In this upper-level Core Curriculum seminar, Lecturer in Sociology Karen Wirth guides students in exploring the links between time, purpose and the pursuit of a meaningful life.
Time: a concept measured in moments. A thread connecting past, present and future. We use it to measure minutes, progress and milestones. Sometimes time is abundant; other times, it is scarce. Regardless of the pace, awareness of time’s limitations lingers among even our busiest moments. Knowing this, renowned poet and writer Mary Oliver rhetorically asked, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Oliver’s question, along with Nikki Erlick’s novel “The Measure,” inspired Lecturer in Sociology Karen Wirth’s capstone course, COR 3001: The Time of Your Life: Navigating Time, Purpose and a Life of Meaning.
[Students] need to start thinking about their life in a less pressured way. Not what do I have to achieve that’s other people’s measure of success, but what do I want to do with my life by my measure of success?
The class explores links between time, purpose and the pursuit of a meaningful life. Students gain leadership and research skills via dynamic discussions, reflective activities, collaborative projects and interdisciplinary research. The course kicks off with a question that forms the basis of Erlick’s novel: Would knowing when you’re going to die change the way you live, and why? By the course’s end, students produce a podcast published on Spotify for their capstone project.
Students are required to sign up for classes to lead via presentation, discussion, interactive exercise or meditative/reflective activity on a philosopher or thinker of their choice, ranging from Aristotle and Plato to bell hooks and Alain de Botton. “One of my students is going to teach a yoga class, and I love it when students are bringing their interest and passion into it,” Wirth says.
She notes the importance of a course like this at such a pivotal time for many of her students who are about to graduate. In a time when students are pushed to “achieve, achieve, achieve,” this course provides the space and time not only to learn, but to reflect on some of the “why” in life.
“[Students] need to start thinking about their life in a less pressured way,” Wirth says. “Not what do I have to achieve that’s other people’s measure of success, but what do I want to do with my life by my measure of success?”
Wirth is teaching the Core capstone course for the second time this spring semester, and it is open to Elon students of all majors.
About the Professor
Karen Wirth transitioned to academia after 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, earning a Master of Science and a doctorate in sociology from North Carolina State University. Her doctoral research focused on the intersection of family life and career dynamics for professional women in male-dominated fields. She has been teaching sociology at Elon since 2020.
Recommended Materials
- “The Measure” by Nikki Erlick
- “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom