Syllabus - HU366: Leading Lives That Matter

Supplemental Course Information

Academic Learning Activities Required Outside of Scheduled Class Time: (Instructor Add or Delete 5-week hybrid/F2f classes only)

Course Meeting Times/Place

Term: [instructor add]
Location: [Instructor add Online/Campus]
Start Date: [instructor add]
End Date: [instructor add]
Time: [instructor Add]
Type: [Online, Face to Face, Blended, Hybrid]

Instructor Information

Name of instructor: [instructor add]
Office Location: [instructor add]
Office Hours: [instructor add]
Office Phone: [instructor add]
Regis.edu email: [instructor add]

Course Description

This course provides an opportunity to examine values and to explore “How ought we to live?” in light of educational and professional goals within the context of a Jesuit tradition. (3 credits)

Note: This course draws on readings from a wide range of sources within the academic discipline of the humanities. You will be asked to reflect on the relevance and application of these writings to your life. The aim is to think deeply about what it means to lead a life that matters. As we engage in this deep reflection, sensitive questions or issues may surface. Some of these questions and issues may need more attention than can be provided within the classroom context. If this occurs, we encourage you to contact your spiritual advisor, clergyperson, or a qualified mental health professional. In addition, the Division of Counseling and Family Therapy at Regis University offers no cost services to Regis students, their families, and the community at large. The Centers for Counseling and Family Therapy are located at the Thornton and Colorado Springs campuses. We offer adult, couple and family therapy (including military) provided by students who have completed advanced coursework in counseling or marriage and family therapy. Services are confidential and supervised by licensed, doctoral level faculty.

Prerequisites

 None

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

Course Materials

Required Texts

Schwehn, M. R., & Bass, D. C. (Eds.). (2020). Leading lives that matter: What we should do and who we should be (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids , MI : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. ISBN: 978-0-8028-7714-7 softcover.

Required Resources

Students are required to access the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for information about composition strategies, grammar and punctuation rules, and APA formatting and citation styles. 

While the OWL is free to access as a reference resource, please note the Fair Use Policy regarding restrictions for using the OWL. 

Course Assignments & Activities

Weekly Readings and Assignments
Week Reading Assignments

1. How Shall I Tell the Story of My Life?

From Leading Lives that Matter

  • Bateson, M.C. "Composing a life story"
  • Frost. R. "The road not taken"
  • Harding, V. "I hear them...calling"
  • AUTHENTICITY
    • Palmer, P. "Explorations in true self"
    • Stanton, E. C. "Solitude of self"
    • Karunadhammo, A. "This is who I am" 
  • VIRTUE
    • Brooks, D. "The moral bucket list"
  • EXEMPLARITY
    • Day, D. "Therese"
  • VOCATION
    • Hardy, L. "Work, life, and vocational choice"
    • McAdams, D. "A life story made in America" 

Additional Required Materials

Introduce Yourself

Journal

Essay: Storied Selves

Forum Postings:
1. Stories and the Meaning of Life
2. Journal Share
3. Essay Share

2. Must My Job Be the Primary Source of My Identity?

From Leading Lives that Matter

  • Muirhead, R. "Democracy and the Value of Work"
  • Sayers, D. L. "Why Work?"
  • Meilaender, G. “Friendship and Vocation”
  • Piercy, M. “To Be of Use”
  • Bonhoeffer, D. “The Place of Responsibility”
  • Buechner, F. “Vocation”
  • Campbell, W. “Vocation as Grace”

Additional Required Materials

Journal

Essay: Apply Concept of Vocation as Related to Work

Forum Postings:
1. Knowing I Will Die, How Should I Live?
2. Articulating a Vision of Personal Vocation
3. Journal Share

3. To Whom and To What Should I Listen as I Decide What To Do For a Living?

From Leading Lives that Matter

  • Weaver, W. "The Undeclared Major."
  • Tan, A. "Two Kinds."
  • Lowry, L. "The Giver."
  • Cather, W. "The Ancient People."
  • Damon, A. & Affleck, B. "Good Will Hunting."
  • Lewis, C. S. "Learning in Wartime."
  • Baldwin, J. "Sonny's Blues (pp. 318-322)."
  • Salih, T. "A Handful of Dates." 

