NEH Enduring Questions Course on the Social Response to Poverty
FAIN: AQ-228960-15
Carroll University (Waukesha, WI 53186-5593)
Scott Edward Hendrix (Project Director: September 2014 to July 2018)
The development and teaching of a new seminar for first-year students to examine religious, philosophical, and historical views on poverty and its role in human life.
The proposed course addresses the question of how a society should deal with poverty. From the author of the book of Matthew to George Orwell and beyond, many have struggled with this intransigent issue. It is a question with particular salience to today's "Millenials." Therefore, this is an opportunity to engage and excite students about their education while considering the manifold causes of poverty, its effects, and the way in which people of differing cultures address the issue. I will introduce first year students to a wide range of cultural views and a blend of disciplinary approaches. In this way, I plan to open their eyes to the varied ways that cultural conditions shape the way people view even the most universal and fundamental issues, while also showing how varying disciplinary outlooks work together to enhance our understanding of the world.