好色先生TV

In 好色先生TV鈥檚 Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, all first-year students are required to take a听Grand Challenge Seminar, which offers students a window into complex, global problems, such as climate change, food insecurity and racism. Interdisciplinary teams of experts from across the university co-teach each course, engaging students in critical thinking, communication and collaboration.

鈥淒o you have concerns about real-world problems or are you interested in problem-solving in interdisciplinary teams?鈥� asked Nuria Ballesteros Soria, a specialty faculty member in Dietrich College. 鈥淭he Grand Challenge Seminar series allows you to explore complex issues in a hands-on, discussion-based format.鈥�

Learn more about two of the seminars offered in fall 2024, which were taught by faculty across the English; Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics; Psychology and Social and Decision Sciences departments.

Striving for Environmental Justice

The course 鈥淕rand Challenge: Equity and the听Environment鈥� provides students with an opportunity to explore the links between a healthy environment and social factors, such as race, ethnicity, Indigenous identity, income, educational status and geography. Pittsburgh takes center stage as a case study, allowing students to study sustainable communities throughout the city.

鈥淚n [this] course, [students] are exposed to diverse perspectives about the environment by interacting with students from different majors as well as with faculty and guest speakers from various disciplinary backgrounds, ranging from engineering to anthropology,鈥� said Ballesteros Soria, who co-taught the course with Barbara George, a senior lecturer in the Department of English. 鈥淸They] explore the environmental justice framework, which aims to promote the right to an equitable and healthy environment for everyone, regardless of their background.鈥澨�

Students examine how environmental issues are defined and how policies are created and enacted. As a final project, students work in pairs to develop a proposal to address an environmental issue with a local or global scope.

鈥淏eing able to hear from [guest lecturers] who do the sort of work which we learn about in seminar feels more practical and impactful than just reading about it in a textbook,鈥� said first-year student Colin Tran. 鈥淚 also really like the field trip to Phipps [Conservatory and Botanical Gardens] to think about the systems we interact with daily. It was a valuable experience and makes what we learn about feel real and less abstract."

Confronting Race and Identity

鈥淕rand Challenge: We're Not Beyond Race: Race and Identity in America鈥� considers how race and identity affect a person鈥檚 lived experience. In many ways, people with different racial identities听experience disparate life outcomes that听contribute to some of the biggest issues of social inequality in the U.S. These outcomes are tied to a deep history of ideas about race and the impact of racism in interpersonal interactions and systemic discrimination.听

The course, taught by the co-directors of the Data-Driven Diversity Lab, allows students to examine the structural and systemic origins of the racial status quo and how individuals navigate the social and racial landscape of modern-day America.听

鈥淚 wanted to learn more about race in a professional, academic setting from true field scholars because I believe that education is the best weapon against ignorance,鈥� said Pape Diop, a senior economics major.

Students investigate the psychology, literature, economics, sociology and history of how this racial-based belief system has evolved at both a societal and individual level. They also explore how individuals navigate and experience race and identity through movies, literature, music and art to consider different racial situations throughout American society.

鈥淎 really important subject that you get to learn about in college is yourself,鈥� said Kevin Jarbo, assistant professor in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences, who co-teaches the course with Kody Manke-Miller, associate professor of psychology. 鈥淚f you want to build a foundation for understanding how your听racial identity impacts your personal experience and addressing social inequality in the U.S., [this course] is where you'll want to start.鈥澨�

Learn more about Grand Challenge Seminars听and specific topics offered in the spring 2025 semester.