Looking for interdisciplinary classes that think outside the box? Want to go beyond theory and understand how academic concepts apply in real-world settings? Take a class with the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life! or Service-Learning!
ARST 265 Action: Art, Politics, Counterpublics
John Hulsey
In this interdisciplinary studio course, we explore action as a category of art practice. What does it mean to take action, either individually or collectively? What does it mean to refuse to take action? Through a series of projects, assignments, and discussions, we work through various possibilities, drawing on methods from public interventions, performance, institutional critique, social practice, experimental film, and work by non-art practitioners. The course is organized around the production of student projects and research, culminating in a self-directed capstone work. In the initial stages, students will be asked to work through three distinct modalities (performance, site-specific intervention, and collaborative practice) while developing their ideas.
CSPL 116 Good Books on Bad Wars (FYS)
Robert Cassidy
This course explores war through some of the best books of theory, fiction, and nonfiction. The purpose of war is to achieve a policy that leads to a better peace after the war’s end than the peace that existed before the war began. But the nature of war is to serve itself if policy does not guide and constrain war. This course begins with discussion of the best foundational works of theory to build an understanding of the epistemology of war. The students will subsequently read, analyze, and discuss some of the best works of nonfiction and fiction on bad wars when judged by quality of strategy, magnitude of losses, or duration of fighting.
CSPL 200 Integrative Learning Project 1: Reflecting about the Liberal Arts
Rachael Barlow
The Integrative Learning Project is a .50 credit course that allows students to learn to describe in a coherent and engaging narrative the various academic and non-academic activities, projects, and experiences that have been important for them while in college and to practice doing so for a variety of audiences (e.g. employers, graduate schools, etc.). Participants should be students who are interested in crafting a narrative about their personal and intellectual development, and who want to be able to talk about what skills they have cultivated during their time at Wesleyan and what they still want to learn.
CSPL 239: Startup Incubator: The Art and Science of Launching Your Idea
Rosemary Elizabeth Ostfeld
The Startup Incubator is a one-semester, experiential learning program designed to teach and enable student entrepreneurs to develop sustainable business models from their ideas.The program will bring together an ambitious, committed, and diverse group of individuals from all classes and majors who are passionate about developing successful solutions to challenges; identify as entrepreneurs, disruptors, and thought leaders; and have the tenacity, work ethic, and ability to succeed. All participating students should have a promising business idea and take the course with the intention of launching or running their own venture.
CSPL 250: An Introduction to Data Journalism
Stephen Busemeyer
This course is designed to familiarize students with the basic principles and tools of data journalism and to provide a wider understanding of the role of basic data analysis in society. To that end, the course will focus on developing a solid familiarity with basic data analysis and visualization software. It will also focus on developing the tools of journalism: retrieving public data, interviewing people and databases, and the basic principles of journalistic writing.
CSPL 480: Engaged Projects
Makaela Kingsley
Engaged Projects (EPs) are rigorous, self-designed endeavors in which a student studies a topic of their choice and completes a final project intended for a non-academic audience. Students are encouraged but not required to select a topic that is connected to another class or their major. Final projects can take the form of blogs, videos, a website, or other media; a work of art, an event, a workshop, a presentation, or panel; a policy proposal or analysis; a white paper or op-ed series; a business plan; and/or any other piece(s) thoughtfully designed for the public.
CSPL 262: Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship
Makaela Kingsley
In this project-based, cohort-style class, students will learn strategies for understanding social and environmental problems, and they will design interventions to create impact. Each student will select a topic to work on individually or as part of a team throughout the semester. Topics will include root cause analysis, ecosystem mapping, theory of change, human-centered design, business models, leadership and teamwork, impact metrics, storytelling, and more.
CSPL 290: Community Impact Residency I
Clifton Watson
The Community Impact Residency brings together Wesleyan students interested in the practice of civic engagement and a cross-section of community stakeholders – local leaders, resident-led groups, nonprofits, and municipal government – committed to creating just, equitable, and sustainable communities. Student participants of this program enroll in two 1 credit courses (CSPL290 and CSPL291) and are assigned a project which they support for the duration of the academic year. Student participants actively learn about partners’ work and participate in select public events, while playing a critical role in supporting projects identified by program partners.
CSPL 316: Human Rights Advocacy: Critical Assessment and Practical Engagement in Global Social Justice
Jim Cavallaro
The core animating principles and practices of human rights are under threat. Will the global human rights movement be able to respond effectively? How could or should the movement advance the cause of global social justice most effectively? This seminar seeks to answer these questions by assessing global rights defense and social justice practice and by engaging in structured, self-critical human rights advocacy.
DANC341: Dance Teaching Workshop: The Embodied Practice of Knowing
Katja Kolcio
This course familiarizes students with various methods and practices for teaching dance and movement to children and adults. Combining theoretical perspectives on education, dance, body/mind, and creativity together with hands-on practice teaching dance, students will gain practical skill in curriculum design and teaching while developing a personal philosophy on the role of dance in education and life. As part of this course, students will design and teach a dance class of their choice in the community (concurrent enrollment in Dance Teaching Practicum DANC447, 0.5 credit, required)
SOC 315: The Health of Communities
Peggy Carey Best
Our focus will be on understanding the role of social factors (e.g., income, work environment, social cohesion, food, transportation systems) in determining the health risks of individuals; considering the efficacy, appropriateness, and ethical ramifications of various public health interventions; and learning about the contemporary community health center model of care in response to the needs of vulnerable populations. We explore the concept and history of social medicine, the importance of vocabulary and the complexity of any categorization of persons in discussions of health and illness, ethical issues related to the generation and utilization of community-based research, the role of place and the importance of administrative and cultural boundaries in the variability of health risk, and the idea of just health care. Enrolled students serve as research assistants to preceptors at the Community Health Center (CHC) of Middletown.
THEA 114: Incarcerated Stories: Documenting In/Justice
Ronald S Jenkins
Students in “Incarcerated Stories: Documenting In/Justice” will collaborate with formerly incarcerated individuals and their families to create performances of theater and music based on interviews, trial transcripts, prison memoirs, and other texts related to mass incarceration. Students will learn how to apply their skills as writers, performers, or musicians to community service and activism as they learn about the United States’ criminal justice system and its position at the heart of systemic racism in America. The class will be taught remotely and the performances generated by the students and their formerly incarcerated collaborators will be disseminated as widely as possible, with the objective of amplifying marginalized voices to raise awareness of mass incarceration’s social impact and the need for carceral reform.
ENVS 376: The Artist in the Community: Civic Engagement and Collaborative Dancemaking
Allison Diane Orr
This is a hybrid course in which we will combine theoretical analysis with practical application and project based-work. Students will explore how, in a collaborative community setting, performance and art-making can be used to address local issues, spark community dialogue, and encourage civic participation, and will consider the power dynamics and ethical issues that emerge. This hybrid course includes readings, seminar discussion, and community-engaged research, practice, and reflection. We will begin with an overview of artists who engage directly with communities, places, and environments, and we will explore new means of civic participation.
WRCT 202: Pedagogy for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Tutors
Elizabeth (Beth) Hepford
This course offers an introduction to pedagogical techniques and theories for teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). The class is ideal for students considering a career in K-12 education, as the number of students whose first language is not English is rising in the U.S. every year. Students enrolled in this course will gain practical experience by committing to volunteering at Middletown public schools while taking this course and are encouraged to continue their service afterward. There is a volunteering commitment of 2 hours/week minimum during the semester.