Seminar in Ethical Values (YR)

This is the first half of a yearlong Seminar in Ethical Values. In this Seminar in Ethical Values, we will focus on what we can learn from short works of literature about how to make our lives more meaningful and fulfilling. Our first two books this year will be "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros and "Flatland" by Edwin Abbott. Once we have gotten to know each other better, we will choose the remaining three books by consensus from an extensive list of possibilities supplemented with student suggestions. Our goals for the seminar will be to understand each literary work on its own terms and to relate its themes to our lives. Discussion topics may include the meaning of home and community, competing visions of sex and gender, religious belief or disbelief, the nature of good and evil, personal and collective responsibility, finding fulfillment in professional life, and the importance of family and personal relationships. We will serve drinks and dinner at each session.