Experimental College

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The Experimental College Movement (also referred to as EXCO or EC) has taken several forms historically, but is generally a school within a school, based out of a college or university, that offers classes taught by not just traditional professors, but students and community members as well (often without grades and often free of charge or in some way associated with social or curricular change).

In the 1960s the idea took the form of a movement, with Experimental Colleges arising at Tufts University[1] and the University of California, Davis, in 1966[2], and the University of Washington[3] and Oberlin College in 1968, [4]. In addition to these projects, which still exist today, some Experimental Colleges came in and out of existence, such as the Tussman Experimental College at University of California, Berkley,[5] and at the University of Southern California[6]. These projects reflect different approaches to the concept: some hold fast to the principle of cost-free courses, some offer courses for credit, some emphasize a community focus. More recently established Experimental Colleges exist at Haverford[7] and in the Twin Cities.[8]

And while EXCOs draw upon a long history of many radical community movements including Popular Education, Free Schools, Freedom Schools, Work Peoples' Colleges, etc, the original concept is often attributed to Alexander Meiklejohn, who spearheaded such a project at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and authored a book about the experience, The Experimental College, in 1932.[9]

The Experimental College at Tufts University (also known as the Ex College), is located in Medford, Massachusetts. The college was founded in 1964, to expand the offerings of the undergraduate course curriculum, and has remained an integral part of the university ever since.

The Experimental College expands the boundaries of the university by offering innovative, credit-bearing courses that strengthen the overall academic opportunities at Tufts. These courses tend to involve issues of current importance and/or provide instruction on interdisciplinary subject areas that do not significantly overlap what is being offered in the traditional departments. They are also intended to be discussion-based and participatory in nature. Interactive and collaborative teaching methods such as small group work, case-study method, role playing and learning through active citizenship are strongly encouraged, and many instructors incorporate such dynamic elements into their classes.

The ExCollege offers courses taught not only by members of the Tufts Faculty, but also adjunct Visiting Lecturers and Tufts undergraduates. The ExCollege Visiting Lecturer positions are open to the public, and those who are selected to teach range from advanced graduate students to business, law and computer science professionals, to seasoned PhD professors. All applicants are required to construct and submit their course proposals 2-6 months before the start of the semester. The selection process is highly competitive, and the ExCollege Board, comprised of faculty, students and staff, selects roughly 20-25 Visiting Lecturers from a pool of about 80-100 applicants each term. All applicants undergo an interview process each time they wish to teach, regardless of whether or not they have previously taught at the ExCollege, or any other institution. This ensures that the ExCollege remains up-to-date with only the most relevant and popular subjects, and selects only the most qualified instructors at any given time. The real-world experiences and acumen of these Visiting Lecturers make them a valuable addition to the undergraduate curriculum.

The Experimental College of the Twin Cities was started by Macalester students in the Spring of 2006 in response to a policy change that reflected the shrinking access to higher education nationally and the neo-liberal model in the US and around the world. EXCOtc is currently expanding to other college campuses and community groups, both of which can create their own EXCO chapters. A second chapter was created at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities Campus) in the winter of 2007, as a continuation of protests in support of a strike by the workers of the campus's AFSCME union who demanded a living wage. Protesting students were outraged that their school's administration had abandoned the principles of the public land-grant institution: equal access, social justice, democratic education. So, they decided to devote their energies to form a new chapter of EXCOtc, as a university that would enact those ideals.

EXCOtc exemplifies a community-based emphasis, with organizing groups at both Macalester College and the University of Minnesota, including students, staff and community members, and with an expansive commitment to movement building, community, and education for social change. Classes range from Latino Labor Organizing for Alternatives to Globalization, to Jazz and Competition Dance, to Anarchist Anthropology, to the Social Responsibility of African American Music, to Bike Feminism (Theory and Mechanics), to Shape Note Singing. To see current classes go to: http://www.excotc.org/?q=og


[edit] References

  1. ^ Tufts University: The Experimental College
  2. ^ Experimental College
  3. ^ exco.org :: Experimental College
  4. ^ www.oberlin.edu/exco/
  5. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tussman_Experimental_College
  6. ^ Experimental College // SCampus
  7. ^ Experimental College
  8. ^ www.excotc.org
  9. ^ The University: The experimental college: Contents

[edit] External links

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