EXP 1101 - Who am I?

Credits: 3

Explorations Courses focus on enduring questions. Enduring questions do not have easy answers; instead, they encourage examination of complex issues from multiple perspectives, introspection, evidence-based arguments, and learning how to respectfully discuss controversial and difficult topics. Each Explorations Course examines a unique enduring question. All Explorations Courses focus on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as civic and community engagement. Students will also examine the Merrimack Connections curriculum.

The enduring question of “Who am I?” encompasses several intersecting directions of exploration and reflection, including the concept of personhood, the intrinsically relational nature of human experience, and ideas about worth, dignity, mission and purpose. Theologians have long understood humanity as oriented toward God, made explicit in St. Augustine’s prayer: “our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” This course will ask how diverse understandings of humanity align with contemporary issues that arise when one considers the questions of identity. This section is offered as part of the Austin Scholars Program. Fulfills the diversity (D) requirement in LS Core.