Events
Contact
Jan Serie Center for Scholarship and TeachingDewitt Wallace Library, Suite 338 651-696-6605
Conversations about Scholarship & Teaching
Spring 2025
Conversations about Scholarship and Teaching (including “Dilemma Mondays”) are held in the Barbara Davis S.P.A.C.E. (Library 309). All faculty and staff are welcome.
Dilemma Mondays will be held on the first Monday of the month (starting in February) and will focus this semester on AI. We welcome guest Dilemma Monday facilitators Mozhdeh Khodarahmi, Britt Abel, and Chris Wells (and possibly others!).
January 31
Centering and Supporting First Generation College Students / Minerva Munoz (Institutional Equity)
This workshop offers an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the experiences, perspectives, and expectations of first-generation college students (FGCS). During this session, we will review examples of experiences around marginalization in the academy and strengths FGCS utilize to achieve. We will also introduce strategies to create a more inclusive and supportive academic environment to advance equity for FGCS.
February 7
Pedagogy Study Session #3: Creating Spaces for Belonging / Ebony Aya (Serie Center)
Pedagogy study sessions are designed to give us the opportunity to learn about pedagogical practices and reading that allows us to imagine the University as a place of wellbeing, community, and hope, grounded in rituals and understanding who we are as individuals connected to a culture and community. This session’s theme is Creating Spaces of Belonging, with reading from bell hooks’ Teaching Community. All readings are located in this google drive. We encourage you to read before the session, but if you are unable to do so, we still invite you to come, join us in the conversation, and learn from your colleagues.
February 14
Box Cloud Storage Overview / Tam Perlman and members of the AIA/ITS team
Join us for an introduction to Box Cloud Storage, ITS’ latest initiative in storage modernization. Over the next academic year, Macalester will transition from our current Windows Server file storage system (G: and H: drives) to Box, our new cloud storage solution. This move is a significant step forward and will bring several key benefits to how we manage and store data. It will also modernize our storage system, enhancing security and flexibility. This session will provide an overview of the initiative and highlight some of Box’s key features.
February 21
Puzzles and Patterns: A Glimpse into Discrete Mathematics / Kristin Heysse (Mathematics, Statistics, & Computer Science)
Mathematics can have the reputation of being boring, frustrating, and tedious. What if it could be creative, exploratory, and playful? Discrete Mathematics studies the patterns and behaviors of discrete structures, and it is well positioned to engender a “puzzle solving” attitude toward mathematical problems. During this talk, we’ll explore how to cultivate this attitude in class, how we elevate intuition to mathematical argument, and what mathematical research can look like in this area. We’ll also try some puzzles of our own!
February 28
“What if” Scenarios for International Students / Luyen Phan and Molly Rochon (International Student Programs)
International students often find themselves in challenging situations that domestic students don’t experience. This might be due to language, culture, visa status or simply where they attended high school. We’ll look at some common scenarios to better understand the international student experience and how faculty can increase their awareness and more effectively support international students.
March 7
Pedagogy Study Session #4: Prioritizing Wellbeing / Ebony Aya (Serie Center)
This session’s theme is Prioritizing Wellbeing. All readings are located in this google drive. We encourage you to read before the session, but if you are unable to do so, we still invite you to come, join us in the conversation, and learn from your colleagues. (This session will be held via Zoom.)
March 14
Balancing Academic Rigor and Flexibility: A Faculty Approach to Accommodations / Alyssa Klenotich and Josie Hurka (Center for Disability Resources)
Join the Center for Disability Resources for a collaborative discussion on best practices for supporting students with disabilities who are approved for flexibility accommodations. The Center for Disability Resources will share two new resources developed by our office to help faculty and students when discussing flexibility accommodations. This session will present an overview of the accommodation process, practical strategies for navigating accommodation requests, and ensuring that we provide an equitable experience for students with disabilities. Faculty will have the opportunity to share experiences, ask questions, and learn in a collaborative environment. Whether you’re new to this or looking to deepen your understanding, this event will bring valuable insights and tools for providing flexible accommodations.
March 28
Scholarship Lightning Round with Emily First (Geology), Christina Hughes (Sociology), Randy Reyes (Theater & Dance), and kt shorb (Theater & Dance)
Join us to hear several of your colleagues share a bit about their current work for our “lightning round scholarship share.” Each colleague will take five minutes to highlight a current research project that brings them joy or that they would like feedback on. Mark your calendars and be sure to attend this not-to-be-missed session!
