HNRS 1313 Enduring Questions: Perspectives from Non-Western Humanities

Course Catalog Description:

This course is a freshman-level seminar for honors students. It is the second in a four-course sequence, unified in content around significant enduring questions central to the liberal arts. Some options include:

  • What does it mean to be human?
  • What is Justice?
  • What is Goodness?
  • How can we live responsibly on the planet?

A true interdisciplinary approach focusing on at least two disciplines and emphasizing primary source material drawn from the non-Western humanities will inform the course structure. Students will examine works from disciplines including anthropology, music, history, literature, theology, and the visual arts, and ranging from the Ancient period to the present day. Attention will be paid to how the primary sources address the fundamental question. The course will develop students’ analytic and expressive abilities as well as enhancing their cultural awareness. The course fulfills the university’s general education requirements for G2 courses.