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August 24, 2015 at 8:30 am

Dip In with New 1-Credit Themes in Action Courses

Students looking for a 1-credit course this semester can dip into one of the university’s themes with a CAS 1300x Themes in Action course.

Theme It! logoChoose from five different sections—each focused on a different curricular theme—and get involved in activities and events around sustainability, local food, justice and social change, wealth and poverty, and international security.

CAS 1300x Themes in Action courses are open to all Ohio University students.

CAS 1300X Themes in Action

—Sustainability Studies

Class # 14363. Section # 104

This course focuses on the many applied aspects of sustainability challenges and opportunities. Over the course of the semester, students participate in a variety of campus and community events and activities associated with the Sustainability Studies theme, the Common Experience Project on Sustainability (CEPS), the Office of Sustainability, the new Sustainable Living Community in Luchs Hall, and the OHIO Ecohouse. By engaging in a diverse array of experiences, students will become part of ongoing campus and community initiatives and conversations about sustainability challenges and opportunities from the local to the global levels. Contact: Nancy Manring (manring@ohio.edu).

—Edible Athens: Know Your Local Food System

Class # 14243. Section # 102

Edible Athens offers students an online, self-directed introduction to the Athens’ food scene on and off campus. It asks students to think about their individual food choices and to understand how what they choose to put on their plate is connected in many ways to the immediate Athens and university communities and to the wider world. Over the course of the semester, students choose to attend, and post online their reflections upon, seven food-related activities and events. Lectures, farmers market visits, composting tours, food pantry service opportunities, and a 30-mile meal preparation (and consumption!) are examples of the menu of events from which students can choose. Edible Athens introduces students to the Food Studies theme and is a fun and delicious way to get to know their local food scene. Edible Athens is a one-credit, Cr/NCr online course. Contact: Theresa Moran (morant@ohio.edu).

—Making & Breaking the Law

Class # 14244. Section # 103

What are the challenges of law and justice in the 21st century? The Center for Law, Justice & Culture is offering this special one-credit course to introduce students to law in relation to society, culture, politics and power. The course consists of self-directed participation in a series of extracurricular activities across the semester. Students read a common text and attend a series of CLJC events including public lectures, film screenings, professional development panels, and workshops. Students write critical reflection papers on seven events and submit them online. The events deal with central questions about law, justice, social change, human rights, globalization, and technology in the contemporary world. The course is designed for freshmen to seniors from all majors. It provides a strong foundation for further courses in the Making and Breaking the Law theme, and it trains students to think critically about the role of law in our everyday lives. Contact: Haley Duschinski (duschins@ohio.edu).

—Wealth and Poverty

Class # 14139. Section # 101

This online course offers students an introduction to issues related to wealth, poverty and inequality. The course is designed to provide students with opportunities to actively participate in learning environments beyond the traditional classroom and to help them develop empathy for others as they learn. Students will be expected to attend, participate in, and contribute to a series of academic events and activities inside and outside the campus, hosted or (co)sponsored by the Wealth and Poverty theme. The theme provides an interdisciplinary exploration that addresses the growing challenges of inequality and poverty in our society, locally and around the world. This course encourages students to ask: Why is there inequality in this world? What is the cost of growing inequality? What should be done about growing inequality? How could we fight poverty together in our community? The instructor will provide a list of Wealth and Poverty events, including classroom lectures, research talks, documentary film screenings, and day of service opportunities. Students are required to 1) attend a minimum of seven Wealth and Poverty events from the list, 2) post seven reflection essays (200-300 words for each essay) on Blackboard about the events they attend, and 3) respond to the Instructor’s comments and further questions. Contact: Yeong Kim (kimy1@ohio.edu).

—War & Peace

Class # 14138. Section # 100

This course explores the contemporary issues of international security and peace. Students study and critically think about topics such as terrorism, cybersecurity, weapons of mass destruction, intelligence, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. In each session, through conversations with professors and other experts, students have a chance to explore careers and possibilities related to international security and take an active part in the conversations surrounding matters of human security and national security. For the course, students also are expected to attend at least five activities and events on campus that are associated with the War and Peace theme. After the weekly “conversations” and every event, students submit a one-page critical reflection paper. Students also have the opportunity to attend the relevant portions of select War and Peace theme courses in order to familiarize themselves better with the security- and peace-related courses on campus. Contact: Nukhet Sandal (sandal@ohio.edu).

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