Welcome to the Blogosphere!

Good Morning NOLA May Ex adventurers!

This is the blog for our May Experience Study Away class held in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a reminder, our course goals are:

Learning Goals
1. Students will learn about the interdisciplinary history of the people and city of New Orleans as a way to contextualize and enact a community-based learning project.
2. Students will self-assess their own efforts and evaluate the continuity or even potential disruption of current ongoing rebuilding efforts and the quality of the vision directing these efforts.
3. Students will write and reflect on how the urban, political, literary, and cultural history of the city has shaped the city and her citizens.
4. Students will examine their “situatedness” as political and social agents.
5. Students will collect and produce podcast interviews of Katrina survivors and their own reflections on the process of renewal and its promise and impact on several levels (individual, city-wide, state, and national).


Individual Projects / % of evaluation:
• Blog entries (10% total)
• 2 podcast projects (@ 10% each = 20%)
• 1 photo essay (using images from FlickrCC and their own work, students will assemble a virtual exhibit of their work and learning in New Orleans; these can be revised and used in final essays or reflective documentaries--10%)
• 2 research essays (4- 6 pages in length, with appropriate documentation OR 1 essay and 1 reflective documentary @ 15% each =30%)

Team Projects:
• Community-based learning participation: active engagement with daily activities, self-assessments, demonstrating appropriate leadership (25%)
• Logistical Team Duties: Rotating teams will be responsible on weekday nights for food preparation, clean up, and “food for thought”—course-appropriate music, discussion, guest speakers, etc. (5%)