298H Seminars

This class aims to introduce you to key issues related to women, leadership, and power across a broad range of areas in society and women’s lived experiences in/out of power (disciplinary areas include: activism, agriculture, the arts, athletics, business, education, military service and/or law enforcement, medicine/healthcare, politics/government service, religious leadership, and STEM). In this class, we will visit with guest speakers each week from a variety of backgrounds and professions. Additionally, we will learn about historical and contemporary women leaders, issues related to women and power, and how women navigate and challenge patriarchal contexts (those designed for men). Throughout this course, we will explore how these issues about leadership and power impact women in different ways based on their other intersecting identities, such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender expressions, sexuality, religion, etc.

We are interested in exploring the conditions that shape who is (and historically has been) in power and who is marginalized in these systems – and what the costs of navigating these systems are for women, in particular. In addition to traditional course projects, all students will engage in a community educational project. This course will help you think critically about the broader cultural, social, political, and historical implications of women and/in power.

The Earth has been called the cradle of humanity. The only home that humankind has ever known. But are there circumstances that would force humankind to look to the stars as a last resort in the face of extinction? Could humanity become a multi-planet species? What are the current plans for such events? Now more than ever it is important to understand how science and STEM are used to make informed decisions in day-to-day operations and prepare for the future. This course is designed to be a “survey of STEM” in which individuals that may be unfamiliar with many topics in STEM can gain knowledge of the scientific method and the diversity of the disciplines. The course is also trans-disciplinary in nature. The intersection of STEM and non-STEM fields. How is art used in science? What is the science of art? These questions, and more, will be discussed at length in “How to Build a Starship.”

This class will explore the power of theatrical production to tell real stories. We will learn about the practices of documentary theatre. We will apply what we learn to content we source ourselves – curiosities, intrigues, challenges, and atrocities – experiences of the world we want to shine a light on. UNL’s Grand Challenges will serve as a starting ground for our thematic conversations. As this is a 298H solutions seminar, our focus will be on exploring theatrical tools to tackle “wicked problems” through the collaborative setting of a theatre ensemble and the creative problem solving of the theatrical rehearsal room. The medium of a play allows playwrights, directors, actors, and audiences to grapple with enduring questions and challenges. So, our aim will first be to look at others who have used this process to look at an enduring question and then steal from their experiences to create our own play(s). The process of devising a full-scale theatre production out of our sourced material takes longer than our class lasts. This process is one that takes research and extended exploration and drafts and rewrites. To that end, while the work we do will be shaped into a final product of some kind, the true final will be a project pitch of your own.