College Transitions Program

The Stakes of Learning

Courses in this cluster will explore the histories of educational models, unpack the philosophies behind educational systems and pedagogies, and invite students to see the impacts of educational systems.

Associated Course Pairings:

This table lists the CC100 and CC120 courses in this thematic cluster.
CC101: What Is a Liberal Arts Education? and CC120: Getting Tipsy with Socrates
CC106: Learning Community: Teaching Change and CC120: Writing () the Earth; from, to, with, for

Course Descriptions

CC101: What is a Liberal Arts Education?

Instructor: Timothy Fuller
Learning Across the Liberal Arts Designation: Analysis & Interpretation of Meaning
CRN# 18275
Block: 1

Historical and philosophical study of the origins and development of liberal arts education, including the formation of modern colleges and universities, and the present and future issues and prospects of liberal arts education.

CC120: Getting Tipsy with Socrates

Instructor: Richard Fernando Buxton
CRN# 18315
Block: 2

In this class we will think about—and practice—academic writing in the Humanities through studying Plato’s Symposium, one of the most fun and fascinating works to reach us from ancient Athens. The Symposium follows the philosopher Socrates to a drinking party where leading intellectual and artistic figures discuss the nature of love, particularly sexual desire between men. The work provides important evidence for everything from Athenian social customs, the history of sexuality, philosophy’s competitive relationship with the arts and science, and emotional life 2500 years ago. It therefore gives us a chance to discuss how scholars from various disciplines have written about a single work in a variety of ways, bringing different questions and methods to bear on the same text. This will let us reflect on what is the same and different between academic writing in related Humanistic fields, while also seeing how our own voices as writers change depending on the kind of investigation we undertake—and what audience(s) we wish to address. Students will become comfortable with the conventions of academic writing in the Humanities, all while tackling an accessible work that asks deep questions about love and companionship in a good-humored manner.

Second Tuesday there as an evening film screening from 7-9:30 pm. Third Wednesday we will travel to CU in the morning to visit the Art Museum, departing 8:30 am and returning around 2:30 pm.

CC106: Learning Community: Teaching Change

Instructor: Page Regan
Learning Across the Liberal Arts Designation: Societies & Human Behaviors
CRN# 18248
Block: 1

This is a critical inquiry seminar in which we investigate the central topics of community and belonging through the discipline of Education and its related fields. In this course, we consider teaching and learning as processes for shaping community in and outside of the classroom and relatedly, what it means to teach for social change.

CC120: Writing () the Earth; from, to, with, for

Instructors: Juan Miguel Arias
CRN# 18248
Block: 2

This course will explore how we connect to—and act for—places, people, and the Earth through writing. We will interrogate writing as a tool for thought, communication, persuasion, and emotion. From Thoreau to Sagan, Guthrie, Oliver, Kimmerer, Freire, and hooks, we will cover prominent (and silenced) written voices as sources of hope, knowledge, and critical action for the Earth and its people. As a CC120 course, we will explore and practice writing across different disciplines—from scientific inquiry, social critique, and humanistic expression—to address core questions: How do local and global environments impact our lived experiences? How can we use written (and spoken) language to shape the environments of our futures?

Two to three day "writing retreat" style field trip to the CC Cabin or Catamount Center in the later weeks of the course.

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