Additional Required Materials

  • Clips from Good Will Hunting
    • Forward the film to 1:32:05 and stop at 2:06:26 (Sean’s office)
    • Forward the film to 1:40:48 and stop at 1:43:37 (Conversation with Chuckie)

Journal

Essay: Determining My Gifts

Forum Postings:
1. Obstacles and Gifts
2. How Can I Use My Gifts to Serve Others?
3. Journal Share

4. With Whom and For Whom Shall I Live?

From Leading Lives that Matter

  • MacIntyre, A. "Vulnerability, Dependence, Animality."
  • Daniels, K. "Prayer For My Children."
  • Gladwell, M. "The Roseto Mystery."
  • The Book of Ruth
  • Lahiri, J. "My Two Lives." 
  • Ballou, S. "A Letter to His Wife, 1861."
  • Wells, S. "Rethinking Service."
  • King, M.L., Jr. "The World House." 


Additional Required Materials

  • Documentary Malcolm X (1972) (start at 1:09:00 and end at 1:14:00)
  • "My Name" Sandra Cisneros (will download automatically as a Word Doc)

Journal

Essay: Reflection on Challenges, Themes, and Influences Identified Throughout the Course of Your Life

Forum Postings:
1. To Whom Do I Turn for Advice? Or, Do I Figure Things Out Myself?
2. Influences of Voices and Scripts
3. Journal Share

Student Survey

5. Is a Balanced Life Possible and Preferable To a Life Focused Primarily On Work?

From Leading Lives that Matter

  • Addams, J. "Filial Relations."
  • Yeats, W.B. "The Choice."
  • Homer. "The Iliad."
  • Nussbaum, M. Interviewed by Bill Moyers.
  • Boushey, H. "Finding Time."
  • Bloom, M. "The Illusive Search For Balance."
  • Heschel, A.J. "The Sabbath." 

Additional Required Materials

Journal

Essay: How Can I Use My Gifts to Serve Others?

Forum Postings:
1. Reflective Activity on the Arrupe Quote, “Falling In Love.” “What do I love? Can that shape what I have to do?”
2. What Do I Really Want?
3. Journal Share

6. What Are My Obligations to Future Human and Other Life?

From Leading Lives that Matter

  • Carson, R. "A Fable for Tomorrow."
  • Sanders, S.R. "Sanctuary."
  • Dungy, C.T. "Writing Home." 
  • Trethewey, N. "Carpenter Bee."
  • LaDuke, W. "Our Home on Earth." 
  • Maathai, W. "Nobel Peace Prize Lecture."
  • Pope Francis. "Laudato Si." 

Journal

Essay: Who am I Called to Be in Light of My Obligations to Human and Other Life on the Planet?

Forum Postings:
1. The Interconnections of All Life: What Is Our Human Role in this World
2. Journal Share

7. How Ought We To Live?

From Leading Lives that Matter

  • Frost, R. "The Road Not Taken."
  • Bateson, M.C. "Composing a life story."
  • Berry, W. "Jayber Crow."
  • Walker, A. "Saving a Life That is Your Own."
  • McAdams, D. "A Life Story Made in America." 

Additional Required Materials

Journal

Essay: Inscribing a Life

Forum Postings:
1. How Did Your Autobiography Change?
2. Wisdom for the Road Ahead
3. Journal Share

 Evaluation and Point breakdown at a glance

 Assignments and Points
Assignments Points Possible

Discussions @ 4 pts each week

28 points

Journal @ 4 pts each week

28 points

Weeks 1-6 essay @ 6 pts each

36 points

Week 7 essay

 8 points

Student Survey

2 points (bonus)

Total

102 points

Note to Learners: On occasion, the course faculty may, at his or her discretion, alter the Learning Activities shown in this Syllabus. The alteration of Learning Activities may not, in any way, change the Learner Outcomes or the grading scale for this course as contained in this syllabus. Examples of circumstances that could justify alterations in Learning Activities might include: number of learners in the course; compelling current events; special faculty experience or expertise; unanticipated disruptions to class session schedule.

Academic Resources and Policies

School for Professional Advancement Policies

University Student Resources

On the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Because original work is required in this class, using AI to complete assignments will be constituted as plagiarism. The plagiarism software Regis uses, Turn It In, includes an AI detector that scores assignments from 0%-100% and will be used to determine if a work is AI-generated. At their discretion, your instructor might also use GPTZero to check discussion posts for AI generated content. For more information on plagiarism and its consequences, read the Academic Integrity Policy.