For Students

Come "find your fit" and enroll in ECPY 302: Personal and Academic Inquiry

This three-credit, small seminar is for students who might be asking themselves one or more of these questions:

• How can I make my learning experiencing more meaningful to me?
• Am I in the right major for me?
• What do I want to do with my life?
• How do I figure out what my career goals are?

This seminar is designed for, but not limited to, students who:

• Have earned 30-59 credit hours
• Have completed ENGL 101 and 102 or the equivalent
• Have a GPA of 2.0 – 3.49*
• Have not yet decided on a major, or
• Have not yet been admitted to their unit of choice and are open to considering other options, or
• Are questioning their major fit, or
• Are already transitioning between majors.

*this is a flexible requirement

To learn more, contact the Student Success Center,
Exploratory and Transitioning Advising.

Email: succeed@louisville.edu
Phone: (502) 852-7969

For a list of past seminar and themes offered, click here

ECPY 302: Personal and Academic Inquiry

Spring 2020 Seminar Sections

This seminar is designed for undergraduate students who are undeclared, are pre-unit majors, or are in transition between majors. Students will explore an academic topic or theme of personal interest related to the seminar theme as they develop, complete and present their work on an original inquiry project. They will also engage in a variety of individualized and group activities to assist them in choosing a major and career path. Students will document their journeys and produce an Academic and Personal Plan in which they integrate their new knowledge and insights about the seminar topic, themselves, and their major and career trajectories. Each seminar has an academic theme which is described below.

Section 01:
Hip Hop Culture: Popular Culture and Identity

Beats, Rhymes, and Life. Hip hop culture is a site for exploring a range of issues, including race, class, gender, sexuality, and religion. In this seminar, we will turn to hip hop culture, as perhaps the most well-known form of contemporary popular culture, asking how meaning-making, identity formation, and society and culture are created. Our goal is to learn to think critically about how popular culture, and hip hop in particular, both shape, and are shaped, by the interaction of the lived experiences of everyday people- especially those who live on the social and political margins. Engagement with popular culture offers possibilities for greater insights on how we understand, express, and negotiate who we are. You will explore how hip-hop as a form of art, culture, and expression provides a lens to help you understand your cultural context, beliefs, your self-expression, and your behaviors. This seminar will provide you with a structured opportunity to carry out an academic inquiry project of interest to you that relates to the course theme.

Section 02:
Emotional Intelligence: how do emotions
shape my thinking, my decisions and my everyday life?

Do our emotions control us, or is it our job to control them? In this section, we will look at the role and power that emotions play in our everyday lives. We will look at emotions through the lens of emotional intelligence which refers to an individual’s ability to become aware of, and control, his or her feelings. You will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of your own emotional intelligence and learn multiple strategies for strengthening or “bridging” emotions when moving from one emotion to another. We will explore theories of emotional development and brain development as it pertains to emotional regulation and the impact of cultural influences on the acceptance/expression of emotions.

Key questions you will explore include: To what extent do our emotions influence our thinking? What impact do our emotions have on making decisions in regards to relationships, setting personal goals, career decisions, and coping with daily stressors? This seminar will provide you with a structured opportunity to carry out an academic inquiry project of interest to you that relates to the course theme.

Section 03:
Reality Check:
Exploring What You Know and How You Know It

When you woke up this morning, the world was largely the same as when you went to sleep. You were still you; the room was the same one you went to sleep in. The outside world had not been rearranged. History was unchanged and the future remained unknowable. In other words, you woke up to reality. Is your reality the same as my reality? The more you look into this question the harder it becomes to understand it. This seminar will help you grapple with some age-old questions about life as you perceive it and the slippery nature of knowledge.

Some questions we will consider in this course:

• How do we know what we know?
• What is “normal?”
• How do I know what is real?
• What is the meaning of life?
• What am I doing with my life?

This seminar will help you explore basic concepts and tools for exploring how we understand the world around u. How do concepts such as implicit bias, fake news, staying woke, and reality checks work in our own understanding of ourselves relate to how we see reality? As you become more aware of how to understand reality, you can better use this knowledge to understand yourself. What are your ways of seeing reality and what the, and places you avoid? This seminar will provide you with a structured opportunity to carry out an academic inquiry project that interests you and is connected to the central concepts of the course theme.

Get Involved

Interested in getting involved? Find Your Fit is actively seeking FYF Alumni Advocates who have already taken the course. These students will help enhance the future direction of the initiative for future students who enroll in FYF.

We are always looking for students to spread the word about this initiative. If you would like to become a social media ambassador for the program, please contact us.

Additionally, recent graduates from the university and alumni are also encouraged to reach out for potential participation in career panels for current students.