First-Year Seminars (Fall 2025)

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First-Year Seminars
Fall 2025 First-Year Seminar offerings are subject to change and are dependent on course availability.

A Hiker, a Hunter, and a Wolf Walk into a Bar: Is There Enough Nature for Everyone?

The outdoors is a critical part of the Midwestern identity. Abundant lakes, hiking trails, and public lands allow for seemingly unlimited opportunities for outdoor recreation. But different groups are starting to compete for the same spaces and opportunities. How do we decide how to allocate usage to the outdoors? And, perhaps more importantly, how do our uses of the outdoors impact nature and the conservation of species? This course will explore how a growing human population, along with increasing affluence, is straining the natural environments of the Upper Midwest as well as globally. How can we, as tax-paying citizens, ensure that our lakes, prairies, and every other ecosystem can be enjoyed by everyone now and in the future, while also accepting that not everyone can get what they want when it comes to outdoor activities?

A Journey to Gender Empowerment in the Global South

This course is designed to help students achieve an inclusive portrait of women’s participation in the private and public spheres through social and political activism and cultural activity. A second important objective of this course is the analysis of the construction of gender relationships in the XIX, XX, and XXI centuries from literary, historical, and sociocultural perspectives. Special attention is given to how political power has shaped and influenced the construction of gender relationships in Latin America to explain the situation of inequality and inequity for women today. Cross-cultural comparisons related to the topics covered in the syllabus are an important component of this class. Students are expected to participate actively through whole class conversations, group discussions, individual presentations, and interaction with our guest speakers, who include scholars from Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and the Fargo/Moorhead community. 

American Philosophy and Social Hope

In this course we will read some traditional and some contemporary American philosophy with the intention of determining what American philosophy has to say about what it means to be an American and what it can offer us in terms of social hope.

Becoming a Science Advocate: Combatting Misinformation with Science Communication

In this course, you will explore controversial topics in science that are often misunderstood by those outside the scientific community. We will use news articles, videos, published literature, and discussions to understand the common misconceptions we hear in the media, see on social media platforms, or hear in everyday discussion. The second half of the semester will be spent learning and establishing effective scientific communication methods through the analysis of current examples in the news and working to combat these misconceptions by creating public outreach products. These products include flyers, podcasts, videos on a social media platform, and a campuswide newsletter.

Beyond the Scoreboard: Mental Health and Social Impact in Sports

This seminar explores the intersection of athletic performance, mental health, and social responsibility. Students will examine the psychological pressures faced by athletes, the stigma surrounding mental health in sports, and strategies for promoting resilience and wellbeing.

Book Banning: What's at Stake?

Book banning is at an all-time high in the U.S. In the 2019-2020 school year, PEN America recorded 377 successfully banned books in schools. In the 2023-2024 school year, the number was 10,046. What’s so scary about books? How does the book-banning process even work? What is gained or lost when we ban books? Books get banned, censored, and challenged based on a variety of factors: maybe they contain “dirty” words, sexual content, witches and wizards, representations of marginalized groups, and explicit or implicit political messages. More and more individuals, parents, lawmakers, officials, and organizations are making it their mission to ban books in the US. In this class, we will learn why and how book challenges and book banning are happening and why learning about book banning is essential to being an engaged citizen, returning often throughout the course to the question, what is at stake when books are banned? Please note: Students in this class will read and discuss banned books that may include sex, violence, taboo language, and provocative ideas about family, religion, politics, and other relevant topics related to censorship and academic freedom.

Compassionate Community

In this seminar, we will examine ways to engage wisely in the communities around us. We will practice self-reflection, empathy, deep listening, and cooperation as we build the community of our classroom together. In our readings, we will collect examples from a variety of religious traditions (including Christianity, Buddhism, and Sikhism), to see how people can train themselves to approach a diverse world with openness and compassion. We will examine practical strategies for living in better relationships in our communities, and extend our classroom learning by cooking a meal at the Ronald McDonald House in Fargo.

