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AREA RESIDENTS INVITED TO TEACH IN OBERLIN'S EXCO PROGRAM
OCTOBER 6, 2003—Area residents are invited to share their knowledge, experience, vocations, and avocations with Oberlin College and the Oberlin community during Spring 2004 classes as teachers in ExCo, Oberlin’s Experimental College program.
Begun as an experiment in non-traditional education 35 years ago, the student-run program offers a wide range of courses that are open to the public. Some courses have minimal fees, but most are free. Past courses include a Practicum on Organic Farming, Issues in Women's Health, Classical Music of North India, Bicycle Repair, Cryptography, Bread Baking, Capoeira, Community Organizing for Neighborhood Power, Latino Cultural Citizenship in Lorain County, and Prison Activism.
Anyone may teach and take classes in ExCo, a roster of interdisciplinary courses created and taught each semester by Oberlin students, faculty, staff and area residents. "ExCo instructors are extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subjects," says ExCo Committee Co-chair Suzanne Friedman. Applicants who demonstrate expertise and enthusiasm may teach a course, as long as that course is judged to have educational merit.
The application deadline is October 31. Teaching is open on a volunteer basis to any Oberlin student, staff, and area community member, including those from greater Cleveland. The application process includes filling out a course proposal, creating a syllabus and taking part in an interview during the two weeks after the application deadline. Applications are available online and outside the ExCo Office, Room 302 in Wilder Hall, 135 West Lorain St. Contact the ExCo Committee for more information by e-mail or phone, 440 775-8096.
"ExCo provides the Oberlin community with one of the most enjoyable and most rewarding college learning experiences," says Co-chair Eric Bell. Due to its flexible nature the program reflects the current academic, intellectual, social, ideological, philosophical, political, emotional, sexual, and aesthetic trends of the Oberlin community. In each semester there may be between 50 to 120 courses, so there is considerable variety.
Oberlin students may receive one to two hours of college credit for taking each ExCo course. Each student may accumulate up to five credit hours through ExCo towards graduation, and can take any ExCo course for no credit at all. Those Oberlin College students who teach ExCo courses also receive credit.
The student organization is headed by a student volunteer committee that is solely responsible for maintaining the integrity of the program throughout the academic semester. The ExCo Committee oversees and evaluates course proposals, prints course catalogues, handles administrative duties, and organizes registration.
Although rare today, experimental colleges were popular in the 1960s and early '70s. ExCo was founded in 1968 and is alive and flourishing today, so much so that students from Grinnell College initiated their own experimental college six years ago after seeking help from Oberlin. Their program is closely based on Oberlin’s model.
Media Contact: Betty Gabrielli
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