Search

This monograph documents the work of 41 participating community colleges in Exploring America's Communities (EAC): In Quest of Common Ground, a project stimulating a national conversation about American pluralism and identity, addressing such issues as what it means to be American, what brings us together and what divides us. Developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 1995 and coordinated by the American Association of Community Colleges, the two-year project consisted of: (1) a teleconference introducing EAC telecast to 500 communities; (2) two regional conferences attended by representatives from 41 community colleges; (3) mentoring services to help these colleges implement and refine their projects; (4) resources, including NEH's Conversation Kit and newsletter; and (5) a national conference reconvening the 41 participating colleges to share results of the project's implementation. This document provides reports from each of the 41 participating community colleges on their experience with the EAC project, including a background description of the college, a plan for achieving EAC goals, and accomplishments in meeting those goals. The majority of the colleges named one or more of the following as barriers to American relations: race, ethnicity, religion (which can unite as well as divide), socioeconomic status, prejudices, neighborhoods, failure to communicate effectively, language, age, gender, and individualism. Paradoxically, and almost without exception, the participating colleges found that the ties that bind Americans together are our beliefs in and commitments to freedom and individualism, as well as common holidays, laws, government, sports, pop culture, political parties, concern for children, and food. Appendices include lists of participating colleges and project mentors, and six selected resources. (AS)

This document describes a program called Community Conversations, a joint effort between Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of the two-year college, and the Community College Humanities Association. The program consisted of a series of national and regional conversations among students and community members, addressing what it means to be an American. Highlights of the conversations, which took place at two-year institutions in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, North and South Carolina, Texas, and Washington, include: (1) one theme that emerged repeatedly was the keen interaction and interplay between national issues and local issues; (2) participants defined themselves and their communities by a sense of place, yet noted the difficulties of overcoming isolation; (3) the continuing tragedy of racism provoked strong reactions from African Americans, and questions of racial difference and treatment occasionally brought conversations to a halt; (4) the conversations augmented people's sense of community and clarified their understanding of questions of American identity. Each conversation is described in detail. This paper also presents guidelines for conversation leaders--step-by-step suggestions on how to plan and organize these types of conversations. Appended is information on the community conversation leaders, Phi Theta Kappa, and the Community College Humanities Association. (JA)

The American Association of Community and Junior Colleges' (AACJC's) two-year Advancing the Humanities Project (AHP) has assisted selected community colleges in promoting the humanities on their campuses. Parts I and II of this report on the AHP present statements by Dale Parnell and Judith Jeffrey Howard about the AACJC's humanities initiatives and the importance of humanities study for two-year college students. Part III offers an overview of the activities, accomplishments, and plans of the AHP, focusing on the two National Humanities Conferences and the participating colleges' efforts to implement humanities action plans over the next 8 months. Part IV contains case studies of eight exemplary humanities projects: (1) "Integrating Humanities into Career Education" at Kirkwood Community College (Iowa); (2) "A Time to Think about Shakespeare" at Nassau Community College (New York); (3) Prince George's Community College's (Maryland) summer seminar in Greek mythology for humanities faculty; (4) "Cultural Literacy Project" at the Community College of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania); (5) "Faculty Renewal and Development through Interdisciplinary Humanities Seminars" at Jefferson State Community College's (Alabama); (6) "Strengthening General Education through the Humanities" at Piedmont Virginia Community College (Virginia); (7) Richland College's (Texas) "College Classics Cluster Project"; and (8) "Fostering Coherence through the Humanities" at Utah Valley Community College. Parts V and VI provide brief progress reports from the 25 colleges participating in the 1990 AHP conference; and updates of the continuing efforts of the 24 institutions participating in 1989. Finally, part VII describes efforts being launched to develop regional humanities networks. A list of program participants and the AACJC Humanities Policy Statement are included. (PAA)

In March 1989, the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC) began a year-long project to strengthen the humanities offerings in two-year institutions. Directors from eight select humanities programs which had received National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Higher Education in the Humanities grants were called upon to share their acquired expertise and experience with representatives from the humanities departments of 24 community colleges from across the nation. Selected by a committee of AACJC and NEH officials from among 100 applicants, the 24 participating colleges spent 3 days at a conference in Washington, D.C. that included plenary sessions, model project presentations, and mentor/team meetings with the eight selected directors. At the conclusion of the conference, each of the 24 teams had produced a written plan of action for their college to pursue over the months that followed. This project report includes brief profiles on the efforts and accomplishments of the eight selected college humanities departments and provides highlight reports from the 24 participating community colleges on the progress in humanities development they have achieved since the conference. Three appendices include addresses of all participating colleges and conference principals, a national map showing distribution of the colleges, and the AACJC policy statement regarding the study of humanities. (GFW)

This report by the American Association of Community Colleges summarizes the results of a nationwide year-long study on foreign language education. Programs, called Improving Foreign Language Education projects at Community Colleges, were implemented at a total of 36 American colleges to enact proposed changes in curriculum and foreign language instruction. Specifically, the projects were designed to respond to the recommendations produced by a 1992 roundtable of foreign language educators. The impetus for the roundtable and ensuing projects was the conviction that in today's multicultural society, foreign language acquisition is no longer an "extra," but is essential to mutual understanding and cooperation. With the intention of creating a broader, stronger and more cohesive content and approach than currently exists, 14 policy points were suggested, some of which included: proficiency-based education; the use of technology; faculty development; instruction across-the-curriculum; and instruction for native speakers. The programs developed at 20 community colleges are described in this report. Information provided includes the background of the institution, the plan and approach developed for the program, and the results achieved. Contact information is also provided. The authors of the study found that the positive outcome of the projects indicates a strong possibility of future success in foreign language instruction. (VF)

Improving Foreign Language Education at Community Colleges, a project from the American Association of Community Colleges (Washington, D.C.), is described in this report as an effort to advance the quality and extent of foreign language education at community colleges across the nation. The project provides a combination of resources for selected colleges to use to strengthen and enhance their foreign language programs. This report documents colleges' innovations and progress. Principal features of the project include the following: creation of a three-member college team; preparation of an initial action plan to address identified college needs; assignment of a pool of mentors; and two national conferences. The mentors played a central role in the successful achievement of the goals of the 15 participating colleges. This document discusses the problems encountered by foreign language departments at these colleges, their planned solutions to the problems, and the results of their efforts over a year-long effort. Case studies demonstrate the unusual success of the colleges' efforts and hint at the growth these programs will experience in the future. (JA)

Interest in the humanities is being revitalized at community and junior colleges through community forums and town meetings. The idea of melding the community forum with the humanities was at the heart of a national humanities demonstration program, in which 11 community colleges participated by developing model community forum programs based upon articles and supplementary materials prepared by distinguished humanists for Courses by Newspaper (CbN). The CbN series of 15 articles serves as a basis for courses at two- and four-year colleges. The community forum demonstration programs added a new dimension to CbN by using lectures, panels, debates, dramatizations, films, or radio broadcasts to provide an informational introduction to open discussion periods. Members of humanities faculties were involved in all aspects of the program, serving on advisory committees and as resource persons, key speakers, panelists, moderators, discussion leaders, and authors. Following the demonstration program, the participating colleges shared their experiences in a series of eight two-day community forum workshops. Many workshop participants are currently preparing a new community forum program entitled "Energy and the Way We Live" for 1980. The energy forum, like many of its predecessors, will be complemented by a variety of media programs and related community events. (AYC)