This interdisciplinary seminar is geared toward students in their sophomore or junior year and addresses significant questions, perennial issues, and complex topics. Offered in a seminar-style format with focused writing instruction, this course deepens learning through integration of approaches and synthesis of ideas.

A study of the ways in which the pursuit of food and water while trying to avoid disease and death have impacted human history in terms of politics, economics, and military agendas from ancient civilizations to the present day.

From diets championing "good" over "bad" food, fasting plans that collapse health and spiritual benefits, exercise regimens that preach punishing self-discipline, to health-store bread with a recipe derived from the writings of the prophet Ezekiel, the language of health and weight loss has the tendency to take on moral and spiritual overtones. This course will explore what the Bible and scientific perspectives actually have to say about human bodies. Students will evaluate various scriptural and theological perspectives on the goodness and purpose of human life and embodiment, enriched by the study of historical and socio-cultural factors that contribute to ideas of beauty and worth, especially concerning women. We will examine recent findings in the science surrounding the genetics of body weight, weight loss, weight stigma, and body weight/health through reading and reflecting on scientific research and writing.

A study in the methods and the challenges in finding truth. This course will explore the common threads between the physical sciences and the humanities in their pursuit of truth in light of contemporary case studies and in historical context.

The course will explore the rock music of the period between the first generation of rock and roll musicians and the end of the sixties. Special attention will be given to the music's role in forming the category of ""the teenager"" in the post WWII era and the role the music played in both the Civil Rights Movement and the protests against the American war in Vietnam.

The intersection of poetry and song will be combined with the study of specific poems and songs utilizing these poems as lyrics.

This interdisciplinary course explores the theological, ethical, and policy dimensions of living as "borderlanders" - navigating physical, cultural, and ideological boundaries. Students will engage scripture, theological reflections, and Political Science to examine themes such as hospitality, migration, and border politics. Emphasis is placed on how theological insights can inform just policies and practices that promote human dignity and flourishing. Through critical analysis and practical exploration, the course invites students to engage the spaces they inhabit, learning how to neighbor well.

Chemistry is fundamental to environmental processes. Thus, it is important that people who want to engage with environmental concerns should have a basic knowledge of the magic and wonder of chemistry. At an introductory level, this course will cover foundational chemistry, environmental knowledge, and activism literature that bridges the two for a lay audience. No prior instruction in chemistry is required.

Comics shape popular culture's narratives around good, evil, hope, despair, and human possibility. From fictional storyworlds, such as Black Panther's Wakanda and the broader Marvel Universe to nonfictional depictions of war and revolution, comics and graphic novels have contributed significantly to the way human beings make sense of the world. In this course, students will engage with theological and ethical reflection using comics. Over the course of the semester, students will read graphic novels and shorter comics, gaining the ability to read, discuss, and write about them in a thoughtful manner that reflects in-depth theological and ethical discernment.

This course covers the intersections of contemporary art and the philosophy of visual art, especially as relates to pressing issues in our contemporary world. Through the lens of beauty and justice, the course will cover topics like identity, environmental justice, social justice, violence, and care. Emphasis is placed on applying theoretical concepts in philosophy of art to real-world contemporary artworks.

This interdisciplinary course explores the rich interplay between fantasy literature and psychology, with a particular focus on how narratives characterize "villains." It offers students an understanding of how myths, archetypes, and imaginative storytelling both reveal and shape human thought and culture. Through the lens of iconic fantasy texts and psychological theories, such as Becker's Terror Management Theory, Girard's theory of scapegoating, and Jung's theory of archetypes, students will delve into the universal symbols, themes, and psychological tendencies that underpin the human experience.

This interdisciplinary course bridges the gap between science fiction and real-world scientific discovery, examining how imaginative literature and cinema have both inspired and reflected advancements in technology, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and more. Students will explore how speculative fiction pushes the boundaries of what science can achieve while grappling with the ethical, philosophical, and social implications of technological progress.

Students in this class will craft an original project that draws from midrash and theopoetics in order to reimagine, interpret, question, or otherwise engage with the Bible. Readings will include Scripture, scholarly articles and commentaries, and examples of literary retellings of Scripture across genres, and students will give and receive feedback in workshop sessions. Writers of poetry (including spoken word and song lyrics), fiction, nonfiction, and/or scripts (stage, screen, and podcast) are all welcome.

This seminar explores and examines Christian women preachers. Students will create profiles of historical and/or contemporary women preachers for a digital archive, analyze artifacts (sermons, letters, essays, etc.) created by women preachers, and work through a structured research process to investigate and write about the strategies and practices that surround historical and/or contemporary women preachers.

This course introduces students to the history of surfing and surf culture from early modern times to the present. It explores the origin and evolution of wave riding as it developed in the Pacific Rim, eventually expanding to become a global athletic and ethical tradition. Key participants in surfing culture, as well as political, economic, environmental, and spiritual aspects of surfing will be analyzed.

This course looks at the genre of nature writing literature and how story shapes the way that we think of nature, our interaction with it and other humans, and our agency for good.