What Now?
Syllabus

 

A student-led experience co-facilitated by faculty members from different disciplines to talk about, think about, and react to the election. Our first group meeting will be an idea hack-a-thon that takes the form of a large conversation or brainstorming session to respond to the question "What now?" For the rest of the semester we will hold weekly conversations or small group meetings to try to contextualize the election and formulate and implement collaborative responses.

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course a student who has completed the course successfully will be able to:

  • Articulate and define a project or conversation as a response to a current event
  • Collaborate with a group of peers on a project or conversation
  • Identify resources and research to contextualize a conversation or project
  • Critically reflect on a current event
  • Present a conversation or project to the community

 

PROJECTS & GRADING

Participation and Collaboration: 50%
Critical Reflection: 25%
Presentation to the Community: 25%

Participation and Collaboration

For this course the most important work is the collaboration between your peers and your faculty mentor. All of the projects and conversations for this course will be based on ideas and questions that you have.  Each group will form at the idea hack-a-thon around an idea or question that you would like to explore. For the rest of the semester you will meet each week to engage with the material that your group has collected. Your homework for this course will be assembling the materials or readings your group needs to have their conversation or complete their project.

Critical Reflection

This course is an opportunity for you to have a conversation with your peers about the current election. It is also a space for you to reflect on your reaction to the election. The critical reflection component will be a weekly reflection that you can use to record your views as they change during the course. The format of your weekly reflection is up to you—it could be a public blog, a short paper, or even a series of short films.

Presentation to the Community

Each group will be responsible for presenting their work to the community and their peers at the last meeting.

 

POLICIES

 

Attendance

Attendance at the first session is mandatory for this course. It is important that you attend the additional weekly meetings so you are as fully engaged with the work of your group as possible. Missing more than one meeting will have a negative impact on your final course grade.

Accommodation

If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need academic accommodation, you may request accommodation from Meg Hegener, Coordinator for Student Access Services.  You will need to provide documentation which verifies the existence of a disability and supports your request.  For further information, please call 580-8150 or stop by the office of Student Academic Services in Starbuck Center.  Accommodation can only be granted when authorized by the Coordinator, so please initiate the process well in advance of the first exam or major assignment.  

Academic Integrity

Violations of the honor code (including but not limited to unauthorized collaboration, cheating, multiple submission, and plagiarism) will result in failure on the assignment and potentially in the course.  As required by faculty legislation, all violations will be reported.  Please refer to the Academic Integrity Handbook available on-line through the Office of Academic Advising website for definitions and expectations regarding academic integrity.

Title IX Statement and Reporting Responsibilities

Skidmore considers sexual and gender-based misconduct to be one of the most serious violations of the values and standards of the College. Unwelcome sexual contact of any form is a violation of students’ personal integrity and their right to a safe environment and therefore violates Skidmore’s values. Skidmore College faculty are committed to supporting our students and upholding gender equity laws as outlined by Title IX.  If a student chooses to confide in a member of Skidmore’s faculty or staff regarding an issue of sexual or gender-based misconduct, that faculty or staff member is obligated to tell Skidmore’s Title IX Deputy Coordinator. The Deputy Coordinator will assist the student in connecting with all possible resources for support and reporting both on and off campus. Identities and details will be shared only with those who need to know to support the student and to address the situation through the college’s processes. If the student wishes to confide in a confidential resource, The Counseling Center Staff, Health Services, and Victim Advocates are all options available. 

Diversity and Inclusion

Skidmore is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community in which members develop their abilities to live in a complex and interconnected world. Consistent with our educational mission, we recognize ourselves as a community that respects individual identities based on varying sociocultural characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, first language, religious and spiritual tradition, age, ability, socioeconomic status, and learning style. We strive to create a socially just world that honors the dignity and worth of each individual, and we seek to build a community centered on mutual respect and openness to ideas—one in which individuals value cultural and intellectual diversity and share the responsibility for creating a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment. We recognize that our community is most inclusive when all members participate to their full capacity in the spirited, and sometimes challenging, conversations that are at the center of the College’s educational mission. 

 

 

Schedule

 

1

Saturday, November 12th
Idea Hack-a-thon
Form groups and find faculty facilitator
Create project description


2

Monday, November 14th
Refine project description
Develop reading list or project goals
Decide on group roles

 

3

Monday, November 21st
Work on project/conversation

 

4

Monday, November 28th
Work on project/conversation


5

Monday, December 5th
Work on project/conversation
Prepare presentation


6

Monday, December 12th
Present project or conversation to community
Submit critical reflection