Human Communication
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Author(s): Elizabeth Reeves Connor
Students deliver a 4–6 minute informative or persuasive speech on a human communication topic of their choice, supported by credible research and a formal preparation outline. The speech must be delivered extemporaneously and demonstrate clear organization, depth of content, and effective delivery. Visual aids are optional, and outlines must follow strict formatting and citation guidelines.
Outcome: Communication: Express oneself effectively in presentations, either in American English or American Sign Language, Communication: Express oneself effectively in common college-level written forms Method: Presentation Characteristics: Experiential, Reflection, Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Human Communication
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Kosovo Crisis Simulation
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Author(s): Benjamin Banta
This assignment asks students to critically reflect on the ethics of their role in an in-class simulation. We simulate the 1999 crisis in Kosovo, especially the months leading up to the NATO decision to begin airstrikes over Kosovo aimed at preventing the wider spread of ethnic cleansing by Serbian forces of the Kosovar Albanian population.
Outcome: Ethical: Identify contemporary ethical questions and relevant positions, Communication: Express oneself effectively in common college-level written forms Method: Essay Characteristics: Collaborative, Experiential, Reflection, Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Kosovo Crisis Simulation
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Lightbulb Case Study
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Author(s): Eric Hittinger
Students develop a financial model that calculates the Net Present Cost (NPC) of buying and operating an incandescent (the regular kind), compact fluorescent (CFL, the "swirly" kind), and an LED bulb and develop a summary of their model, including results and some discussion.
Outcome: Scientific Principles: Apply methods of scientific inquiry and problem solving to contemporary issues and scientific questions, Communication: Express oneself effectively in common college-level written forms Method: Case Study Characteristics: Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Lightbulb Case Study
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Literacy Narrative
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Author(s): David Martins
This multi-stage assignment invites students to reflect on their personal literacy development through storytelling, peer collaboration, and revision. Students describe key literacy events, analyze their own and classmates’ experiences, and craft a reflective narrative that explores how social, cultural, and linguistic factors shape learning. The final product is a polished essay that integrates personal insight with shared classroom perspectives.
Outcome: Communication: Revise and improve written products, Communication: Express oneself effectively in common college-level written forms Method: Essay Characteristics: Collaborative, Reflection, Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Literacy Narrative
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Mammoth De-extinction, GMO bananas, and Hydrofracking
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Author(s): Elizabeth Hane, Scott Franklin
In a final group presentation, students choose one of three case studies—mammoth de-extinction, GMO bananas, or hydrofracking—and present their conclusions based on scientific evidence and ethical considerations. Presentations address scientific questions, evaluate the credibility and bias of sources, and explain how the group reached its decision. Students are expected to engage critically with real-world environmental and biotechnological issues.
Outcome: Communication: Express oneself effectively in common college-level written forms, Critical Thinking: Analyze or construct arguments considering their premises, assumptions, contexts, conclusions, and anticipating counterarguments, Communication: Express oneself effectively in presentations, either in American English or American Sign Language Method: Case Study, Essay, Presentation Characteristics: Collaborative, Experiential, Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Mammoth De-extinction, GMO bananas, and Hydrofracking
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Microessay
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Author(s): Katie Terezakis Students write a 700-word microessay ("note to self") that explains Hume’s critique of Descartes and then reconstructs a possible Cartesian reply using evidence from the Meditations and Descartes’ published responses to the "objections". The goal is to analyze what is at the core of the disagreement and whether Descartes’ method of radical doubt successfully overcomes skepticism or whether Hume’s critique prevails. This assignment emphasizes close reading and philosophical reasoning as tools for developing original judgments about the success of Descartes’ metaphysics.
Outcome: Communication: Express oneself effectively in common college-level written forms, Communication: Demonstrate comprehension of information and ideas accessed through reading, Critical Thinking: Analyze or construct arguments considering their premises, assumptions, contexts, conclusions, and anticipating counterarguments Method: Essay Characteristics: Reflection, Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Microessay
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Minimum Wage Law- A One Act Play
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Author(s): Jeff Wagner
Students write a one-act play in which they engage in a dialogue about the economic and social implications of minimum wage laws. The play must explore multiple perspectives, including arguments for and against removing the minimum wage, and reflect how the student’s thinking has evolved over the course. The format encourages critical thinking, creativity, and application of economic concepts in a real-world scenario.
Outcome: Social: Analyze similarities and differences in human social experiences and evaluate the consequences, Communication: Express oneself effectively in common college-level written forms Method: Essay Characteristics: Experiential, Reflection, Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Minimum Wage Law- A One Act Play
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Mission Possible? Deciphering Human Disease
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Author(s): Sandra Connelly
Students complete a three-part project on an assigned human disease, replacing a traditional final exam. The project includes a research paper introducing the disease and its symptoms, a 3-minute video explaining causes and treatments, and an infographic focused on environmental factors affecting the disease. Each component builds on the last, requiring students to synthesize scientific research and communicate effectively to both expert and general audiences.
Outcome: Critical Thinking: Use relevant evidence gathered through accepted scholarly methods and properly acknowledge sources of information, Communication: Express oneself effectively in common college-level written forms Method: Project Characteristics: Experiential, Reflection, Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Mission Possible? Deciphering Human Disease
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Persuasive Speech
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Author(s): Elizabeth Reeves O’Connor Students prepare and present a speech designed to persuade the audience for or against a proposition of policy, proposition of value, or proposition of fact on a topic of local, regional, national, or international concern.
Outcome: Communication: Express oneself effectively in presentations, either in American English or American Sign Language, Critical Thinking: Use relevant evidence gathered through accepted scholarly methods and properly acknowledge sources of information Method: Presentation Characteristics: Reflection, Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Persuasive Speech
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Prima Facie Duties in Context
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Author(s): Colin Mathers
Students write a mini-essay applying W.D. Ross’s theory of prima facie duties to compare moral obligations in two familiar social contexts: the family and the college classroom. The essay progresses through three stages—first comparing the two settings without moral terminology, then analyzing them using at least three of Ross’s duties, and finally connecting specific rules in each setting to those duties.
Outcome: Social: Analyze similarities and differences in human social experiences and evaluate the consequences, Communication: Express oneself effectively in common college-level written forms Method: Essay Characteristics: Experiential, Reflection, Writing Intensive Download Assignment for Prima Facie Duties in Context
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