INTEGRATED TERM - Overview

Advantages of the i-Term

Four dynamic professors teaching one intensive course:

Students get close contact with four “rock star” professors from English, History, and Sociology. The i-Term faculty teaches individually, in pairs, and sometimes all together.
Class sessions range in size from small discussion groups of five or fewer students, to more typical class sizes of fifteen to twenty students. Occasionally, up to fifty students meet for presentations and lectures.
The i-Term is the professors’ primary intellectual focus and commitment, so they have plenty of time to provide students with individualized attention.

Creative course delivery:

The i-Term approach juxtaposes perspectives from English, Political Science, and Sociology to illuminate the core topic. Professors employ fundamental principles and methods from their disciplines to help students study key texts from each. For example, we might read a novel, place it in the historical context in which it was written, then discuss the implications of the text if it was lived out in todays society.
Students and professors share inquiry and learn from each other. A problem-posing approach prompts students to present their own research and writing on the fate of the Earth. For example, we might study how the media influences or even creates public policy on food and fuel consumption, and then present that research in a video. But if we use media to present our research findings, are we any better than the media we critique?

High academic expectations and narrative evaluations:

Students develop and practice writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills. More than one professor considers each student’s work, providing deeper and varied evaluation.
In lieu of traditional grades, professors provide students with a narrative evaluation of their work, which will be part of their official academic transcript.
Narrative evaluation is used at some of the most cutting edge colleges in the country. Once they get used to it, students report feeling less stressed about grades, and more focused on learning.

Life changing study:

In Fate of the Earth 101, students will examine and create transformative solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing our society today. Socially conscious students who want to engage significant problems will want to take this course. Students interested in almost any academic discipline will all find “Fate of the Earth 101” relevant, challenging, and a good basis for all their future studies.