Unconventional
THINKING
Creating knowledge through Westminster’s cluster courses By VAL BRKICH ’97
LEARNING ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH THE MUSIC OF JOHN COLTRANE. BIRD WATCHING THROUGH THE LENS OF INSTAGRAM. UNDERSTANDING HOW ELVIS’ GYRATING DANCE MOVES HELPED SHAPE POST-WAR AMERICA IN THE MID-20TH CENTURY. IT’S DEFINITELY NOT YOUR MAMA’S IDEA OF READING, WRITING, AND ARITHMETIC. AND THAT’S EXACTLY THE IDEA BEHIND WESTMINSTER’S CLUSTER COURSES. “Different people approach ideas or problems in different ways,” says Dr. Jamie G. McMinn, associate dean of academic affairs and professor of psychology. “Cluster courses enable us to leverage all those ways for the benefit of our students and their varying ways of learning. They’re creating knowledge rather than just talking about it. It’s really the embodiment of a liberal arts education.” Clusters consist of two linked courses taught by at least two faculty from different disciplines. For example, this spring the College offered “Syncopated Southern Synthesis: African American History through Jazz,” which combined African American History with Introduction to Classic Jazz. In another, “Tweetspeak: Bird Biology and Bird Blogging,” students studied bird biology and bird watching, then documented what they learned and experienced using digital media like blogs, podcasts, YouTube, and Instagram. A one-time requirement for all students during their sophomore or junior year, these dual-discipline offerings were originally
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conceived through the Westminster Plan—a strategic plan for the College adopted during the 1997-98 academic year, with the goal of promoting integrated learning and the development of a community of learners. “Clusters were made possible because of the many interdisciplinary courses developed for the former January Term,” says Dr. Fritz Horn, professor of English emeritus who served as chair of the Curriculum Development Committee that designed and developed the Westminster Plan. “When J-Term ended in 1997, cluster courses gave faculty a way to continue these interesting collaborations with their colleagues.” McMinn, who teaches the “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex... but were Afraid to Learn” cluster with Suzanne G. Prestien, associate professor of English and public relations, says clusters make Westminster grads more attractive to employers. “This type of learning gives our students a clear connection of how to apply what
they learn to real-world situations,” he says. “It teaches them how to work well with others and to problem solve from different perspectives. Most of these courses also include heavy communication component, too, which we know is desirable to today’s employers.” Daniel J. Owoc, a senior biology major, took McMinn’s cluster last year and says he really enjoyed learning about psychological theories and then applying those theories to films. “It really helps you relate to the characters in the stories better,” says Owoc, “and to use the experiences to analyze situations in your own life.” The most challenging part of the course, he says, was discussing some of the issues that many people face in their everyday lives. “You don’t realize what some people go through until you take a course like this. It’s pretty eye-opening.” Dr. Alan Gittis, psychology professor emeritus, has taught “Neural Networks” with his colleague in computer science, Dr.
