How can my education cause trouble and joy?

Minna Ng, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Psychology and Neuroscience

Explore insights from neuroscience, psychology, and education to discover how experiences change your brain to support learning. Survey brain development, from early childhood into adulthood, with a particular focus on the transition between high school to college and environmental factors that optimize growth and learning. Discuss well-being and how wellness affects beliefs about education. Learn how mind and brain science provides evidence-based strategies and skills to enhance life-long learning. Test learning strategies, evaluate experiences through reflection, and make adjustments to enrich conditions for thriving in higher education.

Cross-lists: EDUC 140CN/ PSY 140CN

Don Taylor, Professor, Sanford School for Public Policy

This course provides opportunities for students to both engage in open dialogue on controversial topics while learning about the history of academic freedom and freedom of speech on college campuses. Topics covered include: self-censorship, student sorting, doxxing, the role of protest on campus, safe spaces, the tradeoffs of dedicated free expression spaces, the impact of faculty political views on the openness of student debate, and how the freedom of assembly intersects with freedom of speech to govern student groups on campus, especially those based on identity: religion, race, sex, and gender. The course reviews how the modern understanding of academic freedom developed in the 20th Century alongside First Amendment jurisprudence, with a focus on key agreements.

Michael Wiley, Assistant Research Professor, Education

Are you an aspiring educator, journalist, dramatist, social media manager or community organizer? All these positions and more require an understanding of how to utilize the power of storytelling. This course is designed to bring historical events, figures, cultures, communities, and contemporary issues to life through the sharing of personal narrative. For centuries storytelling has been the building blocks of human communication. Effective storytelling can mobilize, can heal, can incite action and bridge divides. Students will investigate the ways in which storytelling can mediate the examination of sensitive topics, support advocacy and reform efforts, and elevate the perspective of those groups who have systematically been marginalized. We will explore the ethics and practice of using personal narratives to inspire more multidimensional world views that stimulate deeper understanding of complex issues. By mining those matters of the heart, we breath humanity into topics we care about in ways where other forms of communication fall short.

Kristen R. Stephens, Associate Professor of the Practice, Education

The underrepresentation of certain groups in gifted programs persists. This course will examine the enrollment disparities that exist in gifted and advanced programs, critically review the assessment practices used to identify gifted students, and explore educational policy designed to reconcile equity and access issues in education. Potential inquiry partners may include, but are not limited to, local schools, non-profit organizations, and research centers focusing on equity and access issues in education.

Whitney McCoy, Research Scientist, Center for Child Family Policy

Principles of developmental, social, and cognitive psychology as applied to education, with a focus on how children learn. Examination of the impact on learning of race, class, gender, and ethnicity, including a comparative analysis of cultural differences in American schools.

Cross-lists: PSY 120CN

Megan Golonka, Research Scientist, Center for Child and Family Policy

The course covers major developmental stages of childhood and influences in a child's life: parents/family life, schools, communities, policies, and the economy. Emphasis on 1.) applying theory for analyzing complex societal problems (often involving issues of race, class, and gender) 2.) using material and methodologies from psychology, sociology, economics, and public policy

Sheryl Welte Emch, Lecturing Fellow, Thompson Writing Program

College is one of the many turning points in your coming of age.  It is a time when you separate from your family of origin, and thus are in a unique position to be able to reflect on your identity.  The questions - “Who am I?”, “Who do I want to be?”, & “What do I want?” – are often daily challenges as you navigate being more independent and living a good life. Together, we will explore your personal and academic identity development, especially in relation to your happiness.  In particular, we will reflect on emerging adulthood & student development theories, as well as scientific research on happiness, to help us understand how various factors - such as socioeconomics, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, and culture - shape the development of your authentic self.                                          

By using a variety of sources about coming of age and happiness, we will engage with the work of others, learn to articulate a position, and situate our writing within specific contexts.  To begin, we will read, discuss, and write about our classroom treaty and student learning and other identity stories using both our personal experiences and existing theories on coming of age and happiness (2-3 pages).  Informed by these theories, we will write reflect on our own experiences to further our understanding. 

The final project will be an exploration in the form of an in-depth Scholarly Personal Narrative about some issue(s) significant to your coming of age and happiness (10-12 pages).  The topic, and the related additional readings, will be carefully chosen by you so that each personal narrative will be relevant & meaningful as you continue your coming of age journey at Duke.  Throughout the course, we will write self and peer evaluations (2 pages) of our academic writing, and thus collaboratively strengthen our ability to improve our works in progress.   

If you are interested in and willing to be introspective to learn about yourself & others through personal writing, discussions, readings, along with some yoga & mindfulness, then this WRITING 120 class might be a great opportunity for you.

Jennifer Ahern-Dodson, Associate Professor of the Practice, Thompson Writing Program

In this writing course, we’ll explore how women have told the stories of their lives, leadership, and careers in a wide range of contexts. In the first half of the semester, you’ll write informal responses to course readings and two essays on the concepts “trailblazing" and "community activism" to dig into questions behind leadership: What challenges and opportunities do these women encounter? What choices do they make—and why? What are the implications of those choices? Where do they find meaning and joy?

In the second half of the semester, the focus shifts to you. You’ll design an individual research project that helps you identify intentional next steps at Duke aligned with what matters most to you. The project culminates in a lightning talk, a research essay (~10 pages), and a concrete action plan for turning your commitments into practice.

As a writing workshop, this class gives you regular opportunities to read and respond to one another’s work, refine your ideas and arguments through feedback, and gain practice in a range of critical reading and writing strategies.