At first glance, Dr. Meghan Winchell鈥檚 Liberal Arts Seminar looks much like many other Nebraska Wesleyan classes.
A quaint classroom decorated with world maps and dry erase boards, a professor who sits among her students to participate in a class discussion, and a small group of 13 students who today are comparing and contrasting Mary Shelley鈥檚 Frankenstein to a TV episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
What makes this course different from all the others is when these students leave their 50-minute class, they will likely grab some lunch together and then head over to Centennial Hall, where they all live in the same pod.
Winchell鈥檚 Liberal Arts Class 鈥 titled 鈥淒ecoding Buffy the Vampire Slayer 鈥 is one of the university鈥檚 first attempts at using themed residential living. The goal is to blend living and learning experiences, which education experts say contributes to student success.
鈥淚 really like the idea that students can see firsthand how their academic life is also part of their social space,鈥 said Winchell, who volunteered her class to try the concept. 鈥淚 think the residence halls should be more academic. Students should spend time on their school work and be proud of it.鈥
Winchell鈥檚 course dissects episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, a TV series that follows a girl鈥檚 efforts to fight vampires and evil forces. The class explores historical themes and compares them to both past and current events. Their homework includes watching Buffy episodes in preparation for the class鈥 next discussion.
鈥淚 like having my class in the same dorm because we can watch episodes together rather than watching and renting them separately,鈥 said first-year student Jon Keck of Omaha.
A few times this semester Winchell moved her classroom to a living area in the students鈥 residence hall. Aside from occasionally moving locations, Winchell said the new format did not require much change to her curriculum.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 had a bigger impact on my teaching assistant,鈥 said Winchell.
Jennifer Wiederspan of Prague is Winchell鈥檚 teaching assistant. She is also the student鈥檚 peer assistant in their residence hall.
鈥淲hen there is a big homework assignment or paper due, I definitely will have a lot of the students in and out of my room or texting me for help,鈥 she said. These students see me every day because I鈥檓 a few feet from them and they are not shy in any way, shape, or form to ask for help. It makes the whole experience for me so enjoyable and beneficial to them as well.鈥
Wiederspan took Winchell鈥檚 LAS class as a first-year student two years ago. She compared her traditional classroom experience to the experience her LAS students are getting now, noting how their friendships and comfort levels contribute to better course discussions both in and outside of the classroom.
鈥淭here is a huge comfort zone between us because we are in constant contact that I don鈥檛 think has ever been there for a LAS class before,鈥 said Wiederspan. 鈥淭hey do homework and papers together, and sometimes I join in with them. It鈥檚 convenient to have someone to bounce ideas off of or watch episodes with, and they all use that to its fullest potential.鈥
Wesleyan administrators and faculty hope to add more residential theme classes. Winchell said they recognize potential challenges including the possibility that a group of students may not get along with one another.
鈥淚t teaches them a lot about living in a community,鈥 said Nebraska Wesleyan Provost Judy Muyskens. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to live and work with people who are very different from you.鈥
First-year student Jennifer Goossen of Henderson said she is enjoying the experience.
鈥淚f I wasn鈥檛 fond of my classmates, I might think differently of it,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut I really like the students in my class and having them nearby.鈥
Winchell said she will likely volunteer to use her class for residential theme living again next year.
鈥淔rom a professor鈥檚 standpoint, the students are more comfortable with each other,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey will laugh with each other and then turn around and have a drag out battle in one of our discussions. This class has had some of the best discussions I鈥檝e seen in the five years of teaching my LAS.鈥