Democracy and Demagogues in the Ancient World

This course takes us back to ancient Greece and Rome and the dawn of democracy. We’ll see what engaged citizenship looked like when political positions were chosen by lot, juries numbered in the hundreds, and oligarchic coups were a regular threat. Issues such as citizenship, immigration, and ethnicity will also be be examined.

Entrepreneurial Mindset & Social Entrepreneurship

This course introduces students to the attitudes, behaviors, and skills needed to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Students will recognize how an entrepreneurial mindset allows an individual to act in entrepreneurial ways – recognizing opportunities and using imagination and creativity to solve problems while being resourceful and having a sense of self-efficacy, agency, and resiliency. This course places emphasis on social entrepreneurship and students, as engaged citizens, will take a deep dive into the entrepreneurial process to solve an existing social problem by using an Opportunity Discovery Process where they will problem-find, problem-solve, and create value. Through individual reflection, students will discover who they are and what they can do to make a difference in the world and contribute to society in an entrepreneurial context. 

Exercise is Medicine

This course is designed for you to learn about exercise as medicine while promoting physical activity as a vital sign of health. You will assess, evaluate, and analyze your health and physical activity habits and beliefs, as well as those of the Concordia community. You will have the opportunity to establish exercise is medicine educational programs and promotions on campus, while working to improve your health and well-being, as well as that of the campus community.

Fangirls/Boys Re-Making Culture: The Power of Fandom

This seminar is an exploration of the intricacies and powers of fandom. This course asks “what IS a fan?,” “what does a fan DO?,” and most significantly, “what CAN a fan do?” Rejecting the common stereotypes of the fan as a mere passive consumer of cultural products or a “fanatic,” we explore the powerful potential of fandom and the fan’s agency to create and sustain communities, perform multiple identities, participate in communal art-making, and subvert cultural norms. This course rejects the simplistic model of studying cultural/artistic production with an outsized or exclusive emphasis on the producer/artist. Rather, it highlights reception to explore how meaning is created and culture is transformed through the acts of interpretation by an audience.

Healthcare Harmony: Bridging Differences 

This course aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to address intolerance in healthcare and promote equity in healthcare delivery, recognizing the diverse perspectives within the spectrum of political beliefs. Through a multidisciplinary approach, students will explore the various dimensions of intolerance and discrimination in healthcare settings and examine strategies for fostering inclusivity, cultural competency, and social justice. Drawing on theoretical frameworks, case studies, and practical examples, students will analyze the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders, including healthcare providers, policymakers, regulatory bodies, and community organizations, in addressing these complex issues. By the end of the course, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with promoting equity in healthcare and be prepared to actively engage in advocacy, policymaking, and community action to effect positive change, utilizing a range of perspectives and approaches.

Helping, Healing, and the Creative Arts

Art is a vital part of life, fostering creativity and self-expression while deepening our understanding of the world and our place in it. This course explores creative arts—including music, writing, visual art, and movement—as tools for imagination, skill-building, and inspiration. How can the creative arts contribute to healing? Through various artistic mediums, students will engage with personal, local, national, and global issues. Please Note: This course includes reading, writing, and discussions on topics such as mental health, trauma, and systemic injustice.

Hitler and the Holocaust

This course will focus on the destruction of European Jews by Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Students will explore the shifting historical conditions from which the Shoah emerged by examining personal memoirs, historical documents, poetry, art, documentary and feature film, novels, and other media that help to illustrate the human experience during this important historical episode. By the end of the course, students will have an expanded knowledge and understanding of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime, the origins and development of antisemitism, the formation and operation of concentration camps, the resistance movements, and the Shoah as a problem for world history. Additionally, students will have engaged with the problematics of representation, memory, ”the memorial,” and witnessing.

Imagining the Future: Speculative Fiction and Engaged Citizenship

Writer/activist adrienne maree brown believes that “[i]magination is a muscle that, for many of us, will atrophy if we don’t use it, especially under the pressure of constant fear”. As we grapple with what it means to be an engaged citizen, imagination plays a crucial role in this project. Speculative fiction genres including science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian literature offer a lens to explore today's most pressing ethical, social, and environmental questions. What responsibilities do we have in shaping the future? How do speculative worlds reflect and challenge real world systems of power? And how can storytelling itself be an act of civic engagement? In this course, we will exercise our imaginations and analyze how speculative fiction helps us envision just, sustainable futures.

