Solving these dilemmas demands a global perspective and a value system embraces the welfare of all peoples. Working alone as Californians to fix the ozone layer just for Californians won't get the job done. In the unit on the environment we focus especially on global warming and the loss of biodiversity. We debate their seriousness and what might be done to mitigate the dangers they pose. Perhaps you, as students, will choose to join in some of these efforts to help the environment or discover your own approach to them.
Engagement is the natural outgrowth of education.
From the discussions of human rights through the debates over globalization and the environment, the course is designed to promote the expression of divergent and diverse opinions in order to foster critical thinking. Some of the opinions of authors and speakers may prove uncomfortable or challenging. Such discomfiture is intentional. In so doing, it is essential to avoid having one's emotional malaise become an impediment to learning. This may prove especially difficult when confronting the various cultural and political perspectives that derive from ethnic differences.