At Wagner College we address educating undergraduate students by fully involving all of our students in urban communities and we join this experiential work directly to the rich material of our liberal arts and professional programs curriculum. Students gain both an existential and intellectual understanding of diversity while developing the perspective necessary for urban and civic leadership. Through reflection and social engagement Wagner College students are more prepared for valuing differences and constructing coalitions in their communities and their workplaces.
Beginning with the entering class of Fall 1998, Wagner initiated a new curriculum and a new set of graduation requirements. Under The Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts, students complete a liberal arts core program and a major, totaling 36 units/courses. As part of these requirements, students will also complete three "learning communities" before graduation---one in the first year (fall term), one during their intermediate years, and one in the senior year in the student’s major.
In The Wagner Plan "learning communities" (LC’s) were created. Simply stated, learning communities are clusters of courses (two or three courses) which are linked by a single theme sharing a common set of students. The faculty planned their LC courses with overlapping assignments, common readings and joint problems so that the courses share some common ground.
Wagner College gives its students the unique opportunity of linking LC’s to experiential learning. By virtue of our location in New York City, Wagner College is able to involve more students in the social, scientific and professional domains of the premier city of the nation. The Wagner Plan links the LC’s directly to field experience based on the theme of the learning community. Students are placed in carefully selected field sites in small groups made up of students from the LC . Students typically spend three hours per week at the designated site observing the organization, its practices and its dynamics.
The field placements were carefully linked to another course, which was called a "reflective tutorial" (RFT). Each RFT was taught by one of the LC faculty. The faculty divide the LC enrollment into smaller RFT’s where they serve as professors. (The faculty member who teaches the RFT was also the first-year faculty advisor to all students in the RFT .) The tutorial emphasized writing skills, and students linked their field experiences directly to the course readings in the RFT and LC courses. Because the field experiences were directly linked to academic coursework, students learned how to scrutinize ideas in the guise of real world experiences.
First year students complete nine courses during their freshman year. Students select which semester to enroll in five courses and which semester to enroll in four. Academic choices are finalized when first year students meet their advisors (LC/RFT instructors) at Orientation in August and again during the fall prior to registering for the following spring term. Later in the spring semester, students will have their first opportunity to formally declare their major (for those who have reached that decision). The remainder will make their decision in the spring of their sophomore year.
An Examination of Three Distinct Learning Communities
One of the unique aspects of The Wagner Plan is its marriage of the traditional liberal arts and professional programs. At Wagner, the Business, Education and Nursing programs have made extensive use of experiential learning to enhance their academic offerings. The "core curriculum" historically has excluded courses from these departments. As stated above, the Wagner Plan brings these two separate areas of the college together for the first time. This practical, hands-on approach utilized by the Professional Programs has been incorporated with the theory and research focus employed by the liberal arts into learning communities, which offer students a cohesive academic experience coupled with an integrated field placement. The remainder of this paper will highlight three distinct LC’s, and will conclude by drawing upon lessons that were learned.
The first LC to be highlighted is "Business & Politics: Analysis of 20th Century Scandals." This LC linked two courses: Business & Society and American Government and Politics. Throughout the semester, several areas of integration were explored. In the Business course, students first studied the principles of capitalism and the free market system. This involved tracing the historical developments of capitalism from Adam Smith through the Industrial Revolution to the present day. In the Political Science course, students studied the structure of American Government with particular emphasis on the need for government regulation. A linked writing assignment required students to identify flaws in the free market system, investigate its causes, and discuss the government regulation passed to remedy it.
Another such linkage involved the subject of antitrust legislation. In the Business course, students read several articles discussing the current antitrust charges against Microsoft Corporation. These issues were then discussed within the framework of business competition and strategy. In the Political Science course, students discussed antitrust issues from the perspective of the government and its desire for consumer protection and social welfare. The students were required to summarize this with a linked writing assignment.
Campaign finance issues were also discussed within both courses. In the Business course, students studied the campaign finance laws, the influence of business PACs, and the ways in which businesses have historically attempted to circumvent contribution limits. In the Political Science course, students discussed campaign finance laws from the perspective of the individual legislators attempting to get reelected and the difficulties faced by newcomers to the political arena.
