STEAM: Tools for Self-Efficacy

Course Description

How do we come to understand who we are, make sense of our experiences, and build lives that feel purposeful? This first-year seminar explores those questions through an interdisciplinary lens, blending together social science, art, and design to examine how humans across cultures and throughout history have used creativity as a tool for self-knowledge and resilience. Students will develop skills in self-reflection and strategic self-awareness, using perspectives from psychology, sociology, and the arts to understand the powerful role that objects, materials, and creative expression play in shaping identity and community.

Central to the course is the belief that creativity is not just an artistic skill, it’s a life skill. Through historical and contemporary examples, students will explore how the intentional design and use of objects can support personal growth, strengthen communities, and amplify meaningful messages. The semester culminates in an original creative project in which each student designs and builds an artifact that carries a message of personal, cultural, or social significance, a tangible expression of their own developing voice and vision.

Faculty Spotlight

Sara Sanders – Director of STEAM Studio

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Lyndi Hewitt, Ph.D. – Professor, Health Sciences

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