University of Southern Maine

ARS110 Explorations in Creative and Research Activities

What will class meetings be like?

One important goal of this course is to make it easier for entering students to meet others who share similar interests. Toward that end, we will facilitate meetings with potential mentors, both faculty and upperclassmen who share your areas of interest. In some cases, they will visit our class, in other cases you will make plans to meet them on your own. In class, we will alsohelp students to develop their communication skills so that they will feel confident sharing their interests and their view of the world with others.

We will practice various ways of sharing our individual stories with others, including journaling, open dialogue, storytelling, and art. Reflective listening will also be practiced as it is an important aspect of communicating with others. Our intention, in incorporating these skills into the class is to not only support the development of strong interpersonal skills, but also to foster a sense of community in the course itself. It's our hope that this early experience in community may act as a springboard to connections with a number of communities at USM.