AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
Montgomery College
Global Humanities Institute
Revitalizing the Humanities: The Global Humanities Institute
at Montgomery College
AAC&U Global Learning in College: Asking Big Questions, Engaging Urgent
Challenges
October 4, 2013
Tools for Faculty Development

Marcia Bronstein, Co-Coordinator of Curriculum of the Global Humanities Institute
(Learning Communities)

marcia.bronstein@montgomerycollege.edu
Sharyn Neuwirth, Co-Coordinator of Curriculum of the Global Humanities Institute
(Single Course)

sharyn.neuwirth@montgomerycollege.edu
Shelley Jones, Co-Coordinator of Curriculum of the Global Humanities Institute
(Service-Learning)
shelley.jones@montgomerycollege.edu
Global Humanities Institute
Dr. Rita Kranidis, Program Director
rita.kranidis@montgomerycollege.edu
Global Humanities Institute
Faculty Fellowship LibGuide
http://libguides.montgomerycollege.edu/ghifellows
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
Handouts:
Internationalizing humanities courses using backward design
1. Identify learner characteristics
2. Identify global competencies--the knowledge, skills, and attitudes--that support your
course’s Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
3. Frame the SLOs in a global context. Rewrite them as Internationalized Student Learning
Outcomes (ISLOs)
4. Develop learning activities that support the ISLO
5. Identify how to assess students’ mastery of the ISLOs
6. Evaluate and revise the course/module
Planning Document
Current humanities
course title and
content
Learner
characteristics
Global competencies
Course Student
Learning Outcome
Upon completing this course, students will be able to:
Revitalizing the Humanities: The Global Humanities Institute at Montgomery College
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
Internationalized
Student Learning
Outcome(s)
Upon completing this internationalized module, students will be able to:
Learning materials,
readings and media
Active Learning
Strategies
Resources
Outcomes assessment
Resources for internationalizing a course

Your textbooks.
If you have a choice, choose a textbook that includes international literature or that presents
issues from diverse viewpoints. Select textbooks that examine the internationalized and/or
controversial aspects of the content.

Your students and student groups, especially for information about surface culture or objects of
material culture

Student-directed interviews and observations. Provide assignments that ask students to
research and present a course topic from another national or cultural perspective.

Field trips, museums

Guest speakers and content experts

Embassies and tourism offices

Other faculty who teach the same or similar course to share materials, activities, and resources.
Exchange lectures with faculty in other disciplines as a way to examine topics from different
perspectives. Example: In an anthropology course, invite an astronomy professor to your class
to discuss ancient beliefs about the sky and stars.
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013

Field trips and museums

Authentic texts. International journals and newspapers, controversial blogs
Example: Have students read selections from the Quoran. Read news reports in journals or
newspapers from other parts of the world.
Pair two articles on the same topic that express opposing viewpoints. Or present one article that
presents a biased point of view and ask students to analyze the arguments

Online blog, websites and videos such as YouTube, TED, podcasts like In Our Time, and iTunes
University. Many are quite scholarly.

Community-based organizations such as CASA de Maryland, Shepherd’s Table, etc. May have
brochures, statistical information or speaker services. Include service learning in communitybased organizations that will provide experience with other groups and exposure to different
points of view. Examples: CASA de Maryland, Shepherd’s Table, etc.
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
Online resources
Several colleges and universities post seminars, guest speakers, and classes related to the humanities
and global cultural issues online. To access these, go to iTunes>select iTunes U> type in the name of the
university>iTunes U Collections>See all>select collection>select seminar title

University of New England, Center for Global Humanities

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The Program in the Humanities and Human Values

Indiana University, Center for the Study of Global Change, Global Issues in World Areas

Stanford University, Stanford Humanities Center

Deakin University, Cultural Heritage Center for Asia and the Pacific

University of Chicago, Cultural Studies

MIT, MIT World

University of Cologne, Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Philosophy

UNESCO, Culture & Traditions

Oxford University, Global and Imperial History Research Seminar

Also check out these podcast series, also available through iTunes. To access podcasts, go to
iTunes>select Podcasts> type in the name of the podcast series>select specific podcast title


“BackStory” University of Virginia (focuses on U.S., but a fascinating romp through cultural
history!)

