LEAP 1245 - Humanities LEAP: Humans and Society

Drawing primarily upon fiction, creative nonfiction, personal essays, and film, the course focuses upon human interactions in society. We begin by reading two classic nineteenth century works that will provoke us to examine some foundational questions about human identity. What makes a being human? Do humans possess a single, unified self, or might we be composed of multiple, and perhaps conflicting selves? How might changing social circumstances impact human development and self-consciousness? From there, we will explore more specific forms of individual and group identity, allowing us to reflect upon race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation - and the myriad "crossings" that complicate identity formation, both within individuals and within communities.