REMARKS
Integrating civic engagement across academic disciplines at Kingsborough Community College
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Helen-Margaret Nasser, Director of the Student Union and Intercultural Center at Kingsborough Community College, explains their efforts to integrate civic engagement across various academic disciplines.
- The Student Union and Intercultural Center collaborates closely with faculty to plan events that align with course curricula
- Events such as elected official visits and documentary screenings are scheduled to coincide with class times
- Faculty are encouraged to incorporate these events into their syllabi or offer extra credit for attendance
- Efforts are made to connect civic engagement themes to various disciplines, such as immigration in English classes or voting rights in history classes
Helen-Margaret Nasser
0:46:08
Yep.
0:46:08
I can speak on behalf of Efforts at Kingsborough with the student union and Intercultural center.
0:46:13
Our work is heavily dependent on collaborating with faculty.
0:46:17
So anytime we have an elected official come to speak, documentary film screenings, all of the events are carefully planned in conjunction with when classes are in session, with an invitation to the faculty to consider bringing their classes to the event as well.
0:46:35
Recognizing that if students are if we're expecting students to walk through the door, even with the best free food, they may not.
0:46:41
But if a faculty integrates it into their curriculum with extra credit or part of the syllabus, then they are more inclined to come, more inclined to be engaged regardless of the discipline.
0:46:53
So I've worked closely with many faculty over the years.
0:46:57
I know a bit of their curriculum, so I can also anticipate what are the themes that we can have a broad civic engagement lens.
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So English faculty might be talking about immigration.
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You know, history classes might be talking about the right to vote, the environment, climate change.
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When I know that those themes extend several different disciplines.
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I can plan events around those and taking that civic engagement, guests work out for the faculty and develop it with them.
Eric Dinowitz
0:47:29
I mean, I'm looking at Nyberg's website for example.
0:47:32
And, you know, there are a number of issues that NiPert touches on, like higher education funding, hunger, homeless outreach, environment, mass transit, and consumer protection.
0:47:44
And so it it also sounds like there's a lot of room to grow in terms of saying different majors and and and courses that can integrate the civic engagement, which is already work that you're doing.