“In Our Time” with Melvin Blagg (especially the Culture archives)

“Point of Inquiry”

Be sure to check “TED Talks” http://www.ted.com/
Also, don’t forget to check YouTube! Type in some key terms related to your content to see
what’s available.
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
Design a Global Humanities Learning Community in an Hour
Adapted from “Design a Learning Community in an Hour,” by Jean MacGregor and Barbara Smith, Washington
Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education, Evergreen College, Washington:
http://www.uwec.edu/CETL/bundles/upload/Designing-Integrated-Learning-for-Students.pdf
The idea in this exercise is for you and your learning community partner to
engage in some cross-disciplinary curricular brainstorming. Please have your
individual course outlines at hand. Feel free to consult
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/ if need be.
1.
GETTING FOCUSED
TIME: About 5 minutes
Individually, think and make notes in response to the following task:
What global themes intrigue you? What big global questions, issues, ideas or
problems are interesting for you right now and might be intriguing for your
students to explore?
2.
GENERATION OF POSSIBLE THEMES
TIME: 30 minutes
Take 10 minutes each and briefly describe to your learning community partner:
 the course you’re involving in the global learning community
 what students need to do to succeed in your course, that is, the
methodology of your discipline
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
 the students in your course
Then, in about 5 minutes each, describe to your partner the big global questions,
issues, ideas, or problems that are intriguing to you right now. Note-taker, please
write down all global themes that are mentioned.
3.
CHOOSE A THEME
TIME: 10 minutes
Once your team has generated ideas for possible global learning community
themes, see if you can come to consensus on any common global theme,
question, or topic that could be the organizing idea for your learning community.
If you are divergent in your interests, simply take a leap of faith and settle on one
of the themes about which both of you feel comfortable.
4.
FLESH OUT THE THEME
TIME: 25-30-minutes
Brainstorm:





sub-themes and concepts that relate to the global learning community theme
authors, titles of texts (reading of primary sources is encouraged) that can be
used in the learning community, films, music, art, other resources
possible field experiences, internships, service learning opportunities, sites in
Silver Spring or Washington, D.C. that would enhance understanding of the
global theme
research projects that might illustrate the theme
games, role plays, case studies that relate to the global LC theme
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
Generate as many ideas as you can. Don’t get bogged down judging or
discussing the merits or fine points of each suggestion:



