The Liberal and Integrated Studies Paper

The Liberal and Integrated Studies Paper

Angles on Inequality

Anonymous Student

1122 W. Gilbert

Peoria, IL, 61604

312/202-4911

UIN: 666111555

LIS 451 / Senior Seminar

Professor Eric Hadley-Ives

Fall 2011

Leah Royer Fall 2011 1/11/12Eric Hadley-Ives Page iii

Table of Contents

Section I iii

Acknowledgments iii

Introduction 4

Degree Overview 8

Integrated Course Analysis 13

This course examines a variety of arguments in philosophy of religion, e.g., traditional arguments for and against the existence of God; the argument from religious experience; the philosophical problem of evil; various arguments regarding religious pluralism, etc. This course fulfills a general education requirement in the area of Humanities. 41

Bachelor’s Degree Outcomes 47

Values and Attitudes 48

Major theories and ideas 49

Questions answered 50

Unexpected outcomes 51

Learning about learning 51

Non-credit experiences 52

The Future 52

Short-term future 52

Long-term future 53

Conclusion 54

Appendices 55

Appendix 1, lists of courses. 55

A. Courses listed by Boyer category 55

B. Courses listed in summary 56

Appendix 2, changes 58

Appendix 3, Extras 61

A, Visual Representation of your degree 61

Appendix 4, references and significant works encountered 61

A, Bibliography with Annotations 61

Leah Royer Fall 2011 1/11/12Eric Hadley-Ives Page iii

Section I

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my children, Dane and Nathan Rabe, for being the inspiration behind my drive to succeed. I know that by getting my education I am securing a better future for our family. There were many nights that I had to turn down a board game or trip to the park in order to get my school work done, yet the boys rarely complained. They knew how important my schoolwork was to our future and they gave me the room to get it done. I hope that by seeing me investing in my education, they too will choose the path to higher learning, perhaps earlier in life than I did.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to my mother, [name deleted], who instilled in me a love of learning that is burning brightly to this day. Growing up, she was the one who always had amazing books on hand. I can remember her bringing home from the library big coffee table books about ancient civilizations or photography. I know my earliest yearnings to know about the world around me were planted and sown by her. She was also a “back-up mom” for my boys throughout this entire process. She would see to it that the boys were occupied on those long weekends devoted to a paper or project. These three individuals represent my heart and soul and the reason behind much of the things I do.

Leah Royer Fall 2011 1/11/12Eric Hadley-Ives Page iii

Introduction

Throughout my childhood books provided me with hours and hours of entertainment. I was an avid reader. Born in 1972, my generation was the first to experience the “wonders” of MTV and HBO. Yet, they were still enough of a novelty that they could not compete with the magic of a good book or the thrill of a neighborhood game of kickball. The internet was still a few decades away from assuming the immense role it would eventually play in society. So much has changed in the thirty-nine years since I first entered this world. Perhaps the greatest victim to fall prey to the lure of a culture built upon instant gratification is reading. In “The Great Conversation”, Robert Hutchins writes, “It is the task of every generation to reassess the tradition in which it lives, to discard what it cannot use, and to bring into context with the distant and intermediate past the most recent contributions to the Great Conversation.” (1)

The culmination of my educational experience at UIS leaves me enlightened and educated enough to be concerned about future generations. While I embark on my post-baccalaureate life with a confidence in my own abilities to think critically, problem-solve effectively, and engage in my world, a new challenge awaits me. How can I utilize my education to help others attain theirs? It is in this vein that I set out into a world of young people more familiar with Face book than the book store. UIS has prepared me well. As an online student of liberal arts I have become the consummate digital communicator. I can not only traverse the technological universe but appreciate the value of a classic book. It is my generation that bridges the void between these two worlds. It is my generation that remembers when Saturday mornings were reserved for cartoons not seen on any other day, when there was still no cursing on network television, and you had to be brave enough to call the house phone if you wanted to speak to your boyfriend or girlfriend outside of school.

My education at UIS has prepared me to effectively engage young people, something I was meant to do, though it took me thirty-plus years to figure it out. My education has provided me with a worldview unfettered by the constraints of ethnocentrism or ignorance. I am aware and living in reality something a great majority of American citizens cannot rightfully claim. I do not say that judgmentally but rather from an educated perspective. It is now my duty as an educated citizen of the United States to raise awareness every chance I get. In my personal relationships, professional ties, community connections, and chance encounters, I feel a sense of obligation to wake people up by imparting the knowledge I have gained through my education. I set out on my new path energized, fully alive, and ready to give back. It is with immense satisfaction that I bring this chapter of my life to a close only to begin the next anew, ever curious and eager to know more.

Presentation of Self

Growing up, my mother always encouraged me and my sister to question things. During my primary school years, if I needed help, she would always be right there, providing me any knowledge that she might possess on the topic at hand. Her love of learning was passed on to me. Though we moved around a great deal throughout my childhood, I was fortunate because my mom always took me to parks, museums, and always, no matter where we lived, the library. I don’t remember ever not having books in my life. Even before I could read, my mother would take me to the library and she would check out as many children’s books as she could. These were like great treats to me. This love of books continues to this day. I always have a book I am halfway through on my bedside stand. I am also carrying on my mother’s tradition, lugging stacks of children’s books home for my ten year old son and novels for my fifteen year old. I view reading as the greatest form of self-directed learning.

