Burlington College Independent Degree Program Offerings

Courses of study that I continue to provide through the Burlington College Independent Degree Program include:

Themes in Journalism and the Media

In this course students concentrate on addressing real life concerns that arise in the study of journalism and in the pursuit of achieving excellence in journalistic writing. A large emphasis is placed upon the interaction between the media outlets and the working broadcast journalist. This relationship is perhaps equally as important to the fledging journalist as is the successful negotiation of the writing process during story coverage. What approaches do particular networks and news outlets require from their writers? This interaction of news agencies and their influence on the practice of journalism are reviewed and critiqued throughout the course. Students compose several demanding journalistic works through the course of the semester. Students need to possess a basic understanding of news style before signing up for this course.

Film Criticism Studies

In this course, students develop several of the basic tools that assist with the construction of accurate essays that both praise and critique specific genres of films. Students receive an overview of the history of film starting from ”A Train Arriving in Lyon” all the way to modern-era genre hybrids such as noir techniques combining with science fiction in Ridley Scott’s “Bladerunner.” After students learn to be cognizant of such concepts as mise en scene, proxemic patterns and iconography, they are also introduced to the writing of specific film critics and to the modern styles of film review as it appears in The New York Times or in USA Today.

Students coming into this class should foster an appreciation for many genres of film and possess a confidence in their writing ability and be able to effectively cite their sources.

Cross Cultural Studies

Cross cultural studies provide students with an opportunity for macroexploration of world views through the lens of literature and the arts, international affairs, or world film. Within this course students chose the scope of their study by selecting their own concentration. A reading list is compiled with an emphasis on modern texts and writers. Students then begin to approach connecting the theoretical with their own experiences. After this process is negotiated, students will write a series of papers that connect their thinking to theory. As an example of this, a student who is studying fundamentalism in Islam will first begin from what he already knows about the topic. Then he will research the nature of Islamic fundamentalism and from there go to the academic programming being offered in modern Quaranic schools. Is the course of study in these schools helping the spread of radical Islam, or are moderate Islamic views being propagated through this institutional practice? Is current US policy supporting the Quaranic school as a modern Arabic institution or not? Students in this course are able to extend their world knowledge as far as they desire through both independent research and faculty-supported programs.

Societal Issues in America and in the World

Students in this course are asked to compare and contrast the fabric of social and political life primarily between America (a modern industrialized super power) and older European countries and developing nations. The challenges that are faced by the middle class within these three social systems are both diverse and problematic. Through readings and Internet research, students are able to acquire a basic understanding of social systems that exist outside of the United States. For many students coming to an understanding of social problems that now exist in a formerly homogenous country like Sweden and comparing them to a non-homogenous America is eye opening. Questions of equal rights for all and how to ensure them become much more interesting to explore when comparing fundamentally different cultures and foundations of thinking.

Writing for Research and Academic Presentations

Students who are looking to refine their abilities in writing for research projects will greatly benefit from this course. Not only are basic research methodologies explored, but the best ways of negotiating the writing process within the maelstrom that is academic research are examined in depth. At the conclusion of this course students will have created a 20-page research paper realized in either MLA, APA, or Chicago style. In addition, students will have negotiated the creation of a basic website that connects with their topic of study.

Social Policy within the United States

It is difficult to begin the study of the myriad of issues that arise within the examination of social policy at the national level in the United States, yet the attempt must be made. There are indeed several areas of knowledge that must be simultaneously explored no matter how short the semester may turn out to be. Understanding the dominant historical themes that have shaped the social welfare policy debate(s) is essential for the development of a useful policy orientation toward contemporary issues. At the same time, it is important to form an understanding of the economic constraints and opportunities within the development of social welfare programs. Ultimately, state and federal monies control all exploration of meaningful social welfare policy.

Understanding of the interrelationships between the social work profession and the institutional setting within which it developed is also key when beginning to study social policy. Everyday the social workers of America create purposeful supports for tens of millions of people. The only way that they are able to achieve this is through a meaningful application of social work practice and state policy creation; though it is clear that state policy does not always align with agency practices.

Social policy is what creates the future of a community no matter how large the community is. Perhaps the most important conversations a community can have revolve around the adoption of new social policies. In this course the student will investigate the most powerful social policies that have helped to form the modern era in the United States.

The political forum that exists during elections often begins the discussions of new social topics, but often social policy debates end when a particular candidate gains office. Suddenly, it is then back to the status quo and any real examination of the direction of particular social policies is over. Instead, the examination of creative social policy solutions should be ongoing.

Educational Theories

Perhaps there is no more relevant “macro picture” course in the academe than educational theories. At best, the lifelong learner and critical thinker realize that most learning phenomenon and knowledge acquisition and synthesis are mysterious processes. How exactly does the human learn? There are theories that explain how humans learn, but in the end they are all theories that are meant to be challenged and evaluated. Why do some of us learn much more quickly and efficiently? What is the best way to learn? What is the best way to teach? What is the best way to be taught? These are the touchstone concepts that will begin to be examined within this educational theories course. Educational theories truly influence our perceptions both about life and learning. This is a course that can serve you outside of the classroom.

In western society, particular pedagogical styles have been studied and deemed to be the most beneficial and effective, based in part on the emphasis in our culture that stresses the power of the individual as opposed to the importance of the larger society. An individual student in the modern classroom picks up information via a particularly complex process and all modern educators must learn to understand this dynamic mechanism. Instructors should become proficient at appealing to the student’s individual learning style. But wait – there are over 20 students in the classroom! How can an instructor teach to tens of different learning styles? Indeed, in a large group of students any number of learning styles may be present, so it is up to the seasoned instructor to recognize these different learning styles.

Every generation has more and more concepts and methodologies to learn in a shorter amount of time and this dynamic is no doubt a stressful one. Only through an extensive understanding of learning theory can teachers break through these limitations. This course will concentrate on investigation of the most effective learning styles.

Research Methods

When embarking on any academic quest, perhaps no skill set is more critical to the process than is the ability to perform research quickly, efficiently, and productively. If endless time is available for the conducting of research, then the conducting of research presents few problems. When time is in short supply, however, the gathering of information must be performed precisely and with few resources wasted. When time is in short supply, it is crucial to make sure that a road map exists for getting the writer / researcher to the desired information. This directive is easier discussed than achieved. It is apparent that learning the proper research procedure is imperative for any academic researcher.

In Research Methods the student will begin from defining a particular project as being exploratory, causal, or descriptive research. Soon after a plan of study will be created for the particular student project and an intensive reading list geared towards the research project will be compiled. By the end of this course students will have created a research proposal, a poster board presentation with concern towards their research project, a documentary website and a final paper.

Teaching College English

Perhaps there is no more wide open teaching endeavor than the instruction of English at the college level. This particular scope of English instruction sets the university student off on a path of study and inquiry that will either provide him or her with a set of skills that will enable success in future academic work all the way to a PhD., or it may turn the individual student off forever from ever trying to improve communication and the internal thinking process. The instruction of College English essentially creates an entire framework for students with which to negotiate future academic study. Do a lot of topics need to get covered? Absolutely!

This course will assist the student in coming to grips with the creation of a syllabus and a course trajectory. Possible textbooks will be examined. Generally, within a four-year college experience, students of English or writing will have to take specific core courses such as English 101 or Introduction to Literature before beginning to study “Banned Books” or “Rhetorical Theory”. The role of gateway courses in college learning can never be underestimated. In this particular IDP course the study of content and theory will center on the teaching dynamic that exists in an English 101-type course. The Burlington College IDP student will slowly cover all of the bases in planning for that first semester of teaching college English.