Why study business & the liberal arts?
Thu, Aug 25
What do we mean by “intersection of business and the liberal arts”? What is "business"? What are the "liberal arts"? Though we're used to using these concepts in everyday life (especially in the context of our roles here at the University of Notre Dame), we don't often stop to reflect on where they came from or what it means to study them in an academic context. In this class session, we'll unpack this course's methodology and make a case for why we think studying business and the liberal arts together just makes sense.
Learning Goals - by the end of this class session, you will:
- Understand the different ways in which "ethics" is defined, used, and taught in pursuit of various personal and professional goals one might have;
- develop an argument as to whether or not ethics can be taught, especially in vocational contexts;
- Reflect on the assumptions we have about what a "calling" or "vocation" is/looks like and consider how Beasley's poem challenges or reinforces those assumptions.
Read This:
Access these readings on our course's Perusall page:
- Alasdair MacIntyre, "The Irrelevance of Ethics" (excerpts)
- Sandra Beasley, "Vocation" (a short poem)
Do This:
- New assignment: Readings on Perusall. You can always access the prompt on the Assignments page. Note: We’ll expect you to do reading annotations on Perusall every day you have readings, including today. This is the only time that you’ll be separately prompted to do the annotations.
- New assignment: First Five. As always, you can access the prompt on the Assignments page. Then sign up here for a day to share. Note the due date will be different for each person, so mark your calendar! One person per date.
Watch This:
Video 1: What are the liberal arts?
Video 2: What is "Perusall" and how will we use it?