Academics in SF: The Living Learning Conversation
At Westmont in San Francisco, there is a high value on students taking responsibility for their own learning. While faculty provide a significant amount of guidance, students are expected to be self-motivated and develop their own learning goals. With internships, guest speakers, field trips and service projects, students are offered an experiential approach to learning.
Each semester, students get to hear from many guest speakers who are working in San Francisco. These speakers offer unique perspectives on culture, social justice, the Church, and innovative thinking throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and the world.
The following are courses are offered:
I.S. 190: Urban Practicum (Required, 8 units)
This 8 unit course is centered around participation in a 3 day/24 hour per week field internship related to the professional and vocational interests of each student. This coincides with a required weekly seminar.
Internship opportunities exist for students of all majors. The amount of major credit received is determined by departmental guidelines and the type of internship selected. Components of the course include attendance at all placement orientation workshops during the first week of the semester; interviewing with at least three agencies/organizations prior to selecting an internship site; development of a detailed learning contract in consultation with one's site supervisor; and engagement with regular reading and writing assignments aimed at the reflective integration of theory and praxis.
I.S. 195: Urban Studies (Required, 4 units)
Urban Studies is a 4 unit, upper division course. This interdisciplinary seminar provides a forum for thoughtfully examining the kinds of experiences and questions students encounter in the city, and for pursuing these experiences and questions in broader intellectual frameworks. San Francisco serves as the context for studying the selected issues and questions, such as: Who is my neighbor? Where is God? How will I be changed in the city? How will I make a difference? What does it mean to serve society and enact justice? To complement the course readings and discussion, several guest speakers from different sectors of the city present important and challenging perspectives on the issues. The seminar meets once a week. (For Westmont students, this course meets the "Common Inquiries: Understanding Society" G.E. requirement).
Click here to see the book list for IS 195 Urban Studies.
I.S. 194: Independent Studies (Elective, 2 - 4 units)
I.S. 194 is an elective tutorial of advanced study on a topic of the student's choice, either for interdisciplinary credit or for elective major credit from selected departments (and not for GE credit). Students who are approved for the I.S. tutorial are expected to develop a well-focused course of study related to their selected topic, including the requisite reading, writing, meetings with instructor, and field research. Specific projects and assignments may differ from student to student, depending on the topic and type of credit sought. NOTE: For those students seeking major or departmental credit, each "learning contract" is subject to written approval by the department.
ENG 134: Ethnicity, Race, & the City in Literature (Elective, 4 units, Fall only)
This upper division literature course has a prerequisite of one literature course or the consent of the instructor. Together we will explore traditions in America's diverse cultural literatures, and literary representations of relations between and within different ethnic and racial communities. We emphasize The City as a crucible of cultural transformation. We will read mostly Modern and Contemporary American narratives, including some poetry. The course focuses on representations of immigration, assimilation, alienation, racism, exclusion, ethnic pride and cultural difference in The City. ENG 134 meets once a week. (For Westmont students: This writing-intensive seminar meets the "Reading Imaginative Literature" option under "Common Inquiries" and "Writing or Speech Intensive Course" option under Common Skills in the new G.E).
ENG 104U: Modern Grammar and Advanced Composition (Elective, 4 units, Spring only)
Prerequisite: completion of the first-year writing for the liberal arts requirement. ENG 104U is a nonfiction prose workshop for students with some experience in writing essays. As a writing intensive course, ENG 104U counts toward Westmont’s GE “Common Skills” requirement in written composition. We will emphasize revision and style, through peer-review sessions, in-class writing, mini-lessons, workshops and oral presentations. Throughout the course we will read nonfiction prose by diverse writers, exploring how our writing tasks may be managed through narrative, interpretive, descriptive, persuasive and expository writing. Students will also have the opportunity to hone their investigative research skills, using the resources of the city of San Francisco.