Jump-starting the Wagner Classroom Experience

Catalog description

This non-credit course is an excellent opportunity for all incoming Wagner students to jump-start their academic journey relative to both the foundational content as well as the classroom experience of Wagner graduate coursework. It is required of all students who did not complete their bachelor's degree at a four-year institution in the U.S. and is open to all entering Wagner students. The course aims to achieve four things: 1. Create the foundation for an open, inclusive classroom experience where people can share and learn from the diverse educational and professional experiences students bring to the classroom. 2. Familiarize students with the type of active learning approaches typical of the Wagner classroom, including developing critical thinking skills, active dialogue and discussion, case studies, and group projects. 3. Ensure students have basic familiarity with the institutional and political dynamics at the core of the U.S. political system, understand how the U.S. system differs in significant ways from other political systems, and acquaint students with basic knowledge of the U.S. nonprofit sector. 4. Expose students to some core competencies and expectations in terms of professional communication, both written and verbal.