Building a Community of Scholars

    Building Authentic Intellectual Community

    Betsi Stephen transformed her SFS proseminar into a community of scholars, where the same group of students followed a particular theme—immigration—over four years of study.
    Along the way, she explored what it means to form an authentic intellectual community.


    An authentic community of scholars is the embodiment of higher education…

    –Betsi Stephen (SFS)

    Using Blogs

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    The students not only took classes together, but also tutored students at DC schools, took a field trip to New York to see a play, and explored ethnic food in DC's immigrant neighborhoods.

    When most of the students studied abroad during their junior years, Stephen had them keep in touch through blogs.

    Read more about the project in "Connecting the Dots: Learning, Media, Community" on the Academic Commons.

    ePortfolios

    Betsi Stephen explains the ePortfolio project she has started for students studying Science, Technology, and International Affairs, and shares her thoughts on how the ePortfolios will encourage students to make connections across their Georgetown careers.