5.
Create a “team memory” as you work: record all the ideas suggested
As you brainstorm, repetition of earlier suggestions is okay
Resist the temptation to embark on side conversations about learning
community implementation or merits of a particular idea: try to stay with the
brainstorming process
MAKE A SUMMARY
Bring to our next workshop
PAGE OF YOUR WORK
Summarize and present to the group key ideas and activities in your learning
community design. At the top of the page, give your global humanities learning
community a working title that reflects the theme and note the courses involved.
Include these parts in your draft:
 Global Humanities Learning Community working title and courses
involved:
 Global Question or Theme: (3-5 sentence summary)
 Sub-themes and concepts: (list, explain)
 Readings/texts:
 Possible projects:
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
From Towson University
Leadership and Civic Engagement
http://www.towson.edu/studentaffairs/civicengagement/servicelearning/faculty/reflection.
asp
Sample Reflection Questions to use Prior to Service
• Why do you do service?
• How do you define community?
• Who determines what's best for the community?
• What is the mission of the community organization?
• How will you help achieve this mission?
Sample Reflection Questions to use During Service
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Describe what you did- what did you see or observe while at your community partner site?
How did you feel about the experience?
Describe the people you met at the service site
Name three things that stuck in your mind about the service experience
Describe the atmosphere of the service site
Describe some of your interactions
What did the "body language" of the people tell you?
How did the people's responses make you feel?
How did the service site make you feel?
What brings people to the service site (both people seeking service and the volunteers)?
Are "strangers" welcomed at the service site? Why or why not?
Describe what a typical day might be like for someone who uses the services of the
organization you worked with
• What would you change about this organization if you were in charge?
• What would you change about this service-learning course if you were the professor?
• What was the best/worst/most challenging thing that happened?
• Did you feel like a part of the community you were working in?
Sample Reflection Questions for During and After Service
•
•
•
•
•
•
What connections do you find between the experience and your course readings or lectures?
What new ideas or insights did you gain?
What skills can you use or strengthen through working with your community partner?
What knowledge or skills did you learn from this experience that you will apply in the future?
How were you different when you left the service location compared to when you entered?
How are you similar/different to others (others in your service group? others seeking
services? etc.)?
• In what ways did being different help/hinder the group?
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
• What have you learned about yourself?
• If you were one of the people receiving services, what would you think of yourself?
• How does this experience compare to other service experiences you have had?
• How does this course compare to other courses you have taken?
• What connections do you see between this experience and what you've learned in your
college courses?
• How has your service contributed to your growth in any of these areas: civic responsibility,
political consciousness, professional development, spiritual fulfillment, social
understanding, and intellectual pursuit?
• What have you learned about a particular community or societal issue?
• How did this experience challenge your assumptions and stereotypes?
• Do you think these people (or situations) are unique? Why or why not?
• What public policies are involved and what are their implications? How can they be improved?
• Describe an internal or external conflict that has surfaced for you during your service work.
Explain the factors that contribute to this conflict and how you might resolve or cope with
the conflict
• Discuss a social problem that you have come in contact with during your service work. What
do you think are the root causes of this problem? Explain how your service may or may
not contribute to its alleviation
• What could this group do to address the problems you saw at the service site?
• What could each participant do on his/her own?
• How can society better deal with the problem?
• How can this experience apply to other situations in your life?
• How can your solutions apply to other situations in your life?
• How can your solutions apply to other problem(s) of other groups?
• How can society be more compassionate/informed/involved regarding this community?
• What is the difference between generosity, charity, justice, and social change?
• Where do we go from here? What's the next step?
How to Assess Student Reflection
The method being used to assess student reflection
should be presented before the students begin the reflective process. Students will be able to
engage in reflection at different levels of understanding and with different abilities. Some
reflection exercises may be graded complete/incomplete, while others may use rubrics as
guidelines for definitive grades. For more information please refer to Bradley's Criteria for
Assessing Levels of Reflection (PDF).
*Steven Jones. Introduction to Service-Learning Toolkit. Second Ed. Providence RI: Campus
Compact, 2003. Print.
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
From University of Minnesota
Community Service Learning Center
http://www.servicelearning.umn.edu/info/reflection.html
Reflection in service-learning classes
Examples of Reflection Questions
based on the Experiential Learning Cycle
(see more examples below)
What?
—What happened?
—What did you observe?
—What issue is being addressed or population is being served?
So What?
—Did you learn a new skill or clarify an interest?
—Did you hear, smell, or feel anything that surprised you?
—How is your experience different from what you expected?
—What impacts the way you view the situation/experience? (What lens are you
viewing from?)
—What did you like/dislike about the experience?
—What did you learn about the people/community?
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
