LS 756 - Service and Meaningful Work

(3.00 cr.)

What is service? Why is it so important to the human spirit and community? What are the problems and pitfalls one encounters as one tries to serve others? How can one integrate other-directed service with one's own need for financial stability and personal fulfillment? How can one's work in the world be meaningful and satisfying? These are not merely theoretical questions; each life is an expression of the answers formulated by the individual. Still, philosophers and spiritual texts, both Western and Eastern, can do much to help students think through these crucial issues. Throughout the course, theoretical understandings and personal experience are woven together. Students have the opportunity to reflect upon their own lives, and to be challenged and illuminated by a variety of rich texts.