Communicating for Change (Syllabus) (original) (raw)

Description: Tufts 1+4 participants will be enrolled in a full-year, 1-credit course during their Bridge Year. This course is only open to Tufts 1+4 Bridge Year participants and will be taught through a blended learning format. With a focus on communicating the Bridge Year to others, students will explore their Bridge Year service experience through related readings, investigative data collection, guided exploration of social issues, service placements and host communities, and reflections. Through a variety of communication exercises, faculty guidance and peer interaction, this course will enhance the Bridge Year experience by creating a framework for students to make connections between the work they and their peers are doing both at the local and global level. Participants will learn specific communication skills for translating social change experiences to a broader public. They will consider how their Bridge Year experience connects to their future academic interests and possible impact on campus life once they return. Learning Outcomes: Students will: 1. Demonstrate critical thinking skills and gain a deeper awareness of social issues, their service organization and their host community through structured assignments. 2. Practice and improve their writing skills through assignments that receive peer and faculty feedback. 3. Make connections across placements and locations to consider the broader context of social issues and active citizenship efforts. 4. Consider the impact of literature and written expression within social change movements and develop their writing skills for advocacy and social transformation. 5. Build community and collaboration among 1+4 Bridge Year Fellows. You will be exploring and using the core technologies for this course during your on campus orientation. The technology should enable your learning, not frustrate it. There will be staff and instructor support throughout the course to ensure you succeed. While the technology can be a challenge, almost everyone masters it. Perseverance is the key. Please make sure if you encounter ANY problems you email University IT support at it@tufts.edu as well as the instructor at felicia.sullivan@tufts.edu. Tufts uses an online learning management system (LMS) called Trunk. You can access the Trunk site at http://trunk.tufts.edu with your Tufts Username and Tufts Password. This logon is sometime referred to as UTLN (University Tufts Login Name).