College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Annual Report 2019-2020
A Note from the Dean
Our new President, Philomena Mantella brought us together for a series of meetings to look toward the future and meet its challenges. I don’t think many of us thought those challenges would include having to decamp from our beautiful campus in mid-March.
Democracy Inside Out: Grappling with Hard and Relevant Questions
Chuck Pazdernik and David Crane developed a session to make the most of the ancient Greeks’ status as democracy’s designers and early adopters.
Activism When We Walk into a Classroom: Three Professors Paving a Road for Aspiring Citizens
During and after the 2016 national election, many found themselves reflecting on our democratic institutions, the national discourse, and which voices are heard. Many sought a productive outlet through various kinds of civic engagement.
Unpredictability, Ice, and Fire: a climate conversation with Bob Hollister
Bob Hollister does his research in association with ITEX. As their website explains, “The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) is a network of researchers examining the impacts of warming on tundra ecosystems.”
Triangulating on the Future with Kevin Strychar
“About a third of my students don’t believe in climate change; I don’t think they’ve seen the size of the pumps in southern Florida and how they are building roads to higher levels.”
Our Powers Combined: A Climate Education Discussion with Elena Lioubimtseva
While giving a recent talk in the Lake Ontario Hall innovation Lab, Professor Elena Lioubimtseva argued that it was critical in our time of climate crisis to overcome climate despair. It simply gets in the way of the things we can do.
How CLAS Prioritizes the Budget and Resources
Each year, CLAS provides the faculty with an overview of how budget priorities are assigned and with information about the scale and general landscape of the CLAS budget.
The Most Challenging and Fun Curricular Work of a Cutting-Edge Battle Creek Classroom
On the desk of Professor Amy Masko (English) sits a mugꟷa gift from a studentꟷproclaiming, “I’m a teacher. What’s your superpower?”
Quick and Connected: Building Community, Purpose, and a New Intentionality in Online Courses
Several faculty share the adaptations they are making to the teaching under current constraints.
Unexpectedly and Terribly Relevant: Teaching Camus' The Plague in a Time of Pandemic
When Gabriela Pozzi (MLL) and Grace Coolidge (HST) team teach, Camus’ 1947 novel The Plague has been a useful counterpoint to lessons about World War II and the Holocaust.
Timely Structures and Asynchronous Compassion
With the transition to asynchronous provision of teaching online on faculty’s minds, it seemed the perfect time to catch up (remotely) with Jodee Hunt (BIO) and Tara Cornelius (PSY) to find out how they have been making this work for their students.
The Metacognitive Parachute of CHM 100
Dr. Saundra McGuire, a nationally recognized expert on metacognitive strategies in teaching, was brought to campus by the CLAS Faculty Council with the help of several campus partners to give talks to relevant audiences on metacognition.