COURSE DETAILS

This course will focus on the nature of identity, as well as factors and forces that affect the development and maintenance of various identities. The directive to Know Oneself has inspired countless and varied ways to comply. Among the questions that everyone has had to grapple with at one time or other is "Who am I?” At no other period is this question asked more urgently than in adolescence—traditionally believed to be a time of vulnerability and great possibilities. Issues of self and identity are among the most critical for the young.

This course is intended to facilitate the exploration of the issues and concerns regarding self and identity to arrive at a better understanding of one’s self. It strives to meet this goal by stressing the integration of the personal with the academic—contextualizing matters discussed in the classroom and in the everyday experiences of students—making for better learning, generating a new appreciation for the learning process, and developing a more critical and reflective attitude while enabling them to manage and improve their selves to attain a better quality of life.

The course is divided into three major parts: The first part seeks to understand the construct of the self from various disciplinal perspectives: philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and psychology—as well as the more traditional division between the East and West—each seeking to provide answers to the difficult but essential question of “What is the self?” And raising, among others, the question: “Is there even such a construct as the self?”

The second part explores some of the various aspects that make up the self, such as the biological and material up to and including the more recent Digital Self. The third and final part identifies three areas of concern for young students: learning, goal setting, and managing stress. It also provides for the more practical application of the concepts discussed in this course and enables them the hands-on experience of developing self-help plans for self-regulated learning, goal setting, and self-care.