In 2006, I found myself in a scary situation. After being a stay-at-home mom for ten years my marriage dissolved. Initially, I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to find a job that would pay me enough to support me and my two boys, then five and ten years old. From the outset, I was painfully aware of how my lack of formal education and sparse resume would look to a potential employer. Fortunately, I am a fighter. As I have progressed through my educational journey I have discovered many things about myself. For instance, I am self-motivated. I now know that I relish a challenge, though I may not be hasty to take it on initially. The earliest steps on the path that led me to UIS were born out of necessity and hunger. It would be my perseverance that would help me to stay the path, semester after semester. Nights when I would much rather come home after work and just space out all night have to be given over to posting the required number of responses to my fellow online learners or thesis sentence brainstorming, I remember something Donald Trump once said, “Successful people do things other people aren’t willing to do.” I have repeated that quote to myself in my more stressful or less motivated moments.

The first couple of years of college were predominantly spent fulfilling my general education requirements. However, it was a discovery period for me. At the age of thirty-four, I was still unclear as to what line of work I was meant to do. It was also during this time that I was involved in volunteering at my son’s elementary school. The more time I spent in the classroom, the more I loved it. It finally dawned on me that I got a great amount of satisfaction working with young people. I naturally empathized with those students who appeared to come from difficult circumstances such as my own. I could relate to the children who came from poor families and those who were at risk of failing. I wanted a career spent helping children and young adults stay the course and succeed in life. The intrinsic reward I got every time I made a positive connection with a young person was as valuable to me as any paycheck, though arguably not as necessary for survival. I finally knew what I wanted to do with my life, the question became, how do I get there from here?

The availability of on-line classes was a significant factor in the facilitation of my educational goals. Most of the courses I have taken have been self-directed learning experiences. When I began to research the availability of online programs offering bachelor’s degrees I was a bit leery. Ever the perfectionist, I worried that an online program would not match up to its on-ground counterparts. I was not at all eager to attend a strictly online college because I wasn’t sure the degree would be taken as seriously as one coming from a “regular” school. I came across UIS’ website and was immediately relieved. Here was a state school offering several online program options! The Liberal Studies program would allow me to cater my degree to my needs. I was thrilled.

I remember picking classes for my initial degree plan, I felt like a kid in a candy store. There were so many fascinating topics I wanted to explore more deeply. I have always made people the focus of my studies. I want to know how people are affected by the world around them. Though my emphasis is on children and young adults, I realize that in order to effectively help anyone, I must understand the bigger picture.

I can think of at least one concept from every course I have taken at UIS that has aided me in my personal and professional life. Race, Class, and Social Justice is a course that will never leave my mind. The dysfunction in our criminal justice system is impacting peoples’ lives every day, especially minorities and particularly black men but really entire communities. I can impart the insights I have gained to the young people I work with because knowledge is power and also because you can’t fight an enemy you can’t see. I try and raise awareness among young people about the reality of things. My education helps me do that more effectively and honestly.

Multiple courses worked to expand my understanding of different cultures. Cultural sensitivity is essential to my ability to effectively do my job. Multicultural American Novels was one amazing story after another, deepening my thirst to know more about people I would probably otherwise never get to meet. Perhaps even more beneficial were the many stories I devoured about people from cultures I work with regularly. The literature courses I took added nuance to my cultural education, differently than sociology or psychology ever could. A large portion of my classes dealt with oppressed people, social justice, and the institutions that either hinder or help them. I am passionate about reaching out to marginalized people, especially children and young adults, and making their lives better.

I have also become acutely aware of the role government plays in people’s lives. The current economic disaster America is facing is a wakeup call to all citizens. Public policy has a direct impact on daily living. Those who are marginalized often have no voice in the policy-making decisions that mold and shape their opportunities in life. Thanks to Women and Politics, I am now acutely aware that women and minorities are grossly underrepresented in public office, especially at the state and federal level. Research has repeatedly shown that female elected officials take up those issues that affect the least among us much more often than their male counterparts. I realize the importance of being politically engaged on a whole new level because of several courses I took that explored the institution of government, its history and practice. Understanding how our public institutions work is critical to my work and the knowledge I have gained has increased my ability to effectively communicate the plethora of information to those I serve.

I will be attending graduate school within the next year. My educational odyssey is a little over halfway through at this point. As my next goal I have decided to pursue a school guidance counseling degree which will also permit me to sit for licensure as a community counselor if I choose. Partly because I know it will allow me to work one-on-one with high school students struggling just like I did and also because I read a newspaper article about the viability of various masters degree programs and, apparently, there is almost never a lack of work in school counseling. I am fascinated by mental illness, I have several family members who suffer the often unforgiving symptoms of mental illness, and thus far have not had the opportunity to take much coursework related to psychology, so this new path in my educational journey excites me. The coursework I have taken thus far has given me an incredibly solid foundation to build upon. I have gained the insight necessary to digest information more critically, seeking out the facts from the fiction. I read the newspaper differently now. I watch CSPAN now. I don’t just take the nightly news at face value anymore. Ultimately, my experience at UIS has given me an educated frame of reference with which to view the world around me so that I can serve my community more effectively.