Countering ‘Social Curriculum’ and ‘Alternative Truths’

Guest Blogger: Abbes Maazaoui

In this era of rising xenophobia, ethnocentrism and “alternative truths”, the question that may be raised, particularly during and after the US elections, is whether schools and universities are doing enough to educate students and prepare them for what might be called “ le vivre ensemble” (= living together) or global citizenship. For it is academia where students are expected to learn how to think critically, make ethical choices and develop an inclusive global mindset.

One quick way to appraise what higher education institutions teach students and what types of curriculum, courses and experiences they offer is to examine actual course schedules.

For instance, a quick glance at Lincoln University‘s fall and spring courses, as listed on the Registrar’s website for 2016-17 academic year, reveal a glaring lack of diversity in course offerings. Major regions of the world and notably those marginalized and/or demonized in today’s polarized world are inexistent. Our students, like most Americans, are left with what Carlos Cortés calls “social curriculum.” Their education about other cultures, countries and religions is mainly fed through media of all kinds (TV, film, Facebook, Tweeter, etc.).

The question is to consider what can be done to strengthen student learning with regard to multicultural/international education and help confront the illiberal forces of political, social and religious extremism. Here are a few areas where these forces can be resisted:

1.     A globally-rooted curriculum. In most cases, this implies revising the curriculum and developing strategies for incorporating multicultural education in all academic majors, not just foreign language programs. Courses targeting marginalized cultures, religions and regions should be developed with specific assessable outcomes in all majors.

2.     The liberal arts component of the curriculum. Students should be provided with ample opportunities to explore multiple perspectives, the clash of truths instead of the “clash of civilizations,” to make judgments based on facts and not opinions, and counter the effects of ethnocentrism. Truly multidisciplinary (team-taught) courses should be implemented. For instance, developing team-taught courses has been a Lincoln’s dream for a long time, but as far as I know, was never really carried out with any coherence or consistency.

3.     Faculty development grants should include money for developing international/multicultural courses.

4.     Study abroad activities and exchange programs. Cross-cultural contacts have the potential of increasing student tolerance, broadening their horizons, and lessening the harmful effects of “social curriculum.” “Currently, less than 10% of U.S. students graduating with associates or baccalaureate degrees each year study abroad” (Institute of International Education).  But we should do more, and aim at reaching 25%, 50% of students going abroad. This is true of Lincoln University too. Around 3-4% of students study abroad annually at Lincoln. As the chair of the Committee on International/Global Initiatives, I must acknowledge here the efforts of the current Lincoln’s president who made study abroad a cornerstone of his educational leadership, as well as the growing number of colleagues who have been accompanying (or are planning to accompany) students abroad.

 These four areas, in my view, must be strengthened in all U.S. institutions, particularly liberal arts colleges, if we are concerned about true diversity, tolerance and democracy in this country.  I hope these random thoughts will trigger serious reflection and discussion, and better yet, be followed by action. 

What is Lincoln Excellence in Teaching and Learning?

I find myself throwing around terms like “advancing the legacy” and “Lincoln Excellence” every now and then, especially when I’m trying to convince funding agencies that we are deserving of their attention. The word excellence is even part of the title of the office that I serve; The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

I feel like I have a good grasp on what legacy means; it is the mark that Lincoln has made on the country and world through all its graduates. If we aim to advance the legacy, we simply (or not so simply) keep graduating students that succeed in their disciplines and intentionally work for positive change in their communities and in the world. This can be quantified and measured by the success of our alumni.

Lincoln excellence on the other hand – what is it? Excellence is “the quality of being outstanding or very good” according to Merriam Webster. Are we outstanding in our teaching practices? How do we know? What do we do to be outstanding? Part of me is convinced that we practice excellence in many things that we do in the classroom and beyond. The indirect measure of our excellence is the success of our students past Lincoln. But how can we measure excellence directly? What does excellence in the classroom look like? Is it our ability to engage students and help them learn? How do we know that what we individually consider excellence translates into learning that makes a difference for our students? Does your excellence look similar to my excellence? Are we aiming to educate students that show performance excellence or mastery excellence - the former being the ability to perform well on exams, while the latter includes the ability to use learned material to succeed in life.  Is excellence in a Visual Arts class the same as excellence in a Health Science or Math class? I am intrigued by Lincoln Excellence because I know that we produce outstanding graduates who go on to successfully pursue careers in government, the arts, music, accounting, law, science, medicine etcetera, but if somebody asked me for the recipe for how exactly we do this – and do it well – I would not be able to tell them. Can you?

I would love to read your thoughts on Lincoln Excellence in the classroom and beyond.

How do you practice excellence in your classroom?

Share your thoughts here or in this quick survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PJRY9HW

I will share any survey results in a future blog.

Diversity at Lincoln

In advance of our upcoming November 19 faculty brownbag discussion on diversity, I thought I might “flip” the brownbag a bit by asking for some of your preliminary thoughts on the topic.

A quick Google search for "diversity in the college classroom" turns up a vast store of information, mostly from the viewpoint of Majority White Institutions seeking to expand the diversity of their student populations: the top six are tips for inclusive teaching from Vanderbilt, Columbia, Harvard,  Berkeley, and the University of Michigan, rounded out by the AAUP’s “Does Diversity Make a Difference: Three Research Studies on Diversity in College Classrooms.“  

What does it mean to Lincoln, do you think, to have “Diversity and Globalization” as one of our strategic imperatives?  On the conceptual level, how should a more diverse Lincoln look? What kinds of, and how much, diversity should we be aiming for?  Why do we want it?  Bringing the issue down to ground level, how might having a more diverse student body change what we do in our classrooms?  How might it change what we assign as textbooks and readings, the kinds of assignments we make, the way we structure group projects and discussions?   What potential problems should we be aware of and thus prepared for? What will we be able to do better as a result of having a more diverse student body?

Any thoughts on any of those questions?  Any ideas on other important questions to be asking?  Jump in!