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Vocation, Ethics, and Society helps students find their way in the world A distinctive minor at Millsaps College is helping students find their place and voice in the world—and to realize, on their journey to life after graduation, that it’s not all about them. The interdisciplinary minor is Vocation, Ethics, and Society (VESO). Directed by Dr. Shelli Poe, visiting assistant professor of religious studies, the minor strives to help students explore their social, cultural, and ethical worlds as they contemplate their own lives and
internships of their choice, usually in the city of Jackson, at the same time enrolling in a one-credit discussion course on campus “One student worked for the Human Rights Campaign. Another worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and another at the University of Mississippi Medical Center,” Poe said. “If they have something they want to explore, we try to make that happen.” About 80 courses are pre-approved to round out the interdisciplinary minor. If students want another course to count toward the minor, they ask Poe to approve it.
work. The diverse group of students en-
Callie Rush, a senior sociology
rolled, their academic studies ranging
major from Prentiss, said the classes
from business to natural science to the
she’s taken as part of the minor “have
humanities, are challenging each other
been incredibly influential in helping
to consider new perspectives as they
shape my experience at Millsaps.
pursue their vocations.
“My eyes were opened to the many
“Every college, especially a liberal
complexities of social change,” Rush
arts college, has as part of its mission
said. “My desire to change the world
to equip students with the tools they
became less a solo mission with me as
need to thrive in the world and help
the main hero and more a community
the world thrive,” Poe said. “But a lot of
effort, participating side by side with
colleges don’t offer an academic minor
those whose lives were influenced the
that will help students integrate what
most by the change.”
they learn in various classrooms across
Some students choose to travel
campus with what they want to do with their lives.” The Vocation, Ethics, and Society minor, Poe said, helps students to connect the dots in a structured way. “We help them to integrate their academic learning with what they do in their internships, and to think about what they want to do after they graduate. We help them try to figure out where they are in the world, and how they can contribute
“Prior to attending Millsaps, I had the opportunity to serve with the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps...but it wasn’t until I began my minor that I fully understood what taking a risk like AmeriCorps had done for me” –MICHALA SULLIVAN
to the society that they live in.” The minor began within Millsaps’ Faith and Work Initiative. “We have a number of students in the pipeline who might have begun as a Faith and Work minor. They’re continuing that with Vocation, Ethics, and Society,” Poe said. After a number of leadership and funding changes within the Initiative, Poe talked with students, faculty, and administration to re-envision how the minor could best serve the student body. “We want to indicate to students that the minor is interdisciplinary and includes students of various backgrounds and interests,” said Poe. “Millsaps is very proud to be affiliated with the United Methodist Church as an academic institution, because we share a commitment to intellectual integrity and the free exchange of ideas. We want to express that commitment in every one of our academic programs, including this minor.” Those in the minor enroll in a gateway course, The Meaning of Work, to earn four of the 20 required credits. Students complete two 14
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as part of the minor. Millsaps awards competitive grants to students in the minor who “apply to go somewhere or do something that would help them find their voice and place in the world,” Poe said. A final requirement is the creation of a portfolio that shows the development of their thought during the course of the minor. They must gather documents for the portfolio that will serve as credentials and resources for
their future work activities. Poe is recruiting students for the minor from across the College’s divisions. “We are seeking those who already have a major, and those who don’t yet know what they want to do,” she said. “We’re getting the information to the first-year students, and perhaps by the time they are sophomores, they might consider using the minor as a way to think deeply about their path in life.” She wants Vocation, Ethics, and Society to leave them with a clear message. “We want students to do what they love, but we also want them to think about how what they love doing can contribute to creating a more just world.” BY RUTH CUMMINS