Using psychologist Geoffrey Cohen’s latest book Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides as our guide, we will look at how situations can shape us and how we can shape situations; how to read others with empathy; how we experience being stereotyped and how we can help push back; and, most importantly, concrete strategies for fostering belonging in school, work, community, and politics. Students will develop their writing skills through peer review and multiple drafts and revisions of papers.
This is an SNF Paideia-designated writing seminar, designed to examine and encourage dialogue across differences. Students and faculty participating in the Paideia writing seminar cluster will have an opportunity to meet once a month for dinner, dialogue, and a keynote speaker or facilitator, as well as engage in other cross seminar community building activities. SNF Paideia-designated courses are noted on student transcripts. This seminar fulfills the writing requirement, follows the same curriculum, and has the same workload, assessment process, and standards as all other critical writing seminars at Penn. Seminar topics vary in academic discipline but each relates back to the SNF Paideia program’s core values of informed civil discourse and deliberation.
Only first-year students are eligible to enroll in SNF Paideia-designated writing seminars.