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Showing posts from August, 2020

The Common Good: A Syllabus

This summer, I taught my first section of Intellectual Heritage, the program I have directed since 2017. IH offers 2 courses, required of all students at Temple: The Good Life and The Common Good. I taught The Common Good in Summer 1, a 6-week intensive session that was taught online due to COVID-19. Image of the Code of Hammurabi I taught the course asynchronously, which is standard practice in IH. Asynchronous courses, when correctly designed, provide the best opportunity for student engagement and retention. Recognizing that many students are living at home where they may either be competing with family members for internet access, or they may not have it at all, the asynchronous format allows them to complete assignments and discussions at times and places that suit them. I had students who did their work from their dining rooms, and students who did their work while at their jobs (usually because that was their best internet access point). The Pillow Book by Sei Shônag