Abstract
The Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, in collaboration with the organization Where There Be Dragons, created the Tufts Civic Semester program. This is a transformational, first-semester program that combines an academic and experiential learning experience away from the Tufts campus, and there are different themes and core elements depending on the site location, including environmental sustainability, indigenous sovereignty, and immigrant rights. Each year, cohorts of 8-12 students spend their first semester as a living learning community engaging with community organizations and building civic skills to promote equity and justice. The program has run in Urubamba, Peru and the Southwestern United States to date, with plans of expansion to additional global locations. This chapter will provide information on program themes, including global perspective taking and developing personal social responsibility, program logistics, and program evaluation.
TopBackground
Global learning is a core tenet of the Tufts University strategic plan, with the aim of preparing students with the tools and skills to be innovative problem solvers on a global scale. To this end, the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life (Tisch College) at Tufts creates student programming to support this initiative with innovative programming, including programming for first year students to focus on key competencies of global learning including global self-awareness, perspective taking, understanding cultural diversity, and taking social and personal responsibility. This chapter will focus on one such initiative, the Tufts Civic Semester Program, which provides first year students with a full semester of coursework while spending time in a living and learning community away from the Tufts campus. This program began in 2019 and was deeply impacted by the pandemic—this chapter will explain the core components of the program, the adaptations made during the pandemic, and the ways that global impact is assessed for participants. Furthermore, the chapter is designed to present different elements of the program for educators to adapt pieces that may be relevant to their own institutions and students in support of their unique global programming.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Social Responsibility: Social responsibility is a framework of ethics which drives individuals or bodies of people to take actionable steps in order to fulfill their civic duty and promote social justice.
Civic Semester: Civic Semester is a transformational, first-semester program that combines an academic and experiential learning experience, and there are different themes and core elements depending on the site location where a small cohort of students spend their first semester of undergraduate in an abroad setting.
Cultural Humility: Cultural humility is the lifelong process of building meaningful, intercultural relationships in ways like self-reflection, discovery, and examination of their own and others’ cultural identities and beliefs.
First-Year Programming: First-year programming refers to academic and co-curricular programs which engage first-year students in ways beyond their coursework to promote a sense of community and social justice.
Perspective-Taking: Perspective-taking refers to the act of understanding and internalizing a situation or a concept from another individual’s perspective.
Community Learning: Community learning is an intentional teaching methodology that seeks to integrate student learning with community engagement, the aim of which is to address local concerns and create positive change.
Civic Skills: Civic skills refer to basic skills which are required to be a participating citizen of a country and include interpersonal skills, knowledge of policy, and critical thinking skills.
Global Learning: Global learning refers to certain educational initiatives that prepare students to navigate world conditions and address the interconnected routes of various systems and trends brought about by globalization.