2026-2027 Catalog | 页面 615

SEM-120
The Power of Story
This course focuses on stories as the lens through which we understand ourselves and others. Through exploring
a wide range of stories as well as examining our personal narratives, students will learn the power of story in
shaping the human experience. Emphasis will be placed on identifying and challenging our narrative lens and
exploring how story can be used to provide a voice for historically oppressed, marginalized, or disenfranchised
people. This course focuses on racism, one of the five critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy: earth,
nonviolence, women, racism, and immigration. This course meets the University ' s definition of writing intensive.
3.00
SEM-140
The Sociology of Jazz
This course will explore how jazz was birthed New Orleans through the confluence of the end of slavery and the increase in immigration in this most cosmopolitan American city. From early traditional jazz, to the end of World War I and swing era positivity, to the end of World War II and the development of bebop and hard bop created by radical musicians, mostly black, who were looking for a voice, jazz has always evolved with the times. Jazz music reflects the time in which it was written and our everchanging American culture. This course will address the topic through the lens of immigration and racism, both Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy, by exploring how the large influx of immigrants into New Orleans, as well as how slavery and its eventual end contributed to the development of a new art form called Jazz. This is a writing intensive course. English 100 is a pre-requisite for
this course.
3.00
SEM-150
Confronting Racism: Health Equity & Mercy
Racism is a public health issue embedded in historical and structural inequities that continue to shape health outcomes today. This course engages students to answer questions such as: how can mercy shape our understanding of social justice in public health? How can we center mercy in anti-racist work? Through a public health lens, students will critically examine how structural inequities impact health outcomes and explore pathways toward health equity by engaging with both scholarly research and community initiatives. Through research, reflective writing, and discussions, students will explore strategies for promoting equity and advancing justice. Students will conduct research incorporating interviews and critical analysis to examine the effects of systemic racism on marginalized communities. Through this project, students will consider solutions to promote equity. This course focuses on antiracism and non-violence, two of the critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy: earth, non-violence, racism, immigration, and women. This course meets the University ' s definition of writing
intensive.
3.00
SEM-162
Rise of Atlantic World
Through a careful analysis of primary sources and interpretive essays, this course examines developments in the
Atlantic World across four continents( Europe, Africa, North America, and South America) throughout the period
from about 1450 to about 1830. It takes a comparative cross-cultural and transnational approach that
emphasizes ideas and institutions. Some of the topics covered are: the origins of the Atlantic world; European
colonial expansion; the Columbian exchange; migrations of peoples; Atlantic economies; religion, culture, and
society; imperial conflicts; and independence movements. A colloquium approach is used rather than a lecture
format. Students will actively read, reflect upon, and respond to course material. This course focuses on Racism,
which is one of the five critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy: Earth, nonviolence, women, racism, and
immigration. This course meets the University ' s definition of writing intensive.
3.00