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M AN H AT TAN V I L L E C O L L E G E
SUMMER
Manhattanville Responds
Faculty in a videoconference in the course. Left to right, top: College Archivist Lauren Ziarko, MA, MLIS, Professor Lisa Rafanelli, JD, PhD, Professor Binita Mehta, PhD; Left to right, bottom: Professor Nada Halloway, PhD, Professor Caralyn Bialo, PhD, and Professor Carmelo Comberiati, PhD.
“I am thrilled to offer the keynote and offer a perspective from sport studies and all of the fields that it pulls from— history, sociology, politics, the sciences, media, and so much more,” said Amy Bass, PhD, professor of Sport Studies and chair of the Division of Social Science and Communication. “It was the NBA that really woke America up as to what living in a pandemic could mean, and I think using the lens of sports to unpack some of the cultural, scientific, and political aspects of COVID-19 is a provocative and engaging way for students to launch their college careers at Manhattanville.” In the flurry of media attention to the COVID-19 course, learning design firm SHP captured the ground-breaking significance of it: “This kind of disruptive, real-time addition to the course catalog is exactly the kind of innovation higher ed should embrace. Doing so delivers a more personalized, equitable and—dare we say —interesting experience for students. In the wake of COVID-19 and massive changes to its underlying infrastructure, isn’t that exactly the kind of opportunity higher ed should seize?” Kate Cassino, CEO of Hobsons, wrote: “Inspiring creativity by faculty and staff at Manhattanville College, giving new students a way to positively remember the difficult days of the pandemic.” Nearly twenty-five percent of the faculty at Manhattanville participated in the course, as did Director of the Library Jeff Rosedale and Special Collections Librarian Lauren Ziarko. Michael Castaldo, from the department of Communications and Media, edited hundreds of hours of recordings faculty made in their homes into polished mini documentaries. Nearly 100 students enrolled in the course, meeting in groups with seven faculty members leading discussion. The final project for each student is the production of a COVID-19 “artifact” that captures what they want future students at Manhattanville to know about the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of an incoming first-year student. These artifacts will be part of a permanent, online collection of COVID-19 materials in the Special Collections of the Manhattanville College library and will be available to alumni. Students are excited to have the opportunity to put their hard-won experiences to work making Manhattanville history. As Ziarko said in the course, “Now is the time to document our story.” To learn more about the course, the faculty leading it, and to view a brief video—click here.
Humanity and natural disaster:
HOW DO WE FIND MEANING?
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