PHIL2215 · Philosophy

Telling Truths III: The Narratives that Shape Our Lives

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

Telling Truths III is an elective course offered by the PULSE Program for Service Learning. As a PULSE elective, students enrolled in the course serve 4 hours per week (in addition to travel time) of in-person service. As we encounter injustice, conflicting visions of "the good," and different moral scales of behavior, rights and responsibilities, it is essential that we become aware of our own foundational narratives. What "wisdom stories" shape the way you think about yourself in relation to others? What narratives do you carry into encounters with conditions, attitudes and beliefs that are different from yours? In this course, students will have a rare opportunity to bring their weekly experience of service into a time of reflection, and into relation to some of the core narratives of the great spiritual traditions. We will read modern mystics, parables, and creative theologians, including: Anne Lamott, Etty Hillesum, Kendrick Lamar, and Parker Palmer. The conversation will continue as we write in and read from our journals, sharing stories and questions. Several short writing assignments will occur through the course of the term; a final, longer piece of substantive "spiritual reflection" will give students the chance to synthesize the fruits of observation, reading, and reflection. The aim of the course is to expand students' familiarity with the great narratives of grace and forgiveness, suffering and hope, as they engage in service, and to provide a setting in which they can become intentional about adopting narratives that will shape their lives.