Engage 2020 Speaker Series
With the US Presidential elections just 8 weeks from today, Wesleyan’s Engage 2020 initiative has an ambitious slate of speakers as well as resources for students to be engaged in important grassroots organizing work leading up to November 3rd.
The E2020 Speaker Series features an array of public figures from diverse backgrounds – all with compelling messages about the power of students and young people to affect change and the urgency of this moment. The E2020 Speaker Series is a centerpiece of Wesleyan’s E2020 Initiative– the University’s comprehensive effort to support student learning and civic participation, while engaging the public around the electoral process and broader questions related to civic life.
Library Course Reserve Information
Some faculty make course reading, viewing, and listening materials available to students through Library Course Reserves. All Fall 2020 reserves are electronic, accessible 24/7 on any device. In Moodle, click on the “Course Reserve” or the “Resource List” link to get to course reserve materials. For non-Moodle courses, click on the “Course Reserve” link on the library homepage (https://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/research/coursereserve.html). Then click on “Access Online Reserve for Courses not in Moodle.” On the Course Reserve Lists page, click “Find Lists” to find your course. Contact reference@wesleyan.edu for help.
Library Reopening
Library buildings reopen on Monday and students will once again have access to study seats and the collections.
- The library buildings reopen to campus only 8:30am this Monday, September 7 for normal semester hours – card access is required
- Seating is limited based on social distancing guidelines – PPE is required
- Stacks are closed – starting Monday, Sept 7, students can request books via the catalog for contactless pickup in Olin and Science
- For students studying remotely, we are mailing books upon request
- Course reserves are fully online
- For the latest details on library services this semester, go here: https://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/services.html
For more information, please contact:
Andrew W. White
Caleb T. Winchester University Librarian
awhite02@wesleyan.edu
860-685-2570
Effective Learning in a Digital Environment Webinar 9/9
Effective Learning in a Digital Environment – Student Academic Resources Webinar
Sep 9, 2020 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Student Academic Resources understands that digital learning environments can be challenging, and increased screen time can be exhausting, but there are strategies that can help! Laura Patey, Dean for Academic Advancement, and Crystal Rose Hill, Accessibility Specialist, will review strategies, tools, and resources students can use for learning effectively in a digital environment.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/97917755368?pwd=UjlCL1ZRWkgwWjFOeXJ4QmpIUm1Udz09
Webinar ID: 979 1775 5368
Passcode: 472035
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +19294362866,,97917755368# or +13017158592,,97917755368#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 929 436 2866 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
International numbers available: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/u/aeIsEdvcfb
Still Need a Class This Semester?
CSPL/CGST480 ENGAGED PROJECTS is a new 1-credit course in which students study a topic of their choice and produce a final project for a public audience. EPs deepen student learning and self-reflection, ease the undeniable challenges of online learning, and introduce students to their own agency and positionality in society.
Interested students should contact the instructor (Makaela Kingsley, mjkingsley@wesleyan.edu), submit a proposal on Handshake (instructions at https://www.wesleyan.edu/patricelli/engaged-projects.html), and submit an enrollment request in WesPortal.
Two New Courses
Civil Rights Litigation Since 1978: A Practitioner’s Perspective
CSPL 217 Times: Th 6:00-9PM, Location: ONLINE
This course will examine major themes in modern civil rights litigation in the United States between 1978 and 2020. The course will review major cases challenging police misconduct, school and housing segregation, including exclusionary land use policies, sexual harassment and bullying as well as cases supporting voting and gay rights. Students will be asked to present argument before their peers regarding the issues raised in and by these cases and will also be presented with imaginary fact patterns and asked to discern the critical legal issues raised and apply both the settled law and aspirational law as we develop it through Socratic method. In addition, students will select an area of civil rights litigation and writing about its evolution.
Understanding the 2020 Presidential Election
CSPL399 Times: M.W. 1:20-2:40PM, Location: ONLINE
In understanding the 2020 Presidential Election, students will learn how to read skeptically the political press and how to write critically about presidential campaign politics. Along the way, the course will touch on electoral history, political and social thought, public policy, media criticism, and much more. Students will read past examples of thought-provoking and influential commentary. They will read current coverage in the legacy press of the 2020 presidential election and come to class prepared to discuss the most important stories and issues of the week. Students will have the opportunity to learn about electoral politics and political writing alongside a veteran journalist. Students who have experience working for political campaigns will have a chance to share their knowledge and help the class incorporate their experience in a larger historical framework. They will have a chance to see their work published in the Editorial Board, the lecturer’s daily politics newsletter. Students will attempt to do what political writers do in real-time: explain what’s happening from a unique, particular, and informed point of view for the benefit of like-minded citizens seeking to achieve the ideal of self-government. In the end, the hope is that students see that campaign politics is simpler and more complex than it appears, but that neither is obvious without study, focus, and understanding.
Drop-In Meetings with Dean Phillips
When classes are in session, Dean Phillips offers drop-in meetings on a daily basis (Eastern Time):
Mondays, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Tuesdays, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Fridays, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Drop-in meetings can be scheduled through this link:
https://calendly.com/dphillips2024
If you need to schedule a meeting outside of drop-in hours, send Dean Phillips an email letting him know your availability and he will get back to you with an appointment.
Tips for Learning in a Digital Environment
Some students have asked about approaches to managing attending classes remotely during the initial period of quarantine on campus. Specifically, students who share a room with a roommate have asked about how to best approach learning when both roommates have a class at the same time. Several options exist for students who have these schedule conflicts. Some students will plan to use noise-cancelling headphones while attending classes, while others have asked about alternative spaces that may be available. While we expect students to remain in their residences during the two-week quarantine, you may use lounges or study rooms in your residence, or sit outside your residence by yourself when these conflicts arise. We understand that this may be challenging during the first week of classes, we are hopeful that as campus opens up following the initial quarantine students will be able to manage these situations more easily.
Student Academic Resources has also put together some resources and tips for students specific to learning in a digital environment. We would like to highlight the recommendation that students pay attention to building a balanced schedule that includes no more than two Zoom lectures in one day. Be sure to be attentive to giving yourself breaks from sitting in front of a screen and build in time to move around.
Check out the Semester Planning Calendars that are available on the Student Academic Resources page