Bridge to the Liberal Arts through Primary Source Texts (BLAST)

FAIN: AE-269210-20

Anne Arundel Community College (Arnold, MD 21012-1895)
Alicia Morse (Project Director: July 2019 to March 2024)

A three-year partnership to incorporate the study of primary sources into community college courses and establish transfer pathways for students.

Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) will partner with St. John's College in Annapolis, a renowned liberal arts college with a curriculum focused on the most important books and ideas of Western civilization. Tutors and faculty will develop a Great Books curriculum and seminar-style teaching methodology, and AACC faculty will learn seminar-style Great Books instruction from the expert tutors at St. John's college. The goals of the projects are to 1. deepen faculty knowledge of seminar-style pedagogy using primary source Great Books in humanities teaching; 2. engage community college students in Great Books humanities learning around the themes of equity and inclusion, while at the same time enabling Masters level students to gain experience in community college education; and 3. establish pathways and financial incentives for community college students to transfer to liberal arts institutions.