and Barbara Ehrenreich, plus other contemporary writers. Films may include portions of: The Corporation, Office Space, Super Size Me, Wall Street and The Merchants of Cool.

Dr. Kristee Boehm – Section E - CRN 1276
Description to follow