Abstract

This project, which seeks to convene a multidisciplinary group of faculty and campus collaborators to develop and pilot the Educating the Whole Person course, is a direct response to the budgetary constraints experienced in the Humanities Commons Program as a result of the pandemic. The First Year Arts immersion which gave all first year students in the Humanities Commons Program the opportunity to experience an artistic performance/work of art was discontinued due to budget cuts caused by Covid-19. Through the development of the Educating the Whole Person Course, project leaders and collaborators seek to create a new experiential learning experience for first year students, focused on engaging with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion through community-engaged learning in the city of Dayton. The course will integrate humanities texts/concepts, community-engaged learning, and vocational discernment as well as career exploration.  Through the course, students will build a personal narrative portfolio and have the opportunity to gain a microcredential in creative skills.