This spring semester, an innovative new course is being offered for students that is a bit different than their normal lectures. “Refusing to Wait: Intellectual and Practical Resources in Troubling Times” is a one-credit pass/fail course with 20 faculty and staff members formally involved and serving as lead instructors, discussion leaders or speakers. This course came a result of wanting something low-stakes for students that would be low-involvement, but that would allow faculty and staff to collaborate with students as things unfolded in the country around them.
“After the election, there were a number of colleagues at Elon who were emailing each other, just talking about what had happened,” said Professor of Religious Studies Toddie Peters. “In proposing [this course], I thought back to the tensions in the country in the 1960s and the way in which universities responded to teach-ins.”
For a course that meets each Wednesday from 3:35-5:15 p.m., the faculty and staff have worked diligently to ensure no time goes to waste. Each lecture will be divided into thirds so that each 30 minutes will provide a different kind of engagement for faculty, staff and students.
“The structure of this class is going to be emergent … We’re going to adjust as need because this is new and we’ve never done anything like this before,” said Professor of Anthropology Tom Mould. “The whole nature of this course is that it’s responsive to the current political, socioeconomic world.”
Peters and Mould are two of five lead facilitators who have worked to create this course the few months. Working with them are Ann Cahill, professor of philosophy, Uchenna Baker, assistant dean of campus life and director of residence life and Leigh-Anne Royster, director of inclusive community well-being.
“There’s several things about this course that I find amazing and exhilarating. One is the fact that Professor Mould is a folklorist, Professor Cahill is a philosopher and I’m a social ethicist, and we’re coming together to talk about things that are happening right now,” Peters said.
Despite OnTrack listing a cap for the course, it doesn’t formally have one. The instructors are working with the administration and the registrar so that this course is accessible and will able to accommodate as many as possible.
“I fully expect to learn a ton from our colleagues and am incredibly excited about hearing some of the presentations myself,” Cahill said. “What I want out of it as an instructor is student learning. What I will learn from my colleagues…that’s secondary. Our job is to teach and by that I mean to create the conditions for students to deepen their own understanding.”