A truly memorable aspect of the LC was the impact the study of the Challenger disaster had on the students. Students watched a three-part video series discussing the origin of the space program, the technology of the shuttle, and a history of the documented design flaws. The days leading up to the launch of Challenger was presented in documentary format. The Presidential Commission formed to investigate the tragedy was also discussed. The students were unaware of the influence of the White House on NASA’s decision to launch and the pressure placed on the contractors to launch despite strong objection. This case study illuminated in a very powerful way the consequences of the relaxation of business ethics and the undue influence of government. Every student was affected in some way as a result of this exercise. Their writings reflect their anger and frustration with a decision making process so flawed as to allow Challenger to be launched. Many of them wrote about how they went home during Thanksgiving break and discussed what they had learned with their parents. Countless discussions occurred in class as well. It was an extremely meaningful assignment.
The students’ field experiences further enhanced the linkages between the two courses. Some students were placed at Republican and Democratic Campaign Headquarters. These students were able to see politics in action throughout the fall campaigns. Their journals reflected an awareness of the difference between "textbook" government and "real" government. Other students were placed in the New York Better Business Bureau. There they were able to experience first hand consumer complaints about businesses. As part of their investigations, students saw the results of questionable business practices and the need for government intervention in extreme cases.
The Reflective Tutorials attached to these courses allowed students the opportunity to explore further reading on these subjects and to integrate what they were seeing and learning in the community to what they were doing in their courses. A series of both short and long writing assignments covering specific questions or topics further refined their thinking. They kept journals as well for informal reflection. Frequent class presentations helped develop their oral skills as well as enable the students to share their experiences.
The LC entitled "Health, Education and Equity in the New Millenium" linked two course "Health and Society" and "Autobiographical Perspectives of Disabilities". Quality of life issues pertaining to law and policy, culture, behavior, technology, and the ever-changing health care and education systems in the United States were examined with a particular focus on disabilities and their accompanying unique issues. The need for political action, ethical consideration, teaching and collaborative research and sharing of resources were emphasized in order to maximize potential and begin to effect positive change.
Currently society’s attitudes about individuals’ with disabilities are in a process of evolution. Individuals with disabilities desire escape from the prejudices and discriminations that have had the effect of casting them into a minority. Since individuals with disabilities are a disadvantaged group, they encounter social, physical, physiological, and economic barriers in the attempt to maximize their rehabilitative and habilitative potentials. Quality of life is central to the living conditions of individuals with disabilities as it is to every member of our society. In many instances, individuals with disabilities are able to achieve integration; however, many people with disabilities continue to encounter the barriers, which identify them as different. The process of amalgamation is hindered by the attitudes and values of a society, which is often inclined to accept only token integration of those who do not meet the social criteria of normalcy.
While abundant literature exists describing disabilities as seen by clinicians and parents, few accounts document reactions from the personal perspective of the individual with a disability. Autobiographies by individuals with disabilities provide valuable insights into strengths and weaknesses of current practices as seen by the recipient of these services. The purpose of this course was to identify the significant and paramount concerns of the disabled community and to illuminate the obstacles, which are often imposed on this minority, through autobiographical perspectives of disabilities. Further, it was the intention of this course to remedy the lack of comprehensive information about individuals with disabilities and to present some of the conflicting perspectives, which surround many disabled issues.
Complimenting the "Autobiographical Perspectives on Disabilities" course, the "Health and Society" course examined the determinants of health and the implications of law and policy decisions as they relate to health and equity of access to care. The health care delivery system within the United States was discussed with an emphasis on managed care and its impact. Other topics such as Prevention goals of Health People 2000 were utilized, with a special focus on health issues and concerns of the college cohort. Political action and the need for collaborative approach to effect positive outcomes, consumed much of the student discourse.
Both courses were not only enhanced by common writing experiences, but common field experiences. Students were placed in several area public school classrooms that serviced children with mild to severe disabilities, local area hospitals, and various social service organizations (i.e. Project Hospitality’s soup kitchen, Women’s Rape Crisis Center). The RFT’s attached to this course allowed students the opportunity to explore further reading and related course subject matter in depth. For instance, several guest speakers such as healthcare providers and parent of children with disabilities were asked to come to speak to the class. Throughout the semester the class went on several field trips in order to supplement the course material. During a unit on AIDS, the class attended the play the "Normal Heart" and viewed several movies. The class visited the Staten Island land fill in an attempt to explore how environmental hazards and pollution affected health and, in some cases, caused disabilities. Throughout the experience, all students were required to keep a reflective journal chronicling their experiences in the field.
