What Now? Why Are We Here: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Education

The aims of education often remain invisible to and unexamined by students and faculty. This seminar examines the multiple functions and purposes education serves from credentialing to career preparation to finding meaning/purpose in one's life. Students examine the current scholarship on teaching and learning with a particular focus on emerging trends in progressive education; self-authorship, integrative learning, experiential learning, growth mindset, and digital innovation. Students analyze divergent philosophies of education and then develop and articulate their own educational philosophy and statement of purpose. Students will engage in service-learning experience focused on development of an initiative aimed at changing campus culture to create a more inclusive and equitable campus community.