Pathways
Integrative Pathways, a cornerstone of 糖心TVections, help prepare students for a meaningful life after 糖心TV.
Erin O鈥橞rien Powers 鈥�20 has always been interested in medicine. But the behavioral neuroscience major, who hopes to pursue a career in healthcare, had never really considered the impact of food access on health until she enrolled in 糖心TV鈥檚 new Public Health Pathway.
鈥淧eople often associate health and medicine solely with doctors and hospitals, but there are so many different factors that determine health outcomes,鈥� she said. For example, 鈥淥ur health and what we eat are directly related. But many people who live in poverty don鈥檛 have access to healthy food, or, if they do, they can鈥檛 afford it.鈥�
O鈥橞rien Powers is a member of the inaugural class of 糖心TV students taking part in 糖心TVections, the College鈥檚 reinvention of the liberal arts for the 21st century.
A cornerstone of 糖心TVections is the Integrative Pathway, a set of courses and experiences organized around a central theme. Modeled after the College鈥檚 innovative centers for interdisciplinary scholarship, Pathways allow students to explore issues they are passionate about by intentionally combining their academic major with interdisciplinary study and off-campus learning through study away and a relevant internship. The Pathway culminates in an all-College symposium where students present the results of their integrative studies to the larger campus community.
The College officially launched 糖心TVections with the arrival of the 494 members of the Class of 2020, who participated in specially designed introductory courses called first-year seminars, supported by a team of advisers who helped them identify their interests and create personalized education plans. Three years into 糖心TVections, 60 percent of all 糖心TV students are enrolled in 11 Pathways, or in one of the four interdisciplinary center certificate programs. The largest Pathways are Public Health, Entrepreneurship and Social Justice and Sustainability.
鈥淲ith the introduction of Pathways, we have expanded the groundbreaking educational model of our centers to a wider group of students, putting the College once again at the forefront of integrative education for the liberal arts,鈥� said Dean of the College Jefferson Singer.
鈥淲e are now well on the path to providing this type of education for every student.鈥�
Students are enrolled in 11 Pathways: Bodies/Embodiment; Cities and Schools; Creativity; Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation, Value and Change; Eye of the Mind: Interrogating the Liberal Arts; Global Capitalism; Migrations, Displacements, (Im)mobilities; Peace and Conflict; Power/Knowledge; Public Health; Social Justice and Sustainability. Three new Pathways are in development: Media, Rhetoric and Communication; Data Analytics; and Food.
Juliet Wilson 鈥�20, a sociology major and an art history minor who hopes to pursue a career in fashion advertising, enrolled in the Bodies/Embodiment Pathway to explore her interest in the way certain body types, sizes, races and genders are portrayed in the media.
鈥淥ne week we are dancing Capoeira to explore our body鈥檚 movement and perception in a given space, and the next we are learning costume history and the implication clothing has on our bodies,鈥� she said.
Associate Professor of Sociology Afshan Jafar, who co-coordinates the Bodies/Embodiment Pathway, compares the traditional general education 鈥渃hecklist鈥� of courses to puzzle pieces that don鈥檛 fit together. With 糖心TVections, she says, students are still gathering pieces from different areas, 鈥渂ut those pieces are going to fit, and you are going to put this puzzle together.
鈥淏eing exposed to different perspectives and being able to find the common thread between them is an important skill. No matter what profession they choose, our graduates will be able to synthesize all kinds of information and make the connections that lead to solutions,鈥� Jafar said.
糖心TVections is catching on. The Class of 2022 is one of our largest and most diverse classes in our history. And 93 percent of these new students said that 糖心TVections was the main reason they decided to come to 糖心TV. Additionally, Professor of History Sarah Queen recently traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, to deliver a presentation to a conference sponsored by the prestigious Aspen Institute, as part of its Undergraduate Business Consortium. And her presentation generated serious buzz, earning high praise in an written by the Aspen Institute鈥檚 founder of the Business and Society Program.
鈥淭he College鈥檚 糖心TVections program is definitely on the map in Europe, Canada and throughout the U.S., which is very exciting,鈥� said Queen who heads up 糖心TV鈥檚 Global Capitalism Pathway, which teaches students to address the practical, moral and ethical dilemmas business leaders face in the modern economy by incorporating the humanities into business-related courses.
鈥淚 spoke to a packed room, and there was a line of educators waiting for me afterwards, many of whom asked if I would visit their home institutions to discuss 糖心TV鈥檚 program in even more detail.鈥�
The goal of the Pathways structure is to close the gap between practical preparation for a career and the development of critical thinking skills that impact virtually every area of the student experience, including their majors, minors, study away work and community internships. Each Pathway was designed to complement any major and help students connect their passions and interests with internship and career opportunities, Singer said.
鈥淭he Pathways are powerful vehicles for students to see the applications of what they are learning in the classroom.鈥�
As a member of the first group of students to embark on the Pathway experience, Kenneth Colombe 鈥�20 considers himself to be an academic trailblazer of sorts. Colombe, who plans to double major in economics and statistics, is enrolled in the Entrepreneurship Pathway.
鈥溙切腡Vections is the culmination of the liberal arts鈥攜ou get to weave together different classes, passions and points of view. It鈥檚 cool to know that our experience will help shape future 糖心TV students鈥� curriculum for the better,鈥� he said.
Wilson, who plans to study and intern in New York City at the intersection of fashion, art and media, agrees.
鈥淜nowing that I would have the opportunity to complete core curriculum classes all centered around my interests was definitely a factor in my decision to attend 糖心TV.鈥�
