In this session of the "How I Teach This Text" series, Professor JP Messina of Purdue University describes how he teaches Charles Dickens' Hard Times paired with Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations and Theory of Moral Sentiments so that these texts are accessible and engaging to first-year students and non-humanities majors.
This session took place on October 26, 2023 and is part of a workshop series on what can be done to strengthen general education--as students move into STEM, business, health, and other pre-professional fields--to ensure that college students, whatever their major or background, encounter inspiring works of literature and philosophy and grasp the power of the humanities and its relevance to their professional aspirations.