1.    Course Description  

Explorations introduces students to the joy of studying the liberal arts while cultivating the skills needed for future academic success. Each course investigates a subject of faculty choosing from beyond a single disciplinary approach, incorporating multiple ways of understanding that subject and working with evidence from different academic and popular sources. Students will engage in scholarly practices foundational to inquiry and future academic success, including reading, annotating, and taking notes on texts; analyzing and evaluating sources; drafting, revising, and editing writing; and working with peers. Assignments and activities will cultivate students’ abilities to think analytically.

2.    Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successfully completing the course, students will be able to

Section Descriptions

Brown, Jarrod:

Appalachian Cultural Landscapes

This course delves into the rich and complex cultural landscapes of Appalachian Kentucky, employing inquiry-based learning to explore the dynamic interplay between people and place. We will move beyond stereotypes, examining how history, ecology, cultural values, and social forces have shaped the region’s unique character. Through engagement with landscapes, archival research, use of geographic information systems, community engagement, fieldwork, and exploratory readings on culture, Appalachia, nature, and environmental philosophy, students will investigate and reflect upon diverse terrains as they attempt to imagine a landscape that reflects the values and hopes of Appalachian people. This course encourages students to consider their own relationship to place and to engage with the complexities of cultural heritage and environmental change. No prior experience is required, only a willingness to inquire and explore.  This course will require two Saturday engagements for off-campus travel and will include some non-strenuous hiking.

Christopher, Karina:

Cookbooks: An Expression of Who We Are and Where We Have Been

Description: The oldest cookbooks can be traced back to Mesopotamia around 1700 BC. Since that time, cookbooks have been a means of communicating history, politics, identity, nationhood, diet trends, ethnicity, food memories, culinary science, and food systems. This class will examine a variety of cookbooks and recipes to determine the messages and stories they are meant to deliver. Students will explore their own food memories or interpretations of food through reflection and writing. Writing will include narrative and descriptive writing.

Mack, Felicia

In this section of L & I 100 we will read The Skinny House: A Memoir of Family that shares the story of Nathan Seely, an African American man, whose drive and determination led to him becoming a prominent homebuilder in New York. At the height of his fame and fortune he loses everything in the Great Depression; however, he is determined to avoid joining the growing ranks of the unhoused-- so he uses resources available to him to build a home.  

We can all relate to needing resources to help us reach our goals  which is why you decided to further your education at Berea College.  Throughout the course we will engage in numerous writing activities designed to help develop skill sets needed to write for an academic audience. Coupled with reading and writing activities you will be introduced to many resources available at the college, so like Nathan Seely, you can achieve your academic and professional aspirations.

Norris, Ian:

Designing a Life Worth Living. 

Where do you want to go, and how will get there? But, more importantly, why there? What is worth wanting, and how do you know? Our culture is obsessed with efficiency, effectiveness, and achievement. But we often don't stop to ask what we value and why. This class will help you determine how to maximize the potential of your Berea College education: How to design the life you want for yourself. But it will continually force you to ask what philosophers have called "The Big Questions." Why are we here, and for what purpose? What is your purpose, and how can your education enable you to fulfill it? Prepare yourself for an interdisciplinary experience integrating lessons from psychology, design thinking, entrepreneurship, philosophy, and religion.

Norton, Colby:

American Popular Music: Sound, Society, and the Cultural Pulse of a Nation

This course on American popular music offers students an exploration of music from a liberal arts perspective, cultivating skills that are foundational for academic success. Through this survey of diverse musical genres, including rock, jazz, funk, country, hip hop, and death metal, students will engage with the music itself, as well as its cultural and societal impact. The course encourages an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating evidence from both academic and popular sources, allowing students to analyze the evolution of music in the United States from multiple perspectives.

Students will engage in scholarly practices such as reading and annotating texts, evaluating and analyzing various sources, and applying critical thinking skills to understand the sociocultural influences on music. The assignments and activities will help students develop their abilities to think analytically, draft, revise, and edit their writing, while also fostering collaboration through peer interaction. This course provides a rich foundation for understanding how popular music reflects and shapes American society, while building skills essential for future academic success.