Cornerstone Seminars

WCC 1000: LCA Religion and Consumer Culture

  • Maureen Walsh, Ph.D.
  • TR 12:30-1:20pm
  • SCI 302
  • FOR HONORS STUDENTS ONLY

In contemporary American culture, religion is often presented as an antidote to the negative effects of consumer culture. At the same time, religious belief and practice in the U.S. often mirror the habits of consumerism, blurring the lines between the two seemingly distinct areas of life. This course will examine religious critiques of consumerism as well as how faith-based organizations and individuals creatively make use of consumer culture to craft, promote, and demonstrate their religious identity. Other topics will include understanding religious identity through the lens of religious pluralism (a critique of viewing some forms of religion as pure/authentic); cultural appropriation of diverse religious practices; and religious communities that adopt radical simplicity as a protest against consumer culture.  3 Credit Hours (TH II).

WCC 1000: LCB The Mathematics of Gambling

  • John Miller, Ph.D.
  • MW 9:00-9:50am
  • ARP 220

In this seminar we will explore the mathematics behind casino games and the social and economic impact of the gaming industry. We will work in groups playing and analyzing common casino games (such as various types of poker, roulette, craps, blackjack, keno, and others) in order to determine the odds of winning and the corresponding value of bets placed. We will also read and discuss Confessions of a Slot Machine Queen: A Memoir by Dr. Sandra Adell and explore the impacts of the gaming industry, focusing largely on poverty and addiction.

WCC 1000: LCC Giving and Volunteering in America

  • Jennifer Rinella, Ph.D. and Jami Shipman, LL.M., J.D.
  • T 11:00am-12:15pm
  • ARP 214 and R by Web

Giving and Volunteering in America – This course will explore the structure and evolution of the American practice of charity and philanthropy and its connection with Jesuit mission and values. Students will be asked to reflect on their encounters with giving and volunteering, both personally and observed, and to prepare their own goals, values, and/or actions in the context of philanthropy.

WCC 1000: LCD Plagues, Prayer and Politics

  • Rick Janet, Ph.D.
  • MW 9:00-9:50am
  • ARP 116

The course examines popular responses to crises in modern western history, focusing on periods when epidemics of deadly disease revealed deep divisions in society.  Special attention will be paid to the complex relationship among science, politics and religion in shaping cultural attitudes toward inexplicable diseases.  Historical sources and literary works will be used to address such possible topics as the 1665 plague in England, cholera outbreaks in 19th century Europe, and the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic.  As a Cornerstone seminar, the course includes analyses of Jesuit Catholic values and their relevance in addressing historical and contemporary social crises. 

WCC 1000: LCE Environmental (In)Justice: Exploring the Impacts of Environmental Discrimination

  • Mary Haskins, Ph.D.
  • MW 11:00-11:50am
  • ARP 316

The course explores how environmental discrimination compromises the fundamental right to live in an environment that is clean and healthy.  Factors contributing to injustices will be investigated using current and historical data.  The role of social, procedural, and geographic inequities will be examined in a real-world context.  Topics covered include air and water pollution, urban development, e-waste disposal, factory-farming, and access to healthy food choices. 

WCC 1000: LCF Diffusion of Health Information Through Entertainment Media

  • Shatonda Jones, Ph.D.
  • MW 10:00-10:50am
  • CON001

This course will introduce students to Diffusion of Innovation Theory and its applications to health promotion, edutainment, and responsible dissemination of health information.  Topics will include an examination of daytime and reality health television shows as well as public health campaigns, social media posts, music, movies, literature, and other health media and initiatives.  Students will learn ways in which to guide clients, patients, and their families in the discernment of healthful information and in making fully informed health care decisions.  Students will also learn how to engage in difficult conversations with clients, patients, and their families when confronting misinformation through an Ignatian lens.

WCC 1000: WB1 Interprofessional Collaboration and Advocacy--Caring for the Whole Person and Family

  • Andy Bayne D.N.P; Tammy Bruegger, OTD; Marcie Swift, Ph.D.; Jennifer Wessol, Ph.D.
  • TR 12:30-1:20pm
  • Online

This course is designated for students interested in Interprofessional Collaboration and Advocacy for caring for the patient and family related to various medical conditions seen across the lifespan in the healthcare environment.  Students in all areas of study would be welcome to take this course.  Other required components will include the Jesuit mission and core values, history, and relationship of the Wisdom Core to the Jesuit mission.  Students will participate in discussions and reflections related to case studies presented in the three focus areas below: 

  • Code Blue Situations  
  • Transition from Hospital to Home
  • Transition from Home to Assisted/ Independent Living
  • Transition from Home or hospital to Long-term Rehab
  • What is health literacy and how it may be involved in these transitions and settings
  • Issues and topics in healthcare such as funding, healthcare settings, psychosocial aspects of transition, caregiver support. etc.

As an additional component, we will offer an optional service-learning component to the course where they can participate as a standardized patient in interprofessional simulations.