ByGeorge!

December 2006

Dean’s Programs Pursue New Approach to Learning


Students in the Dean’s Scholars in Globalization program traveled to Singapore last summer to study urbanization.

By Rachel Muir

A series of Dean’s programs in the Columbian College of Arts and
Sciences enables students to engage in graduate-style seminars from their first day at the University, to study globalization firsthand, and to take a unique approach to the English language’s most famous playwright.

Under the Dean’s Seminars for Freshmen program, incoming students have about 60 classes to choose from each year. The seminars, which are limited to 20 students, cover a wide range of academic subjects: everything from Buddhist art to constitutional law, and from the science of terrorism to South American literature.
“The Dean’s Seminars were created to give incoming students an alternative to large lecture classes,” says Paul Duff, associate dean for undergraduate students in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “Our aim was to place freshmen in small classes with accomplished faculty members, who designed new courses focused on their expertise.”

According to Duff, the program has been enormously successful. “We have seen increased student motivation and engagement in the Dean’s Seminars,” he says. “Faculty members have also been very enthusiastic.”

Many of the courses take advantage of Washington, D.C., area resources. A seminar on World War II, for example, includes trips to the National World War II Memorial, the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, and the National Archives. Other courses make use of the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Freer Gallery, and the Library of Congress.

Melani McAlister, associate professor of American studies and international affairs, calls the Dean’s Seminar she led one of her best teaching experiences. She was drawn to the seminar series by the opportunity to engage in a small group setting with freshmen. “I had taught freshmen in lecture courses and left at the end of the semester without really knowing the students or what impact the class had on them,” McAlister says.

Titled “The U.S. and the Middle East: Cultural Encounters,” her class examined American images of the Middle East, Middle Eastern images of the United States, and the role U.S. popular culture plays in both perspectives. “Students left with a new understanding of the complexities and the opposing points of view,” says McAlister, who is teaching the course again this fall.

Patricia Phalen, associate professor of media and public affairs, teaches a Dean’s Seminar titled “Hollywood and Politics,” examining the relationship between popular and political culture in the United States. “The students come in eager and ready to learn,” she says. “I wish I had these seminars when I was a freshman.”

GW senior Marilyn Petzy calls Phalen’s seminar “fantastic,” citing the small class environment, excellent teaching, and thought-provoking discussion. “It’s really thanks to Professor Phalen’s class that I’m where I am at GW,” says Petzy, explaining that the seminar inspired her to major in political communication. “I definitely recommend these seminars to all freshmen.”

Another Dean’s program in the Columbian College, the Dean’s Scholars in
Globalization program, now in its third year, takes a multidisciplinary approach to globalization, incorporating coursework, international research expeditions, and alliances with students from across the globe.

The two-year program’s aim is to produce “effective global citizens,” explains Duff. Its curriculum is custom-tailored to help student scholars understand the many facets of globalization. Each cohort is centered around a theme, such as urbanization, global health, or migration.

In two international expeditions—to Santiago, Chile, and to Singapore—Dean’s scholars conduct in-depth research projects, drawing on local resources and partnerships with area students. The 10 students enrolled each year in the program live together on the Mount Vernon Campus.

“Students are unanimous in their opinion that the program helped them understand the processes of globalization much more clearly,” says Elizabeth Chacko, associate professor of geography and international affairs and program director of the Dean’s Scholars in Globalization.

Matthew Plevelich, who recently completed the program, credits it with changing his worldview. “The Dean’s Scholars in Globalization opened my eyes to a new global world,” he says.

A living-learning program making its debut this fall enables freshmen to examine in depth William Shakespeare and the renowned Washington-area resources devoted to the playwright.

“We have world-class cultural institutions that focus on Shakespeare in our city,” says Alan Wade, professor of theatre, who coordinates the Dean’s Scholars in Shakespeare program. “The program takes full advantage of the Folger Library and the Shakespeare Theatre.”

Ten freshmen are participating in the inaugural one-year program, which includes a course on Shakespeare in Washington, visits by professional actors and directors, performances at the Folger Elizabethan Theatre and the Shakespeare Theatre Company, rare books sessions at the Folger Shakespeare Library, a University writing course, and an introductory acting class. The students live together in GW’s newest residence hall, Potomac House. They also have the opportunity to participate in study abroad programs in England focusing on the life and works of Shakespeare.

“I wanted to come to GW and find a community that was just as passionate about Shakespeare as I am,” says Carly Donnelly, a freshman in the program. “The experience has been great thus far.”


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