Let Food Be Thy Medicine: Prevention or Snake oil

This course is designed to challenge you to consider the role of nutrition in the development of certain lifestyle-related disease, confront diet trends and popular media misconceptions, and deepen your understanding of the impact of food choices on personal health as well as health and well-being of our communities. As popular media has flooded our screens with nutrition claims, some evidence-based, some not, the role of nutrition in health is becoming more apparent. In this course you will grow your health literacy and your ability to find and interpret evidence-based nutrition information. You will engage with the latest scientific research, challenge widespread nutrition misinformation, and dive-deeper into personal and community specific nutrition related topics. With guest speakers, peer-reviewed research, podcasts, TED talks, and relevant readings, you will grapple with real-world questions pertaining to links between nutrition and health and the numerous ways in which simple dietary changes can make a huge difference in the health status of people across the world.

Mindfulness for Sustainability: Nurturing Resilience, Compassion, and Environmental Stewardship

Exploring mindfulness invites us to fully embrace the present moment without passing judgment. Research indicates that engaging in mindfulness not only eases stress and enhances resilience but can also cultivate a greater sense of compassion towards others and the environment. Throughout this course, we'll delve into simple mindfulness techniques, all while reflecting on our individual roles within the local community and environment. Through readings, open discussions, guest lectures, and firsthand experiences, we'll uncover valuable lessons from the natural world and the act of being present. Our focus will extend to mindful consumption and sustainability, as well as how mindfulness serves as a valuable tool for navigating the challenges of college life and preparing for the journey beyond.

Musical Theatre: Who Tells Your Story?

Beginning with the radically integrated yet racially incendiary Show Boat, and cementing itself into popular culture with idealized versions of national identity in Oklahoma and The Music Man, Musical Theatre is both a uniquely American contribution to the arts and an often troubling mirror reflecting how race, gender, and identity are perceived and portrayed. This class will also explore how new musicals like Hamilton and Wicked use the artform to lift up a more inclusive collection of stories and identities.

Once Upon a Community: Creating Connections through Storytelling

Storytelling is at the heart of what it means to be human. For centuries, we have told stories to educate, entertain, persuade, and connect. In this course, well explore the power of personal narratives and the ways storytelling fosters relationships and builds community. Well engage with stories from a variety of sources, from published texts to oral narratives shared by seemingly ordinary people. Well weave in our own narratives as we meet others to learn their stories and create community. Through this process, well cultivate essential skills like empathy, curiosity, deep listening, critical thinking, cultural awareness, respectful dialogue, and civic engagement. This course is not about learning how to tell stories but rather an exploration of the deeply human art of sharing them.

Queering Citizenship: an introduction to Queer Theory

How do we become an engaged citizen when our very identities are not acknowledged by our nation state? For many LGBTQ+ peoples this is a common question. Regardless of sexual orientation, one cannot engage in citizenship without engaging with their identity including sexual orientation, gender identity, family identity, and the many other social categories that artificially enhance and constrain our experiences. This course will explore Queer Theory from an interdisciplinary critical perspective, aiming to understand how social categories affect the perception and presentation of our bodies, voice, actions, language, education, work, religion, media, and more. This course will challenge and/or reimagine “normal” gender and sexual arrangements. This course will also provide a space for all peoples to explore said arrangement, whether they be queer, heterosexual, cisgender, transgender, or simply existing without the need for a label. This is a space for all of us to explore and understand the complexities of our identities without the pressure to fit into neat little boxes.