April 4
Advancing Belonging and Inclusion through Public Programming in City Parks / Dan Trudeau (Geography)
This session will explore how well-designed public parks can foster social interaction and promote inclusion in diverse communities. Using St. Paul’s Phalen Regional Park as a case study, we’ll examine the park’s success in attracting a diverse range of visitors through its varied amenities and inclusive design. We’ll unpack research on people’s experiences to discuss how community events, improved signage, and thoughtful infrastructure can enhance the park experience for all users. The session will consider how insights from parks programming could apply to other efforts to create spaces that serve as vibrant community hubs in an increasingly diverse society.
April 11
Advising @ Mac: Updates and Conversation / Louisa Bradtmiller (Academic Programs & Advising, Environmental Studies)
This session will provide an overview of recent and proposed changes to academic advising since the creation of the Associate Dean of Advising position in Spring 2024. We will then spend the majority of our time discussing some thorny issues left to tackle in the coming years, such as: How can we (re)balance the workload of advising in ways that are more equitable for faculty, and lead to better outcomes for students? Is the current relationship between advising and the FYC working well, and if not, what other models could we consider? What kinds of advisor training do faculty need/want, and how might we observe its impact? Please join us to share your thoughts, experiences, and questions in what is sure to be a lively conversation.
April 18
Cultivating Students’ Academic Reading Practices / Cori McKenzie (MAX Center)
Academic reading requires more than decoding and comprehension skills; it is a social practice, one that places many cognitive and affective demands on college students. Faculty can play a vital role in supporting novice readers as they develop effective academic reading practices. Much of this work can happen through instruction in metacognitive reading strategies. Indeed, studies of college students suggest that such instruction directly supports student success in all college coursework, but especially in reading-intensive courses. This presentation draws from socio-cultural theories of literacy, educational psychology, and the science of learning to make the case for embedding reading strategy instruction into college courses. Additionally, it will provide participants with a series of overarching principles as well as concrete strategies for integrating academic reading instruction into their teaching practice. Finally, participants will be invited to draw from their own experiences as readers and teachers in order to generate new ideas for reading instruction at the college level.
April 25
Arctic Connections and Disconnections: Fiber-optics and the Making of a Maritime Frontier / Alix Johnson (International Studies)
A vital frontline of anthropogenic climate change, the Arctic Ocean is losing ice cover fast. While environmentalists push to preserve the ice that remains here, in recent years states and corporations have started jockeying for access to the waterways and resources being revealed. In this talk, Professor Johnson will share emerging research on one such initiative, the effort to build subsea fiber-optic cables across the Arctic. These cables, often described as the “backbone of the internet,” have the potential to drastically improve internet access in remote communities. At the same time, she argues that they also complicate questions of national sovereignty and spatial power in the North. Situating the project of siting, financing, and constructing subsea fiber-optic cables in the Arctic Ocean within a long history of imagining the Arctic as a frontier space, she analyzes it as a mode of anticipatory politics, or claims-making in a contested maritime sphere.
May 2
End of Year Reflection and Highlights
Fall 2024
Conversations about Scholarship and Teaching (including “Dilemma Mondays”) are held in the Barbara Davis S.P.A.C.E. (Library 309). All faculty and staff are welcome.
Monday, September 9
Dilemma Monday: Difficult Conversations
Facilitated by Hui Wilcox, Brian Lozenski, Myrl Beam, Bethany Miller, Nancy Bostrom
In today’s climate, we are continually faced with complex and challenging situations that deeply affect our classroom dynamics. Whether it’s personal stress, national issues like upcoming elections, or global crises such as conflicts in Palestine, DRC, and Sudan, these events inevitably impact our teaching and the spaces we create for our students.
We invite you to join us for a conversation where faculty and staff will share their experiences and current practices in fostering meaningful dialogue and a sense of belonging within our Macalester community. This discussion will focus on:
Current Practices and Programming: Learn about the methods and initiatives being used to facilitate difficult conversations and support students through challenging times.
Critical Dialogue and Community Building: Hear how our colleagues are bringing people together through thoughtful and inclusive dialogue.
Embodied Practices in the Classroom: Discover techniques for integrating embodied practices into your teaching to help students build the emotional bandwidth needed to engage with and process difficult topics.
Friday, September 13
Student Engagement
Wendy Weber (Political Science)
Professor Wendy Weber, winner of the 2024 Jack and Marty Rossmann Award for Excellence in Teaching, will facilitate a discussion on the challenges we’re seeing around student engagement today and how we might address these challenges in our classrooms.
