First Year Seminar

A true liberal education is a sure path to freedom. Travelers on this path free themselves from the bonds of ignorance, prejudice, and fear. They discard the tyranny of the majority, the powerful, and the expert. They remove the chains of unexamined opinion, received wisdom, and popular perception.
- Susan Borden

The philosophy of the first-year seminar is expressed by the following statement, as drafted by John Carroll Faculty - "through its content and its method the seminar emphasizes central elements of the university mission: integrating various branches of knowledge; forming whole persons; creating informed, compassionate citizens who are committed to serving others; extending the boundaries of individual and shared knowledge; conserving the earth and its resources; expanding the possibilities of human community."

In addition to the texts we read for the class, there will be outside speakers and films, all of which are meant to introduce you to the idea of a liberal education. We ask that you approach the texts and the class with an open mind and a willingness to engage in robust and energetic dialogue with your peers. Our goal is not to provide you with the right answers, but to help you learn how to ask the necessary and difficult questions.

The three required texts that all first year students will read are:

• Anthology - Self Selected Readings

• The Sea Inside; Mar Adentro (2004/I)
• Paragraph 175  (2000)
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

• 21 Grams (2003)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
• Artificial Intelligence:AI (2001)

• Imitation of Life (1959)
• Crash (2004) 
• Babel