The "Politics & Government" and "Basic Macroeconomics" compromised the LC course entitled "Changing The Rules of The Game: Power, Wealth and Societal Response". A portion of this LC examined the function of politics under different political systems. Specifically, the course focused on how societies distribute benefits and costs under their particular government (i.e.; totalitarian, authoritarian and constitutional democracy and a market oriented economy). Our daily lives are affected by the distribution of benefits and costs in society. Differential access to resource opportunities and uneven burden sharing are compelling issues in the political and economic arenas that can lead to undesirable situations that challenge the stability and legitimacy of a political system.
In addition, students examined societal response to the lack of access to valued resources, uneven distribution of benefits and costs. Therefore, societal response could be in the form of civil unrest. Such topics as political socialization, war, political violence, the role of citizenship, political leadership and the issues and transformations that nations confront within a global context are explored within the context of different political systems and major economic policy issues. In addition, the analytical methods, the major sub-fields and the central questions of politics and government and its relationship with economic issues are addressed through reading assignments, class discussion, and the use of films and field trips.
The particular LC sought to accomplish the following objectives: an awareness that both political and economic issues share a unique relationship that is dynamic; to assure comprehension of the material and to integrate it with the basic tenets of the field it represents; the use of comprehension of material as a vehicle for critical thinking, reasoning and effective argument; an awareness of key issues which impact on individuals, society and the world; and an awareness of how values are developed and used to make informed and responsible choices. To accomplish these objectives, students were required to complete a series of analytical essays based on class discussions, film reviews, field trips (the Federal Reserve, The New York Stock Exchange, a Congressman’s local office, and a Political Campaign headquarters).
This LC’s RFT component was a writing intensive seminar for the students. Students are taught the skills of persuasive writing generated by the field-based experiences and a major research paper. In addition, community organizations were used to show the linkages between political and economic needs of the community. The student’s placement in a community organization provided an opportunity for "reflecting" on the role of governments and the function of the economy in meeting people’s needs. What are the function of interest groups? What are the limitations of capitalism, as well as its strengths? How does government respond to the needs of its citizens? What are the kinds of needs that are met or neglected by a market economy? Are the benefits and burdens of a dynamic economy shared equally by class, gender, race and ethnicity? How do different types of political systems distribute benefits and costs and n respond to its citizens needs? What is societal response when these needs are not met? These are the issues that form the broad subject matter for this course.
The RFT and field placement provided students with: the development of student’s observational and comprehension skills; improvement of their analytical and expressive writing skills; broadening of their knowledge and critical evaluation skills of political and economic issues and their impact on individuals, society and the world. Students were also provided with an awareness that both political and economic issues share a unique relationship that is dynamic; and how values are developed, and used to make informed and responsible choices. The students were required to record their observations in a reflective (politico-economic) journal and relate them to academic materials and contemporary political and economic issues through their reading of The Global Shift. Then, students reevaluated and synthesized their experiences and academic readings through a series of short analytical essays that are shared with the class for discussion. The final major reflective assignment of the course required library research on a specific political/economic subject that students could draw on their community service.
Conclusion
Our new First Year Program (FYP) has been designed to help students meet a number of goals. By integrating courses, we wanted students to discover the connections among many different subjects. By linking courses to genuine fieldwork in communities and organizations, we believe students were able to discover the connections (and sometimes the disconnections) between ideas and real world problems. We are certain that to prepare our students for successful careers, students need to be broadly educated---to see how problems, issues, and ideas fit together---in order to solve modern problems in a world with a global economy, space aged technology, and the need for greater cultural awareness.
Given that this was the first time the learning community were taught, the faculty at Wagner College has been immensely pleased with the outcome, particularly from the perspective of the students. The students developed close relationships with each other and with the faculty. Many of them have gone on to take another course with their LC faculty during the spring semester. As faculty and students meet on campus, the students are still talking about some of the issues that were discussed last semester. The students are taking a greater interest in current events as well, and attempting to understand what is happening today within the framework of what they have learned.
The RFT placements were successful in the sense that students gained hands-on experience in a community organization. One of the strongest reasons for having students participate in the experiential component of the Wagner Plan is that it gave students an understanding of how people think, work and ‘operate’ in a particular discipline. Students also gained valuable information for understanding the many issues that confront them on a daily basis. The real challenge however, will be to assign the appropriate field placement within the specific type interests of learning community.
