HONOR 2040 - The Meaning of Work

This course is intended for First-Year Students. What is the purpose of work? This age-old question forces us to confront a deep ambivalence: on the one hand we understand work to be a necessary evil. On the other, we tend to see our work as one of the most significant aspects of living a fulfilling life. Few have had the opportunity to contemplate this question or to consider its wider social, cultural, and ethical significance. This course, thus, aims to find insights about the role work plays in our own lives. Students will investigate and interrogate historical, philosophical, literary, and social scientific texts. Students will also survey images of work, view films to round out our exploration, and role play historical events to help us fit “work” into the larger societal context.