Ephemeral Self - Identity and Transformation in Great Works
Geoff West

This course explores what it means to live an examined life within the constraints of society. From Socrates’ defense of moral integrity in Plato’s Apology to the social pressures of The Crucible, the inherited violence of Seamus Heaney’s North, and the utopian ambitions of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, students examine how individuals navigate the tension between private conscience and public order. Through close reading, analytical writing, and comparative discussion, the course asks whether justice and truth can survive the demands of conformity and the fear of dissent.

Against Breaking
Tatiana Zavodny

This course explores what it means to stay connected to others - and to ourselves - when things get difficult, uncertain, or overwhelming. Using Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Limon, The Plague by Camus, Sister Outsider by Lorde, and Antigone by Sophocles, we explore how individuals and communities respond when the conditions of life become difficult to sustain. Across these works, we ask what it means to develop forms of resilience that are not about avoiding fracture, but about learning how to live with pressure and care for ourselves and our community.  

In the process, we will examine questions like: What does 'breaking' look like - a dramatic collapse, or exhaustion, or isolation, or being worn down? How should we respond when our personal values are at odds with those of our larger society? What happens when the pressure of living starts to exceed what feels manageable? What does resilience actually look like - 'bouncing back,' persevering, or even changing course? And how do we know which path to choose?

How do I know who I am?
Matthew Crum

I know who I am. I certainly know who I am. I certainly know who you are too. At least, I think I do. But how do I know who I am? And is this really who I am? And how do I know who you really are?

This course is unified by the notion that a greater awareness of one's authentic self can be achieved, particularly through dialogue with “Others.” Our assigned authors prompt their respective audiences to consider their own personal, relational, and collective identities by engaging with perspectives that challenge our basic assumptions of self. Through these selected readings, we will explore how we define our own communities and those we regard as distinct, narrow the distance between our actual and idealized selves, and consider how we know who we are. 

Dr. Crum's seminars will be reading poetry from C.P. Cavafy and Startlement by Ada Limón; a selection of Montaigne's essays; and "The Persians," a play by Aschelyus.

Creating Self and Community
Jonathan Martin

In examining how individuals function within communities, it is almost intrinsic to place ourselves in that role. Who are you? How do you interact with society? What kind of society do you interact with? What kind of society would you like to interact with?

This class is going to be a journey from the mythological past to the hypothetical future through the genre of creation stories. Two of these are more traditional versions of the genre, like the Babylonian creation myth called the Enuma Elish or John Milton’s Paradise Lost, a retelling of the tale of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Others will appear more like cautionary tales. Director Isao Takahata’s film Grave of the Fireflies tells the story of a brother and sister as they overcome tragedy during the firebombing of their city in the final days of World War II. Lastly, taking place in Earth's distant future, Ursula Le Guin’s novella “Paradises Lost” gives the first hand account of one person aboard a spaceship of thousands as they head towards their possible doom. Must all prophecies be self-fulfilling? Or can we change our future? Let’s find out!