In Praise of Pop-Ups
Inside Higher Ed wrote about Bennington’s pop-up courses, highlighting the flexibility of the model, and the breadth the pop-up courses offered by faculty members across the disciplines.
Inside Higher Ed wrote that these courses "are meant to encourage students to engage critically with the world’s events as they unfold." They highlighted a class called Election 2016 and What Comes Next, co-taught by Mariko Silver and Noah Coburn.
In an interview with Inside Higher Ed, Silver articulated the unique and vital role that pop-ups play within a traditional academic setting.
We know that the world does not move in academic time...Students and faculty want to be engaging with what’s going on in the world, and we want to create intellectual and academic spaces to discuss those issues in the classroom.
The article also highlighted the courses The Semiotics of Trump, which was taught by Erika Mijlin and examined the Republican presidential candidate’s rhetoric; The Ferguson Report: A Living Document, taught by Crina Archer and Erika Mijlin about the U.S. Department of Justice’s Ferguson Report; Measles and the (sometimes unnatural) history of outbreaks (taught by Zeke Bernstein), and Gravitational Waves: Observing Spacetime for the First Time (taught by Hugh Crowl).
For more information on pop-ups, please see a feature in the magazine and the curriculum for listings of pop-ups by term, including Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, and Spring 2015.