PsTL First Year Inquiry (PsTL 1525W)
The First Year Inquiry class rotates between lectures and small discussion sections in order to utilize active learning strategies and to develop students’ skills in reading, critical thinking, academic writing, and thoughtful discussion. This unique approach also builds academic and interpersonal bridges between students and faculty members, which enables a smooth transition to college and produces long-term academic success.
The Fall 2011 FYI class will wrestle with the question: “How can one person make a difference?” by discussing a common book "Outcasts United" by Warren St. John, reading and discussing supporting books and articles, writing reflective academic papers, and creating a Capstone Project to present at the FYI symposium.
Fall 2011 FYI Descriptions
Section 1: Communicating in a Global Community: Explore the opportunities and challenges of living in a diverse community. Using our classroom as a laboratory for small group communication, students will investigate topics including immigration, acculturation, and discrimination. More »
You will read about the history of immigration in the U.S., historical patterns of finding and developing community in multicultural settings, as well as the global conflicts that cause refugees to seek asylum. Novels, memoirs, poetry, drama, community histories, and nonfiction from Hmong, Somali, Pakistani, and Dominican Americans will deepen our understanding of immigrants’ stories and inspire us to share our own. Students who complete this course will be better prepared to participate in their communities as global citizens. To further this goal, we will collaborate with Heritage Middle School in St. Paul in our discussion of this year’s Common Book, Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference.
Section 5: Who am I? Why am I here? How can one person make a difference? Is it only extraordinary people or can anyone do so? In this class we will read about people who have taken risks, suffered and made a difference. More »
Using contemporary and historical materials from the social sciences, humanities and theatre arts, we will explore the complexity of critical moments. Our primary texts will include the Paul Rusesabagina autobiography, An Ordinary Man – on which the film, Hotel Rwanda is based, the Spike Lee documentary film, When The Levees Broke, and this year’s Common Book, Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference.
Section 9: Critical Moments in Human Stories: We will explore critical moments in our own narratives and in the lives of persons and characters in three historic events. This exploration will examine what forces personal, historic, social, political and artistic turning points in the lives of an individual, a community, a country and a global society. More »
We will explore critical moments in our own narratives and in the lives of persons and characters in three historic events: the struggle for social justice and dignity in Iran following the Revolution during the 1980’s, in New Orleans in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, and in Rwanda in 1993 when genocide occurred. This exploration will examine what forces create these personal, historic, social, political and artistic turning points in the lives of individuals, communities, countries and the world. Using contemporary and historical materials from the social sciences, humanities and theatre arts, we will explore the complexity of critical moments. The capstone project will be a portfolio of smaller projects: an essay telling your own story using biographical objects, other narrative writing, This I Believe essays and small theatrical performances. No previous training or experience in theatre arts is required.
Section 13: Changing Places, Shifting Spaces: How many places have you called home in your life, so far? Does home mean something different to someone who grew up living in one house for an entire childhood than to someone who has crossed oceans and national boundaries over the course of life? More »
How do changes in our surroundings affect our sense of who we are and where we belong? In this class we will examine the ways that migration and the resulting shifts in demographics affect our ideas about home, family, community, and difference. We will use the Twin Cities and Clarkston, Georgia (the setting of our 2011 common book Outcasts United) as focal points as we explore the immigrant experience from a range of perspectives (historical, sociological, literary). Over the course of the semester students will use their CEHD-issued iPad 2 to create photo journals representing central concepts and themes that emerge from this examination of the relationships between changing spaces, places and identities.
Section 17: Justice Isn’t Just Us: Justice requires thinking carefully, treating everyone fairly and protecting everyone’s rights. But what does it take to achieve justice if “everyone” includes people with different ideas, perspectives, world views, cultures, races or ethnicities? More »
How do you respect the rights of all? In this class we will think critically about what fair treatment and just actions require. We’ll compare our own world views with other people’s perspectives; we’ll evaluate facts, concepts and values that guide people’s actions; and we’ll decide what actions make a difference to create a more just world. Reading this year's common book, Outcasts United, we will explore the forces that bring refugees to the U.S. and the challenges that a small town in Georgia faced in welcoming large numbers of refugees. Our final assignment will be a collaborative group project in which students research the work of a group that is acting toward justice in ways that the students believe in and support.
Section 21: Food for Thought…and Action: It’s clear that food plays an integral part in our daily lives, but how much do you know about that burger you just ate? Will a healthy diet help you live longer? Is fast food really that bad for you? More »
How does food bring people together? How is food production and safety regulated by the government? In this course, team taught by a biologist, a social scientist, and a lawyer, we’ll examine food through a variety of perspectives to come to a better understanding of its impact on our world. Using writing, discussion, and oral and video presentations, we’ll consider the following question: How can you, either individually or working with others, make a difference by educating yourself and others about where food comes from and how to make informed choices about what you eat? At the end of the semester, students will work in small groups to present a final Capstone Project on a food-related subject. Resources used in the course will include recent films such as Food, Inc., articles on current food-related topics, and the book In Defense of Food. Students will also read Outcasts United, the Common Book for all sections of the First Year Inquiry course, to explore the relationship of food to family and community.