FYS 102 Course Description

FYS 102: Engaging the World

Course Description and Goals

Course Description

This course is designed to do several things, not all of which are listed here. It is meant to aid the student in learning to think critically and to express those ideas in a cogent manner. The ability to think and write or speak critically will prepare the student to do well during the rest of her or his career here at Mercer. In this course we will read various texts that will allow us to ask questions we might not normally ask, both of the texts and of ourselves. Critical thinking begins with asking questions. In addition to asking questions we will learn to express those questions, and maybe even possible answers to those questions, in both written and spoken forms. We will, therefore, be reading, thinking, and writing/speaking.

As we read, think, and write or speak, we will also begin to think about ourselves and our own place in the world. The subtitle of this course is "Engaging the World." In the first semester of FYS, you were to begin to develop an understanding of who you are as an individual. In this second semester, you will consider who you are within the larger context of your surroundings.

Primary Course Goal

The primary goal of this course is to understand the human condition and make it better.

Secondary Course Goals

	The secondary goals of this course are to achieve what has been stated above, i.e., that each student learns to approach texts (events, etc.) with the ability to ask critical questions that are both reflective of the self and its relation to the world, but at the same time allow for the possibility that the self be changed by the text.
	The achievement of these goals will be measured by the student's ability to speak and write clearly in relation to various texts and events encountered during the course of the semester.
	In addition to reading assignments, there will be short weekly writing assignments and four longer essays to help the student achieve these goals. More will be said about these in course requirements and grading.
	We will also learn to use a computer well enough for it to be a useful tool for gathering and sharing information, for communication, and for recreation. Computer "training" will come "on the fly." That is, we will not have a specific component of the course dedicated to computer training, but we will learn how better to use the computer as we need to along the way of the course.