SUMMER 2003 •
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 1
SPECIAL ISSUE: REAPING THE REWARDS OF
THE PLAN FOR MOUNT HOLYOKE 2003
Plan
goals: Institute a program in speaking, arguing, and writing •
Explore new curricular programs
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FRED
LEBLANC
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Heidi
Winterburn '03 has served as Associate Professor of Philsophy
Sam Mitchell's Speaking, Arguing, and Writing mentor for two
semesters. Interested in the philosophy of aesthetics, she
wrote a thesis examining the work of the performance artist
Marina Abramovic in light of the aesthetic theories of Aristotole,
Nietzsche, and Artaud. Also shown here is Mitchell's dog,
Cheney, who attends many philosophy department functions. |
For Heidi Winterburn
'03, preparing students for in-class debates with subjects such
as "Are you freer than your car?"; providing feedback to a faculty
member about how students feel about his course and serving as
a conduit for their concerns; and helping students overcome feelings
of intimidation about public speaking are all in a day's work--work
as a Speaking, Arguing, and Writing mentor.
Winterburn is one
of sixty students who provide assistance to their peers and Mount
Holyoke's faculty through the innovative program that is known
on campus as SAW. In the process, the philosophy major and politics
minor has learned that she enjoys "interacting with students and
watching that transformative moment when they understand a concept."
And after working closely with Associate Professor of Philosophy
Sam Mitchell as a mentor for two of his classes, she is now considering
a career in teaching philosophy herself. For his part, Mitchell
finds having a SAW mentor "very, very helpful" and feels that
the program has "altered the way we teach at Mount Holyoke. Faculty
now have a greater focus on in-class debate and argument, and
this is done in a consistent way across the disciplines. Writing
has become more focused and not just the purview of the English
department. Writing in philosophy is technical, more like biology
and computer science, and the process is different. Students are
now learning this approach."
Part of the Weissman
Center for Leadership, SAW has worked with faculty to add to and
strengthen writing and speaking elements in courses. It was one
of the first programs in the country to combine writing and speaking
components for the integrated development of both skills and has
become a model for other colleges and universities.
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