Working under the core curriculum theme of Engaged Citizenship, students shared some of the knowledge they’ve gained in their First-Year Seminars at a recent poster display.
The seminars aim to equip students with critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of societal issues to become engaged citizens. This is done by offering intentionally diverse perspectives through research that ventures beyond the traditional classroom experience.
As director of core curriculum and integrative learning, Mikal Kenfield told students at the poster session that this was a chance to reflect on what they’ve learned and share that knowledge.
“This is how we practice being a community of scholars — in collaboration,” she said.
The intention of the event was to be interdisciplinary. Topics ranged from the global impact of one’s food choices to fostering change through stand-up comedy.
In the Gatekeeping in STEM seminar, Amir Dorudian of Grand Forks and his classmates are learning about the past and present barriers many historically excluded groups have faced in STEM fields. They are also examining unethical research experiments and treatments.
“If you want to get equity, your first step is learning about the history,” Dorudian said. “If you're trying to be a scientist, you have to learn what happened in the past, and if it’s unethical, you should certainly not replicate it.”
India Carlson is an English education major from Moorhead and shared information about banned books with others. She sees engaged citizenship as a necessary component in her life during and after college.
“It covers so many aspects of our lives, as you can see,” she said, gesturing to the other posters. “I think it’s really important to be engaged in the world that you live in, because if you're just passive in it, then things are going to happen to you instead of you making things happen.”
Learn more about each this year’s First-Year Seminars
- Book Banning: What's at Stake?
- Compassionate Community
- Exercise is Medicine
- Engaged Citizenship in a Nation of Immigrants
- Gatekeeping in STEM: Who Gets Let in and Why?
- I Want to Help People
- Outsiders: The Cost of Exclusion
- Seeking Justice in US Healthcare
- Shades of Truth: How Media Shapes Our Stories
- Stand-up Comedy and Engaged Citizenship
- The Engaged Scientist
- Video Games and Media Literacy
- Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change
- Who Gets to Tell Your Story: Race and Gender in Musical Theatre
- Women and Power Relationships in Latin America and Beyond