PLACE BASED EDUCATION FYS: WHAT IS THIS?

Fostering sense of place further explained:

Where will your favorite places in the Salem be when you leave Salem State with degree in hand? What experiences will shape your time here at Salem State University? Who will become your lifelong friends? During this class we will explore what developing a sense of place means and what contributes to feeling a sense of belonging? Through experiencing Salem through this lens, we aim to foster your initial sense of place and belonging in the Salem town and Salem State communities. To this end, we will explore the people, places and processes that shape Salem and Salem State. We will explore the social and ecological issues that the people of Salem face. Research suggests that when people have a greater sense of place in a community, they are more empowered to get involved locally. Through local civic engagement comes an even greater sense of purpose and empowerment, circling back to an even greater sense of belonging. Required assignments will require town of Salem trips. Throughout the semester we will take several field trips into town to various places significant to Salem.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Sense of Place in Salem

During this semester, we will all embark on a journey to explore Salem.  We will all create a blog to record our observations, upload photos we take, upload drawings we draw, and collect our initial exploration inquiries in one place, an on line journal.
The goal of this course is to encourage you to ask questions, inquire, and incorporate what you learn into your experience here in the town of Salem as well as on Salem State campus.  First year seminar is designed to help you adjust to college life, as well prepare you to be successful throughout your college career.
An important part of college is knowing where you live, not only in the campus setting, but the surrounding town setting. Place based education is predicated on learning the skills and content that the course is set out to teach, within the context of the place.
So for example, For first year seminar, there are three key goals set by the university that we, as a community, will strive to attain.  We will attain these through our exploration of place, Salem State University, and Salem the town.
Goal 1: The FYS will actively encourage students to develop their own academic interests and learn how to pursue them through critical thinking on one or more compelling questions or issues.
a. Students will practice developing compelling questions based on their individual interests related to the course's subject.
b. Students will gather evidence from relevant sources.
c. Students will make clear their methods and assumptions.
d. Students will support a position using their sources.
Goa1 2: The FYS will aid students in developing their ability to express themselves and their ideas effectively and appropriately in a college setting.
a. Students will participate in discussions of the course's subject.
b. Students will produce at least one product that showcases some aspect of their inquiry in the class through written, oral, or creative means.
c. Students will develop an understanding of value of drafting and revising ideas by presenting at least one draft and then a revised version of a product showcasing some aspect of their inquiry in the class.
Goa1 3: The FYS will help students begin to develop relationships and practices that will support their success in college.
a. Students will become knowledgeable about various persons, opportunities, activities, offices and services that are available through the university and aid in student success (some examples may include the following: student services, MAPWorks, tutor services, campus-wide clubs and associations, Health Services, career services, and campus activities).

b. Students will learn about the overall academic structure and opportunities in the SSU Core and the resources available to them (some examples include: advising, learning commons, academic resources such as the Writing Center or Math Lab).

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