I teach the Minor’s theory component, where most of the learning is experiential and embodied. There is little required reading material, but plenty of resources to choose from in a media catalogue of the course. The students are not expected to constantly take notes, but there are intentional moments where they are explicitly asked to write down their reflections on a particular question. Consequently, the test is not an evaluation of students’ knowledge acquisition, but a demonstration of their ability to put their analysis and positioning into use for their own analytical development and expression (see Additional Resources for Bloom’s Taxonomy).
The following instructions have been part of the course plan:
<aside> ✍🏼 You will write a deeply personal, highly engaging essay that compellingly expresses your position and mission in New Earth. You are expected to refer to (New-Earth-related) events, texts, works and ideas that inform and animate your work and your existence. Consider this your manifesto or artist statement that anticipates your graduation work. Deep reflection is essential! This is neither an academic paper nor an encyclopaedia entry; any position is permissible as long as you can substantiate it. Avoid platitudes at all costs. Any medium should be acceptable as long as it is in a publicly publishable format. Hyperlinked, multimedia presentations are encouraged. 1000 to 2000 words is a reasonable goal, but keep it commensurate with the argument.
</aside>
The assessment criteria were as follows:
The semester has been structured in the following way:
At the end of the Crash Course, I produced an additional handbook [see ECC Handbook] recapitulating all the main themes, questions and exercises and providing further instructions and tips for their collective presentation and personal essay. I also established a template/structure for the collaborative database (see Appendix), so that they could digitise what we previously developed in class.