—What are some of the pressing needs/issues in the community?
—How does this project address those needs?
Now What?
—What seem to be the root causes of the issue addressed?
—What other work is currently happening to address the issue?
—What learning occurred for you in this experience?
—How can you apply this learning?
—What would you like to learn more about, related to this project or issue?
—What follow-up is needed to address any challenges or difficulties?
—What information can you share with your peers or the community?
—If you could do the project again, what would you do differently?
The Four Cs of Reflection
Effective strategies for fostering reflection are based on four core elements of
reflection known as the Four Cs.* These elements are described below:
Continuous reflection: Reflection should be an ongoing component in the
learner's education, happening before, during, and after an experience.
Connected reflection: Link the "service" in the community with the structured
"learning" in the classroom. Without structured reflection, students may fail to
bridge the gap between the concrete service experience and the abstract issues
discussed in class.
Challenging reflection: Instructors should be prepared to pose questions and
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
ideas that are unfamiliar or even uncomfortable for consideration by the learner in
a respectful atmosphere.
Contextualized reflection: Ensures that the reflection activities or topics are
appropriate and meaningful in relation to the experiences of the students.
Ideas for Reflection
Reflection can happen in the classroom, at the community organization, or
individually through course assignments. There are a wide range of meaningful
reflective practices and strategies that can be incorporated into service-learning,
including the frequently used approaches listed below.
• Journals: Writing in journals is widely used by service-learning programs to
promote reflection. They're most meaningful when instructors pose key
questions for analysis. (See bottom of page for sample reflection questions.)
• Ethnographies: Students capture their community experience through field
notes.
• Case Studies Papers: Students analyze an organizational issue and write a case
study that identifies a decision that needs to be made.
• Multimedia Class Presentations: Students create a video or photo
documentary on the community experience.
• Theory Application Papers: Students select a major theory covered in the
course and analyze its application to the experience in the community.
• Agency Analysis Papers: Students identify organizational structure, culture and
mission.
• Presentations to Community Organizations: Students present work to
community organization staff, board members, and participants.
• Speakers: Invite community members or organization staff to present in class on
their issue area.
• Group Discussion: Through guided discussion questions, have students critically
think about their service experiences.
• Community Events: Identify community events that students can attend to
learn more about issues.
• Mapping: Create a visual map that shows how the service-learning experience
connects to larger issues at the state/national/global level.
• Videos: View a video or documentary to elicit discussion about critical issues that
relate to their service experiences.
• Letters-to-the Editor: Students write a letter-to-the-editor or to government
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
officials that address issues important to the community organizations where
they are working
• Creative Projects: Students make a collage or write a poem or song to express
an experience.
• Blog: Create a course blog where students can post comments on their
experiences.
• Reflective Reading: Find articles, poems, stories or songs that relate to the
service students are doing and that create discussion questions.
Sample Reflection Questions
• What is your role at the community site?
• What were your initial expectations? Have these expectations changed? How?
Why?
• What about your community involvement has been an eye-opening experience?
• How do you motivate yourself to go to your site when you don't feel like it?
• What specific skills have you used at your community site?
• Describe a person you've encountered in the community who made a strong
impression on you, positive or negative.
• Do you see benefits of doing community work? Why or why not?
• Has your view of the population with whom you have been working changed?
How?
• How has the environment and social conditions affected the people at your site?
• What institutional structures are in place at your site or in the community? How
do they affect the people you work with?
• Has the experience affected your worldview? How?
• Have your career options been expanded by your service experience?
• Why does the organization you are working for exist?
• Did anything about your community involvement surprise you? If so, what?
• What did you do that seemed to be effective or ineffective in the community?
• How does your understanding of the community change as a result of your
participation in this project?
• How can you continue your involvement with this group or social issue?
• How can you educate others or raise awareness about this group or social issue?
• What are the most difficult or satisfying parts of your work? Why?
• Talk about any disappointments or successes of your project. What did you learn
from it?
• During your community work experience, have you dealt with being an "outsider"
at your site? How does being an "outsider" differ from being an "insider"?
• How are your values expressed through your community work?
• What sorts of things make you feel uncomfortable when you are working in the
community? Why?
• Complete this sentence: Because of my service-learning, I am....
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AAC&U Conference: Global Learning in College
REVITALIZING THE HUMANITIES: THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INSTITUTE
AT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
October 4, 2013
*FOOTNOTES:
—Kolb, David. Experiential Learning Cycle chart.
—Eyler, Janet, and D.E. Giles. A Practitioners Guide to Reflection in ServiceLearning. Nashville: Vanderbilt University, 1996.
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