For the resident students, the field experience had even greater benefits. It enabled them to familiarize themselves with New York City, get used to traveling on public transportation and avoid becoming cloistered on campus. Their ease with traveling makes them even more likely to take advantage of the social and cultural opportunities afforded by our location.
In conclusion, college graduates need strong communications skills in writing, interpretive reading, and persuasive argument. They require genuine competency with information technology and quantitative reasoning. They must possess intercultural awareness in order to bring diverse people together in organizations and within communities. They need a broad perspective that comes from a solid liberal arts education as represented in our general education requirements. Finally, graduates must learn at least one subject in greater depth (i.e., "the major") in order to understand how to deal with the complexity of issues that specialization demands. We firmly believe that Wagner students will graduate with a greater probability of becoming leaders in their chosen fields because they will learn how to define problems, understand them as multidimensional, and identify a common ground on which diverse groups can collaborate in finding solutions.
The Learning Communities
Each Learning Community will also include two or three (depending on the number of courses in the LC) Reflective Tutorial s RFT. Each tutorial will be taught by a faculty member who teaches one of the courses in the LC. The experiential learning component will also be linked directly to the courses in the LC through discussions and readings in the RFT.LC 1 - CITY AND CIVILIZATION: Art, Literature, and Society from the Classical Period through the Renaissance
Art 108 Looking at Art
English 110 Intro to Literature: Homer to Machiavelli
History 105 The Making of Western Civilization
We will focus on Athens, Rome, Paris, and Florence, exploring why such extraordinary art, literature, and culture was produced in these cities. The learning community will also give students an opportunity to experience first hand the ways in which New York City is a cultural capital in its own right and to explore our debts to the four earlier cities as we enter the new millennium.
LC 2 - POLITICS & BUSINESS: AN ANALYSIS OF 20TH CENTURY SCANDALS
Multidisciplinary 103 Business and Society
Poli Sci 103 Introduction to American Government and Politics
From toxic-waste dumps to political corruption, sexual harassment to the Challenger space-shuttle explosion, this Learning Community examines scandals in business and politics and the institutional safeguards designed to avoid them and punish those responsible.
LC 3 - CHANGING THE RULES OF THE GAME: Power, Wealth, and Societal Response
Poli Sci 102 Politics and Government
Economics 101 Basic Macroeconomics
Our daily lives are affected by the distribution of benefits and costs in society. Differential access to resources and opportunities as well as uneven burden sharing are compelling issues in the political and economic arenas. These issues are explored in both courses within the context of different political systems and major economic policy issues.
LC 4 - LITERATURE FROM ITS ORAL TRADITION
Speech 202 Oral Interpretation
Multidisciplinary 107 Children’s Literature and StorytellingMultidisciplinary 107 Children’s Literature and Storytelling
The purpose of this learning community is to introduce students to literature beginning with stories having an oral tradition and to learn and develop oral storytelling techniques. Students will research various cultures and historical eras through children’s and professional literature in order to perform their own interpretations of their readings.
LC 5 - SENSE AND NONSENSE IN SCIENCE
Biology 101 General Biology I
Chemistry 111 General Chemistry
Psychology 101 Introduction to Psychology
This LC will investigate the fundamental principles of science through a comparative study of three disciplines, chemistry, biology and psychology. Emphasis will be placed on the difference between the old way of doing science (e.g. alchemy), and the modern scientific method. The emergence of modern scientific thought and language will be shown as the common thread responsible for the development of these disciplines.
LC 6 - HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND EQUITY IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Multidisciplinary 109 Health and Society
Multidisciplinary 105 Autobiographical Perspectives of Disability
<Prevention strategies which can improve health and well-being for all, can be significantly impacted by policies and laws which limit access and equitable treatment for some. Quality of life as it relates to law and policy, culture, behavior, technology, and the ever changing health care and education systems in the United States will be examined with a particular focus on disabilities and their accompanying unique issues. The need for political action, ethical consideration, teaching and collaborative research and sharing of resources will be emphasized in order to maximize potential and begin to effect positive change.
LC 7 - THE EVOLVING SELF
English 110 Introduction to Literature: Born in the USA
Multidisciplinary 101 Perspectives on Human Nature
Concepts of humanity, as presented by classical and modern theorists, are examined and used to analyze works of literature and film dealing with people in difficult life situations. Students consider written and live images of young people from various backgrounds, who are trying to form both personal and ethnic identities.
