Terrorism, poverty among topics covered in modern ‘E-Series’ classes

You can sympathize with lovers of lifelong learning who might envy today’s students enrolled in one of a broad array of relatively new E-Series liberal arts courses offered across Florida State University’s colleges and disciplines. These courses, developed to tackle current and wide-reaching societal issues, were not available to students until recently.

Taken early in a student’s first years at FSU, E-Series courses are created and taught by faculty members who are experts in their fields. With titles like “Broken Clocks and Disrupted Sleep”; “Need and Greed (Is Money the Root of All Evil?)”; “Terrorism in Historical Perspective”; and “Fantasy Girls: Philosophical Examinations of Women and Girls in Fantasy and Science Fiction,” the courses provide a foundation for higher-order thinking that propels student success through their college and professional careers. E-Series courses derive their name from the fact that they focus on significant questions pertaining to society and the natural world that can be engaged, explored, examined and evaluated using multiple perspectives.

Considered a cornerstone of FSU’s Liberal Studies curriculum, these broad-ranging courses are designed to engage students in thinking about big ideas and broad questions relevant to society and the natural world. They pave the way for success in a changing labor market and for effective citizenship in a global world, said Annette Schwabe, an associate dean in the Division of Undergraduate Studies who directs Liberal Studies.

“E-Series courses provide students with habits of thinking and experience for the 21^st century, including the ability to communicate well, think critically, innovate and collaborate to solve complex problems,” said Schwabe, who is also a Distinguished Teaching Professor in FSU’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. “The content and delivery of these courses are intended to excite students about learning, pique curiosity, engage them intellectually and foster their ability to bring multiple perspectives to problems.”

Schwabe cited a recent Association of American Colleges and Universities survey of more than 300 companies that found that employers across all sectors seek employees who have developed the abilities that E-Series courses are designed to foster: analysis, reasoning, critical thinking, written communication and collaboration. In this way, E-Series courses provide students with the academic toolkit for success in all aspects of life.

Faculty members responded enthusiastically to the call for development of novel and relevant courses that not only enhance students education but also capitalize on the diversity, creativity and depth of faculty expertise.

“When the concept of the E-Series course was introduced, I knew I wanted to create one,” said Tracie Mahaffey, an associate teaching faculty member and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Philosophy. “From the very beginning, I was thrilled to have an opportunity to take non-traditional materials, like comics, film, and short stories, and bring them together with primary source philosophy readings to create something new.

“One of the challenges I face in the classroom is finding ways to bridge the theoretical and conceptual with the everyday experiences of my students,” said Mahaffey, who teaches “Fantasy Girls: Philosophical Examinations of Women and Girls in Fantasy and Science Fiction.” “I think students assume, unreflectively, that the questions of philosophy are not really relevant to their lives. I wanted to turn that assumption on its head. Philosophical treatments of pop culture and philosophy in literature classes are not novel, but I wanted to find a way to take these stories (that I am such a fan of) and use them to challenge our ideas about human nature and what it means to be a girl or a woman in the world today.”

The course “Broken Clocks and Disrupted Sleep: Impacts of Technology” takes advantage of research by Lisa Lyons, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Science and Program in Neuroscience, who created and teaches this line of study. The course’s practical implications are a real draw for students, many of whom are referred by peers who completed the course.

“Rapid advances in technology have contributed to sleep and circadian disorders, and teenagers and young adults can be most susceptible to this occurrence,” Lyons said. “I developed this course because I want students to be more conscientious about their sleep habits and nighttime use of smartphones and electronics. Small changes in lifestyle and habits can have a tremendous impact on health, well-being and even grades. I want to provide them with an understanding of the biology behind these processes and the diseases that can arise when the circadian clock or sleep are perturbed.”

In her course “Need and Greed (Is Money the Root of All Evil?),” Aline Kalbian, chair of the Department of Religion, asks students to consider the ethics of money, wealth, and poverty in a religious context. She has them examine questions such as whether money can become an impediment to overall flourishing, whether there are moral guidelines for its proper pursuit, how much money we need to live well, and when the pursuit of money becomes greed. In addition, students spend a significant part of the course studying society’s responsibility to the poor by looking at questions of justice and evaluating private and public philanthropy. Kalbian says this topic has taken on an urgent tone as some citizens attain unprecedented levels of wealth while growing numbers fall deeper into poverty.

At the same time, the fears and realities of terrorism have left a deep mark on every aspect of life in the United State, Europe, and the rest of the world. Associate Professor of History George Williamson developed his course, “Terrorism in Historical Perspective,” to help students understand modern terrorism by examining its deeper history and prehistory, which reach back to antiquity. Williamson said student interest in the topic is strong for good reason.

“It’s not hard to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of this topic, because unfortunately terrorism seems to be almost omnipresent in the modern world,” said Williamson, a faculty member in the Department of History. “Students may not initially understand why the course has such a broad chronological sweep, but my sense is that the relevance of the earlier history becomes clearer as we begin to discuss more recent incidences of terrorism from groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS.

“I want students to become aware that what we now call terrorism is not a recent phenomenon, that its historical origins go back at least as far as the 19^th century, and much further if one links modern terrorism to ancient and early modern practices of tyrannicide. I ask them to consider that, like all historical events, terrorist acts cannot be understood if viewed in isolation, that they typically need to be located within a wider dynamic of political conflict and escalating violence between oppositional or insurgent groups and the agents of a state, even if in many cases the victims of that violence are third parties with no direct role in these conflicts.”

Like other faculty members, Mahaffey has a number of goals for her E-Series students.

“My biggest hope is that they will continue to find the philosophical in the everyday long after they leave FSU,” she said. “I don’t want them to think that questioning and reflection happen only in the classroom. I want them to continue to question and grow as individuals and never, ever stop questioning or learning. I also want them to see that it is possible to be a fan of something and still critically evaluate it. We don’t let authors and illustrators off the hook, just because we are a fan of their work. We can recognize the flaws and still love the work.”

Visit http://fla.st/2jLWzNi and click the “E-Series” box on the left side of the page to view a complete listing of such courses available at FSU.