Friday, September 20
Publishing Your Research: Climate Impact and Inequities in Scholarly Publishing
Christie Manning (Environmental Studies); Katherine Fish(Serials and Electronic Resources Librarian); Louann Terveer (Digital Initiatives and Scholarly Communication Librarian)
How does the publishing industry interplay with pressing issues such as socioeconomic inequality and climate change? Why does this matter to Macalester and to your academic work? In this session, we will delve into some of the complexities surrounding the current publishing ecosystem, moving beyond the common focus on open access to explore broader, global impacts and potential solutions. Join us for a critical examination of the publishing landscape and learn how you can make more informed publishing choices.
Friday, September 27
Short-Term Faculty-Led Courses Abroad: Learn from What Has Been Done
Shanti Freitas (Center for Study Away)
Currently, Macalester offers a few short-term faculty-led courses that include an international travel component. As the Strategic Plan specifically names a goal of amplifying opportunities for experiential learning, there is increased interest in and conversations about these types of courses. This talk will highlight three existing courses: January in Rome (Beth Severy-Hoven), Blacks in Paris (Duchess Harris & Julie Rogers), and Climate Talks (Louisa Bradtmiller & Roopali Phadke). In a conversation facilitated by Shanti Freitas in the Center for Study Away, faculty will share their experience leading students abroad including course structure, learning goals, and take-aways, and reflect on how others might learn from these examples.
Friday, October 4
Pedagogy Study Session #1
Ebony Aya (Serie Center)
Monday, October 7
Dilemma Monday
Friday, October 25
Making an impact: appraising public scholarship
Kevin Ward (University of Manchester)
Join us for an engaging Q&A session with Dr. Kevin Ward, from Manchester University, that aims to demystify the dynamic world of public scholarship. Delve into the opportunities it presents for broadening impact, career growth, and fostering community engagement, while also anticipating various challenges and considering how to address them. This session offers a platform for academics to share insights, strategies, and experiences in navigating the evolving landscape of public scholarship
Friday, November 1
Literature Reviews For The Win
Erik Davis (Religious Studies) and Ginny Moran (Research & Instruction Librarian)
Our students are comfortable discussing sources as individual pieces of information, but have less facility with identifying the current state of knowledge on a topic and synthesizing an ongoing scholarly conversation. Erik and Ginny suggest that teaching the formative literature review can improve students’ empowerment, engagement, and evaluation of class work, and facilitate the independent integration and analysis that we strive to teach. We will discuss our evolving approaches and exercises; we look forward to hearing from you about your ideas and hope to stimulate a productive discussion about these topics.
Monday, November 4
Dilemma Monday: Election Edition
Friday November 8
Pedagogy Study Session #2
Ebony Aya (Serie Center)
Friday, November 15
Playing the media game & The Conversation info session
Joe Linstroth (Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs)
Have a new book, piece of art, or research paper coming out? Looking for ways to advance your career? Want to help the public understand and care about the issues, concepts, and perspectives you’ve devoted your professional lives to mastering? For these reasons, and many others, “playing the media game” can bring worthwhile rewards. This session is designed to inform faculty about the options and resources that exist to help you successfully engage with the media.
One of those options is the college’s membership with The Conversation, an international news outlet designed to help academics reach a general audience. In our first year, Mac professors published 21 pieces that were republished by outlets around the globe and totaled nearly 550,000 reads worldwide. It has been a game-changer and a fantastic success story!
Friday, November 22
Survey Says: How Macalester’s Spring 20214 National College Health Assessment (NCHA) Data Can Inform Your Work
Jen Jacobsen (Executive Director of Health & Wellness)
Nearly 30% of Macalester students participated in the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) in Spring 2024, but what does that mean for your work with students? Come co-create meaning with us and explore the relationships among students’ self-reported health behaviors, perceptions, attitudes, and their academic experience. What does self-reported cannabis use have to do with negative academic performance due to depression? Do students self-report more challenges with procrastination or with faculty? Which class year of students is the least likely to report that all-nighters are *never* academically necessary? Come find out the answers to these questions and more, discuss with colleagues how you interpret these relationships, identify how you might use this information to inform your teaching, advising, and mentoring.
Monday, December 2
Dilemma Monday
Friday, December 6
Getting it Right: Designing General Education Curriculum for the Liberal Arts
Duchess Harris (American Studies)/Dan Trudeau (Geography)
This session is hosted by the newly formed Curriculum Implementation Committee to reflect on the emerging curriculum revision process that is a part of the college’s Strategic Planning Initiative. This session explores different approaches to a general education curriculum in the liberal arts, focusing on alignment with institutional mission. Participants will engage in discussions on curriculum design, integration of interdisciplinary perspectives, and the promotion of critical thinking and high-impact learning practices. The session aims to foster collaborative dialogue to enhance the educational experience at the college and uphold the core values of liberal arts education.
2023-2024 Conversations about Scholarship and Teaching
2022-2023 Conversation about Scholarship and Teaching