LC 8 - THE INTERSECTING WORLDS OF LITERATURE AND SCIENCE
English 110 Introduction to Literature: Through the World of Science
Astronomy 105 Astronomy I: The Solar System
This LC will focus on the emergence and evolution of scientific methodology through the study of stars and planets, and on how the resulting body of knowledge is reflected in world myths and literature. Special emphasis is placed on astronomy in antiquity, the Copernican revolution in the Renaissance, and the revolution in physics at the turn of the twentieth century.
LC 9 - TECHNOLOGY AND THE BOTTOM LINE IN THE ENVIRONMENT
Multidisciplinary 103 Business and Society
Chemistry 101 Chemistry in the Environment and Society
In the courses of this learning community, you will learn some of the fundamental principles of chemistry and business, and will see how to apply them to important issues in our society, particularly those affecting the environment. The learning community will help you see the interrelationships between business and technology, how technical knowledge and ethical considerations affect business decisions, and our society.
LC 10 - LITERATURE AND POLITICS: Reading/Writing America
Poli Sci 225 Democracy and Diversity
English 110 America At the Margins
This LC initiates a "dialogue" between two disciplines, the shared purpose of which will be to explore such
changing conceptions as "American" identity and community, as they shape our national life today. Based on our readings, student writings and discussion groups these questions might be asked, "Are evolving forms of democratic participation accommodating America’s rich pluralism? What happens to culturally diverse groups who seek autonomy, even as they are pushed towards assimilation by dominant culture? In what ways do certain novelists and political scientists express differing mainstream or minority visions of citizenship and its responsibilities?"
LC 11 - LIVING ON SPACESHIP EARTH: The Balancing Act Between Biological and Economic Systems
Biology 110 Environmental Biology
Economics 102 Basic Microeconomics
This LC will consider human impact on the environment with emphasis on the major environmental issues facing the present generation: global warming, ozone depletion, the massive extinction of species, acid rain and snow, as well as deforestation and desertification of once fertile lands. In the biology course, fundamental ecological concepts will be presented to show how nature works as a web of interconnected factors. In the economics course, economic processes that lead to environmental disruptions will be discussed, as well as the costs and property-rights issues involved in solving some of these problems.
LC 12 - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: CREATIVITY, CONQUEST, EXPLORATION
Art 112 19th and 20th Centuries
History 106 Western Civilization in Modern Times
Creative and historical changes often result from the clash of beliefs, systems or cultures, whether defined by religion, race, class, gender or nationality. Focusing on revolutionary upheavals, colonialism, industrialization, war and Holocaust, we will examine the power of images, words and actions (in art, film, literature, history) to express and shape these encounters and their continued impact in the present day.
LC 13 - TECHNOLOGY, THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY
Computer Appl. 107 Fundamentals of Networking and the Internet
English 110 Intro to Literature: Science Fiction in Literature and Film
We will focus on the ways in which human agency and technology intersect with and influence each other. Does technology as it is imagined in literature and encountered in practice on the Internet enable people to flourish or are there complications that lead to other results? What can we learn in discussing this issue that will assist us in living in an increasingly technologically dependent society?
LC 14 - SOCIAL AND MORAL PERSPECTIVES ON CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
Philosophy 103 Contemporary Moral Problems
Sociology 103 American Society and Its Problems
Students will learn to apply moral reasoning and sociological analysis to controversies emerging in daily news stories, such as affirmative action, bilingual education, date rape, and welfare.
LC 15 - NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL LIFE:
Integration of Internet Technology and Resources into the Sciences of the Genes
Computer Appl.107 Fundamentals of Networking and Internet
Multidisciplinary 205 Science and Technology
This learning community will consider the parallels, analogies and interactions between the natural and artificial computer-generated life. In the MDS course, topics will include: Evolution, Genes, DNA Structure, Sociobiology, Genetic Engineering, Technology and Environment. The CA course will include using the World-Wide-Web search engines for obtaining and filtering relevant information, as well as designing Web pages for displaying the research results and opening discussion groups on the topics.
LC 16 - PROBABILITY AS A VIEW OF "TRUTH"
Biology 221 Biostatistics
Sociology 101 Principles of Sociology
Often phenomena in biological and social sciences cannot be described with a mathematical exactness or absolute certainty. Statistical methods which allow statements to be made with probability estimates will be used to carry out analysis of data, testing of hypotheses, and establishment of confidence limits to predictions. The Learning Community is designated for students admitted into the Physician Assistant program.