Science Denial or Healthy Skepticism: I'm Just Asking Questions

In this seminar, we'll explore the difference between healthy skepticism and science denial. So, what's a healthy skeptic? It's someone who questions ideas, especially scientific claims, by looking at the evidence before jumping to conclusions. But many people who describe themselves as skeptics are actually engaging in science denial, which is rejecting scientific findings despite overwhelming evidence and expert consensus. Examples of this include saying climate change isn't real, claiming vaccines aren't safe, or insisting GMO foods are harmful. We will explore the historical, psychological, cultural, and political factors that influence science denial. We’ll also discuss how the media, our own biases, the groups we belong to, and how divided we are as a society all play a role in creating and perpetuating science denial. Finally, we will identify ways to promote scientific literacy and respond to science denial in our lives, whether it’s online, at school, or in conversations with friends and family.

Shades of Truth: How Media Shapes Our Stories

Fake news. Deep fakes. Clickbait. How are we supposed to trust anything we read or see? How is our view of the world and institutions shaped when disinformation and misinformation seem to be everywhere? This course examines the intersection of journalism, technology, and citizenship. We’ll investigate some of the first forms of fake news and study contemporary journalistic practices for how news media report the news. We’ll discuss current events and examine how social media/digital algorithms play a role in the news we see and share. And, finally, we’ll consider whether there is such a thing as objectivity and accuracy – and how we can better assess the quality of what we read and watch.

Stand-up Comedy and Engaged Citizenship

In this course, we’ll discuss the use of stand-up comedy throughout history to critique power, engage in coalition building, and foster change. We'll discuss what makes stand-up comedy particularly successful in these efforts and what characteristics make it less successful than other methods of civic action. We’ll also talk about reactions and backlash to comedians who dare to aim their comedic efforts toward more serious ends. 

Stolen Science

The barriers set in front of historically excluded folks in science are still present. Following the announcement of the 2023 Nobel prizes, there have been 650 individuals awarded a prize in one of the three science categories. Of the 650, 24 are women, and 0 Nobel prizes in science have been awarded to a Black person. And most Nobel prizes in science were awarded to Americans. In this class, we will learn more about the barriers set to impede these scientists, the stories about the scientists that have been disregarded, and discuss the unethical research experimentation that occurred on those without power, with the hope of helping us learn from the past and make the future of science more equitable.

Systems Thinking for Social Progress

Often, social activists and advocates propose solutions without fully understanding the root causes of their complex social issue. Systems thinking approaches complex problems by focusing on the interrelatedness of all the components, rather than individual aspects in isolation. In this seminar, you will apply innovation using systems analysis tools such as the iceberg model and impact gaps canvas to complex social challenges. Students will decide upon the exact social challenges that we will engage in for the course, but some examples could include homelessness, gun violence, hunger, and recidivism.

The Engaged Scientist

What is the role of the scientist in society, and what responsibilities come with this role? In this seminar, we’ll begin by looking at what it takes to be successful in STEM – both as a student and as a professional scientist. Then we’ll examine the role of the scientist in a democratic society and look at examples from throughout the history of how scientists have used their understanding of science and the natural world to call attention to critical issues and influence the decisions of leaders.

Touch the Future: Youth Work and Civic Engagement

Embark on a transformative journey with "Touch the Future: Youth Work and Civic Engagement," a dynamic course designed to ignite your passion for working with children and adolescents. This course provides an in-depth exploration of youth work principles and the critical role of civic engagement in shaping vibrant, resilient communities. In the end, you will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and inspiration to become a proactive leader in your community. Whether you're passionate about education, coaching, social justice, or public service, "Touch the Future: Youth Work and Civic Engagement" will enable you to make a lasting difference in your community.

What Can Critical Race Theory Teach Us About Citizenship?

Citizenship is more than a legal status—it is a story. As recent executive orders and federal policies regulate how race and disparities are taught, narratives of national identity become a federally -sanctioned mechanism for defining who belongs, who is excluded, and if and how we can talk about it. Engaged citizens might be curious and ask what is circulating around these restrictive policies and what is at stake in repressing education. This seminar examines the relationship between censorship, citizenship, and power. From historical archives to pop culture–using the now-banned framework of Critical Race Theory–students will investigate how citizenship is both defined and denied through legislating knowledge.