CETL’s 2010 Teaching and Learning Conference: Bundle Pilot Projects
Groups of UW-Eau Claire faculty and instructional academic staff have worked to create, implement and assess “bundles”
of liberal education courses focusing on a big question. Cohorts of first-year students have enrolled to take bundles over
two semesters. A summary of the bundles follow:
How does consumerism shape our world?
We are all consumers. Students place classes in shopping carts, leave college with massive credit card debt, and have
witnessed the largest economic crisis in a generation, itself partly created by consumer practices. In this bundle, students
will encounter problems that occur on a global scale and unite us as human beings, such as the ripples of economic trends
or the future of our planet. At the same time, students will see the deeply uneven impacts of consumer practices;
particularly how social status or geographic location may inhibit consumer choice. Students will become engaged global
citizens, aware that others face enormous constraints in their positions as consumers, and armed with the knowledge to
make themselves more informed, self-reflective participants in this global process.
Fall Semester
IDIS 155 Global Consumer Culture
Louisa Rice
ENGL 110 Introduction to College Writing
Julie Eklund
ECON 104 Macroeconomics
Laura Berlinghieri
Spring Semester
GEOG 155 Economic Geography
Ryan Weichelt
BIOL 180 Conservation of the Environment
Paula Kleintjes Neff
IDIS 155 Global Consumer Culture
Louisa Rice
How are human rights and animal rights similar, and how do they differ?
What are “rights”? Generally, rights entitle individuals to basic freedoms. But rights become complicated when others
enter the picture. The existence of others—people of different races, ethnicities, cultures, or nationalities—complicates
our sense of what rights are and how to ensure that everyone is treated fairly. When those others also include non-humans
(e.g., intelligent animals like apes, dolphins, and pigs), rights are further complicated. Courses in this bundle address the
intersections of human and animal rights.
Fall Semester
HIST 192 Origins of World Conflicts
Patricia Turner
MATH 108 Earth Algebra
Manda Riehl
Spring Semester
ENGL 110 Introduction to College Writing
Stephanie Turner
PHIL 120 Moral Problems in Contemporary Life
Ned Beach
PSYC 245 Social Psychology
Jeffrey Goodman OR
PSYC 281 Introduction to Behavior Analysis and Therapy
Daniel Holt
Why is the climate changing and what should we do about it?
Climate change is arguably the most significant and controversial environmental problem in human history. It is not easy
to diagnose, understand, or predict, but the stakes are incredibly high. In this bundle, students will gain a basic scientific
understanding of climate change, its causes, and the broader environmental consequences. In addition, students will
confront the human dimensions of the problem, such as health impacts, economic strategies for curbing climate change,
and the rights and responsibilities of nations in the context of an international climate treaty.
Fall Semester
CHEM 127 Chemistry and Climate
Jim Phillips
ENGL 110 Introduction to College Writing
Jacqueline Bailey
Spring Semester
ENPH 210 Introduction to Environmental Health
Crispin Pierce
PHIL 320 Environmental Ethics
Sean McAleer
ECON 268 Environmental Economics
Eric Jamelske
1
Who are we? How do we define ourselves?
A fundamental question, affecting all aspects of life, is how we define ourselves: as individuals, as a community, as a
nation, as a culture, historically, globally, and religiously. This bundle offers a broad spectrum of issues raised by
questioning how and why we seek to define ourselves and how that journey is defined by AND reflected in our cultural
and personal choices. After finishing the bundle, students should be better able to understand how peoples’ definition of
self informs decisions, reactions, and cultures.
Fall Semester
HIST 124 The World to 1500
Kate Lang
RELS 100 Introduction to Religion
Kathryn Kennedy
ANTH 161 Cultural Anthropology
Ari Anand
Spring Semester
PSYC 245 Social Psychology
Jeffrey Goodman
ENGL 110 Introduction to College Writing
Valerie Guyant
How do humans make decisions about risk?
Anytime there is uncertainty about the outcome of a decision, whether positive or negative, there is risk. We make
decisions involving risk every day. We decide if we will risk breaking the speed limit, starting a new business or engaging
in an extreme recreation activity. We decide whether/where to build new public buildings, if we should go to war, and if
we should provide financial assistance to failing banks. This bundle focuses on how people make and communicate about
decisions, and about the kinds of risks inherent in decisions about science, technology, and economics. After finishing the
bundle, students should be prepared to better assess their own risk decisions and participate meaningfully in public
decisions about risk.
Fall Semester
IDIS 153 Judgment and Decision Making
Daniel Holt
CJ 202 Fundamentals of Public Speaking
Mary Hoffman
Spring Semester
CHEM 100 Chemistry: Issues and Answers
Cheryl Muller
ECON 103 Microeconomics
Fred Kolb
What is or should be our relationship with the planet?
We are finding more and more evidence of connections between human activities, resource use, and human health and
environmental consequences. In this bundle, students will gain an appreciation for the real-world consequences of these
relationships through reasoned ethical questioning, quantitative analysis, and applied environmental health projects. A
second-semester environmental ethics course incorporating contributions from all faculty members will allow students to
define sustainable personal and societal relationships with the planet.
Fall Semester
CHEM 127 Chemistry and Climate
Jim Phillips
ENPH 210 Introduction to Environmental Health
Crispin Pierce
Spring Semester
GEOG 178 Conservation of the Environment
Garry Running
PHIL 320 Environmental Ethics
Sean McAleer
ECON 268 Environmental Economics
Eric Jamelske
2