Asking bigger questions: An invitation to further conversation

Stephen Bloch-Schulman; Susan Wharton Conkling; Sherry Lee Linkon; Karen Manarin; Kathleen Perkins

doi:10.20343/teachlearninqu.4.1.12

Authors

Stephen Bloch-Schulman Elon University
Susan Wharton Conkling Boston University
Sherry Lee Linkon Georgetown University
Karen Manarin Mount Royal University
Kathleen Perkins Columbia College Chicago

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.4.1.12

Keywords:

Arts, Humanities, Methodology, Disciplinary Perspectives, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Abstract

In this essay, the editors and contributors to this special section on SoTL in the Arts and Humanities argue that given the current climate and context, debates within SoTL about appropriate methodology both lead scholars from their disciplines to reject SoTL and also, more importantly, distract us from more significant questions and challenges. If, instead, SoTL would embrace not only its diversity but also its political potential, then we, as a scholarly community, would be in a position to do more than merely improve students’ learning in our own classrooms. We could help to transform higher education. To achieve that, we need a broader conversation and a wider range of studies. We also need to be mindful of and engaged with the political, economic, and ideological forces that are shaping our institutions, our work, and our students’ expectations.

Author Biographies

Stephen Bloch-Schulman, Elon University

Stephen Bloch-Schulman, Associate Professor of Philosophy, works at the intersection of political theory and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Susan Wharton Conkling, Boston University

Susan Wharton Conkling is Professor of Music, Music Education at Boston University, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting, music education methods, and curriculum.

Sherry Lee Linkon, Georgetown University

Sherry Lee Linkon is a Professor of English and Director of the Writing Curriculum Initiatives at Georgetown University. Her books include Literary Learning: Teaching in the English Major (Indiana 2011) and Teaching Working Class (Massachusetts 1999). Her SoTL work focuses on strategic course and assignment design, with an emphasis on learning processes.

Karen Manarin, Mount Royal University

Karen Manarin is Professor of English and General Education at Mount Royal University; recent publications include the co-authored book Critical Reading in Higher Education: Academic Goals and Social Engagement.

Kathleen Perkins, Columbia College Chicago

Kathleen Perkins is an Associate Professor in the Theatre Department of Columbia College Chicago where she teaches acting and text analysis and coordinates both the BFA in Acting and the Department Assessment Programs. She was a scholar in the second cohort of the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL).

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