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Know Yourself and Your Community

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Full Course Title: 
Howdy, Neighbor: Getting to Know Yourself and Your Community

We're all bound to move to a new place or start in a new role in our lives, whether we're moving to Boone for the first time or just starting school, it's the perfect time to decide who we want to be and how we want to connect with others. This course uses Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory and other student development theory models to help students explore three key topics:

1. Who are we now? Who do we want to be? How might we become that person?
2. How can we develop meaningful connections with others?
3. How can we understand the landscape of a new place and be a contributing member of my local community?

Course Details
Prefix: 
UCO
Course Number: 
1200
Section Number(s) and Day/Times Taught: 
128: MW 3:30pm- 4:45pm
Term: 
Fall 2026
Categories: 
Well-Being
Civic Engagement
Instructor(s)

Hannah Finkelstein

Hannah Finkelstein is a graduate of two North Carolina institutions of higher education. She works to bring the small classroom feel of her courses at Barton College with the importance of research and critical assessment of her courses at North Carolina State University into her classroom to create courses that are relevant, authentic, and encourage students to develop a love of learning. Her goal is to make sure students feel welcome and at home in the classroom to encourage dialogue and conversation around a variety of topics.

She currently rotates between a variety of course topics, all with heavy emphasis on critical thinking, clear communication, and collaboration including:

Escape Rooms and Puzzles
The Hunger Games: An Exploration of Wealth and Power
Brainrot? Developing Our Own Personal Philosophy on Social Media and Online Spaces
Howdy Neighbor: Getting to Know Yourself and Your Community
What Do Reality Shows Show Us?
Modern Dystopian Fiction and Modern Society


In her time outside the classroom, Hannah enjoys fiber-work, gardening, reading sci-fi and fantasy books, and long walks with her cuddly Great Pyrenees, Moose.