The meetup brought together the faculty from Al-Quds-Bard College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Central Asia, St. Petersburg State University Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Smolny College), Bard College Berlin, and EHU. During two days of intense work, the faculty reviewed the assignments, readings and engagement activities for Freedom of Expression Bard Network course aiming at implementing new options for students’ experience exchange and showcase opportunities.
In 2020, the course will include both traditional assignments like the visual articulation of freedom of expression and keynote lecture (previously featuring Ian Buruma in 2019 and David Goldberger in 2018), as well as new joint assignments as debating across Network pairings and essay on regional case studies related to Freedom of Expression. Focusing on the historical genesis of Freedom of Expression together with evaluating the phenomenon in both global and local contexts, it is expected that the course will allow the students to implement their own investigations through the perspective of freedom of expression and proceed with their studies beyond Bard Network course globally for their future academic and professional careers.
Network courses are developed by faculty across the Bard Network and are taught seminar-style simultaneously at two or more Bard campuses. Bard offers the following courses: Freedom of Expression, Global Citizenship, Civic Engagement, Nationalism and the Lexicon of Migration. Network courses expose students to diverse perspectives through a wide-range of cross-network assignments, activities, and events which value language and thinking and focus on the process of writing to learn. Bard network courses are considered VIEs, COILs, and blended/hybrid courses. Among contributing campuses are Al-Quds-Bard College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Central Asia, Smolny College, Bard College Berlin, and EHU. Course cohorts can range from 60-90 students.
Designed by scholars and educators from across the Bard Network, network courses aim at advancing students’ understanding of particular social justice subjects both in the specific local contexts in which they study, as well as from an international perspective. Through a series of joint readings and assignments, students gain a unique opportunity to engage with their peers and professors from other international network campuses in a liberal arts setting.
Freedom of Expression Bard Network course will start at EHU in AY 2019/20 Spring semester. At EHU the course has been launched since 2018 and this year will be delivered by Kseniya Shtalenkova and Mariia Laktionkina of the Academic Department of Humanities and Arts. The call for the students to enroll in the course will be announced soon.
