ENG-497-CE3 – Skilled Hands and Thinking Minds
Schedule: Tuesdays, 4pm-5:45pm
Location: PAC Scene Shop
Faculty: Dr. Christopher Johnson | cjohnson@fmarion.edu | 843-661-1518
Credits: 3
This course will investigate the intersections between skilled labor and academic learning. The course will begin by exploring the degree to which American culture and educational practices seek to separate the two entities in arbitrary and limiting ways. Through a wide range of readings and experiences, students will then be invited to challenge common assumptions about the value of skilled labor as they explore topics as diverse as the spiritual nature of work and the reification of class structure through job description. The assigned readings will include selections from Aristotle, St. Augustine and Thoreau, as well as contemporary works by Mike Rose, James Krenov, Arthur Miller, and Matthew Crawford. Over the course of the semester, students will also be required to spend considerable time “in shop” as they learn the skills needed to create dovetail joinery with hand tools.
